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The Wars of the Valar by Fiondil	12 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.

Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/17/2008
The four Valar forming a square and clothed in brilliant, colorful flames would be an awesome sight to behold. Their beautiful song, beyond our understanding. Now Namo must learn to trust himself. His instincts are good. The extent of your knowledge amazes me. I listened to the different Pulsars. The last one didn’t last too long. It hurt my ears. Tari Author Reply: Well my knowledge isn't all that great and I do have people who have greater knowledge with whom I converse, so I am able to use them as resources. At any rate, I thought it would be fun for people to 'hear' what the Valar and Maiar heard and how they used the pulsars to 'keep time'. I think it would have been an awesome sight to behold -- the four Valar clothed in their aurae singing their song of pure mathematics, beautiful beyond our understanding. Námo has to indeed trust himself though unfortunately circumstances will arise that will make it difficult for him to do.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/9/2007
Good to know they’re trusting Námo so much, in spite of Melkor’s attempts to drag him on his side. It’s quite a honour for Námo to be the one to be trusted with this knowledge, even if the initial idea was from him. I look forward to know more of their plan. Author Reply: Námo needs the boost in self-esteem, and as Manwë does point out, it was his idea, so he should be the one to hold the key.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/30/2007
It's nice to see the Valar and Maiar already exhibiting traits of their later occupations, but very neatly adapted to their current tasks (Eönwë the herald, Aulë the scientist...) giving Nienna a smile. She had been unable to join in the Song to the very end, yet somehow she seemed stronger than he in many ways. That's a marvellous explanation for her "job" as the Weeper, because the later themes were already influences by Melkor's dissonances (=meaning the bad that will happen in the world). I love the combination of canon, science and music. I may be one of the few of your readers who would prefer not to see scenes with Ilúvatar. I think it is important to convey the love between him and his children, and to hear about specific memories of the Timeless Halls, but I'd rather he be left off the scene, to be a mystery we can never see or know. Author Reply: I have attempted, well or poorly, to portray the Valar and Maiar of later ages with the same characteristics with which we are familiar but showing how they may have been in earlier ages. There is no Lord of Mandos at this time, yet the traits which Námo exhibits as the Lord of Mandos at least have to be latent within him. The same with all the others. I'm glad you like the combination of canon, science and music. Eä was created out of the Song, and as music is pure mathematics, it makes sense that the Valar would continue to use it in their own creations. Whether or not we actually "see" Ilúatar in future chapters remains to be seen. We know from the Silmarillion that Manwë, and at one point Aulë, has direct communication with Eru.

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/31/2007
I liked the Song continued. It seems only logical that the work of the Valar in this particular instance would never really stop, would it? And Namo's tricking Melkor - you go!!! Manwe to Namo - 'you forget nothing' - definitely a talent he will need as he leads folk through Mandos! Eru and Namo - beautiful moment - I'm glad you shared it with us! Author Reply: In the "Silmarillion" it is said that Námo forgets nothing, which is a handy gift to have sometimes and that makes him the logical choice for remembering the equation to change the variable. It seemed logical that the Valar would continue to Sing creation into being as they went about the business of building Eä. There would be no reason why they wouldn't since it was the Ainulindalë that brought it into existence in the first place. I hope to share other moments of Eru and Námo talking in subsequent chapters, thus, giving us a glimpse of the Timeless Halls as well.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/11/2007
And so the universe expands, including the black holes; and they find ways to distract and deceive their malificent brother. And loved the flashback between Iluvatar and Namo. Author Reply: Thanks Larner. I'm glad you find the premis of this story so promising. I loved the flashback too and hope that there will be more in future chapters. I would like to get a hint of the Ayanumuz's life in the Timeless Halls before they came into Ea.

eiluj	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/11/2007
To mention a few things I liked: Not only do the Valar do “impossible” things, but also, as spirits, they can go to “impossible” places like the core of a star (not my idea of a comforting place to hide!). Totally creepy Melkor. Poor Námo is insecure and certain he’s the least important, yet seems to come up with more than his share of good ideas. The Valar are all very much in character, including who they hang out with and how they spend their free time. Námo’s memory of his talk with his Atar. The black hole at the center of our galaxy which Varda hadn’t intended (and I’m glad to be assured we’re in no danger from it). I never thought to read about surfing in Tolkien fanfic, but twice in one week? [Armariel debuted surfing some days ago in her current story, which is set in a more-than-usually-tropical Valinor.] “Melkor, however, had managed (again) to interfere with the internal dynamics of yet another star” -- I loved that “(again).” Author Reply: I'm glad you like so many aspects of this story to date. The core of a star isn't my idea of a comforting place to hide, either, but then I'm not a Ainu. Still, if it works for Namo, who am I to question his choice of hiding places? I just wondered how many star cores Manwe had to check before he found the right one. lol And obviously, Namo's done this before since Manwe wasn't particularly surprised to find him there. The idea of black holes being a consequence of Varda experimenting with making stars just came to me and it was too funny (and fun) not to use it. And the idea that supernovae were a result of Melkor's meddling also was too good not to use.

Edlyn	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/10/2007
Hello again, meldonya! This was even better than the first chapter! I get the feeling that Námo has some self-esteem issues (which he obviously deals with given the way we find him in your other stories!). But I have a feeling that it is going to cause him trouble before he gets things resolved. It also explains (I think) why he can be so compassionate with the fëar of those to be Reborn under his care It was fun seeing Tiutalion and Eönwë and especially seeing the Maiar's excitement at watching the creation of the pulsar. Speaking of the pulsar, what a clever idea! The mental image I got of Manwë, Ulmo, Aulë and Varda making it was gorgeous. I had to smile at the colours of thier energy fields; they certainly presaged the colours of the areas of Arda they are eventually going to be in charge of. Manwë's blue is the colour of hte skies whose winds he will be the lord of. Varda's white is, of course the colour most of her stars appear to one standing on the ground looking up at them. Aulë's red-orange can be nothing other than the fires of his forges. And Ulmo's sea-green, indigo and violet reminded of the colours in the interior of an abalone shell (which the sight of brings all my memories of the seas and oceans to the forefront of my mind, even the smell of the air and the feel of salt water washing over my feet). Music is mathematics as one of the professors here has been working on showing me. I am one of those people who can't understand it intellectually but can intuit it and make it work for me. So I'm as awed as the observers you described. Ha! I see Eönwë is getting to do his heraldic duty! Ulmo certainly has a right to sound smug, that single variable change iidea is brilliant (pardon the pun). Oh my, Námo is certainly in little brother mode, isn't he? I actually winced when he told Manwë the idea of him holding the key to alter the variable was insane. And there is certainly no arguing with Manwë when the Blessed One speaks in that particular tone. It was very easy to hear his silent "But... but... but... Me?!!!" even as he capitulates. It's interesting how Melkor's disparaging "Little One" in the last chapter compares to Ulmo's most definitely affectionate and sympathetic "Little Brother" in this chapter. The one thing that is readily apparent in this story is the love that Námo has for his fellow Ayanumuz and the love they have for him (with the exception of Melkor, of course. Though if I let myelf think about it, Melkor probably loves Námo in his own way, the way one might love a possession, perhaps. Hmmm. That bears some thinking about...). Which globular cluster are Ulmo and Námo in, I wonder (NGC 1049 perhaps? Its near the the Formax Dwarf galaxy in the Local Group... OK I like that galaxy's name). Oh, Námo's memory of talking with Iluvatar was gorgeous. I was smiling and feeling at the sdame time that I was about to burst into tears as I read the passage. And visualizing Námo enfolded in his Atar's arms... well, my heart was about to burst with feeling. And Eru's words concerning what really happened versus might have beens is something I need to remember for myself. I about fell out of my chair laughing when I discovered that black holes were a mistake that Varda made when she was figuring out how to make stars. I wonder if we ought to contact Dr. Stephen Hawking about it. Most excellent and I can hardly wait for the next bits! May you lived blessed, Edlyn Author Reply: What I am enjoying about writing this story is the inclusion of our modern concepts of physics, astrophysics and astronomy and incorporating them into the mythology of the Ainulindale. Naturally, everyone is assuming that the Ayanumuz have made their home in our galaxy but in truth they are presently inhabiting the Andromeda galaxy, which is still in our Local Group. As to which globular cluster Namo and Ulmo go to, I'll have to consult some online star maps and let you know. grin You're right about Melkor "loving" Namo, but the way I love my new cap that I bought last week that has the word "Rebel" on it. I thought I had lost it on the plane to Beijing but one of the stewards found it for me and I was ever so happy. Melkor would be equally happy if he could get Namo to join him, but he won't love him. In fact, at the moment he "wins" Namo (or anyone) over, he will immediately fear him. That's the way evil works. Luckily for me my new hat isn't out to usurp my powers, though I need to keep a better eye on it as it tends to wander off when I'm not looking. lol Hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next update. Thanks for reviewing.

AM	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/10/2007
This is wonderful, I love the hard science. I can see them playing throughout the universe Author Reply: Thanks. I'm glad you like the story so far. I'm not a scientist (although I've always loved astronomy and cosmology) but I try to get the science "right" as far as a layperson can, reserving the right to "twist" reality to suit the story if necessary. This is fantasy after all. grin The image of the ayanumuz playing throughout the universe like the Children they still are is one that I like, too.

Tira	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/10/2007
cooooool! new story...strike that, AWESOME new story. can't wait to see where this one is going. (And yay for Námo, my favourite). Author Reply: Thanks, Tira. I'm glad you think this story is not just cool but awesome. Hopefully future chapters will not disappoint. Thanks for letting me know you are enjoying this. It's music to my ears.

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