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The Wars of the Valar by Fiondil	9 Review(s)
Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 8/26/2008
Playing catch with a miniature mountain. What fun. They do need a break from the job of creating the universe every now and then. Tari Author Reply: Everyone needs some downtime every once in a while, including the Valar... especially the Valar, considering the sort of things they have to do to bring the universe into being.

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 3/13/2008
I envy the Valar in their romp through the stars and different worlds that abound. The beauty, as you write it, is incredible. I want to go with them, visit these places. And Namo wanting to see something that gave him joy and hope... and yet not finding them... It is sad. One can never go back, can one? Author Reply: No, one can never go back, but the beauty remains, even if only in memory and sometimes that's the best any of us can hope for.

Radbooks	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 2/6/2008
Very enjoyable chapter. It's interesting how the relationships... the most important things of all, are the last things Namo remembers clearly. I suppose it's because that's where the wounds are the deepest and thus take the longest to heal. Vaire is so very patient! Of course if she wasn't, she wouldn't be the right woman, er, Vala for him. :) I loved the two of them sitting around idly talking about what they wanted their planet to look like. And Vaire's question was so perfect... what reflects their own joy about the coming of the children. That is a neat way to think of the planet and how it should look. It was also interesting that Orome didn't incarnate very often... I hadn't picked that up before, but I suppose there wasn't really much reason for him to do so in the past. I hope you're enjoying yourself... I think I read that the Lunar New Year is tomorrow, so I'm sure everyone is really celebrating over there! :) Author Reply: Yes, I imagine the very personal things dealing with relationships would be the hardest to recall and the last simply because of the threat of wounding that defines any relationship. I think Vairë is showing herself the Valië that she will become as Námo's helpmeet and support. Being the Lord of Mandos will be difficut however joyfully he embraces the role and her presence, patience and understanding will be important to him (though right now he doesn't realize this). I don't think any of the Valar at this point incarnate all that often and not for very long. Námo would be the only one to have been in hröa for any length of time and that was forced upon him. That's why Oromë is so surprised that Námo incarnates on that particular planet. That he is able to do so for a positive reason speaks much to the extent of his healing. The fireworks are loud and nearly constant. The stores and restaurants are closing early today and I've stocked up as much as I can because they will all be closed for much of the rest of the week. Hopefully, I won't starve before some of them reopen. Frankly, the whole thing is a drag, but at least I've got my writing to keep me occupied and plenty of munchies. grin Thanks for reviewing.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 2/3/2008
Varda complaining about Manwë’s star core collection left me snickering. Rather an unique collection, as it are real stars! And the Ayanumuz playing with snowballs the size of mountains ... it is nearly unimaginable, but it makes one remember how powerful they truly are. Glad the nermir left a good enough impression on Námo that he now wants to revisit this world to meet them. To me it seems a step more in the direction of healing. And of course, I love him planning the star with Vairë ;-) And now I finally have catched up! :-) Author Reply: Actually it was Yavanna comnplaining about Aule's star core collection. grin I think the nermir will play an important role in Namo's healing, though to what degree or in what manner I have yet to discover. And now that you've caught up... don't fall behind. LOL Thanks for reviewing. Glad you're enjoying this story.

Rhyselle	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 2/1/2008
I really enjoyed this chapter. The description of the snowball game that Namo was playing with Irmo and Orome was fun. And I enjoyed Vaire's stammering when she got up the nerve to ask Namo if he'd like to work on a world with her. The whole bit about Namo remembering his relationships with the other Ayanumuz was heartbreaking. He's slowly healing but there's so much that still needs to be repaired. Irmo and Orome were the first ones to play with him when they found him, if I recall correctly, so I can see why he'd be more comfortable with them. I look forward to the time when he's able to regain the closeness he had with Manwe. I rather liked the mental image of Namo blushing when he realized that he'd gotten distracted by Vaire. :) The description of the different worlds that the different Ayanumuz are creating was interesting, and I was amused at Vaire and Namo's reactions to the varied ideas. Their conversation gave us more insight as to the personalities of each of the Valar as well. When they started talking about the world they would build, a thought popped into my head that seems so obvious in hindsight, although it surprised me while I was reading. Namo and Vaire are going to make the fifth planet--and Morgoth is going to target it and destroy it--making the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. While Morgoth hates Manwe, I think that he really wants revenge on Namo for escaping him, and wants to hurt the future Lord of Mandos for rejecting him. When Namo disappeared after talking to Vaire about the nermir, I thought "oops!" I was more surprised by Orome's reaction to being in hroa than I was about where Namo went and that he was in bodily form. That Orome would pick up on the scents of the distant forest even over the sensory input of where he was physically located really intrigued me--and seemed so appropriate given one of his future titles. :) [Oromë stood there stunned for a moment. "Wait," he called to the retreating Námo, "I thought we were going to disincarnate first." Námo turned around and stopped, hands on hips, his expression one of amazement. "Well, what’s the fun of that?"] I just loved this little sequence. We see a bit of regression--he's definitely reacting in a more childlike manner here, but, thankfully, there's no traumatic reaction to being where all the horrible stuff began. And there it happened again, Namo falling asleep in his tracks like a toddler who had worn himself out in play. grin Obviously, Atar has His reasons for these things, even if we readers don't really have an explanation for why it happens to him. I like it that he fell asleep with a smile this time. Gosh, I've used the words "I like" so much this time around! LOL! I'll summarize and say that I loved the whole thing and each chapter is better than the last. Looking forward to what happens next! Author Reply: Namo and Vaire are going to make the fifth planet--and Morgoth is going to target it and destroy it--making the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Ah... you've given away the plot! LOL Well, maybe not entirely. Don't be too complacent... things aren't always what they seem. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, though. A lot of stuff going on in it, but the important thing is that Námo is indeed healing, though he's not there yet. Thanks for reviewing. You know how much I love long reviews. LOL

Nieriel Raina	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 1/31/2008
I really enjoyed this chapter. I look forward to seeing more of Namo and Vaire together, though I'm dreading the eventual confrontation Namo needs to have with Melkor before he will ever find complete healing. Sorry this is such a short review. Real Life is not cooperative at the moment. NiRi Author Reply: That's okay, NiRi, I know there's a lot going on with you. I'm glad you were able to take the time to let me know how much you enjoyed this chapter. The inevitable confrontation with Melkor will be coming soon (but not too soon). I think we're all dreading it, but it will be necessary.

lyncarol333	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 1/30/2008
Hi I just so love this fic, and the way you write the Valar. Especially Námo, and his wicked sense of humor. Thanks for the update Lyn (Who was never really interested in the Valar until she started reading Fiondil's fics) Author Reply: Thanks Lyn. I'm glad you are enjoying this story and that you are finding the Valar really interesting, especially Námo. grin

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 1/30/2008
So nice to see that this time the reason for going to the planet was to again be part of beauty rather than to flee the horrible memories. Now the good memories are drawing him. Now, to remember that he loves Varie! And I wonder if I'll ever master Sindarin, Quenya, and so on. At times it appears I do well to converse in English! Heh! Author Reply: Námo may not yet associate the butterfly planet (for lack of a better name) as the place of his torment, remembering only the butterflies and how he felt being amongst them. That being said, the good memories are beginning to surface, so hopefully it won't be too long before he remembers his feelings for Vairë. grin

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 1/30/2008
Námo shrugged as he threw a dirty snowball the size of a small mountain at Irmo. Hee! Just imagine, if they were a little more "ambitious", and would throw something like the Mount Everest among the group - the mind reels... "And any that do," Manwë had said once the barriers had been set, "we will know to keep a closer eye on them." A question, because I'm often unsure about this grammatical construction: Could you also delete "them", and the sentence would still make sense? even going so far as to create a crystal sphere in which to encase the false star system. Yippieh! Celestial spheres! "Perhaps when it comes time for the Children’s star to be brought forth Vána will let Arien assist you," Oh, that's a lovely idea, that Arien being allowed to guide the sun will partly be an apology for deceiving her now. She has always struck me as very conscientious, and it must have hurt her that her diligence had been used in this way. A wonderful description how Oromë is entranced by the scents of nature. A good sign that Námo can now return to the planet of his torture, and concentrate on the beautiful things he's seen there. I do hope that should they not find the butterflies again, he will not experience a setback out of disappointment... Author Reply: Well, I'm sure if they wanted to they could play with an Everest-sized mountain, but I suspect they just grabbed the first likely snowball they could find to play with. grin As for your question about the grammar, I suspect you're right though my beta, who is very good with grammar, didn't call me on it. I've gone back and forth on the question myself, but I think technically "them" isn't needed as you could rephrase the sentence: "We will know to keep a closer eye on any that do." So I think I will edit this sentence. Thanks for point this out. Celestial spheres! Well, of course! What's a flat world without one? LOL I had to go back and double-check to whom Arien belongs. My first instinct is to say she belongs to the People of Varda, but according to the Silmarillion she actually belongs to Vána, so I had to comme up with a reason why she might have been associated with the Sun. Whether they find the butterflies or not, I'm sure Námo will not suffer too much disappointment or suffer a setback... but then, they haven't finished their race, so we'll have to wait and see. grin Thanks for reviewing.

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