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| Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within by Fiondil | 19 Review(s) |
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| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 11/9/2014 |
| It's good to have everyone back home. Gwyn and Gareth will be glad to have their own beds back, Amroth and the others to be home, and Derek and Zach need to see Alex and convince themselves with their own eyes that he's all right – or as much as he can be right now. True, in a way it might be preferable that Farrell never wakes up. As much as I want him punished for everything he did, I can see the problems any trial would cause for the Elves. But I'd not wish living like that for years and years on anyone. Nice to learn a bit more what happens with these who have finished at the Academy and how they stay in contact. Glorfindel and Daeron have a good point. The Elves who stayed behind and lived among Mortals are so much more flexible and more able to deal with anything thrown at them, while the Valinórean Elves are so stuck in their ways they will not be able to change and adapt, or at least not easily. The ones who came to Wiseman have enough problems, and they were at least willing to come. I suspect the ones who would have no interest in coming would be much worse. It was good that Glorfindel explained all that to Gareth. The poor guy feels so inferior just for his age, though he should not have to. In surviving in their current environment, he could give these ages old other Elves lessons. Sounds good to have the Mortals set up the whole SCA thing and let some Elves join later, that's less suspicious. Yay, Alex is finally awake! Good! Author Reply: Glorfindel's comments to Gareth are important and they will have resonance for the future as people come to grips with the fact that those Elves who remained in Middle-earth are the hope for those who remained in Valinor. This issue will be explored further in EA4. And Alex is finally awake. Thanks for reviewing, Kitty. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 10/2/2014 |
| Gareth's visit at last, though it seems a little mundane after all the other events. Farrell is well and truly out of it. Alex, OTOH, seems ready to return to the land of the living. Author Reply: Mundane, but important. And hopefully Farrell is indeed out of it, though coma patients do recover, so we'll just have to see. Thanks for commenting, Dreamflower. I appreciate you doing so. | |
| obsidianj | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/19/2014 |
| Good! Alex is awake again. Nice chapter to get all the players back where they belong. It felt strange to have them all scattered around because of Farrell. Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. I suppose it did feel strange to have everyone scattered about because of Farrell, but now their back where they belong. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| Kevana | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/8/2014 |
| Aw, bless, poor fellow comes around at last. Waking up in a hospital bed has got to be getting old for Alex. Buying a resort just for a zombie training camp! That's wild. Much better than trying to hold one on someone else's property, and I imagine it would be great to give them more space in general. Edhellond is still pretty crowded, if I remember correctly. I was wondering as well if in-universe orcs might be thought to be somehow a lingering memory that inspired zombies. I suppose there's a sort of nasty parallel there, orcs coming from twisted Elves (or so the theory goes, I think), and zombies coming from undead mortals. Interesting, the comment about many former military folks being recruited. Looks like they are getting sent the people they need. I wonder if they're going to have a spate of engineers show up, or some psychologists to help Ron, at some point. Watching the entire plan unwind is very entertaining! It's a sure sign of friendship when you stop talking nice and start making threats to your friends when they do dangerous things, LOL. The talk of names is very interesting, I sort of see how the brothers might be uncertain about reconnecting with a society they have never known. There are so many levels of culture shock going on here, it's really fascinating. Oh and I love the name "Winterhaven"! Very apropos! -Kevana Author Reply: Hi Kevana. There is certainly a lot going on in this chapter, from Alex waking up to Gareth learning about Elf Academy and helping to set up a branch of the SCA in Wiseman. I thought Winterhaven was very apropos as well. I can imagine that tales of orcs would get twisted into something like zombies over the long ages. Legends of any sort are a sort of like a game of telephone. What the original event might have been has no relation to what we know of it today, so it seems reasonable to me. Gwyn and Gareth, unlike even the Wiseman Elves, have never had the experience of growing up within an elven society, so much of Elvish culture and mores has to be totally alien to them. Eventually, though, I think they will be more comfortable with their own kind; it'll just take a while. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| Sunny | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/5/2014 |
| I'm rereading the Bahzellverse books again (see what you made me do, Fiondil?) and am currently about two thirds through _The War God's Own_ when I came upon a little thing that made me wonder about a thing that pops up from time to time in your own fics: Did you find the inspiration for the Life Oath in the Hradani concept of charkanahd, or Death Sworn? Author Reply: Gee, Sunny, if I did it was purely unconscious. At the time that I was writing about the Life Oath and the Death Sworn in "Elf, Interrupted", I was living in China and I didn't have access to the War God books published at that time (which would've been the first two), though I had read them years before. I know I modeled Námo somewhat, though not entirely, on Tomanak, but I don't think I actually recalled the Hradani concept of charkanadh at that time. Amazing how your unconscious can influence you without you realizing it, isn't it? | |
| FV_Whisper | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/5/2014 |
| It's good to see everyone is returning back to Wiseman again. Gareth getting to see Wiseman is interesting and it was nice seeing a bit more of how EA is run. Poor Gareth! He's so young and insure, but I hope Glorfindel made him see how he's much more in his place in this world than all the Elves who he feels look down on him. It would be interesting to let him teach the Valinor gang some things about modern live, I think it would prove to be an eye-opener for both sides. Alex is awake again and trust Námo to be in the thick of things. And thanks for the reading recommendation, I'll see if I can find the books around here somewhere. Should not be that easy though, many good books never get translated and even although I prefer to read the English versions anyway, those are often even harder to get...And I'm very much a critic when it comes to fantasy, there are so many LOTR wannabes around that are not worth reading. And yes, sometimes it's good if the monsters just remain monsters anyway, that's another problem with some books *snickers* Author Reply: Hi FV_Whisper. If you're having trouble finding the books, you can probably order directly from Baen Books. If you have an e-reader, you can download directly from Baen Books. Their ebooks are available in every format so it doesn't matter which kind of e-reader you have. Gareth is very young and feels even younger around these very ancient beings, but I think he'll fit in without too much trouble. He and his brother do have an advantage over the Valinórean Elves with respect to interacting with Mortals and they can learn much from them about how to go about it. Alex is indeed awake and you know Námo can't resist staying away for long. *grin* Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| Tari | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/5/2014 |
| I put your recommendation on my to read list. Thanks. Author Reply: You're welcome, Tari. Happy reading. | |
| Sunny | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/2/2014 |
| Well, SashaHoneypalm, there is also the amusing little fact that the Hradani are the Bahzellverse's version of Orcs, though the Hradani's fits of homicidal rage might clue the reader in. It's not said so in the books, but was, I think, mentioned in discussions on Baen's Bar. I'm not sure what Finrod would think of that. And if Tomanak is like Námo, surely Bahzell is rather like Glorfindel with his cheek and (apparent) lack of respect for the Gods. Author Reply: I never related the Hadrani with Orcs, although that is certainly what their original role was to have been, though, by the time we meet them, that is no longer who or what they are. And you're right, Sunny, that Bahzell is rather like Glorfindel (or vice versa) which is why I find him such a fun character and the way he speaks to Tomanak makes me laugh out loud at times. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/2/2014 |
| Ah, but trust Namo to turn up at that point! Heh! Plans are progressing, and all are returning to their proper places once more. Be interesting to find out who the agents were who took Felicity, of course. Glad that Alex is finally awake, and that Finrod is feeling up to taking up duties once more. Author Reply: Hi Larner. Well, we know Námo's not likely to stay away long. *grin* We'll see how things progress from here. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/1/2014 |
| Lovely end to the chapter. Namo is so feared, and yet to see him so tender, here... Words fail me. Glad to have Derek and Zach back. Glad Farrell is under observation. I wouldn't put it past whatever is pulling his strings to walk him out of the hospital, even if he wasn't conscious. Creepy thought. And Alex woke up, really woke up, and Finrod seems to be the perfect person to be there at the time. (Along with Namo. Does Alex see him? Or is this one of those gestures that is so important, yet goes unseen by everyone but the giver?) Author Reply: Hi Lindelea. We see Námo in his most favorite role as Consoler. And yes, Alex does see him as we will see in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing. It's appreciated. | |