March 2004

Lord of the Rings Dies Irae by Ellisande. A poem for the Battle of Pelennor fields and the downfall of Numenor, based upon the Dies Irae. A burst of violent imagery and metre like a cavalry charge - this is an atmospheric ode to the end of the world.

Lord of the Rings A Good Number by Melyanna. A lovely, quiet story about the joys of family-life, from Faramir's point of view. Eowyn is pregnant again, and Faramir waits for the birth. Lyrical and moving.

Lord of the Rings Restoration by Acacea. Set after the Return of the King, Faramir enjoys a moment of happiness as he contemplates the restoration of Minas Tirith and Ithilien. And Faramir deserves some happiness.

February 2004

Lord Of The Rings Indiscretion by Juxian Tang. A scene from Faramir's youth. A Faramir/Boromir story featuring the unique parenting skills of Denethor. Hard, and sad, but also leaving room for hope for Faramir in the future.

Lord Of The Rings Hearth Companions by Alawa. A gritty story of the aftermath of the battle of Minas Tirith from the point of view of a woman with an unusual task.

Lord Of The Rings Stone From Above by Thundera Tiger. The last actions of Háma, door-warden of Meduseld, at the Battle of Helm's Deep. A fitting and heroic missing scene.

Lord Of The Rings To Death by song of eä. A battle from the point of view of a Haradrim Mûmak rider. An unusual and sad look at the Men on the other side of the war.

Lord Of The Rings Keepers Of The Hearth by Alawa. Set about the time of Eomer's wedding to Lothiriel, this is a story from the unusual POV of a Rohirrim woman, Winfrith, Keeper of the Hearth. A touching, lyrical and insightful look at Rohan life and the War of the Ring from the point of view of one left behind.

Lord Of The Rings Ties Of Love by Avon. A sentimental Boromir and Faramir story which imagines a (rather beautiful, I think) Gondorian superstition. Melancholy but sweet.

Lord Of The Rings That tall fellow next to Galadriel Essay by Marnie. A thought-provoking, insightful and funny fan-girl essay about Celeborn, the forgotten husband.

Lord Of The Rings Raven's Song by Camilla Sandman. A story which follows Legolas and Gimli to Lothlorien to beyond the end of Return Of The King and looks at how they came to love each other. Romantic.

Lord Of The Rings Charcoal, Stone and Cloud by Shadow975. A conversation between Aragorn and Boromir which reveals a little of Aragorn's past dealings with Gondor, and allows Boromir to be much more sprightly than he's usually portrayed. A sweet and meaningful moment.

Lord Of The Rings Campfire Story by Meg Thornton. A light-hearted relief from doom and gloom. Aragorn tells a story at the fellowship's campfire. Cuteness.

Lord Of The Rings The Last Grey Ship by ErinRua. A three-parter. Aragorn bids farewell to Legolas and Gimli, and Legolas decides that he must go West. Heartrending in places, balanced with wonderful Gimli-voice and poetic moments.

Lord Of The Rings The Lion And The Swan by ErinRua. A love poem from Lothiriel of Dol Amroth to her husband, Eomer Eadig of Rohan. Lyrical and bittersweet.

Lord Of The Rings Ashes, East Winds, Hope That Rises by ErinRua. A four-part story which follows Eomer from the time he and his company kill the Orcs who took Merry and Pippin to the ride to Helm's Deep. I particularly liked the rich scenes between Eomer and Eowyn and its faithfulness to Tolkien's language.

Lord Of The Rings Patterns In The Tide by Ithilien. Legolas leads an aging Aragorn to a mountain to see the entirety of Gondor, and beyond. A view of Legolas' concept of change and endurance and mortality that made me think in a wholly different way about elves and Valinor. Sad but uplifting.

Lord Of The Rings Knife-Work by Thundera Tiger. A missing scene from the Battle of Helm's Deep which asks why Legolas killed only four orcs in the same time it took Gimli to kill nineteen. A good action story.

Lord Of The Rings Beyond This World by Thundera Tiger. Gimli and Legolas have travelled to Valinor, and now Legolas must face the inevitable end of all mortals. A friendship story which made me cry, and cry, and cry. Beautiful.

Lord Of The Rings The Way Home by nancingelf. Legolas and Gimli attend Aragorn's funeral, and Legolas agonises about travelling West. A sad but uplifting friendship story about the end.

January 2004

Lord of the Rings Journey by Moirai. A Legolas and Gimli story that jumps in time from the beginning of Fellowship until after Return of the King. I was in a romantic mood when I read this, and more so at the end. A sweet, sweet story about the development of Legolas' and Gimli's relationship. I could fall in love with her Gimli.

Lord of the Rings Fall by Dracostella. A Two Towers movie-verse story, set on the road to Helm's Deep. Legolas and Gimli ride together. Lots of funny horse-related snark, seriousness and touchy-feely moments. Lovely.

Lord of the Rings Promise by Cimorene. In Lothlorien, 'Legolas comes to terms with what he wants, though it's hard to believe.' Woven among events of the Fellowship of the Ring, this is an exploration of Legolas's love for Gimli. Cimorene gives sexy Dwarf.

Lord of the Rings Cold Comfort by Arachne. 'Legolas faces up to some painful truths'. Set after the loss of Gandalf, this is a darker than usual Legolas and Gimli story about temptation and desire. Shivery.

Lord of the Rings Folk Of Different Race by Lemur. Gimli and Legolas try to carve a friendship from hundreds of years of mistrust and misunderstanding as the Fellowship mourns Gandalf. Full of character insight and great dialogue. An unusual friendship story.

Lord of the Rings For The Fear of Death by Faye Dartmouth. Legolas and Gimli discuss fear, death and immortality. A Two Towers story, set just before the Battle of Helm's Deep. Movie-verse and insightful.

Lord of the Rings Aglarond by ErinRua. Set after The Return of The King (book-verse). As promised, Legolas goes with Gimli to the Glittering Caves. A story about friendship and beauty. I think this story is worth reading for the description of the caves alone.

Lord of the Rings Turning Of The Page by ErinRua. Eomer writes a last letter to Aragorn. Poetic and moving. Meep.

Lord of the Rings Bargaining For Beginners and sequel Warg Hunt by Honesty. 'This is about Celebrimbor and Narvi, the two craftsmen who made the Doors of Moria. Narvi, a young and rebellious dwarven stonewright meets the elven smith Celebrimbor. About life in Khazad-dum, dwarven culture and the beginning friendship of two master artisans.' A 2nd Age story, based upon a footnote, and beautiful. I fell first for the details of Dwarf culture and customs. This is a WIP, but the first part reads as a complete story as far as I'm concerned.

Lord of the Rings Alien Creatures and Sequel by Honesty. These work almost as companion pieces to Bargaining For Beginners. Alien creatures takes Legolas's view of Gimli while they travel through Moria, and the sequel is Gimli's view of Legolas. I liked the dwarf view of elves.

Lord of the Rings Emblematic by Your Cruise Director. A day in the life of Aragorn. An iluminating glimpse at all the characters; particularly Boromir. Sharp and real and sad.

Lord of the Rings Sky As Grey As Your Heart by Afrai. A lyrical Legolas and Gimli story, set a long time after The Return of the King. Legolas has a ship, will Gimli come? Yearning Legolas POV and lovely characterisation of Gimli.

Lord of the Rings Back To The Beginning by Adina. A melancholy but hopeful Legolas story. Legolas has lingered on Middle Earth, searching always for the reincarnations of Gimli. Romantic with chilling moments.

Lord of the Rings Conversation Between Wood and Stone by A. Tye. A beautiful moment between Legolas and Gimli after the fall of Gandalf. There's a particularly wonderful metaphor for grief in this one, and lots of in-character gentle snarkiness.

November 2003

Iliad Messenger by Gloria Mundi. Rage and honour and revenge as Achilles chases Hector for the death of Patroclus. Sharp and bitter.

October 2003

Regeneration Fleeting by Athena. Historical fic based on Pat Barker's Regeneration, featuring the real-life characters of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen in a psychiatric hospital during WWI. A beautifully constructed story that flicks effortlessly between flashbacks and the present and ratchets up the sense of tension and frustration so well that I felt like screaming. Atmospheric and dreamy.

July 2003

Good Omens Slippery by Fay. Crowley entices Aziraphale to eat sushi and muses on sin and temptation. Warm, sexy and funny.

Good Omens Three Drabbles by Snowballjane. Three connected drabbles featuring Aziraphale and Crowley at an open air concert. 'Angels had fallen for anger, for disobedience, for arrogance. It would be rather embarrassing to fall for custard cake.' Lovely.

Good Omens Ordinary People by Daegaer. An unusual Good Omens AU treating Crowley (Tony) and Aziraphale (Ezra Fell) as, well, ordinary people. No angels. No demons. It's a sweet and funny and wonderfully wrought love story.

June 2003

Good Omens Flights of Angels by Daegaer. '"How dare you try to contact Heaven in my bathroom!" he hissed in fury.' Crowley and Aziraphale and friendship and commiseration. Humour and sweetness.

May 2003

Jeeves and Wooster Jeeves and the Understanding by Timmerryn and sequel Thank You, Sir. Bertie POV in the first, and Jeeves in the second. More than a general air of mirth. Sharper than Bartholomew's teeth.

Good Omens/Lawrence of Arabia Wisdom Hath Builded Her A House by Daegaer. A curious little story looking at Crowley and Aziraphale from Lawrence's POV. Treats the angel and the demon seriously, but recognizably.

Good Omens Going Home Daegaer. Hilarious and desperately sweet Aziraphale and Crowley friendship fic. Crowley POV as he reacts to Aziraphale being recalled to heaven. Worth reading just for what he does to Aziraphale's replacement.

Good Omens Shiny Unhappy Demons Daegaer. Aziraphale rather approves of anti-globalisation protests. Crowley, not so much. This one is just cute.

Good Omens Rain and Rainbows by Daegaer. 'It's Raining Men' and... religious experience. Short n funny.

Good Omens Growing Season by Kathleen Anne. Aziraphale takes custody of Crowley's plants. I laugh into next week.

January 2003

Georgette Heyer The Wages Of Vice by Jat Sapphire. Justin Alastair/Hugh Davenant. A story based upon Georgette Heyer's books or, if you will, original slash based in the eighteenth century. So lush and decadent in atmosphere, I fully expected Lestat to turn up. A reminiscent read.

December 2002

His Dark Materials Heat and Hearts by Mary Borsellino. The unlikely made plausible. A Iorek/Lee (Hester) story from the Philip Pullman's trilogy, with a little bear-opology thrown in for free. Surprisingly tender.