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| The Unquenchable Light by Virtuella | 63 Review(s) |
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| Matt | Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 12/23/2024 |
| A fascinating story. More prewar detail than I'd expected given the summary but very well worth reading in any case. I stop by the site infrequently and though I've done quite a burst of reading lately, it may be a while before I'm back but in any case I will be very curious to see if there has been progress on this richly developed story of a part of Arda we don't usually hear much about. Thanks for your great characterizations, thoughtful use of Tolkien lore and well developed cultural and practical frames for this story. I look forward to encountering future installments the next time I'm by the site. Author Reply: Thanks so much for your comments, I'm glad you appreciate my world building. The story mentioned in the summary is set much later, when the baby Rahamujil is an adult. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/17/2024 |
| the Kûzeen disapproved of poverty, so they saw to it that there wasn’t any Sigh. That sounds like a healthy societal value. It seems as if greed is not a common emotion in Kûz, either naturally or because the people make a deliberate effort to train it out. The contrasting peoples and cultures are fascinating and thoughtfully developed. The father-daughter banter made me smile. I find myself wondering if Jarin knows more than she's able to say? If so, she deflects her father's curiosity quite skilfully. “My conscience is as light as dragon breath.” Interesting idiom. Does this idea have something to do with the dragons you mentioned (was it in the story summary?)? O dear! Not a Seeing Stone! Yikes. The fact that he swiftly closed the lid of the box bodes well for his caution. At least, I hope it does. And I'm glad it didn't end up with the dwarves, considering how greed can overtake them much more easily than is likely to happen to the Kûzeen (if I'm reading things right). I suspected Wan might be a dragon, and I was right! The dragon-summoning procedure was intriguing. Good is light, and evil is heavy. Very believable. I am drawn to keep reading, but I will exercise restraint and savour the story one chapter at a time. At least for now. Author Reply: I'm so glad you're enjoying my world building. It's been a lot of fun to invent the eastern world. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/15/2024 |
| I love the banter between mother and son, especially regarding the use of "always". (Or not using it.) The lantern festival sounds lovely, as do the royal gardens and the procession. Oh dear. Olan was worrying me; I was beginning to wonder if a kidnapping might be in progress. And then the story takes a sudden turn with the chilling prophecy. I actually cheered when the Archseraph turned up! I'm glad the boy was quickly reunited with his parents! Whew. (But for some reason, I'm still not convinced of Olan's honorable intentions... Did he mean something more nefarious, yet realised he wouldn't be able to get away with anything once the torches and Archseraph came into view? Only time will tell.) And again, oh dear. Is the Archseraph truly naive, or is he simply trying to encourage his wife? (In one of my stories, Pippin speaks of the Dark Lord's intention to cover all of Middle-Earth with darkness complete and never-ending, which is a far cry from "hatred for Gondor" alone. I had also thought of that while reading an earlier part of the chapter, when I was contemplating how Sauron would take great satisfaction from extinguishing the glowing colours of the lanterns – and the spirits of all the free peoples – forevermore.) Author Reply: The Archseraph is maybe naive, mainly he is trusting what Alatar and Pallando have told him. The way I conceived it, Sauron never in the past bothered exploring this far into the East. He had Numenor to focus on at first, and then the Alliance of Elves and Men, and then of course he lost the Ring. He's known about Kuz only for a few decades, and yes, he absolutely is planning to enslave them, but it's not a priority at this time. Thanks for your comments! | |
| Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 12/8/2024 | |
| Thanks for another great chapter. I really like how you've woven Alatar and Pallando into the story with logical explanation for why they are not with Gandalf. BTW who is Mallor whom Aragorn resembles? Author Reply: One of his ancestors from the time when the istari arrived in Middle-earth. The name appears in one of the genealogies, I think from the appendices of LOTR. I'm working on the basis that the blue wizards did not immediately travel into the East, but stayed in Eriador long enough to know the major players there, e.g Elrond and the Numernoeran kings. | |
| Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/24/2024 |
| Dear Virtuella, imagine my astonishment and utter gladness when I returned to SOA after 2 weeks of exams to find new chapters awaiting. I love the turn the story has taken. Nara's debate with Jarin on the New Way is interesting. So was the appearance of a water lift. However I don't understand how the lift works with hydraulic pressure: is it something like the system in car brakes? Also is there any historical evidence of such lifts used in any part of the world before electric lifts? Take care Leithian Author Reply: Thanks for checking in. Glad you are still enjoying the story. Yes, hydraulic lifts are a thing in the real world, but I have no idea how they work. I imagine the dwarf ones are somewhat different. ;-) | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 11/23/2024 |
| Oh! I really like the Archseraph and Seraphine in my first impressions of them! (Majani is awesomely snarky in her quiet, seemingly unassuming way. I laughed out loud at the ambassador's "I did not flinch." The description of the tour made me laugh again; somehow, I am reminded of interminable slideshows of people's vacations back when photos were made into slides to be projected on the wall for a captive audience of friends and/or relations. "But finally she had mercy on him...") (Might the Guardian be one of the mysterious Blue Wizards?) (So this is where the Entwives ended up??? I am curious about their story, though it's just as well that you have not told it here. I suspect it is very sad. I'm glad they seem to have found some sort of refuge in Kûz.) "The Wanderer"... Hmmmm... And now I'm wondering if the remaining faithful of Kûz will eventually be forced to retreat to the fastness of Najûn, much like the Tooks withdrawing from the greater part of the Shire into their homeland during the incursion of the ruffians. Or does the story take a different turn? p.s. I love your descriptions and explanations. They are enough to paint a clear picture without bogging down the narrative flow. Author Reply: The story does take a different turn. :) Thanks for your comments! | |
| Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 10/15/2024 |
| Thanks for another interesting chapter Virtuella. Jarin has begun to grow on me; I really like her boldness. But I do hope she doesn't come to any harm for spying on the conversation. I have a question: does Sauron not realise that there are servants of Manwe in the form of dragons in this part of Middle Earth? He may not pay much attention to the people of Kûz but surely some spy must have mentioned the presence of dragons. Take care Leithian Author Reply: He may well know, but I don't think he would do anything about it. He doesn't seem to do anything about the eagles anyway. I'm glad you're starting to like Jarin. ;-) | |
| Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/21/2024 |
| Yayy! Another chapter. [“Feed them lettuce and peas. It’s better for them anyway,” said Pallando. It wasn’t quite clear whether he meant the ducks or the Kûzeen. “My mother feeds me pea soup all the time,” said the rower. “I’m not sure it’s done me much good.”] Ha. I'm sure I agree with the rower. Sauron's grim messenger flouts the Archseraph's order to remain as a spy in Kuz. And Miriel is meeting with him as Jarin recognizes her from the palace. I'm so intrigued. Is she going to be a double agent? Or will she remain loyal to her people? I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The Elves and dwarves that live near Kuz have no contact with the High Elves and the Dwarves from Erebor, etc. That's certainly interesting. I wonder how they came to be sundered from their people. I have a question for you: do the dragons in your story belong to the same species or kind as Smaug, Glaurang, Ancalagon, and other fire drakes and snow drakes in Tolkien's legendarium? Because, in-universe I think that Glaurang i.e the Great Worm of Angband was the first dragon, created/corrupted by Morgoth, and he was also considered as the father of all dragons (sorry I don't remember the exact quoations or sources right now). So what is your take on the dragons? Take care. Leithian Author Reply: No my dragons are maiar spirits. Like the eagles, they are servants of Manwe. I have definitely written about that somewhere, but possibly in chapters I haven't posted yet. [The Elves and dwarves that live near Kuz have no contact with the High Elves and the Dwarves from Erebor, etc. That's certainly interesting. I wonder how they came to be sundered from their people.] Geographical distance. If you think in real world terms, for Western Europeans of the Dark Ages, "the East" would be Russia, Turkey, maybe Persia at a push. Japan would be outside their knowledge of the world. Thanks for commenting! | |
| Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/16/2024 |
| Oh God, this chapter is so beautiful. I loved the exhibition... I wished I was there. So the Seraph has given his answer and now they are enjoying the calm before the storm. BTW is the grim messenger a Nazgul? His behaviour was certainly amusing for someone supposed to be terrifying. Thanks for posting this chapter. And if I may venture to suggest an idea for the essays what about an essay on the conflict between the East and the West in Tolkien's works? Especially the importance of the West. The source of evil is usually East but may also be north (Angband, Utumno) but the source of good is always West. I didn't express this as well as I wished to... but I always wondered if Tolkien meant it as a reflection of the world around him. Author Reply: Glad you liked it. The ambassador is no nazgul, just a thoroughly unpleasant man. ;-) [And if I may venture to suggest an idea for the essays what about an essay on the conflict between the East and the West in Tolkien's works?] That would certainly be an interesting topic. I'll think about it. | |
| Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 8/29/2024 |
| Hi Virtuella. How are you? The new chapters are really interesting. However I'm confused about Krâ. Is it also a country you invented for the story or is it a name of an actual country in the language of the Kûz? I was also reading your essays and I wondered if you had any plans to post more chapters in that vein discussing LOTR themes. I found them very thought provoking and engaging. Goodnight and take care. Leithian Author Reply: Hi, Leithian, the Kra are what in LOTR canon is known as the Easterlings. They live to the West of the Sea of Calma, while the Kuzeen live in the South and East. You can check this out on the maps that I linked in the prologue. I am glad you like my essays. I am not adverse to writing more in the same vein, though there is no particular topic that springs to my mind at this time. Maybe you have a suggestion? | |