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Elf Academy Part Deux by Fiondil	31 Review(s)
Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 1/31/2016
It has been quite some time since I read the Elf Academy books, so I decided to start again. I'm now finished with book two and I must tell you it was difficult. difficult because Fiondil put so much of himself into his books and we learned so much about him that reading these again made my heart ache. I always learned so much about myself as I contemplated the Elves and their relationship to ERU and the different beings they lived with. My heart goes out to his beta readers. if I, who only giggled with him occasionally over what he did to Finrod and Glorfindel, cried so as I reread these first two books, how much more his betas must be suffering as they post his weekly chapters. Though with suffering can come joy and everything that Fiondil did oozed joy. My Eru, I miss him.

MikoNoNyte	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 8/23/2014
I'm of two minds about this right now. First off, and don't take this wrong, I find criticism with Alex as spy. He supposedly has done this job since college, 15 plus years. That would make him nearly 40ish. Anyway, he acts not so much like a mature spy but a teenager. Not because he's in school but because of how he wanted to identify the other spies in Wiseman. What spy .. oh, excuse me, "intelligence officer" giggles would set up a trap and not have a clue what to do? Hullo, earth to Alex! It just seemed very unprofessional of him. Of course as stated earlier he has others "working on him" but seriously! Second item that popped into my mind while reading is the nearly Gary Stu-ness of the character. Spy, athlete, linguist (points at you) and now, Numenorean descendent. What's next, super powers? Elvish love interest? Like I said, don't take it personally. These two things crawled out of the closet as I was reading and I kept telling myself, "Fiondil did not self-insert; this is not a Gary Stu, Alex is out of his element, it will work out." I hope. Honestly, I like Alex. He really does come off as a bit Ethan Hunt, James Bond (sans suavity) proto-Jason Bourne. Not a bad thing, just that I can see it. Or see that he could have been any of those with a bit more darkness inside him. Having pointed the critical finger I will say this: the many small details utterly win me over. The descriptions of Edhellond, the named rooms - very British!, but something that when I see it in real life here Stateside is way too ostentatious. But here it works beautifully to show elegance, grace and memory (an honoring of the Past). The interplay between the characters, both Elves and Men as well as the depth you gave your main cadre, is superb. I feel I know these folks by the vision you give through your words and descriptions. Always a pleasant encounter! The confrontation at the Steiner home and the different reactions, from Derek, Alex and the Three Amigos, was intense, brought to a head with the excellent escape and recapture. It was a relief to see the elves at rescue and - here it caught me out yet again - their method of selection. I had to think on this a bit and become comfortable with the idea that of course they would take their time - Time means little to them and a game is a (to quote C.J. Cherryh) "baji-naji" affair. Finally, The Court. I am not sure what to make of that. I am still trying to find the logic. Yet at the same time I can see that this afforded two things: that the elves would be recognized as civilized beings with an idea of Law and Justice and the opportunity for the Valar to interact - methinks that was the main idea here anyway. All and all, I really loved this story, nee, Novel (1000 pages on my Kindle). It held just the right amount of action, adventure, comedy, pathos and resolution. Author Reply: Hi MikoNoNyte. I can appreciate your criticism of Alex and his actions. Part of his problem is that he's walked into a situation for which his life in the Agency has not prepared him. In his wildest dreams he would never have suspected that Ambrose was an Elf, what he would call non-human. "Elf" was simply not in his vocabulary, so he walked into that situation under false assumptions and he simply couldn't deal with what he was finding, because it made no sense to him, so I think, in spite of his training, he was floundering about and not thinking straight. And no, Alex is not a self-insertion (I don't speak any language but English, though I can read my way through French and Spanish), and I'm a physical clutz, nor do I see him as a Gary Stu, since he's not perfect, doesn't have a clue half the time and can screw up big time. He's just a mortal thrown into a situation for which none of his training has prepared him. I'd like to see any of us do any better under the same circumstances. grin At any rate, I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for taking the time to read and review. And I think you will see that Alex does have a darker side to him in Elf Academy 3.

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 4/3/2014
Whew! Great ending! (it's like an ending that's also a beginning) Finrod's Court was interesting. I have to admit, I wasn't sure what he hoped to accomplish at first, but it became clearer. It's nice to see the reinforcements, but they're right, it might have been better to sneak into town in twos and threes rather than in a grand "Close Encounters of the Elf Kind" entrance. Comparing this to your Part 3 (which I started reading first, simply because it was easier to read the new story on my phone than to dig down through menus to find the older stories) reminds me a little of Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders" series. Lessa brings the Oldtimers forward in time to help save the planet, and everything is hunky dory, and then the next book starts and the honeymoon is over. A lot more is making sense, and I will likely re-read your Part 3 after I finish the Christmas story, just to make sure all the pieces are fitting into place in my mind. (I'm assuming that takes up where this one leaves off.) Alex has a unique opportunity, when I think of it. He found a mentor, lost him (he thought) to death, and now has the chance to walk beside him once more, comparing notes from the perspective of fifteen years of experience and maturing (less than a blink from a Firstborn's perspective, perhaps, especially a newly arrived one, but significant for a Secondborn. Here's hoping I got the terminology right). How I would love to be able to talk to some of my mentors now, from an adult perspective. Alex sounds like a... what is the term. Touchstone? Lodestone? Pivot on which events turn? As if Someone was watching over his ancestors and preserving his line down through the years, and he is the last, somehow, (or appears to be the last of his line, the last hope) like another Man some ages back. Oh, there may be other descendents somewhere in the world, but Alex is on the spot, and the Enemy is just as aware. I'm sure the Enemy would have delighted to turn Aragorn to His side, or to destroy him, in the Third Age. Sure glad that Alex has friends in high places. I am rambling, only on my first cup of coffee, so I hope this makes sense. And I wonder what the Thing in the tarn is? I was discussing it with someone and was guessing a Balrog -- she said that didn't make sense, but I reminded her that the Balrog that Gandalf fought didn't die when they plunged into the water at the bottom of Moria, but turned into a creature of slime. It also sounds like the Watcher in the Water outside of Moria -- shudder -- all those tentacles, and the thought of Caleb falling in and that creature, whatever creature, there. Anyhow, it gives me the creeps that people just hike by that place without a second thought, apparently. (Still, what could the Elves do about it? I seem to remember Legolas being terrified in Moria when the Balrog appeared... and even though Glorfindel slew a Balrog, didn't it take its toll on him? Have got to re-read the Sil, it's been decades since I read it and when I was introduced to fanfic in 1993, I got kidnapped by hobbits and know all too little about Elves, sorry to say. Am learning. Slowly. Can you recommend some good authors who are true to Tolkien?) Author Reply: Hi Lindelea. Yes, this story leads directly into "Christmas in Edhellond", and yes, the honeymoon is over pretty fast between EA2 and EA3. Alex is a key character and we will see him throughout the Elf Academy series. He is indeed in a very unique position to be able to reconnect with Amroth after all these years. And everyone wonders what's in the tarn and the answer to that is: I don't know, and frankly, I hope I never find out. As long as it's sleeping, I don't have to deal with it. grin Glorfindel did indeed slay the balrog but died in the attempt. He was later re-embodied and sent back to Middle-Earth. You may want to take a look at my "Elf, Interrupted" series and spinoffs (The Findaráto Diaries and A Long-Expected Wdding)which feature Glorfindel (and Finrod) and how they readjusted to Life after they were reborn. I am assuming you mean authors who write mostly about Elves and in particular Silmarillion-based stories about the Elves. Unfortunately, there are too few who bother and some whose stories I enjoyed no longer write for the fandom or at least they no longer write for SoA. The only other person I know who writes Elves almost exclusively is Ellie. You might check out her stories. I highly recommend Marnie's stories about life in Beleriand, also French Pony. These two no longer write and you'll want a computer to go looking for their stories rather than trying to find them through your phone. You might also check out the following authors whom I enjoy (not in any particular order): MJ, Mirach, Cairistiona, Haleth, Larner, Jay of Lasgalen and Thundera Tiger. Not all of them write about Elves but I like their stories. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this one. Thanks for sticking with it and I hope once you finish with "Christmas" it will all make more sense.

Diana	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 3/26/2014
whew!! Hi Fiondil. Finally finished part 2 today. Here on vacation with my kid at the coast, and this was a great way to enjoy the trip while my daughter plays with new friends. Thank you for a wonderful tale!!! The characters were believable and well within their personalities but were still able to grow and change. Your details were well drawn and you obviously researched them well. I can't get over your stuff. There are still some loose ends to make room for plenty of more EA, which I know you're already on 3. Do we find out who sent those pictures? Will Alex/Artemus be able to recover from the darkness of "The Game"? Will Glofindel and Daeron find love among the pretty ellyth? And what the hell is in that damn tarn?!!! Be sure to tune in next week for "As The World Burns"... If I sent you a poem would you be able to translate it into Sindarin? If so how would I get it to you? That's enough outta me. Take care, Diana Author Reply: Hi Diana. Congratulations on getting to the end of this story. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now you have to continue with "Christmas at Edhellond" which isn't quite a long as this one and then you'll be ready for EA3. Some of your questions will be answered along the way, others will remain a mystery for a time. Thanks for letting me know how much you've enjoyed this story. I appreciate you taking the time to do so very much.

Legolin	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 1/7/2014
Hi Fiondil, I was sad to see the end of Part Deux. I have grown to love all these characters and the way you portray them. It was especially funny seeing the way the Valinorian Elves are adapting to modern day times. I cannot wait to dig into Christmas at Edhellond. ~Legolin Author Reply: Hi Legolin. It's always sad when you get to the end of a good story, even for the author who has invested so much of his or her time and energy into it and the characters. I'm glad you enjoyed the story and the characters, especially the Valinórean Elves learning to adapt to modern Middle-Earth. Enjoy Christmas at Edhellond and then Elf Academy 3. Thanks for leaving a review. It's greatly appreciated.

Twoflower2	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 6/27/2013
Thank you for writing this exceptional story. I remember thinking, just before starting on it, how good you are at gentle tales without an obvious antagonist. Little did I know :) Loved this Tolkien-meets-Le Carre thriller! As a fan of magical fantasy and mystery genres, I am in awe of your creative imagination. Was especially entranced by the chapters starting from the enchanted pumpkins and on: the splendour of Finrod's arrival, Vingilot caught by military radars, the coming-of-age of the three amigos, the elven court - the story is poetic, dramatic and hilarious in turns. My favourite bit is poetic: the depiction of the unearthly beauty of Vingilot. Just curious: will Findalaure be Finglor in Sindarin? His tribulations at the college cafeteria had me in stitches. So you are depicting the second return of the Eldar to the Middle-Earth, this time with the Valars' blessing. Some of these personalities are certainly too restless for the eternity in Aman. I look forward to reading about their hither-shores adventures in the next installments. Author Reply: Hi Twoflower2. I'm glad you enjoyed this story. It was a lot of fun to write. The whole scene with Vingilot is also one of my favorites in the story. And you are correct that Findalaurë would most likely be rendered as Finglor in Sindarin. I hope you like the next installment, "Christmas at Edhellond" (already posted)and I am in the midst of writing Elf Academy 3 even now, so you have something to look forward to. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate it very much.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 2/3/2013
Oh, so Derek got a job, and even a permanent one, already? Good :) We all want him to stay, too, after all, of that I am sure. And Alex's plans sound good. It's something he will enjoy, of that I am sure. Maddy did a good job, from the looks of it. Glad she managed to remove all these photos and other proof that Dolan could use. Hopefully, that is going to give them a bit of peace. Looks like everything wraps up well now. They certainly deserve a break! Why do I get the feeling there are a few couples in the making, and maybe not all of them pure Elven? Or maybe I am reading too much into that remark about Nielluin. Oh well, I am sure I'm going to find out one day, seeing that's not the last we have heard of Elf Academy. Thank you for another wonderful story, I enjoyed it very much (even if I was a bit late in reviewing). It was great to hear more of our favourite Elves and Mortals and their Academy and add more to the group. One story down, another one to go ;) Author Reply: Hi Kitty. We may see evidence of couples in the making as the story progresses in other installments, and whether any of them are not pure Elven remains to be seen. I'm glad you enjoyed this story and I appreciate you taking the time to leave reviews, however late. Enjoy the next installment.

Ilya of Aewellond	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 1/27/2013
Mae Govanenn once more, hir Fiondil. I have just reached the conclusion of this tale, and am very pleased that young Alex elected to remain in Wiseman. I suppose I should now admit that I have already read the first 16 chapters of your 'Christmas at Edhellond' story, though I did not leave any reviews, as I could think of naught to say. The tale needs no improvement! It was my discovery of that tale which led me to read the other Elf Academy stories. I must admit they are very different to your Elf Interrupted tales. I see no way to reconcile them, though that is disenheartning. I find myself eagerly anticipating tomorrow's update to thy Christmas story, and am equally looking forward to the third part of Elf Academy. But I have prattled on for far too long now, so I will say Namarie until the next time I gain access to a computer (they are hard to come by in Aewellond!) Author Reply: Hi Ilya. I'm glad you have enjoyed Elf Academy 2 and Christmas at Edhellond. The Elf Academy tales are AU to Elf, Interrupted only in the sense that Glorfindel does not return to Aman at the end of the Fourth Age (which is the original scenario I had planned for a third installment of that series in which Glorfindel returns to Aman and has to readjust to life there all over again. Perhaps some day that story will be written). So, in terms of Glorfindel's past, it is the same as that in Elf, Interrupted and that's all the reconciliation that is needed between the two sets of stories. At any rate. I'm glad you're looking forward to the next installment of Elf Academy. Thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate it.

CS	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 1/20/2013
I just had to come back and review this one! I'm so glad to see where things ended up for all the agents, friendly and not so friendly. I hope Maddy is able to clean house and refresh herself to get back to being the person she is capable of being. I was so glad Nate had a chat with her. I really sympathize with her, and with Alex. I know firsthand from working in a, shall we say, somewhat ethically precarious field how dangerously easy it can be when faced with difficult choices to lose sight not only of your goals but yourself, too. I hope the little team of agents comes to trust one another and the Elves so they don’t have to feel alone. What a long way they have all come. Perhaps especially the Elves of Wiseman. It's clear they have a type of wisdom (heh, Wise-ellon) that's a bit different from that even of the new arrivals, even Finrod. The way they stepped up and so selflessly cared for the students in the blizzard really touched me. They have learned such compassion for others. They really are the best ones to help lead the way and I am sure that is not an accident. I am worried about that thing in the tarn. Is it really better to let it sleep unmolested when left to its own devices it could wake up at the worst possible moment? Whatever you have planned, Fiondil, I couldn't help but wonder if it's a dragon that got stuck in a glacier and kept asleep by the cold... Heh, whatever it turns out to be I hope they're ready for it. I keep thinking of all the created beings including the Ainur as one big family that doesn't quite get along, and Melkor is the scary uncle you don't want to sit next to at Thanksgiving dinner. And poor Manwe is everyone's older brother who has to deal with all of them. I'm sure Namo's not the only one who could use a vacation, hehe. It occurred to me that this is probably the first time the Valar have openly interacted with Mortals since... the Second Age or so? And certainly they have never been this open with large groups since Numenor it seems. They also seem to be enjoying popping in to, as that unnamed Maia put it, play with the cute Mortals. ;) It really puts things into perspective that they are doing so, however. They were adamant that the Secondborn were strictly hands off after what happened with the Firstborn; it's telling how serious things are getting that they're taking such a step. The Elves seem a bit like pedigreed thoroughbreds, curried and trained within an inch of their lives in Aman, while the Mortals are the wild mustangs - shaggy, ornery and not at all interested in wearing anybody's bridle for all that their ancestors may have been domestic in the beginning. The Elves can clear the high fences and run the best races while the Mortals have their own talents bred into them from generations of living without, shall we say, micromanaging. I get that sense every time you show the Elves bowing and the humans just raising their eyebrows as if to say, you want my respect, show me you deserve it. I think it will take both unique skill sets of "thoroughbreds" and "mustangs" to see them through. They have the Wiseman Elves to bring them into the corral but I can't imagine all the humans are gonna take to being trained to harness without a fight, if only for the sake of being ornery. Which might be just the thing to spice up the Elves' own tempers. And of course make things more interesting for everyone. Somehow I get the feeling there's going to be a few more people on the receiving end of a "chat" before things really get rolling. Speaking of, it didn't escape my notice that they're tucked away behind several mountain ranges and lots of little - inhabited space on one side and a dangerous and sometimes nearly impassible ocean on the other. Yet they could escape to Europe via Russia if they really had to - and history speaks for itself as to what happens when you wage a ground war in Russian winter. Overall very good strategic planning... If someone or Someone went after the US or Canada with bio weapons or nuclear weapons, they're in a good place to have a shot at survival. Although as was said it might end up being very different from modern warfare. You are one heck of a strategist yourself to be able to juggle all these details so skillfully! Whenever you get around to EA3, I'll be here eagerly waiting! Again, bravo for your creativity, ingenuity and sheer stubbornness in pursuing this storyline. PS- grin As a journalist I can’t help but think what fun it would be to have stumbled into that courtroom to see the trial. ;) Mwahaha! Story of a lifetime, if you could explain it to an editor without ending up wearing a straight jacket and being taken away by the nice folks in white coats. Or maybe even more likely, spending some time as the guest of an Inuit village that you just can't seem to leave. Author Reply: Hello CS. I'm not sure but I think this review is almost as long as the chapter itself. LOL! I won't touch on each and every point you've made as it would take me too long. I will say that you are correct that the Wiseman Elves are very caring and compassionate, especially toward Mortals, but having actually lived among them for so long, they know both their strengths and weaknesses and can act accordingly. And, of course, your analysis of the Valar is pretty much spot-on: they are both endearing and frustrating, even for me. But it is true that they are taking a more hands-on approach with Men than they ever have, but obviously with Eru's blessing (I think this time they actually consulted Eru about it). And I like your observation about their location. Even I didn't really see that and it's nice to have such things pointed out by attentive readers. The original reason for the location of the story was 'someplace near the North Pole that was inhabited and where people might come to see Santa' and when, in looking at a map of Alaska, I saw 'Wiseman', I knew that was the place. In fact, at the time I first started writing Elf Academy, I didn't even know about it's ultimate purpose of being the training ground for the Last Battle. But obviously, my subconscious, or my Muse, knew all this and arranged things accordingly. Anyway, thank you for a lovely review (and I do love long reviews). I appreciate you taking the time to leave one.

Little Mouse	Reviewed Chapter: 86 on 11/29/2012
Sorry it took me so long to respond to the end of this story. I loved every moment of it, and always eagerly awaited the updates. Often one of my first thoughts on Mondays and Fridays was "It's Elf Academy day!" :D And I'm very glad to see both my beloved Glorfindel and Daeron finally find some love interests. (btw, it's all your fault I love them as much as I do. Whenever I think of them, it's your portrayal in my head.) And I was excited to see Elladan might find his way to love eventually. Hopeless romantic aside, the entire series is very well done. I look forward to more from our Elves, as well as Alex and Derek (both of whom made me laugh quite a lot). Thanks again for another great story (and further inspiration)! Author Reply: Hi Little Mouse. I'm so glad you enjoyed this story and especially enjoyed my depiction of Glorfindel and Daeron. Daeron is proving to be a very interesting character and I hope to do more with him in the next installment than I did here. It seemed that Vorondur was highlighted here more than the other Elves with him working with Alex. At any rate, a sequel is forthcoming. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate it very much.

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