News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| The Wars of the Valar by Fiondil | 559 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| KHB123 | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/4/2022 |
| I'm very fascinated with how you started the story with Namo as the main character by far. I love you how portray the Valar of Eru being more-or-less like youths attempting to understand the universe, or Eä, as they work together in structuring it. Namo is still far from the dark, ominous lord of death that we know and fear. In wonder if Namo is already married to Vairë, because while the Ainur start out as 'brothers and sister' or 'sons and daughters', depending on perspective, it seems that they can choose what relationship they have with one another, like Manwë is with Varda. It kind of makes sense that it would be him that Melkor would try to seduce to his side because the two of them both share a kind of darkness...but of course, despite being like 'a kid brother' to most of the Ainur, Namo still proves too resilient, despite feeling the temptation, which will prove his worth later on. It's all very alluring with how you mix the great song with a bit of well known science and mathematics of the universe. I'm no physics or astronomy buff, far from it, but it all feels impressively accurate:) I'm looking forward to reading more, since this is the first major Ainur fic that I'm reading. | |
| 70uHGYE8TVVO | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/26/2015 |
| Sir"മ ന ന എണ ണല സ ഖ യകള ട വര ഗ ഗങ ങള ട ത ക മറ റ ര എണ ണല സ ഖ യയ ട വര ഗ ഗമ യ ട ട ഴ ത ന വല ല formulaയ മ ണ ട "$(a+b)^2=a^2+2ab+b^2$ആണല ല 2ab ഒര പ ര ണ ണ വര ഗമ ക ന ന ര ത യ ല a b യ ത രഞ ഞ ട ത ത ല $a^2+c^2+b^2=(a+b)^2$അത യത ഇങ ങന മ ന ന എണ ണല സ ഖ യകള ട വര ഗ ഗങ ങള ട ത ക മറ റ ര എണ ണല സ ഖ യയ ട വര ഗ ഗമ യ ട ട ഴ ത ഉദ :1) a=9, b=2 അപ പ ള $9^2+2^2+6^2=11^2$2)a=25, b=8,$25^2+8^2+20^2=33^2$3)a=8,b=9$8^2+9^2+12^2=17^2$ആയത ന ല $a^2+c^2+b^2=d^2$എന ന ര പത ത ല എഴ ത | |
| MikoNoNyte | Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 12/31/2013 |
| This was a difficult story, which you already know. My days of college astronomy are far, far behind me and I admit struggling to keep up even with the explanations. Probably why I am an accountant and not a scientist. *grins* For me, the real meat of this story was watching Namo's development - his maturation. All the other stories were just as valid: the battles with the Maiar, the subsequent betrayals, the less-than-stellar decisions of Manwe. We often think of Manwe as a nearly omniscient being, but here we see his true vulnerability and insecurity. The dark parts - the tortures both psychic, emotional and physical were sad, frightening and disturbing. Not because they were written down - no! While reading these scenes, especially the betrayals, I was moved to question how anyone, but especially a Maiar - a child of the Thought of Eru, could "fall so far from Grace" as to be bought for the carrot of lies paraded about as Truth by Melko. His tongue must have been sweet indeed to paint pictures so corrupted as images of desirable Light. It was very disturbing on the same level as seeing terrorist bombings, mass murders or rapists on the daily news. How humanity has fallen! and shadowed the steps of those fallen Maiar! See? This is the mark, in my mind, to a great piece. It sets up channels of thought, some old, some new, and not only entertains, but educates. Thank you for this wonderful piece, Fiondil. And for the record, no I did not read this and Elf Redux 2 this quickly. But time and tide, it took me a while to get back and type up remark. Have a wonderful New Year! Author Reply: Hi NikoNoNyte. This was not an easy story to write, either, on mnany levels. It started out as an exploration of who the Valar were before they became the Valar, especially Námo, who doesn't become Lord of the Dead until they build Valinor, and for the Valar, that's pretty late in the day. And it is difficult to imagine how any being who has stood before the Throne of Eru could possibly reject Him, but there you are. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this story however disturbing parts of it were. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it. And Happy New Year! | |
| Glory Bee | Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 5/2/2012 |
| Fiondil, as always this was brilliant! The amount of research you do really is unparallelled. I so appreciate how much I learned while reading this.:)I definitely do have to read HOME sometime as the Silmarillion does not go into much detail about many events. I suspect Namo is your favorite Vala, I had loved your characterization of him when I read the Elf Interrupted stories and now I understand the painful events in his life that so shaped him to be the loving comforter he became. I was glad you included his love story with Vaire in this.:) I found while reading this that I thought a lot about my own Christian faith, thinking much of the War in Heaven and Lucifer's Fall and chaining, but seeing overall the unconditional love of the Father. Thank you once again! Blessings, DEB Author Reply: Hi Glory Bee. I'm glad you enjoyed reading this. Wars is still my personal favorite simply because I was able to play with it so much (Tolkien gives us NO details about what the Valar were doing until the created Arda and it was interesting to see the Valar before they became the Valar as we know them through the Silmarillion, especially people like Námo, who obviously had no josb description as the Lord of the Dead way back then. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and review. I appreciate it very much. | |
| Panzer 71 | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 7/12/2011 |
| This is the 4th piece I've read of yours and found it as enjoyable as the others. The way you weave science into the story gives it a realism that adds so much. You portrail of the Valar as being falable,almost human,differs from how I've imagined them,but the way you portay them makes it easy to empathise with them. It truely is facinating to see how others imagine Tolkiens world,thanks for sharing your stories. I always thougt a great story might be Eols forging of the two swords from a metorite and how he learned smithing from the dwarves*hint hint* Author Reply: Hello, Panzer. Thank you for letting me know how much you enjoyed reading this tale. I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. My take on the Valar is decidedly different from a lot of writers. As created beings, they are not perfect, though they may be closer to perfection than mere Mortals, and not being perfect, they can make mistakes, and Tolkien acknowledges this in his writings. And since, like us, they are prone to making mistakes, that makes them more approachable and we can empathize with them more. As for Eöl... well, you never know... | |
| 6336 | Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 10/12/2010 |
| Goodness has it been two years since you wrote this? Foe some reason I keep coming back and rereading this chapter, it is so sad and yet so beautiful. I am glad Namo is able to start with fea who need consoling and not judging, that would have been too cruel and although Atar can be harsh when he needs to be he is not cruel, I leave that to Melkor! This is the next one for the e-book. Lynda Author Reply: This was probably one of the hardest emotionally speaking to write, as I recall. I know I felt pretty drained when I got it done. And yes, at this time, there is only compassion and consolation and not judgment for these particular fëar who are truly innocents in the very real meaning of the word. Anyway, it is hard to believe that it's been 2 years since I wrote this story, but time does go on and there are more stories to be told. *grin* I am seriously thinking of getting an e-book for myself for Christmas, so I can put not only my stories onto it, but other people's stories to read again and again without resort to the internet. We'll see if I'm still on Santa's "Good Boy" list this year. *LOL* | |
| Imhiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 55 on 5/18/2009 |
| Oh. Námo spitting at Melkor. Now I hadn't expected that! And as good as it must have felt, and as good as it was to read it, I feel it's right that Námo felt ashamed about it directly afterwards. The discussion touches upon one of the most important questions in the Silmarillion: what is the rightful home of the Firstborn? Why have the come to Aman if they were meant to make Endor their home? What if they all had come - would they have left Endor all desolate and empty and without care? Isn't it patronising for the Valar to urge them to come under their wings - and on the other hand, careless and indifferent if left to their own devices in Endor when the Valar refused to deal with the remnant of Melkor's minions? This final chapter offers a poignant outlook for the future that awaits beyond the "Metta" at the end of the page; and yet we know most of these answers cannot ever be answered conclusively. Thank you, Fiondil, for this wonderful story! It made laugh, and cry, and seethe, and think. I have learned fascinating astronomical things, and new insights and angles into little-known corners of canon. And now I will start on a long-overdue re-read of Elf Interrupted, 1. And after that, I'm already looking forward to diving headlong in EI, 2, which I have a hard time resisting peeking into already just to get a sense of what is going on with Glorfindel, Finrod, Námo and the rest... Author Reply: I think the discussion as to the rightness of the Valar to invite the Elves to Aman is one that will never fully be resolved, at least among Tolkien fans. Obviously, whatever the original intent on Eru's part for the Elves changed and that's free will for you. We only know what did happen because of this decision on the part of the Valar, and the consequences of that decision, for good or for ill. Perhaps if they had left the Elves alone we wouldn't be having this conversation at all and I would not have had any reason to write this story. Such is the strangeness of things. I'm so glad you enjoyed this story, Imhiriel, even if it took you so long to finish reading it. I look forward to reading your comments on EI-2 once you get to it. Thanks again for your lovely reviews. I really appreciate them. | |
| Imhiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 5/18/2009 |
| The description of Melkor's halls, spare as it is, makes me go "brrrr". I have no phobia against snakes in general, but biiiig white snakes somehow sound really gross. Tulkas snarled at a particularly underhanded maneuver from his opponent and slammed his fist that was encased in an iron gauntlet full in Melkor’s teeth. Ouch! May I picture Melkor spitting out his broken teeth one by one and henceforth as lisping??? LOL. To quote from a memorable scene by my favourite author Dorothy Dunnett: "Ith there no word in the Englith language wanting an Eth?" I find the scenes with the chaining of Melkor particularly evocative. You can feel the cold and the burning and the pain and the weight as the links wrap around Melkor. It's so... brutal, I guess, and so distinctly physical, particularly considering the nature of an usually incorporeal Ayanumuz. In the way Melkor minimises his atrocities and crimes, he reminds me of the Saruman when he made his speech to Théoden when they came to him after the Battle of Helm's Deep and the flooding of Isengard - "differences", "trivialities", indeed! Author Reply: You may picture Melkor any way you wish. *lol* I'm glad you found the scenes of Melkor's chaining so evocative. It is what I was aiming for. And of course Melkor nad Saruman are cut from the same cloth when it comes to rationalizing their evil. | |
| Imhiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 5/18/2009 |
| I think it might be interesting to look into Aulë's psyche at this moment in time: the betrayal of Aulendil (and perhaps he, too, has already doubts about Curumo like some others), the Dwarves which put him at odds with Ilúvatar and his wife, his going of to Endor for long stretches - again without his wife, now the scene with Námo... Poor Aulë! It's good that Yavanna seems to be a no-nonsense person, and that Aulë always has so much work he can turn his mind to. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there is a passageway connecting the two strongholds. Their attacks are too coordinated. Somehow messages are being sent and received between Utumno and Angamando." Not that it might not be possible, but isn't the simplest explanation that they are talking to each other in their minds? Is Ulmo's Canal the Firth of Drengist, above Nevrast? If so, it's nice to remember that it's not too far from Tuor's Vinyamar; and to remember the special bond Ulmo had to the place and to Tuor. Hmmmm... What exactly are Varda and Námo planning to do? Read on... A-ha! Oh, wow, this is a splendid idea! Oddly enough, the eventual dispatch of the dragon actually reminds me of the slaughter of a stranded whale. I was under the impression that Ancalagon from the War of Wrath was the first dragon who could actually fly. Even Glaurung didn't have wings. I suppose it's possible that the one you describe here is simply another kind, by why would Morgoth go back from that "improved" kind to dragons who were unable to fly? Author Reply: Tolkien does say that even among the Valar and Maiar the transference of thought when they are incarnate would not be as easy or as swift than when they are not, so possibly some sort of physical connection must be there between the two fortresses, especially when one remembers that Angband was originally Melkor's armory. He would want easy access to it at all times. The wording in the Silmarillion is ambiguous, and one can assume that dragons even early on had flight capability. But beyond that, consider that Melkor had untold ages in which to create dragons in his laboratories in Utumno, but with its destruction, he would have to start all over again once he returned to Middle-earth at the beginning of the First Age. Then, he only had a few hundred years in which to create dragons all over again. At least, that is how I've interpreted all this. Others might have other opinions. As I said, the language Tolkien uses in the Silmarillion is just vague enough in description to give you more than one interpretation of the capabilities of dragons in the First Age. | |
| Imhiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 52 on 5/18/2009 |
| Profound philosophical speculation. I greatly appreciate it that you focus on the tactics and strategy of the battle rather than the gore. I mostly can gloss over that latter, but it's nice not to have to make the effort. In addition, the tactics are interesting and exciting enough by their own. [Aulë] roared again in frustration, pounding the gates with his massive hammer but to no avail. I can't help it: picturing this scene in my mind had me laughing out loud. Just imagine, Aulë, his face red and twisted with rage, the fury nearly smoking out of his ears, with his oversized hammer pounding on the doors with a great clang clang boom boom. It's fascinating to contemplate that many of the Valar - and Maiar - have an understanding of healing, (and yet) all come to it with their own specific knowledge, experience and skills. They complement each other very well, especially when the physical overlaps with the mental. Really, I wish Námo's Máyar would finally stop this "abject nonsense" being so cowed of him! So of course I was cheering Námo on when he harangued Maranwë... And even after the lesson doesn't really seem to have sunken in, sigh. Author Reply: I'm not into gore myself and prefer to leave that to the reader's imagination. I much prefer dealing with the logistics of a battle instead. I'm glad you found the tactics interesting and exciting enough by their own. Namo's Mayar are so devoted to him that the thought that they might have failed him in some way is really devastating for them. Hopefully, Namo will set the straight even if it takes more than one 'lesson' for it to sink in. | |