Reviews for "In the Midst of Adversity"

Sat Dec 20, 2003 1:50 am

I know I promised a review some time ago, when at the time I was about half-finished with reading your story, coming up upon exams, then sick with the flu, and there's probably a few more excuses I could heap unto the pile of my chagrin. In any case, here it is!

WOW Shocked smiley face

You've inserted the concept of Amazons quite deftly into Middle Earth! I was at first a bit reluctant to accept such references to 'the gods' and Artemis, but as I continued reading, I found them to be quite natural in a civilization as relatively isolated as Artemis Island. Very true to the Greek version of their lives. Have you read about the civilizations they've been unearthing in Turkey? Seems that there REALLY was a matriarchal warrior society.

The Fellowship - the ones that we saw were extremely true to character. Gimli was 'on' in his every reaction, showing the gruff and bluff Dwarf with a heart of gold (golden hairs, that is!). The fact that he 'got the girl' in this epic is a mark in your favor, I think, for it wasn't just a random pairing of Gimli with some random Dwarf-woman who ends up just being referenced in a throwaway line. This was a true Gimli romance, giving him an equal in Aella to argue with and forge a lasting relationship with. This may be very shallow of me, but I can't help but wonder what their children look like.

Legolas - revealed in all his Elven-masculine glory. This story didn't neuter him or make him overly-sensitive and girly, yet allowed him to retain the effortless grace and strong character that makes up the emotional blend of Legolas. Hmph...I think I just made him sound like a brand of ground coffee. You've really stayed true to his essential nature, as evidenced in his handling of Cyrene in the beginning - like a shy mare - to his friendships with Aragorn and Gimli - to his pleas for Cyrene to love him back, revealing in full the mighty Mirkwood Prince. 'Let me touch you everywhere, as the sun touches the flower.' Too bad there's not a swoon emoticon.

Cyrene - I remember in Greek Mythology that there was a water nymph named Cyrene who had an affair with Ares, god of war, resulting in the birth of the hero Meleager "The Mighty". Is her name pulled from here? If the nymph was anything like the Amazon bearing the same name, then she deserved a better lover than the slobbery war god. Here is one femme fatale who leaps of the computer screen (and waves a dagger, to boot!) Very complex character, fits in well with the groupings of non-Amazon peoples that she was interacting with, for all of them had something rather extraordinary about them, all of them came out of the war changed, and more than they had been. Something of an outcast from the Amazons, I suppose this is what made Cyrene extraordinary, and she came out of it, able to overcome some of her precepts to accept and return the love of Legolas, changing her for the better. Her demise was achingly poignant, as seen through the eyes of her grieving husband. Wonderfully crafted OFC - we need more of 'em.

Eowyn - I can't help it, this was my favorite part of the entire story. By taking Eowyn's character from the book, and delving into the emotions that she felt at the time, reveals a whole other depth to this character. So many skim over her as the coldly distant White Lady of Rohan. Few take the time to consider what kind of emotional struggle must have been going on below the surface. Favorite chapter - 'From Shieldmaiden to Woman' . Very Happy smiley face

Writing style - very nice detail and description! No, your smut scenes are NOT pitiful, they are, well... Smokin' smiley face

I'm letting these emoticons do too much of the talking.

A sequel? Yes, please!!!!! Bow smiley face

Regards (and apologies for the lateness!)

The Power of the Book Hello smiley face

Sat Dec 20, 2003 1:50 am

I know I promised a review some time ago, when at the time I was about half-finished with reading your story, coming up upon exams, then sick with the flu, and there's probably a few more excuses I could heap unto the pile of my chagrin. In any case, here it is!

WOW Shocked smiley face

You've inserted the concept of Amazons quite deftly into Middle Earth! I was at first a bit reluctant to accept such references to 'the gods' and Artemis, but as I continued reading, I found them to be quite natural in a civilization as relatively isolated as Artemis Island. Very true to the Greek version of their lives. Have you read about the civilizations they've been unearthing in Turkey? Seems that there REALLY was a matriarchal warrior society.

The Fellowship - the ones that we saw were extremely true to character. Gimli was 'on' in his every reaction, showing the gruff and bluff Dwarf with a heart of gold (golden hairs, that is!). The fact that he 'got the girl' in this epic is a mark in your favor, I think, for it wasn't just a random pairing of Gimli with some random Dwarf-woman who ends up just being referenced in a throwaway line. This was a true Gimli romance, giving him an equal in Aella to argue with and forge a lasting relationship with. This may be very shallow of me, but I can't help but wonder what their children look like.

Legolas - revealed in all his Elven-masculine glory. This story didn't neuter him or make him overly-sensitive and girly, yet allowed him to retain the effortless grace and strong character that makes up the emotional blend of Legolas. Hmph...I think I just made him sound like a brand of ground coffee. You've really stayed true to his essential nature, as evidenced in his handling of Cyrene in the beginning - like a shy mare - to his friendships with Aragorn and Gimli - to his pleas for Cyrene to love him back, revealing in full the mighty Mirkwood Prince. 'Let me touch you everywhere, as the sun touches the flower.' Too bad there's not a swoon emoticon.

Cyrene - I remember in Greek Mythology that there was a water nymph named Cyrene who had an affair with Ares, god of war, resulting in the birth of the hero Meleager "The Mighty". Is her name pulled from here? If the nymph was anything like the Amazon bearing the same name, then she deserved a better lover than the slobbery war god. Here is one femme fatale who leaps of the computer screen (and waves a dagger, to boot!) Very complex character, fits in well with the groupings of non-Amazon peoples that she was interacting with, for all of them had something rather extraordinary about them, all of them came out of the war changed, and more than they had been. Something of an outcast from the Amazons, I suppose this is what made Cyrene extraordinary, and she came out of it, able to overcome some of her precepts to accept and return the love of Legolas, changing her for the better. Her demise was achingly poignant, as seen through the eyes of her grieving husband. Wonderfully crafted OFC - we need more of 'em.

Eowyn - I can't help it, this was my favorite part of the entire story. By taking Eowyn's character from the book, and delving into the emotions that she felt at the time, reveals a whole other depth to this character. So many skim over her as the coldly distant White Lady of Rohan. Few take the time to consider what kind of emotional struggle must have been going on below the surface. Favorite chapter - 'From Shieldmaiden to Woman' . Very Happy smiley face

Writing style - very nice detail and description! No, your smut scenes are NOT pitiful, they are, well... Smokin' smiley face

I'm letting these emoticons do too much of the talking.

A sequel? Yes, please!!!!! Bow smiley face

Regards (and apologies for the lateness!)

The Power of the Book Hello smiley face

Sun Apr 11, 2004 1:23 pm

Oh my gosh, I'm a wreck! I doubt I could have stood it, reading this as a work in progress, it has put me through an emotional wringer and I go so impatient with myself for reading too slowly. lol

What a wonderful tale with truly remarkable as well as exasperating characters! *vbg* The angst at the end was gutwrenching, it really was, but you had to have that, didn't you? *sigh*

Wow, this was great, just great and I'm telling people they need to read it, as soon as possible. Well done!!! Smile smiley face

Sat May 01, 2004 8:47 am

I am totaly balling my eye's out. WOW, what a story! I read it from stsrt to finesh in a little over 24 hours. I loved every chapter. Please mail me when you write another story. Thanks for your wonder writing

Sun Jun 13, 2004 10:31 am

I really, really, really must applaud you on 'In The Midst of Adversity'!! I have thoroughly enjoyed this fic. I have looked upon reading it so many times, and I am so bloomin glad that I did!

At first, I flinched at the thought of Amazons on Middle Earth but you gelled them so well into the story that after a while, I thought, 'Stuff my purism, (or whatever made me think that', and I begun to fully enjoy this work. And that was just in the first chapter.

Your interpretation of Eowyn was just, and correct. I fully agree with you on how J.R.R. Tolkien wrongly portrayed her, and your version was so much more appealing to read!

Actually, in whole, I loved your portrayl of the characters. Especially Gimli, and his love interest, Aella! This romance was such fun, and enjoyment to read. Seldom have I read a story with a Gimli romance in it, but this one tops the lot. Legolas, as said before by The Power Of The Book, wasn't portrayed as over-sensitive, but justly displayed the feelings of elves, which are strong.

The feelings! They are descripted so well. Many authors just resort to the doings of the characters, and forget about their characters' emotions! With elves, and now amazons in the picture, we certainly do need to read the characters' feelings and emotions, and you have properly showed this.

And the thing is, the Smut (yep, capital, teehee) was great! Well written and enjoyable.

Actually, I fully enjoyed the inclusion of Amazons. Seldom do we see intoductions of new races (ok, type of race to be more excact) in Tolkien Fan Ficion and the author to get away with it. You don't need to get away with it, because it is so well written. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading of the Amazons in Tolkien's world.

All in all, the last couple of days have been great (yes, I am a slow reader!) thanks to 'In the Midst of Adversity', a fic that reads like realism and has been so lovingly put together! I thank and congratulate you!

And thank the Goddess I have more of your work to read!

Love,

Mil

Thu Jun 17, 2004 4:28 pm

Nice work! I would have thought it would have taken much longer than 14 months to write! I hope the sequel is as fun to read as this one was. Poor Leggy, I guess he had to loose her some day... nice foreshadowing by the way... it was so like Legolas to get the eebie jeebies before she left. Loved it! Very Happy smiley face

Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:33 pm

i haven't reviewed this yet? BLASPHEMY! i, texasgirl, hereby deem this story one of the top five legolas/oc stories i have ever read in my long, long life. LET US ALL BOW TO MARAM64 IN WORSHIP AND AWE! Kneel, Suckers smiley face

texasgirl

Sat Nov 20, 2004 1:59 pm

[This is the comment I left for you in the MEFA voting. Congrats and thank you again for writing this thing. It is special.] : It's been a long time since I read this story, but I wanted to re-read it for this contest. Once again, as before, I'm impressed by your adherence to Tolkien's vision, in terms of both language and events. This whole story is so carefully a faithful retelling of the professor's work, but with one crucial change: Cyrene. However, far from compromising the story like so many original characters do, Cyrene adds a new and intriguing dimension to the tale. She makes the world larger, not smaller, and more identifiable as an alternate history of our Earth. Amazons, after all, appeared in Homeric epics; why, then, could they not have existed in earlier Ages? You've woven the two mythologies together so securely that, at the end of the story, the fabric is strong. Rather like the central romantic relationship. Very nice work, Maram.

Sat Mar 19, 2005 5:59 am

I am not finished but I wanted to post a review on what I have read so far. (I am not reading any reviews above in case they give anything away!) I am on chapter 18 and it has been wonderful so far. I told you think in IMs but I love the way you do Legolas. Shocked smiley face

Wow - that just sounded all kinds of dirty!! Shocked smiley face

But I think you know what I mean. He's not Mr. States the Obvious here but he is not characterized as a man. Some people have him written either one extreme to the other. Either he is calm, cool, collected ALL of the time no matter what happens OR he is a hot blooded Man. He is an elf but he has emotions and feelings so you must display them or he is flat. Nothing good about a flat Legolas. Now a flat on his back Legolas.... thats a whole 'nother story. Devil's choice smiley face

You smut was hawt. You say in the warnings it was pitiful. I thought it was great. Wink smiley face

I will review again later. I just thought I would give you the cheap thrill of a new review. (we are all review-aholics anyway) Very Happy smiley face

Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:22 am

Heres another cheap thrill review. I just got to chapter 28 (I think thats the number) and you made me cry through the Theoden/Eowyn/Eomer part. Crying or Very sad smiley face

I so love Eomer. Talk about choices! Eomer or Legolas?? Oh man, that would be a toughie. Course the elf would win but I would always wonder "What if?" about our favorite horse lord.

Oh, and the twin princesses - never saw that coming. But thank you soooo much Bow smiley face

for Gimli's little romance. Its about time!! I am sure that made Viv all happy. Bounce smiley face

I am almost done dear. I am slow but I am getting there!!

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Reviews for "In the Midst of Adversity"