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| Emissary of the Mark by Soledad | 40 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/25/2007 |
| *Love* the description of Beryl; did the Hallstatt people you based the Khimmerians on actually have a similar shieldmaiden culture? How do the Easterlings get close enough to Northern Dunedain in order to steal wives, though? Or is does that description include the Men of Dale, also? I'm really enjoy this, and liking Elfhelm even more with every chapter. If only he knew more about his companion - I keep hoping something about "Heretoga" will crop up. *g* Author Reply: No, the Hallstatt people didn't have a shieldmaiden culture, as far as I know. I've made that aspect up from the scratch. I think you caught me with that second question. It's a serious mistake. The truth is, this story was originally written for my own fantasy universe, I just changed the names and a few aspects to match Tolkien's world. I'll have to correct that part with the Northern Dunedain - it was an oversight on my part. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/25/2007 |
| Love the horses, and the human/horsehair bracelet. I was very glad to finally have a description of Elfhelm (!), and I am eagar to learn more about Elfhelm's mother and father, and how they met. I was trying to use Fonstad's Atlas of M-e to puzzle out Elfhelm's route, but I think your vision is a bit different? (It's all speculative, to be sure.) Did Elfhelm cross the southern part of Mirkwood to reach the East Bight? And the Mountains of Nimvarkinh are the same as the Iron Hills? Or something different? Just ignore my questions if you answer this later on, of course! Author Reply: He rode on the outskirts of the Brown Lands. The Mountains of Nimwarking are actually the mountain range that lays on the western shores of the Sea of Rhun. That was the shortest route to reach them (I used the map of Middle-earth from the German edition of the Unfinished Tales because it has the size of a bedlinen and I can actually *see* where my people are going). Elfhelm's mother came from an Easterling tribe that had fled across the Brown Lands and a great many of them died there. The rest got picked up by Elfhelm's father - who was hunting for wild kine as a young man - and granted asylum in Rohan. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/25/2007 |
| Ah, poor Elfhelm, chewed out by his lost love first, and by his father second. I know that clan loyalties and obligations are powerful, but my heart goes out to him nonetheless. Secondly, of course, it goes out to Theodred... What a trap, and nice play on the possible political situations. Author Reply: Oh, don't worry about Elfhelm! If you've read the subtitle of the story, you can see that things will turn out quite well for him. ;) | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/25/2007 |
| What an excellent start! The descriptions of the festivities are marvelous. I particularly loved Hama's "imposing" presence. Nice foreshadowing with Grima and Eowyn, and Oh! I was happy to see Aud again. I loved Lady Aelfgifu too. I could definitely see why Elfhelm will allow Eowyn to ride to the Pelennor in five years. Beautiful use of the old rites, blended with Rohirric customs that Tolkien established. Author Reply: Hi Denise, I didn't know you visited SoA as well! Glad you like the story. If you want, you can try the more... nerdy version of this chapter, the one full of Old English expressions. *g* It's posted to the otherworlds_lib LJ community. RE: Éowyn. I wanted to give her credit. So many writers - even good ones - shun her, calling her a traitor and a deserter and whatnot. People don't seem to understand that one can't judge the charcters in a heroic saga in the same way one would judge someone from the US Marines. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/9/2006 |
| Well - I'm very glad I don't live in Khimmer society! Ingolf Ragnarsson is an arrogant little snot, isn't he! And binding Strider and 'Ossiach' and threatening them with death? Doesn't tempt anyone to be a messenger in Rhun, does it? Beryl sounds interesting - while Emerald is seeking a moment of freedom before meeting a death that means something. On the whole, being a Rohirric shieldmaiden sounds preferable. Three cheers for Aud of the deep eyes - and Theodred, who loves her despite their childlessness. Look forward to more. Author Reply: Sorry, I wanted to answer this a long time ago... Yes, Ingolf is very arrogant, but he's in a unique status: the son of the hereditary ruler of Rhun. Even though the powerful jarls are pretty much their own lords, and Ingolf's family has only had the nominal leading position for two or three generations. | |
| Matt | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/30/2006 |
| This is a really interesting story and though I know you've got many projects in hand I hope that you are able to get chapters done on it soon. You've got a very interesting take on the pre-Ring War world and some of the marginal but yet important characters. Great job and thanks for this entertaining tale. Matt Author Reply: Thank you. :)) I'm glad you like the story. I was a bit afraid that the ungodly amount of background trivia in the first chapter would frighten potential readers away - what can I say, world-building is my secret vice. I promise I'll post more as soon as I've found time to type up the finished two chapters. For the rest you'll have to wait a little longer. Strangely enough, translating is a lot worse than writing directly in English. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/28/2006 |
| I wonder if Strider can offer more information than that he left with Aelfgifu - he might have had the chance to learn considerably more since those days! And he is another one who has to get out of this - like the elf. (I do like not having to worry about the survival of my heroes, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing too dreadful happens to them along the way.) I love the horses - definite characters of their own. And poor Elfhelm is quite indignant that they fall for the charms of the elf. It must have been pretty staggering to be the first of the Rohirrim in who knows how long to meet an elf and have it proved to him that they do exist! I wonder what preconceptions he will have to lose next! Somehow, I'm very relieved that Strider is going along with him. I'm sure the small sneaky creature will still be around when Strider resumes his search - and Elfhelm needs him at the moment. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this story. Author Reply: Well, I have two more chapters finished, I just need to find the time to type them up - while busily writing the next Halabor-related story for Xmas. Actually, the rest of the story is written already - but I need to translate it from Hungarian and adapt it to the Tolkienverse. It's a lot harder than writing something entirely new directly in English, I swear. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/28/2006 |
| Between Idis and Hengist, there wasn't a lot of Elfhelm left to go to the Golden Hall! And what there was, probably found the idea of a perilous quest to be the least of several evils! But Grima is well on the way to total scuzziness. And Theodred seems sadly helpless against him. (I'm glad to know that Grima will get his comeuppance - although not soon enough for Theodred.) I'm a bit concerned about some of these characters - especially the females. Because they definitely weren't around when the Three Hunters made their appearance. I suppose Idis could just have been elsewhere - but Aud? And Aelfgifu? I doubt Elfhelm knows what he's getting himself into here. But at least I know he gets the girl! (That'll please his father. Probably.) Author Reply: I see you've found out about Aud's fate already. It's based on a Viking legend, by which the entire character was inspired in the first place. Aelfgifu's fate is still not decided. Idis went home to Strowburg, with hubby and the kiddies. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/28/2006 |
| There's a lot to take in here. I do like Elfhelm - he is a very attractive personality. And I think Grima has definitely suckered him into agreeing to do something that Wormtongue thinks will be the end of the Marshal. I'm going to need to read it again, I think, to understand fully just who everyone is - but I want to get on and read more. (How can Idis have turned Elfhelm down in favour of his brother? .... Although I suppose his brother might be rather like him. And Aelfgifu ... she sounds an interesting character. You have made this a very interesting background. But I suspect Elfhelm won't be spending too much time in the Golden Hall.) Author Reply: Yes, I'm afraid this chapter is a bit overloaded with detail. *pulls in neck* Originally, I wrote it as a writing experiment, to see how much world-building I can weave in, without killing the story completely. I'm not sure that I succeeded, but trust me, this is nothing against the original version, which has all the weird talk in *Old English*! If you are interested, it can be seen here: http://community.livejournal.com/edhellondawards/20741.html#cutid1 The further chapters won't be this... crowded, I swear! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 11/28/2006 |
| You are so good at all this world-building! Halabor has become a complete, rounded environment to me - and now this! You have developed a whole Rhunish society and mores - and it is so interesting. I am looking forward to this. Author Reply: Thanks. Although I must admit that the Rhunish society wasn't originally Rhunish at all. But if the shoe fits, who am I to agree, right? | |