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Of Wine and Song  by Ellie 3 Review(s)
RedheredhReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/4/2010
I quite enjoyed this story! I loved how you used a vineyard as a means to contrast the two cultures.

As this is Saeros, son of Ithilbor, his own arrogance towards the wine-maker was impressively portrayed. A fitting contrast to his later lack of recognizing it for what it is in regards to Turin. He treated that man (who was admittedly a tragedy on two legs) with the same disregard for his dignity as he feels he was offered here. The Noldo guide was at least oblivious about his prejudice. Saeros feeds his. Diplomatic silence and resentment from him and from Turin with different results. If you intended to show this irony, you really got it right.

Poor Saeros. Unlike himself, the young hot-head human he taunts does not sit back and take it.


Author Reply: I was only given Saeros and a vineyard in Vinyamar and told to write a story, so I did what I could. I watched a show John Cleese did about winemaking and that really got me thinking about the "wild" or "more natural" ways of the avari versus the more sophisiticated carefully nutured and controlled ways of the Noldor. From there it all just flowed. No wine flowed though, unfortuantely, though acccording to Fiondil, there was an abundance of Whine available. *LOL*

It was fun having Saeros treated the same way he treated Turin.

Thanks so very much for reading and reviewing! I always enjoy seeing what you perceive in one of my stories.

FiondilReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/4/2010
I still think the title should have been "Of Whine and Song", Ellie. *LOL* However, I think you did an excellent job of portraying Saeros in a slightly more positive light than we see in the Silmarilllion and certainly the Noldor, as typified by the nameless wonder in the story, were an arrogant, supercilious bunch of yahoos looking down their noses at their poor Sindarin cousins, at least some of them (I'm excluding people like Finrod, of course *grin*). It must have been a bad case of culture shock for both groups when they first met and, of course, when the Sindar learned why the Noldor had really come to Beleriand, and it wasn't to aid them in their fight against Morgoth, that must have hurt. Anyway, good job and thanks for sharing this story with us.

Author Reply: I have to agree with you on the Whine part. I didn't think that Saeros had quite as many "issues" this early on in the years of the sun as he had by the time he knew Turin. It is also fun writing stereotypical Noldor according to Moriquendi complaints about them I read in one of the HoME books way back when. I was actually surprised that I managed a "positive" Saeros to tell you the truth. He's a tough cookie to write about!

Thanks for reading and tweaking and reviewing!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/3/2010
Turgon's folk have much to learn--or, at least, to relearn. And it appears Saeros is the Elf to do it! Heh!

Love that he finds himself fingering an imaginary harp as he considers the rhythms and music he's heard in the local area.


Author Reply: It was a challenge writing Saeros, but I think he is the very one to teach those Noldor a thing or two! I've been in teh presence of enough musicians to know that whan no instrument is readily available, they will finger tunes on what is available, books, pens, girlfriend's hands, even thin air.

thanks for reading and reviewing!

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