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| The Dwellings of the Dead by Nilmandra | 23 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Unquenchable Tolkien fanfic fanatic | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/13/2006 |
| Great beginning. Now when are you going to update this story?! Author Reply: Getting there! Now that the holidays are over, I'll get this finished. | |
| Firestar | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/6/2006 |
| I am intrigued! Please continue. I always like stories focusing on the twins and Glorfindel, so I am excited to continue reading this story. Your style is engaging and even in only the first chapter I am hooked. Don't keep your readers waiting too long! Thank you, Firestar Author Reply: Thanks Firestar. I am catching up now and will have another chapter out this week. | |
| Redheredh | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/26/2006 |
| Goodness, I thought Elrohir was going to be safe after the first encounter, but now... !!! Apparently, this houseless spirit, at first, thought his chosen target to be human. Does it now think Elrohir's mortal blood will make him easier prey? It just might be right! Glorfindel may have to find a way to destroy it, not just repel it. They simply cannot leave Elrohir alone with it still stalking him! Nor risk leading it to the other brother! Well, I'm hooked. And anxious to see if this dark soul has a name. Author Reply: LOL, glad you're hooked. There are so many things to choose from in Tolkien, and this period of the Third Age is so dark! So yes, poor Elrohir is again at risk. Now I'm listening to the Golden One as he tells his part of the story. :D | |
| paranoidangel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/26/2006 |
| Ooh, that's spooky, and interesting. Author Reply: There were lots of things to be spooked at in Middle-earth. Much better to read about than live through :/ | |
| Imhiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/24/2006 |
| Wow. You have chosen some very, very interesting topics for this story. I don't think I have ever read anything about the time of the plague in Eriador! And then you add other topics that are seldom explored - the houseless spirits spirits. I hope you will continue to explore this further, it is a concept I have difficulty wrapping my mind about (particularly as to how it differs from faded Elves), and I think having it explored in a story would make it more accessible for me. The scenes and the atmosphere are set up very well; the descriptions are evocative, without being too graphic or too long. Elrohir's feelings of discomfort, grief, numbness and fear come through very clearly. I especially liked the encounter with the beech. What I did wonder about was Glorfindel's reactions/feelings to all this; he seemed rather a pale or distant presence until nearly the very end. Author Reply: Glorfindel was very distant. Elrohir was pretty numb though too, so some of it might have been his perception. This is a fascinating time, though - lots of scary things to choose from. The houseless ones are a fascinating tidbit - a normal part of elven culture in some ways, but knowing that some could be turned to evil is a terrifying thought. | |
| perelleth | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/24/2006 |
| Oh! This is so spooky and tense! The Plague, Angmar, the war in Arnor, the devastated villages and the Old Forest. And if that were not enough, a houseless! His attacks were very frigtening! I loved these two paragraphs: "Not a cricket was chirping, or a frog making its deep throated call. That ominous silence was broken moments later by a mournful howl. They entered their camp and Elrohir was surprised to see that there was no fire burning. Only a wisp of smoke remained. Glorfindel studied the blackness of night for a moment, then rekindled the fire and set their dinner to cooking." You played perfectly with the stillnes in the forest and the fire out...the tension builds up just greatly here, of course after the frightening atatcks, but I really liked how this worked... somehow it makes me fear that the worst is not yet over. And Glorfindel comes out perfectly in command of the situation, knowing exactly what it is going on without giving away anything! Author Reply: Glorfindel beleivs he is in command and knows exactly what is going on. Time will tell if that is true! I am glad the ominous feeling comes through well - a devastated and abandoned landscape, filled with death and evil spirits, had to be a very unsettling place to be. | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/23/2006 |
| The opening scene in the village abandoned to death was sober and yet incredibly vivid, and Elrohir's visceral reaction to the dying old man felt very real. It was so comforting that he was able to ease the old man's passing and give him peace. But wait - soul-stealing ghouls? Run, Elrohir! Fight! And dammit, TELL GLORFINDEL. You're giving me a heart attack. This is like one of those movies where you just know the couple should NOT go up to the creepy old house to get help after their car breaks down, and you're screaming at the TV. But they do it anyway, just like Elrohir fights off the second attack by a houseless ghoul in like, half a day and does NOT tell Glorfindel what's going on and then wanders off by himself again. You just knew that was a bad call. Whew. Thank goodness Glowing Glorfindel decided to follow him this time and has no intention of letting him out of his sight. Also thank goodness it seems evil houseless elves have a healthy respect for the old balrog slayer. Now Elrohir and I will both sleep better tonight. Author Reply: LOL... poor Elrohir. He's a warrior and a healer, able to fight an enemy but also to touch the spirit. That a spirit could be evil and seek to harm him is beyond what he expected. Then perhaps he thought it was the woods he had to worry about. He is weary and overwhelmed, and it did lead him to make a less than great decision about going off by himself. And of course, it makes a better story! | |
| Ellie | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/23/2006 |
| Okay, this is creepy and eerie. Poor Elrohir! I'm glad Glorfindel is there to protect him. I like the way you have described the haunting and spiritual atack on an elf. Nicely done. I can't wait for more! Author Reply: Poor Elrohir. I'm afraid there are worse things in Middle-earth than houseless elves, and he is about to find that out. Tolkien really did give us a rich and fertile history to draw from, didn't he? | |
| Lianna | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/23/2006 |
| Er...uh... One might speculate that a spirit that found Elrohir's body to be a potentially hospitable domicile might have an equally favorable view of another, essentially identical place of residence patrolling a bit to the North. And Erestor is no Glorfindel... Author Reply: All true, unfortunately. Middle-earth is a dangerous place! | |
| eliza61 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/23/2006 |
| Yeah, Glorifindel to the rescue!! Take that evil spirit. I love, love a good horror story (though maybe I should have read this in the morning, instead of midnight). Excellent chapter Nilmandra, I love the suspense and nice turn making the villian an evil elf. Hope you update soon. Now what is Glorifindel thinking?? Author Reply: I usually scare myself half to death when I read anything scary! But the concepts Tolkien gives us are fascinating! I'm not sure what Glorfindel is thinking. He looks grave, though. | |