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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within by Fiondil	13 Review(s)
Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 11/8/2014
Oh well, it was clear from the beginning that something was going to happen, so I am not really surprised. Didn't Alex learn some Sindarin already? I seem to remember them conversing in Sindarin in the other story already. He may not be that fluent, but I thought he could at least hold a simple conversation? Or do I remember that wrong? Anyway, I don't like the idea of Farrell tapping into their phones. Alex is right, that guy needs to be taken down, and soon. Preferably day before yesterday. I am surprised that the ones watching the exits left; surely they knew that Alex was still inside? Or did they realise that he had enough Elves around to protect him? In any case, I am glad they got away and home safely. Finlay and the Elves are right in that Alex needs to learn to work more with the team instead of alone, but we'll see if he can do that. Author Reply: Alex has learned some Sindarin and can speak it after a fashion, but when the Elves speak among themselves they speak it more rapidly and Alex doesn't capture every word spoken, though he probably can figure out the gist of the conversation sometimes. Why those watching the exits left will probably remain a mystery. Farrell may have ordered them to fall back when it was obvious that the place was crawling with Elves. At any rate, it made it easier for everyone to leave. Thanks for reviewing, KItty.

obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 8/2/2014
Quite a chapter. Not much action, but lots of information. Alex needs to check his attitude. He sounds whiny and he needs to work on integrating his Grant and Meriweather personalities. He can't ignore his agency training just because he doesn't want to be an agent anymore. That is the second time that Finlay got the drop on him. I like Finlay more and more. I think he might be able to get through to Alex better than the elves. I admit their high-handedness is difficult to bear, but Alex is not making it easier on himself and them. Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. Alex is obviously not in top form here. He does sound whiny, doesn't he? I think Farrell stalking him has him on edge and he's not thinking straight, so he's ignoring some basic Agency training rules. He really needs Amroth there to keep him focused, but I think Finlay is doing a good job of it. Alex is more likely to take what he says to heart than anything the Elves might say. Well, we'll just have to see how it all works out (or doesn't). Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Laer	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 8/1/2014
well here is hoping Alex's nasty temper don't doom him.. Loved the “Because, as Sigmund would say, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Now, good night.” comment. Finlay is turning into an asset. Glad he found the window. kind of ... ;) Author Reply: Alex is just feeling incredibly frustrated at the moment. Once he calms down, hopefully he'll see that the Elves are really on his side. Finlay is indeed turning into an unexpected by welcomed asset to the Elves and I'm sure Alex appreciates having another agent around. And Vorondur is right about his comment, though perhaps not necessarily in this particular case, but I think he said what he did to calm Alex down and not have him worry so much about things. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing, Laer. I appreciate it very much.

Eruherdiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 7/31/2014
Hmmm. Ed has a good point. I felt like Alex was a little too hostile, but I didn't know why. ~Eruherdiriel Author Reply: Hi Eruherdiriel. And now you do know why. Alex has lots and lots of issues to deal with here but hopefully with people like Finlay around to tell it like it is, he'll get a clue and start dealing with them. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it.

SashaHoneypalm	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 7/29/2014
"I decided that not having Tolkien write or publish any of his legendarium was the simplest way to go and in this universe, he died in WWI along with his other 2 friends." Not so simple. I've been thinking about options authors use when writing modern-day LoTR fics- almost invariably either that Tolkien never wrote LoTR, or that he knew elves/had access to the real Red Book- and it's true that "Tolkien never wrote anything" sidesteps a lot of complications. But Lord of the Rings had such a massive impact on fantasy as we know it- on there being a fantasy genre as we know it (and probably beyond fantasy, in subtler ways)- that pop culture would probably be unrecognizable without JRRT, or an equivalent of him. When I read stories that take place in a LoTR-less universe that otherwise looks exactly like our own, I assume there was a wildly-popular 40's-era writer named Tom Jolkien or something, who wrote a definitive fantasy trilogy called "Some Elves and Dwarves and Long-Lost Heirs And Stuff Go On A Magic Quest". ;) TL;DR: my headcanon is that your universe still had something similar to the Tolkien phenomena. I hope you don't mind. Author Reply:* Hi Sasha. What you say may be true, that LOTR had a massive impact on present-day fantasy as we know it, but that is not to say that fantasy was not being written prior to LOTR's publication. George MacDonald, David Lindsay, E.R. Eddison were all publishing adult fantasies at a time when Tolkien was still working on his "Gnomish" language. So, feel free to think that something similar to the Tolkien phenomena exists in the Elf Academy universe, but I doubt it does. Fantasy exists, but not necessarily Tolkien-style fantasy. For me that's a cheat. The history of Middle-earth was lost with the ice age and there was no Red Book that survived it. And that's simple enough for me. grin

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 7/29/2014
It appears that people are taking turn being offended about the possibility of being manipulated or too protected by someone else, which of course is wasting both time and emotional investment. Time to let the egos go and get together for a change. Love how Finlay got into the building, and I still wish to know who it is who is directing Farrell. For some reason I imagine him to be similar to FBI Agent Fornel from NCIS, but with a twisted streak. Author Reply: Hi Larner. Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it? Letting go of egos is not easy but it certainly needs to be done if any of them hope to survive. Finlay is pretty cool. I've enjoyed writing him. Wasn't too sure about him at first, but he warms up very nicely. Never watched NCIS so I couldn't say. Anyway, thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 7/28/2014
p.s. Alex is definitely a menace to himself, and thereby bystanders and protectors as well. He'd better get his head back in the game. Author Reply: You've got that right, Lindelea. He really needs to get his head back in the game or people are going to be hurt. We'll see how it goes with him as the story progresses.

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 7/28/2014
Finlay makes me laugh. I thought perhaps there'd be a bomb under the car -- they have thought of that possibility, and not merely tracers, haven't they? The analysis of the concert was still more interesting. I didn't know the story about the pyre -- not completely familiar with the plot of Wagner's operas. Wagner makes me cringe, actually. I can't listen to him with any seriousness. Apologies to any Wagner fans who read this. The only time I really could appreciate Wagner, IRL, was that Buggs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoon. Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit! I think Buggs was supposed to be Brunhilda? Going back to my virtual lasagna now. Yum. Author Reply: Hi Lindelea. Finlay is funny, isn't he? Wagner isn't for everyone, I grant you. I just happen to like his music and have been fortunate enough to have seen 2 of his operas live. And he's very mythic. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Kevana	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 7/28/2014
I want to learn how to lurk in corners. :P It really is a bit scary to see how off the mark Alex has been lately, not only does Finlay grab him but he wasn't thinking about his cell or his car. Thank goodness for Finlay, that guy is proving just why the Valar wanted him involved. He's pretty cool, not to mention sharp. His words to Alex at the end are sort of harsh, but not too off the mark I think, and Alex seemed to take them better coming from him than I think he would take them coming from any of the Elves. Hopefully Alex will listen. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives." (Er, unless your last name is Stark.) Pity they didn't have enough backup to go out and capture the would-be assassins. Now that's very odd and has me thinking it's not Farrell behind this at all, or else he's recruited - or been recruited by - a much larger force. They already said he prefers seeing his kills face to face, this is about as far from that as you can get. Curious, too, as UTfrog mentioned that they all up and left. Maybe they knew the jig was up when Alex didn't come out? Hm. Wondering if someone clued Finlay in on the Valar/Maiar thing or if he decided to ignore those comments as just one more thing about all of this that makes no sense, LOL. Very impressive story developments, can't wait to see where things go on Friday! Unfortunately it seems I am just not meant to get to the coast or my kayaking tour, rain is in the forecast again for the weekend. Ah well, plenty of summer left to go. Thanks for the update and take care. :) -Kevana PS: A little something cute to brighten up a Monday morning. Author Reply: Hi Kevana. Alex has been a bit off and Finlay is a good one to set him straight. Being a former agent himself, Alex is more likely to accept criticism from him than from the Elves. Actually, there were plenty of Elves to go do in the would-be assassins, but they were spared the trouble it would've caused to take them out. I'm not sure if anyone's clued Finlay in on the Valar/Maiar thing. I think he's just not interested in pursuing the matter right now. We'll see how things progress soon enough. Sorry to hear your tour's a washout. Hope you get to take it eventually. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 61 on 7/28/2014
I'm beginning to like Finlay more and more--he slipped back to check on Alex, and watch his back. His sense of humor is a little on the snarky side, but it's interesting to see a mortal who knew Alex from "before" and is not an enemy. We get to see some parts now of Alex's backstory that perhaps he never even thought about himself. It's good to get someone else's perspective on his personality as it was. And it seems as though his Meriwether personality has not been completely engulfed by his Grant personality--in spite of his insistence on being "Alex Grant". It is probably an accurate observation, since Finlay was more of an acquaintance at the time than a friend. Vorondur is right about the "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" part--but the significance seemingly is not for the characters, but for your readers. "Brunnhilde becomes Mortal afterwards, right? And she’s the one who deliberately rides her horse into Siegfried’s funeral pyre with that ring everyone was all hot after, thereby cleansing it of its curse." (BTW, I can never think of Wagner without hearing Anna Russell's voice in my head: "And she's still his aunt!") Not only is there a correlation to Luthien, but also to Frodo. No coincidence, since JRRT was steeped in the Northern myths, and made use of them freely. I know that in the Elf Academy universe, you made the artistic decision that Tolkien never wrote and published any of his work focused on Middle-earth. I believe that was a good decision, since such knowledge would unnecessarily complicate things and completely alter the plot. But I do hope that at some point in time, Alex begins to learn of the significant efforts played by mortals such as his ancestor Aragorn. I think right now part of his irritation with things is the feeling that mortals are somehow lesser beings than the Elves who now surround him. He likes them as individuals, they are his friends, but as a group he tends to resent them. He has yet to learn "the rest of the story". Author Reply: Hi Dreamflower. Finlay is a stand-up kind of guy, the sort you want watching your back. Being about a decade older than Alex, he's a bit more mature and able to take things as they are more easily (unless its Elves and angels grin). And he's not impressed with Alex so he doesn't take his guff. Vorondur is quite right, but any significance can be inferred from Wagner with respect to this story or Tolkien in general. I decided that not having Tolkien write or publish any of his legendarium was the simplest way to go and in this universe, he died in WWI along with his other 2 friends. You're right, though, that the Elves do need to sit down with Alex and tell him the "rest of the story", especially about his Dúnedain ancestry. They just need to find the time to do so. Maybe after the wedding when things calm down a bit. Yeah, right. grin Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.

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