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| Through the Darkness Unescapable by Valiniel | 4 Review(s) |
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| Aiwen | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 5/23/2009 |
| This story was beautiful. Thank you for writing. | |
| Arnorion | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 2/22/2009 |
| Valiniel, I have read many stories on this site and your personal rendering of the Akallabeth is among the best I have seen. As the few others who left comments have already noted, your characterizations are excellent. I had never taken the time to imagine the relationship between Pharazon and Miriel in anything other than them most basic terms. You added very believable nuances of interplay and fleshed out their changing motivations. I was also very appreciative of the roles you gave to Miriel, especially in delivering the treasures and documents to Elendil. I had wondered before how Elendil got his hands on them. I thought it very unlikely that the royal coffers were emptied when Silmarien departed for Andunie. It is a detail that few authors would have thought to include. Further, the discussion of deliberate colonies in Middle Earth got me thinking more critically about how the departures from Numenor would have affected the nation's politics. The various expeditions sent by the kings and queens and later the Elendili and Arandili would surely have had governors responsible for reporting back to the island much like the provinces of imperial Rome. For some years now, I have been tinkering with some ideas about the development of the realms of Men in Middle Earth during the Second Age of the Sun and your story has inspired new thoughts. I have never actually written any of my notions down before but now that I have started, the story seems to be discovering itself. Allow me to assure you: I have no intention of co-opting any of your characters. There are however some subtleties and themes that I might echo. Many thanks for the excellent tale, and I look forward to reading your other works. If you decide to publish again, I would like to offer my services as a beta-reader. Gratefully yours, Arnorion | |
| shadowfax | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/8/2008 |
| Well, I am rather surprised this story has had so few reviews! Its a very magnificent story and about someone like Miriel too, who isn't the most famous characters around. I liked the theme of tragedy running around in the whole story...both personal as well as general. One of the things I liked best was the characterization of both Miriel and Ar-Pharazon...how he was proud and vain and misdirected and foolish enough to challenge the Valar and selfish enough to marry his first cousin forcefully and greedy enough to claim the throne and yet he loved Miriel in his own rather demented and proud way. And also how Miriel tried her best to save Numenor from Sauron and yet didn't choose to sail safely with Elendil to Middle Earth because of her guilt of being the instigator in bringing Sauron to Numenor in the first place. Thanks for such a fine story! | |
| Christina | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 1/31/2005 |
| This is a fascinating story. Miriel and Pharazon are prideful and all too human. That the fall of Numenor was also somewhat a result of her pride was a wicked twist that made the story all that more tragic. And Sauron...even without his ring, he is still evil. Christina | |