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Christmas at Edhellond: An Elf Academy Tale by Fiondil	220 Review(s)
Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 2/6/2013
Hm, sounds like a nice house – and big enough to house some of the next batch of new Elves from Valinor, if necessary. They can't put so many up at Edhellond, save everyone is moving out. And even, to spread them a bit more would be good. While I am familiar with that sort of reading to children, I only know it being done by libraries, basically. Nice idea to have Nick do that, too. It's getting more and more necessary in our time. When I think back to when I left home for the first time, there was no laptop, no internet, no cell phone with SMS for me to keep in touch with home. Just snail mail. Nowadays the kids can't even imagine that people can live without iPod and smartphone and all that. It's unbelievable how much has changed over the last 30 or so years alone. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. Usually such readings are done at libraries but the parents have to bring their children. What Nick is doing is partnering with a nearby pre-school as a way of introducing them to the world of books. You are correct that today's children are woefully ignorant about such things. It's always nice when I'm at Barnes & Noble and see mom, dad and the kids all involved in reading, whether it's an actual book or magazine or an e-book. Anyway, thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/6/2013
It would certainly be better to tell Derek's father and Alex's mother sooner rather than later, seeing the problems they are running into with Andy already. There will always something slip that sounds rather strange to them. Finrod is right, I believe; no matter how many times it is promised that the Maiar will protect their parents, Derek and Alex will still be worried while the two are still in Washington and Oakland. grin Yeah, I can imagine that Galadriel knew pretty well what she wanted and how to get it, and woe to everyone who came in her way or annoyed her somehow. The Valar are frequenting that café a lot, don't they? Now even Manwë is showing up! But Manny? Honestly? In any case, I remember the incident he told the two ellyn about. It was horrible to read. Manwë made his point with the bit he told them; hopefully, it will help them both to put their own problems more into perspective. There haven't been any elflings for that long? Now I am shocked! While I can see why the Elves might think as Finrod said, to me as a Mortal it still sounds silly. Just because they don't know what will happen to them in who knows how many millennia that's no reason not to have children, as long as they can feed them. I can see the older Elves who already had children stop having more, but the new generations should want their own, you'd think. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. The lack of elflings is a sign of a loss of hope, a malaise that I'm sure Finrod and others, including the Valar, have been trying to fight against. Hopefully Mortals can teach these Elves that hope should never be lost, that hope is what keeps us going against all the odds. Hopefully, that lesson will take, but that is something we won't know about for some time. Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/6/2013
Pity none of the Elves was living in the right parts of the world back then. But admittedly, we can’t just correct all the history, can we? ;) The explanation how they meet Nimrodel and Mithrellas was quite the shock. No doubt someone higher up made sure they were delayed and took that shortcut, yes. In any case, it’s interesting to see Christianity and human history in general through the eyes of Elves, together with their insight about divergences. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. I have the feeling that Someone made sure they weren't in the vicinity of Palestine during that time for reasons of His own. And yes, I'm sure Glorfindel and the others were purposely delayed and inspired to travel through the slave market so they would be there to rescue the ellith. And it is interesting to see human history through the eyes of the Elves who lived that history. I enjoy giving glimpses of their lives throughout the ages as a way of showing that they did not live in a vacuum but were part of the lives of the mortals to some extent, affecting and being affected by that interaction. Anyway, thanks for commenting. I very much appreciate it.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/6/2013
Glad Daeron was there for Finrod, I think his news how much Glorfindel was always thinking of him helped him a bit. And the skating was fun. Waterly is certainly a much nicer priest than Peterson. He took time to explain things to Finrod, without the missionary undertone you’d get from some of his colleagues. After all these millennia, Finrod should know better than to challenge the Maiar that way, particularly when he knows they are around. Of course Fionwë couldn’t resist to prove him wrong straight away lol Waterly did a good job in trying to sum up thousands of years of history in a way Finrod could understand; it only got complicated when Fionwë joined in ;) That was an unexpected, but fun detail, who Gabriel truly was. And not only that one … Author Reply: Hi Kitty. Unlike Waverly, Peterson is neither a priest nor a minister, just an ordinary person with strong religious views. And I think Finrod enjoys challenging the Maiar at times just to see what they do. Certainly Fionwë enjoys tweaking him. I'm sure Father Waverly re-read the Bible with a new understanding of reality after meeting Fionwë. re-examining the parts of the Scriptures that relate to angels and their role in human history. Thanks for reading and reviewing. It's greatly appreciated.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 2/6/2013
Poor Finrod. That wasn’t the reaction he had hoped for when he announced his new job! He was so happy to have it, and rightly so – with the economy going downhill, and so many connected to the Academy needing jobs, it’s certainly not easy. I really wanted to slap Glorfindel after that insensitive and completely uncalled-for reaction! Besides, I don’t see the problem with the job in the first place. As Finrod said later on, it’s a good way to get to know the people, and I am sure he could have a look in this or that book now and then, too. So, Glorfindel just felt left out and thinks it’s his responsibility to take care of everything? sigh While I can see why he feels responsible for it, particularly with Finrod’s inexperience in our world, he was still overreacting badly. Vorondur was right to call Harrison, I think. The Elves are all way too involved in the whole mess, and too many are out of their depth there as well. While Glorfindel is the one who needs anger management classes the most, it seems a good idea to include the others, too, before things go out of hand even more. Author Reply: Poor Finrod, indeed. Things are just not turning out the way he thought they would and unfortunately Glorfindel is under a lot of stress (some of it self-inflicted) so he's not responding well to anything that seems to be out of his control, like Finrod finding his own job. Judge Harrison was just the right person to step in and diffuse the situation, since none of the Elves were qualified, all of them to emotionally involved in what was happening. Hopefully the anger management classes will be very helpful to everyone concerned. We'll see. Thanks for taking the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/5/2013
Nice to find out a little bit of what has been going on in Aman in the meantime. So Tol Eressëa fell to Gil-galad? Glad he knew what a great job Sador did and made sure to keep him around! Now I'm so sorry for Vorondur. How horrible that he had to lose two of his three children! It must have been very hard for him and his surviving family. Poor guys. I really hope they are already reborn and will return to Middle-earth some time soon. Looks like Finrod found a nice little job; not much, but enough to make a bit of money and not have to depend on Glorfindel too much. The Wiseman Elves may earn a decent wage, but I doubt they can pay everything for so many additional Elves indefinitely. It wouldn't sit well with Finrod, either, to be so dependent on his gwador. That bit about the pins was strange. Not sure if they are supposed to have a special purpose later on, but anyway, it's nice when the Valar help out with something nice, not obviously important as well. Author Reply: Vorondur and Ercassë's history is very tragic, but hopefully they will be reunited with their sons some day soon, after all, their sister is getting married. grin And the bookstore will be a good place for Finrod. He'll get to meet people and interact with the community in a meaningful way as we will see in EA3. Thanks for leaving a comment, KItty. It's much appreciated.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2013
Harry Whitman not running again and the possible – or likely – consequences was a not so good surprise. It seems he had to deal with some enmity for supporting the Elves already. Yeah, from what he said, there could be some trouble brewing ... and knowing you, I don't even dare to hope it will not. Besides, we are talking about Finrod and Glorfindel here. These two are the best guarantee that trouble will come. Anyway, it's good that Whitman warned them beforehand, so they can prepare. Finrod as Mayor? That certainly sounds strange. A good number of Mortals wouldn't take that well, I suspect, though down the road, by the time he would be able to run, that even might have changed. But for the moment the idea alone sounds rather absurd. Trying to support someone to be elected who would be sympathetic might be possible and even sensible, however. Of course, now you have me wondering where this will lead to! Author Reply: The idea of Finrod running for mayor is a bit absurd, and as he points out, a step down on the social ladder for him who once ruled an entire kingdom. If none of the Wiseman Elves run for mayor then they need to get involved in seeing that a sympathetic candidate gets elected for all their sakes and this subplot will be seen in Elf Academy 3. Thanks for leaving a review, Kitty. I appreciate it very much.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 2/5/2013
It makes sense that the Valar (or Maiar) were involved more than everyone thought. Besides, even if they did it more obvious, the Mortals wouldn't know who they are. Maybe a Saint legend or two are in truth based on them, who knows? snicker Finrod was told he was not to take over the Academy? Figures! That Tarn still is rather creepy, and the more I hear about it, the more so. Finrod is probably right about Caleb being a lure for Alex, and I can't say I find that comforting in any way. While I have been wondering what on earth is there, I am more and more sure that, for once, I do not want to find out! Nice to see Finrod working on the clue, and that he's getting along so well with the Mortals, particularly Alex. His suggestion about Alex sharing his thoughts with the lambengolmor was unexpected, but I can see the appeal. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. The tarn is indeed creepy, and like you, I don't really want to know what lies within it. And of course Finrod, as the Friend of Men, would get along well with most mortals. That will prove important in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. Thanks for commenting. It's much appreciated.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/4/2013
The right clothes just turning up in the wardrobe would be my dream come true how to get clothes. Totally hate clothes shopping – all that trying on ... :( Glad Alex got the career he wants; that's probably going to help him to cope with everything that happened. A job you love is worth so much for your own contentment. Modern dances must be so strange for Elves. I always imagined their own dances more sedate and elegant, a bit formal maybe – but most definitely not anything even anywhere near what we have nowadays in the discos. Considering this, they did very well. Um ... Námo has all the Arctic Fringe CDs? Do CD players even work in Aman, with no electricity? Or do Valarin players not need that sort of power to work? All in all, it was a lovely ball, and I liked the impression Gloria's last song made on Finrod. Hopefully, it will help him a bit to find some estel, too. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. It must've been a real eye-opener for the Elves attending this Ball, which would be both familiar and unfamiliar to them. I think they managed themselves quite well, myself. grin If you're a Vala, I don't think you need to worry about such trifles as electricity or even needing a CD player. LOL! And of course we only assume there is no electricity in Aman. Who is to say there isn't? After all, the Elves were the first scientists (after the Valar). And hopefully that last song will help Finrod find some estel as well. We'll have to see. Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/4/2013
While I understand that everyone was wondering about Finrod's strange experience, it wasn't too courteous to talk about it as if he wasn't even there. No wonder Finrod got fed up and walked away. It was a bit unexpected that St. Nicholas once again showed up. He's right, it doesn't matter who and what he exactly is, he came to help, and that's what counts. Even though I can understand Finrod's confusion and need to understand what exactly happened. Glorfindel's behaving like a mother hen now. Really, Finrod is not an Elfling and can take care of himself, even here in our world. That flashback of the day before doesn't change that. In any case, Finrod is slowly learning more about the Mortals and their way of life in general, and about Christmas in particular. It's interesting to see ourselves and our customs through the eyes of someone who comes from such a differenct culture. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. Finrod is full of confusion and perhaps even anger and the flashback hasn't helped. And seeing our culture through "alien" eyes, I think, helps us to put the good and bad of it in perspective, so we see it, as it were, with new eyes and can appreciate (or not) what that culture is and has accomplished. Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated.

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