What fanfics are you reading ?

[Raksha]

I've been enjoying Ellethil's Fair, Strong And Cold:

www.fanfiction.net/s/2755461/1/

It's about 360 degrees the other way from Steff's Avoidance (which I also enjoy, btw) - an AU bookverse story where Faramir and Eowyn did not fall in love during their convalescence, but during a marriage that was arranged by Aragorn. Twenty-three chapters so far, and it's almost finished. She's got a Tolkienesque style and a flair for subtle, slow romance. Ellethil is not a native English speaker; I think she's Hungarian but can't remember for sure. I have it on good authority that the story will be nominated for the 2006 MEFAs as soon as it's finished - which means that it, and Avoidance will be in similar categories, only one is bookverse and one is not. I'm very pleased that MEFA will have two such different, but well-done Faramir/Eowyn romance epics...

In case anyone is wondering where Linda is; I've heard that her computer crashed a few days ago, and she hopes to have it repaired soon.

It's not too late to nominate more MEFA stories, btw; and there's a thread about it elsewhere on this board. Nomination Season has been extended to June 15. I think people can also sign on to vote even without nominating, by becoming a member of MEFA and its Yahoo group.



RAKSHA, busily polishing MEFA nominations and starting to draft-review other MEFA entries (there are so many of them, thank the Valar we have a few months)

[lindahoyland]

I'm on the MEFA list,too Steff .I was very honoured when The White tree was nominated and hope that you enjoy it.I've nominated quite a few stories and am hoping I'll find some enjoyable new ones to read and review.I enjoyed "A Lasting Peace"

[StefaniaB]

Hi Folks -

I was at the Baycon Science Fiction/Fantasy convention last weekend so am a bit behind on my emails. Baycon still has people dressing up in costumes for the LOTR films and sessions on Tolkien, even three years past the release of ROTK. What they did not have was a session on fan fiction (any genre). I suggested it as a subject to several people that I know who are on the board.

And now, to get back to the topic in this thread, I'm glad to hear that another F/E story of novel/epic length will be added to the MEFAs. I was afraid that the topic had lost favor, with only one novel and Raksha's ficlets devoted to F/E. I can't wait to read Fair, Strong, and Cold. It sounds really good. BTW, I'm not in the MEFA competition for "Avoidance" to win in any category. I just wanted to get a wider recognition for it and to commit myself to reading and reviewing all those great stories. I have over 150 on my wish list. Boy is that "wishing" for a lot. So far over 450 stories have been nominated.

Meantime, I've started another MEFA novel nominee called "Arwen's Heart." It's my first elf-centric multi-chapter story, believe it or not. I read almost exclusively human-centric or humor fics. It's interesting to compare the author Bodkin's style with Sue's for "A Lasting Peace.

Have any of you read "Arwen's Hear?" It's on SoA.

- Steff

[lindahoyland]

I read Arwen's heart and by the end thought it was one of the most moving fanfics I'd ever read, so I nominated it.

Good luck with your story, Steff.

[Raksha]

Fans of Faramir/Eowyn romance must read Respite, by Nesta, at ff.net:


www.fanfiction.net/s/2964695/1/

Bookverse, and a short, playful but poignant vignette, very skillfully written.

I'd nominate it for a MEFA myself, but I'm down to my last two nominations and they're both promised elsewhere.

If my friend Branwyn finishes her delightful Faramir/Eowyn romance piece that she's been working on for months, F/E romance will be well-represented at the MEFAs.


RAKSHA

[Lily]

Thank you, Raksha, that´s a lovely story!

[Lily]

I am thrilled by a Sharpe-LOTR crossover by Evendim.

www.fanfiction.net/s/2963741/1/

In Chapter 5 Faramir says "Gods bless" and I am definitely confused. Was "God" a common word in Gondor for Iluvatar?

[Raksha]

Short answer: No.

Tolkien rarely, if ever, mentions the gods in LOTR (they're all over the place in the Silmarillion), and never mentions Eru. The writer of this crossover, Evendim, often has her Middle-earth characters mention the gods or (though I don't remember clearly) Eru; and has also applied a line from the New Testament (referring to Jesus) to Faramir; and (I think, again, not remembering very clearly, Evendim has written tons of stories) another line/phrase about Jesus to Denethor.

Evendim is an entertaining writer whose stories are AU, movieverse with some bookverse elements (i.e. Numenorean history) - Boromir is her favorite character and hero. She views Denethor as a misunderstood and long-suffering father who was best pals with Aragorn/Thorongil until mean ol' Ecthelion set them against each other (her view, not mine or, I believe, Tolkien's).

Evendim's LOTR/Sharpe crossover is amusing; but I can't figure out how Sharpe is in Gondor while he hasn't physically left the 18th-19th century.


RAKSHA

[Lily]

Thank you for the information, Raksha. I wondered, if the word "God" applied to Middle Earth.

As to the LOTR/Sharpe crossover I can say that I am simple-minded enough to merely enjoy the story and to refrain from considering the im-/possibility of the plot. Sharpe is written in character and so are the other characters so far. The first real encounter with Denethor is to be expected in the next chapter, so we will see.

[Raksha]

I haven't read the Sharpe books, so I can't speak for Evendim's characterisation of the hero, but I disagree with the contention that her Tolkien characters are "written in character" - at least in reference to the actual LOTR books. They are, in my opinion, somewhat to severely out of character with the books, somewhat related to the movie, and mostly in character with Evendim's own fanfic sub-universe. If you are looking for good, enjoyable and entertaining stories with humor as well as angst, Evendim/Eambar has them. If you're looking for good fanfiction about the characters who are strongly or at least reasonably extrapolated from Tolkien's books, look elsewhere.


RAKSHA

[Lily]

I haven´t read the Sharpe books either, but I was told that the characterisations are not so far away from the movies. I can live with movie verse LOTR characters, but must admit that I haven´t yet read enough of Evendim´s stories to get into her own sub-universe.

[lindahoyland]

I've only read one Sharpe book, but I believe the author is very happy with Sean Bean's interpretation of the character.
In my own view,Tolkien's characters are as he portrayed them in his books.I used to read Evendim's stories,as did a friend of mine but neither of us could stand seeing Aragorn as a weak shirker who shunned his duties of ruling Gondor, Boromir as the perfect hero, who should have been king and Denethor as a sadly put upon and misunderstood hero whose heart was broken when Thorongil left.

[Rosie]

raksha said:

I haven't read the Sharpe books, so I can't speak for Evendim's characterisation of the hero, but I disagree with the contention that her Tolkien characters are "written in character" - at least in reference to the actual LOTR books. They are, in my opinion, somewhat to severely out of character with the books, somewhat related to the movie, and mostly in character with Evendim's own fanfic sub-universe. If you are looking for good, enjoyable and entertaining stories with humor as well as angst, Evendim/Eambar has them. If you're looking for good fanfiction about the characters who are strongly or at least reasonably extrapolated from Tolkien's books, look elsewhere.


RAKSHA

I'd certainly agree in the main with this.

Evendim is an amazing writer, but she - maybe more than any other fanfic writer - has created almost her own world, and moulded the characters to suit her images of how they should be. I wouldn't knock that as it's what fiction writers do all the time, and as Raksha says, her stories are certainly entertaining, and she is so prolific I'm sure she could be earning a fortune by creating her own original characters and setting.

Whether or not you like her Boromir/Faramir/Denethor etc, you can't deny that they are colourful and evocative. My biggest objection is that her Faramir is often too childlike. Whilst it can be an attractive quality in some ways, I've never quite got over him sitting on Denethor's knee - when he was an adult!

But Evendim is a superb writer, and one of the best out there.

[Raksha]

I've recently read some excellent stories and vignettes by Nesta:

Nesta's profile page:
www.fanfiction.net/u/830438/

She's a bookverse Faramirist. Her best stories are Black Hour and its sequel Strange Meeting, The hours of Waiting is a lovely HoH romance, and Respite is a well-done vignette with Faramir and Eowyn enjoying married life.

Also, on her page, Second Son, which I highly recommend (and the second son isn't Faramir). For lighter fare, check out Chapters 1 and 3 of Nesta's Giggles, and Ch. 1 (A Mighty Gift) of her drabbles.


Oh, and check out this story by Branwyn:

Book Learning
www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=4792
(there is some reference to explicit sex, but nothing very graphic - it's an unusual take on Faramir and Eowyn as newlyweds, charming and sensitively written, and often humorous in an understated way, and very real).


RAKSHA

[lindahoyland]

I must second Raksha's reccomendations here,Nesta is a truly outstanding writer,one of the very best out there and her exquisite stories deserve far more readers.
"Strange Meeting" is a gem,as are the others.She is spot on with Tolkien's characters too and packs a great deal of meaning into a few words.
Another outstanding writer is Madeleine with her Faramir and Eowyn romances,
www.storiesofarda.com/author.asp?AuthID=1710
They are all the more amazing as english isn't her first language.
Another outstanding writer is Gwynnyd
www.storiesofarda.com/author.asp?AuthID=1263
While looking for good stories to nominate for MEFA, i have stumbled upon some gems.

[StefaniaB]

I just read the first chapter of "Book Learning" and really enjoyed it. So there's a recommendation from me, too.

- Steff

[Raksha]

Here's a new double-drabble by Acacea, which is very a cute and funny look at Denethor (yes, him!) and very young Faramir:

Gifts
www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=4798

Of course, Acacea's an excellent writer, and nothing by her disappoints.


RAKSHA

[Raksha]

I normally avoid hobbit-centric fanfic, but this one is well worth the read. Humorous and well-paced, and definitely AU.

Frodo's Exciting Day Out, by Llinos
www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=4776



RAKSHA

[lindahoyland]

Thanks Raksha, I have enjoyed reading these.

[Raksha]

Here's another recommendation, for a vignette that was just posted on ff.net:

Darkness Inescapable
www.fanfiction.net/s/2991436/1/
by Peradan


A nifty ficlet about lost Numenor, and its connection to Faramir. Peradan is a Faramirist who writes a lot of Jane Austen fanfic, so I'm pleased that she was inspired to write this story. I don't think anyone who reads this will be disappointed. Not just another wave dream story.



Sheesh, good stuff seems to be just popping out of the woodwork these days!



RAKSHA