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| Dawn of a New Age: First Age by elliska | 26 Review(s) |
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| perelleth | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/28/2005 |
| I'm amazed, elliska, two stories at the same time! Coooooool!!! :-) This first chapter is thrilling, and I liked the trick of placing the SIlm paragraphs to mark the change of scene, good idea! It is good to see that Oropher is consistent, that much we must give him!:-) and to see your OCs here is a good thing, either. Maybe we shall learn about Thranduil's most embarrasing moments as an elfling! :-) But I liked above all the description of what the new light seemed to the Sindar. I've been trying to do that from the Noldor's pov and of course the Sindarin pov is thrilling, and lovely. Author Reply: Two stories at the same time--amazing or insane? Only time will tell. ;-) This one started about this time last year when people made some comments about young Oropher and little Thranduil in reviews. My beta and I sat down and started thinking about fleshing out the back story we had written for Interrupted Journeys and our discussion turned into the complete outline for this story. I've been playing with it since. And it has been fun. Having to look so closely at the Silm has really made me think about Tolkien's world a lot and made me appreciate it even more. I'm glad you thought the quotes were ok. I know some people don't like that, but for something this closely tied to the Silm, I'm afraid in some places, if I don't do it, people are going to have no idea what I'm refering to. I found I really liked them when I went about putting them in the chapters I've written so far. It's hard to sustain in the Second Age part though. I might go to UT and HoME for some of those. Poor Oropher--it was really mean of me to make him charge head long into his very first battle, wasn't it! I just could not resist doing that. His first scene in this story and his last will be parallel--that's for certain. And we will learn more about a few of my OCs and certainly Thranduil's childhood--I had a blast with that. I love the thought of the Elves' first reaction to the Moon and Sun, so I am very glad you liked that part. And you have me very interested in seeing you do it from the Noldor's perspective. Thanks so much for the review! :-) | |
| Redheredh | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/27/2005 |
| You are posting a FA story! With a thrilling opening! And I am so excited to read a story about Oropher and the rest of his kin which includes my favorite elf. The inserted text is a great way to setup the scenes. The battle was tense and nicely choreographed. Using Cellon to convey the devastating loss of Denethor was very effective. You know your geography! Melian's casual application of her powers was oddly amusing. I look forward to getting to know more of the people and history of this House. Author Reply: :-) I am so happy you thought the opening was thrilling. I debated for a long time about where to start this story and I was happy when I finally settled on this series of events. I thought they would provide the most exciting beginning. I'm glad you liked the battle scene--I find them challenging to write, but I enjoy them a lot too. One of the things I like most in them is focusing on how people in them feel/what is happening to them individually--so I'm glad showing Cellon and Denethor worked for you. And I had a lot of fun studying the map of Beleriand as I re-read parts of the Silm to get all my canon straight, so I'm glad you noticed the effort. ;-) I really appreciate the review--thanks so much for it--and I hope you continue to enjoy. These are fascinating people (I absolutely love the Silm), so I think (hope) this story will be a lot of fun. :-) | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/27/2005 |
| Wow, two stories at once. How do you do that? I have to admit that despite the grim situation, I started to laugh when Oropher wanted to charge down the hill more or less by himself. I guess people don't change much even in a couple of thousand years. And apparently Legolas isn't the first member of his house to count kills in a contest. Not too long ago, I read a quote from someone whose name I've forgotten saying something like "If the stars appeared only once every million years, how men would worship them." I was thinking about that on my way to work today as I saw that the maple tree outside my building has turned this glorious shade of red-orange. We take all these things -- including the moon -- so much for granted, but they're wondrous. Author Reply: How do I do two stories--well it remains to be seen that I can. ;-) I have been playing with this since a few reviews got me thinking about fleshing out the 'back story' I noted for Interrupted Journeys. It's been fun, really. You were welcome to laugh at Oropher--I admit I did too when I wrote some of these parts. I just could not resist having him going running off against his father's orders--Gil-galad, shouldn't feel bad, I guess. ;-) I love that quote about the stars and the image of that tree outside your building--I do miss autumn colors here. It sounds lovely. And you are right--I can't imagine the awe the elves must have felt seeing the moon and later the sun. I can picture that scene must better than I portrayed it here and it is one of my favorite things to picture in the Silm. Thanks so much for the review! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/27/2005 |
| Manarindė glared back at the light coldly. Glad to see that a certain elleth is just as good-natured and lovable, even at the first rising of the moon. And just imagine being able to look up at the moon and say 'I know him'. And, come to that, to be able, without any apparent effort, to raise and maintain a barrier that keeps the baddies at bay. Melian packs some serious power - although I'm not entirely sure that she has much of a real understanding of elves. Except the general gorgeousness of Elu, of course. The battle was remarkable. Did you have battle plans, to see where everyone was and what they were doing? I'm glad to see that Oropher's impetuous side is already firmly in place - and his competitiveness with Amglaur. 'Impetuous' seems to be a bit of a family trait, too - one to which Denethor was not immune. I love this - it's great to see the back story to lots of the Interrupted Journeys characters and to get to meet those whose presence, by the Third Age, is sadly missed. I'm rubbing my hands together in glee at the prospect of two stories - and two sets of updates. Author Reply: Being consistent isn't always a positive trait, is it? Especially when you are consistently like her. But I had fun showing some of her history in this. A lot of fun, really. I loved thinking about the rising of the moon--can you imagine what it would be like to see a thing like that for the first time! I'm glad you liked the battle. Yes, in fact I did write a whole battle strategy after reading what little there is in the Silm about the First Battle and looking at a map. I actually like doing that sort of thing, scary as that might sound. And I had fun thinking about how people would feel here--this would be the first battle most of them saw. That is interesting. I laughed at some of the things I had Oropher do in this--it was irresistible to have him run off into the thick of things. I'm glad you liked it. I will probably update this only every other week until December--then I am quitting one of my jobs and I'll have more time to update both stories every week. Thanks so much for the review! | |
| nat | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/26/2005 |
| I love it! please continue as quickly as possible! Author Reply: I am so glad that you did! I love these characters and this time period, so I had a lot of fun writing this. I will probably be updating this every other week until December and every week starting then (because I am quitting one of the jobs I work in Decemeber and that will give me more time). I really hope you continue to enjoy! :-) | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/26/2005 |
| Oh, look at you, you have two stories going at once! That is impressive. I think I'm going to like this one. I loved the extended battle scene, but you know that I'm a sucker for well-written blood and thunder. Your battles are exciting and grittily realistic at the same time, which I appreciate. I'm also glad of a chance to read about Oropher. For some reason, he's been in my head lately, and here you come with a story about him. What could be more perfect? And the rising of the moon! Now that is one of your best scenes yet. It must have looked like some weird kind of UFO to the Elves who saw it first. I like that they're not quite sure what to make of it until Melian oh-so-casually mentions that, oh yeah, she knows this guy. Then it's okay. And did I just spot a wee little Black Cygnet? Author Reply: Impressive...or insane. :-) Time will tell which. But I really like the way this has gone so far and I haven't even gotten completely done with the Second Age, which is just packed with good stuff. I am having fun with this because canon provides sooo much to explore and these characters are just great in my mind. Of course, I have great fun with Oropher. So, I hope you do enjoy it too. I'm glad you liked the battle. I really liked writing that after I looked at the map for a while and figured out how it was going to go. And after thinking about what it would be like for the Sindar to see their first real battle. I do like a good battle--and this story has lots of opportunities for them. And I am so glad you liked the rising of the moon. I think that would have been an incredible moment for them. A UFO! FP, you kill me, but you are right--what would they have made of it? And yes, you did spot that particular water fowl. We will earn a lot about her background in this story. It's fun. Thanks for the review! | |