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The World Below the Mists  by Thundera Tiger 12 Review(s)
PSWReviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/5/2022
Lovely. Thx for writing!

ainnisarieReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/5/2018
I'm re-reading some old stories and I just have to say how much I enjoy your way with words. Thanks you for all your wonderful stories.

obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/11/2011
This is a lovely gapfiller. I never thought about how Elrond got the news of Mithrandir's fall. I had to laugh that everyone commented on Glorfindel looking like he met a wraith. A nice recurring theme.

Author Reply: Thank you so much for your kind words! Given that Elrond's sons eventually rode to Aragorn's aid along with many of the Rangers, I figure that Imladris was kept in the loop somehow. As for Glorfindel and the wraith comment, it started by accident and then the redundancy became funny enough to keep. Thank you again!

GlamdringReviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/8/2010
Hi, it seems appropriate that with a pen name like Glamdring I should have something to say about your story. And I do. I like it enormously. Your affinity for the writings of Tolkien comes across powerfully in the excellent quality of your story and the atmosphere you create. For me the only things which detract are small and very easily fixed. Tis thus: two words 'storm' and 'eagle.' To my mind they were used a tad too frequently in the early paragraphs and they were drawing my attention away from the story. In paragraph one 'storm' appears 4 times and in paragraph two 6 times. As for the eagle - here's a paragraph that particularly drew my attention.

"He suddenly found himself the subject of a sharp, aquiline gaze. At the same time, the eagle cried aloud, his scream echoing far in the winter morning. There was a flare of wings, the feathers a burnished gold beneath the morning sun, and for a moment, the eagle seemed to hang in the air. Then the eagle tipped his body forward, pulled his wings in close, and dove straight toward Glorfindel's clearing."

A little bit of adroit editing will put that final polish on it. I thoroughly enjoy reading your stories. I love the way you can pick something easily missed from the Lord of the Rings and craft a brilliant tale from it. In Middle Earth you would have been a bard. Congratulations. Keep those stories coming.

Author Reply: Hey Glamdring,

Many thanks for both the compliments and the concrit! I usually put my stories aside for several months before I go back and start editing (it helps me see everything from a new perspective), but you've already given me a good starting point. I definitely see what you mean in those paragraphs, though I have to say that I'm not surprised. Wordiness and redundancy are frequent problems for me. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the story regardless, and thank you so much for the compliment on finding a missed element of LotR. That's something I tried hard to do in this story, but I wasn't certain that it would work. Thank you again!

SilmarienReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/12/2009
I loved this. The nuanced voices are wonderful. Oddly enough, I think my favorite line was "Tuor and Ecthelion had always been better at understanding eagles." It makes Gondolin seem more present, and also demystifies Glorfindel to some extent.

Well done.

Author Reply: Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the eagle snippets, and I'm thrilled that you liked that particular line. I think that for Glorfindel, the past is always going to be something near and dear to his heart. Well, parts of it, anyway. You don't give your life for something like that if you didn't care about it. Thank you again for the review!

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/12/2009
At last I got to finish this without interruptions!

What a marvelous gap to fill! Indeed, I can imagine the dread the initial news would have brought to the inhabitants of Rivendell, and most especially to Elrond! Glorfindel's reaction to the news was very likely-- it must have been horrid to think of anyone he knew having to face one of *those*!

The worry as to what would have come of Gandalf's "possessions" made a lot of sense. Good heavens! Narya in the hands of a Balrog?? *shudders*

And I like Erestor's plain logic. I'd love to see the reaction they have when the rest of the news arrives. I wonder if he resists the temptation to say "I told you so"? *grin*

I really enjoyed this.

Author Reply: Thank you so much for the review, Dreamflower! I'm glad you enjoyed Glorfindel's reactions, and I'm glad you felt that the fear about Narya made sense. It made me shiver, but I wasn't sure if it would be convincing when written into a story. That's one of the main reasons I included Glorfindel's fears about the Balrog. I felt if there was a strong foundation for concern (AKA a Balrog under the neighboring mountains), then the concern about where Narya may end up would have something to build on.

As for Erestor... I could see him saying "I told you so." :)

RedheredhReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/12/2009
Excellent story! Great gap-filler!

Love the way you give realism to a scene with everyday-relatable details and description. As well, the running "wraith comment" indeed merits a response along with compliments on the familial banter.


Author Reply: Thank you so much for the review! I've been working on descriptions lately, so I'm thrilled you commented on them! And I'm glad you enjoyed the running wraith joke. I wondered if that was stretching things too far, but I wanted something light to go with all the doom and gloom. Thanks again!

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/12/2009
How fascinating! I never thought about how Glorfindel might react to the news of a Balrog in Moria, or plans for a possible Quest to retrieve Narya. But this is my favorite part: "Take hope in this! The sun smiles upon the summit. Not all is lost to darkness!"

You've penned a marvelous gap-filler, as always. :)

Author Reply: Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you liked the ideas about Glorfindel, the Balrog, and Narya. That's what drove me to write the story. The line you mention was actually a late addition to the story. I couldn't decide if I wanted to end on a note of hope or a note of despair, so I ended up with an odd compromise that I wasn't sure would work. But it did produce that line, so apparently something good happened. :) Thank you again!

Elena TirielReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/12/2009
Oh, very very well done, Thundera!

I had never even given thought to the possibility that the balrog could take Narya.... how disturbing!

Your Glorfindel is a complex character that I really sympathized with... imagine, having to face the memories of a horrendous death after learning that another such monster could exist still to threaten Middle-earth....

I enjoyed reading this very much... thank you for sharing it with us!

- Barbara



Author Reply: Thank you so much for the review! The idea of Balrog getting its paws on Narya came while I was trying to think of how Glorfindel might react to news of a Balrog living two weeks away. And while I was playing with different reactions, it occurred to me that the Balrog could be even more powerful if it had a Ring of Power (which is what the dwarves thought they might have lost in Moria), and then it occurred to me that Gandalf had one the Balrog could use, and so on.

And I'm so very glad you liked Glorfindel. He intimidates me, and I was very nervous about how his characterization turned out. Thank you again for the review!

Nieriel RainaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/11/2009
I reviewed this at FFN, but must again say THANK YOU!

PS...

How DID Thranduil's son know it was a Balrog anyway? *shoves bunny at you*

;P

NiRi

Author Reply: Hey!

*shoves bunny back*

Keep those silly things away from me!

It is an interesting question, though. Virtuella wondered the same thing in a beta edit. I have a theory or two, but nothing substantial enough to base a story on. Better luck next time! :)

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