News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Of Elves and Dwarves and Late Night Philosophy by Thundera Tiger | 20 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| LisaG | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/14/2010 |
| OMG, that was hysterical! I could clearly picture the 3 of them in the room, Aragorn intently watching each of his friends as things unfurled. King Elessar is indeed wise to be able to leave both Legolas and Gimli speechless! :D Author Reply: Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad the characters were easy to picture. Without any action to break things up, I tried to work in a lot of physical details about the conversation, so it's really comforting to hear you comment on that. Thank you again! | |
| Cairistiona | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/18/2007 |
| It takes an author of rare talent to combine philosophy, comedy and a sporting event, all in one story. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this, from the subject of the debate to the volleying of insults to Aragorn's scorekeeping (I especially loved his countdowns). This was a fun and thought-provoking read. Well done! | |
| Arya | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/13/2006 |
| This story was really amusing. How Aragorn can tell his friends really amuses me. This one had mirth in it wich I enjoy. Now that I think I would be with Legolas. Author Reply: I'm glad you liked the humor in this story. I tried to keep the debate balanced, which to me is more interesting than having it be one-sided. I think Aragorn has the right of it with a middle-ground approach. Both Legolas and Gimli have views which are a bit too extreme in my opinion. | |
| Avalon Estel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/6/2005 |
| This was highly amusing as well as something that got me thinking. I think my favorite line was the part about Gimli saying that elven hair repels sanity. I loved the interaction between the characters, and all the little details of their movements and reactions. Wonderful job, as usual. I read "Beyond This World" on FF.net, and I was crying so hard that I couldn't make myself coherent to say why I was crying. You are a wonderful writer, Thundera. I applaud you! Author Reply: Glad it made you think! That was one of the purposes behind it. That and I'd just had a similar conversation with a friend and wondered if I could translate it into fic form. The details/movements around the conversation were an experiment based off a recommendation, so I'm glad to see they worked. And thanks for the comments about BTW! It's very appreciated! Many thanks for the review! | |
| Megan | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/12/2005 |
| Well...this mad emy head hurt reading it, lol, it was very good though, even if I didn't understand everything theysaid. Aragorn definitely lost, no competition. As to who one though, well, I want to sayLegolas, simply because I'm *slightly* obsessed with him, but I think it was more likely to be a draw. Although, Legolas kinda had the last word with his heaviness of dwarven beards comment... Very good, I await more of these vignettes with aniticpation... Author Reply: Someone actually did a count of the insults, and it turns out that Gimli won by one point. I was trying to keep it a draw myself because I really couldn't say whose view I supported more. I saw valid points in both philosophies. Ah well. And I'm glad that even though you weren't drawn into the philosophy, the rest of the story was still fun. I was trying to hit both worlds with that. I've got kind of a lay fascination with philosophy myself, but I know quite a few who don't. So I'm gratified to hear that I seem to have struck a balance. | |
| Megan | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/12/2005 |
| Well...this mad emy head hurt reading it, lol, it was very good though, even if I didn't understand everything theysaid. Aragorn definitely lost, no competition. As to who one though, well, I want to sayLegolas, simply because I'm *slightly* obsessed with him, but I think it was more likely to be a draw. Although, Legolas kinda had the last word with his heaviness of dwarven beards comment... Very good, I await more of these vignettes with aniticpation... | |
| Ithilien | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/7/2004 |
| Oh, good golly! This is the kind of debate that makes my head hurt! I never did well in my college philosophy courses, and now I remember why. Which came first, evil or the feeling evil....? Augh! Mark me down for a D minus right now. Bravo to you for even considering both sides... er, all three sides ...um, all four(?) sides of the debate. And bravo to Aragorn for getting out while he could. Let Legolas and Gimli go on about it until the wee hours of the morning, breaking it down in the end to the superiority of Elves and Dwarves...because that is what it is really about, isn't it? Silly Aragorn thinking there was something more to it than that. I did enjoy the mental volley he had going though -- point won by the elf... and now Gimli takes control... and so on. Well, he will probably think twice before he gets himself involved in such a debate again. I hope this helped your writer's block. It gave me a good chuckle. Author Reply: Hey there! Unfortunately, my writer's block is still in full force. But it helps knowing that I at least got this fic out. That's a good thing. And I'm glad you could get a chuckle out of this despite the philosophical underpinnings. Personally, I couldn't get enough out of my college philosophy classes and I actually had to rein myself in for part of this debate because Gimli and Legolas kept wanting to explore seven or eight different sides of the issue. But you're right. In the end, it's all about which is better: elves or dwarves. But I give kudos to Aragorn for trying to bring in something bigger. ;) | |
| nessie6 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/5/2004 |
| Another wonderful fic! I kept thinking 'Don't do it Aragorn! It's suicide!' But he handled himself remarkably well, considering the beings he was debating with ;-) But anyways I was wondering something... What happened to M.N Theis on ff.net? I only noticed that her stories were gone when I saw that 'Perchance to Dream' was missing from my favorites. Now I'm extremely upset. Anyways this was great update your other stories asap! ~nessie~ Author Reply: Many thanks for the review. And yes, poor Aragorn was doomed from the beginning, but he seemed to come out on top in the end. As for M.N. Theis...I wish I could give you an answer, but I haven't heard from her personally for...at least eight months. I know she and her sister closed down their websites about six months ago, but they were both still writing up until two months ago or so. You can still find Perchance to Dream over on Eternal under the name Maggie (www.intense-illusions.net/eternal/), but my personal favorite (The Veiling of the Sun) isn't there. I'm currently looking for a copy of that somewhere. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/3/2004 |
| I find myself wanting to discuss the subject myself. When as story makes me wish I were in the room myself, that is a pretty good indication it is fairly well written. Author Reply: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it enough to be drawn into it like that. That's quite a compliment. It's actually a discussion I've had with philosophy and political scientist majors, so hopefully it reflects some of those conversations. They're always fun. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/3/2004 |
| . . . The choice of the first creatures of darkness . . . hedging. Depends who they were. And how they were corrupted. Elves to orcs - through captivity and torment - did they have choice? Maiar - perhaps they chose to follow Morgoth because of his initial glamour and charisma. Wolves to wargs, and the fell beasts - did they choose to turn to evil? Or as beasts, were they unable to resist corruption? Did they not understand the difference between good and evil? The Nazgul? Yes, they chose evil - although it was disguised as power. Does evil exist separate from those who are corrupted by it? Perhaps. I've been listening to the Silmarillion and the fall of Numenor - and I feel really sorry for the slaves rowing the idiot Ar-Pharazon towards the Undying Lands. What choice did they have? Or the common soldiers? Author Reply: Elves to Orcs... Well, that was where I originally had the debate going, but then I decided it might be too sensitive an area for an elf with Silvan ancestry. So I veered away from elves and orcs entirely, aside from Gimli's comment. But even so, in the extreme draft form when they were debating elves and orcs, it was noted that at some point in their breeding, a choice was made. It might not have been conscious or voluntary (Legolas was arguing for both before I rearranged the story) but a line was crossed and the creatures ceased to be elves. The question was how, when, and why. Same thing with the Maiar. Even if they were initially drawn by charisma, it was no secret that Melkor was attempting to reinvent Iluvatar's song. Even if they didn't know the full consequences, they had an idea of what they were getting into. And I think there was probably a point for each one where he/she stopped, looked around, and debated turning back because of how far it was going. And at that point, a choice was made. But again, the question was how much influence Morgoth had on that choice, whether it was an inevitable choice for that particular Maiar, or whether they would have ignored it completely had it never been brought to their attention. Interesting points you bring up, though. As for the poor Numenoreans...I like to think that there was a definite divide between the Faithful and the rest of Numenor, but I've read very convincing fics about the common Numenorean who really didn't care what was going on politically. So the common soldiers...maybe they knew what they were doing. They had to have known that going to the Undying Lands had been expressly forbidden for years. But swayed by both Ar-Pharazon and Sauron...who knows how clearly they were thinking? | |