Reviews for "Another Man's Cage"

Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:20 pm

Oi long overdue, but these were two incredible chapters Dawn. Your Nerdanel is so wonderfully earthy and solid, and yet so full of emotions that you so easily can symphatise with her. And oww such delightful banter with Fëanor.

Fingon's observations are simply wonderful!

For the last six nights, we have slept like this in the wild, with the Treelight growing fainter as we move farther into the cold north, and with my nightmares growing in intensity with the darkness.

This is so intriguing, it feels as if Fingon draws his energy (or lifeforce) and faith from the trees...

I had been romanced into fantasies about roaming the deep forests with him, hunting game too ambitious even for Tyelkormo, or the pair of us studying in my room late at night, whispering to each other about the awfulness of his father for making us labor so hard. My heart had quivered with longing for such companionship.

Awww poor Fingon, so actually he's been made happy with something which turned out to be the complete opposite. It makes me wonder what Nerdanel might have promised Celegorm in return.

“I do not love many,” he says, “but those whom I do claim most of my heart. Our sons I love more than my own life.”

These two lines smply got to me, not only since it is such an eerie foresight, but you write the depth of his love, compared with how he treated Maglor's injury with so much effort so wonderfully. This combined with Fingon's observations about nurse maids telling him not to cry or servants taking care of matters like these... it surely puts Fëanor in a different perspective than his brothers and in a way I think Finwe would have done the same.

And this, ow Dawn, this made me laugh so hard:
“Yes, dearest husband, and then we shall have to quiet Carnistir when he walks down the path and finds us and goes to Nelyo crying that Atar is trying to drown Amil in the spring. Or have Tyelkormo telling everyone at every feast for the next ten years about how his parents were spawning in the pond south of Formenos.”

LOL Laughing smiley face

I can so see Celegorm & Caranthir doing that Laughing smiley face

Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:57 pm

Ow Dawn.. what a delightful chapter again! Gosh I had to laugh so hard! First the tension between Celegorm & Fingon, and yeah my heart melted when I read how Celegorm thrashed through the thicket, hoping that he didn't killed the poor creature. Fingon forgiving Celegorm later on is such a key moment, but it wil take a while before Celegorm will accept him. But how I giggled while reading this chapter:

“You haven’t shown her how to do the sword-swallowing trick?”

“You haven’t let her hold your princely scepter?”

“You haven’t shown her your Fëanorian ability to delve for treasure in dark places?”

LOL sign smiley face

And then the icing on the cake

The path widens, and Aunt Nerdanel canters up beside us. “Nelyo, really, must you abuse Macalaurë in his injured state?” she scolds and rides past to join Uncle Fëanáro at the front.

ROFL smiley face

I love Maglor like this! And there is so much more goodness! Actually, I loved this chapter from young Fingon's perspective. I am eagerly looking forward to next week Very Happy smiley face

Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:45 am

Oh wow Dawn; I could remember this chapter so clearly which says so much about this great story. Yet again, I cried because this chapter has so many moving moments. I am not going to copy them all into the review (although I have to fight hard to resist showing you those moments), but I do think you have Celegorm spot on here as a child (both Nerdanel and Fëanor have their moments where they feel their children grow up too fast). It is sometimes so easy to think Celegorm is cruel and vindictive, but the way you write him and gives insight in his character shows so incredibly well, how he became the elf later on. Which of course, as you know, changed my whole perception of him. It is just as if everything falls onto it's place and from every son of Fëanor you can see what exactly they have from their father and what from their mother. Of course, a child has a lot from itself too, but still, this chapter illustrates this greatly.

I think today I realised that Celegorm and Fëanor have the same fiery temper, Nerdanel says it so great (yes I know I promised no citations)

and he knows that you did not mean to hurt him, just as he surely did not mean to treat Findekáno as he did.

I am intrigued by the cultural differences between Tirion and Formenos, but still Fëanor has a house outside the walls. Wink smiley face

As if he (or his spirit for that matter) would feel too restrained if he lived inside the city. As last, I love the way how Celegorm objects to the scented water, what a great image and so fitting for a boy his age!

Thanks for this great chapter Dawn, now I am going to buy new tissues.

Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:56 am

I am a bit behind on reviewing this story. First of all, and you know we discussed this before, Celegorm's observation of the room (and in the previous chapter of the lords) is typically him. Here he pays attention to details like the vines in the chair, the carvings in the wood ect ect. It gives him such a distinctive voice.

Celegorm has now the age where he needs to figure out things as if he needs to redefine his place in this family with Figon and Maedhros new love. The thoughts on how he expected to grow up with his brothers is deeply moving.

His observations of the maidens and oh! How I laughed when you wrote that Caranthir had a wee!elleth chasing after him. Smile smiley face

I am quickly going to read the new chapter!

Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:34 am

Chapter 16! Once you told me that you had troubles writing Maglor, but I know the next chapters are from his perspective, I do have to say that I love him in this chapter too. The interaction between the two brothers is greatly written, their age difference makes them both view their lives differently, but Maglor does understand his little brother and well if Fëanor didn't had a clue before: I think he does know what happened now. It is just unlike Tyelko not to answer before Fingon does and Fëanor sees through that. Just as Celegorm does not tell the tuth fully, Fëanor will not do the same towards his son. His words are hitting him where it hurts the most for Celegorm and he has surely learnt his lesson. A part which made me so sad was this:

"Shh." He strokes my hair. "That will be our secret, Tyelkormo, and it shall go with us until the ending of Arda." His voice is gentle, forgiving, and it makes me cry harder. He kisses my ear and whispers, "Do not cry, little one, or you shall give it away."

What a secret to keep to the end of time... Crying or Very sad smiley face

Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:17 am

IEep!!! I knew I read chapter 17 recently, but somehow I forgot to post the review that I wrote. This was another great re-read of this chapter. I clearly remembered how bouncy I was when I read this the first time and again in this re-write I felt that I just had to continue reading and even at the end of this chapter I felt that I wanted more of these descriptions on how the Fëanorian worked out and trained themselves on Aman. Dawn, Maglor finding his way in sword fighting is still as magnificent as I read it the first time, it's filled with gracefulness and it clicks. Besides that, this chapter is so great to read because it brought me back to the years when I taught horseriders how to ride and I just could see myself standing there or lecturing the rider when a horse slumped! Although I didn't balance on a a rail when doing so. Wink smiley face

And well, you know me, I love the way how you describe Tyelko's natural talent in archery, it just so fits him and to me, in Rhapsy!verse it fits the way how I see Celegorm, going completely for perfectionism with things he deems important. There is so much more about this great chapter which makes it fit so greatly in Silm canon, but I know what I want for Christmas: a paint ball archery contest with the adult versions of the Fëanorians Wink smiley face

This was a great chapter Dawn!!!

Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:17 am

Dawn, this was a chapter in which I wanted to savour every bit, read it again, let it simmer and go back to it again. It leaves me wondering with so many things, it makes me cry and smile. This is a chapter with such a wide range of emotions, but yet it does not feel forced and full circle.

The Tyelko chapters still are my favourite, but oh... there are so many things in which I think you elude the reader a bit. First thinking that Maglor is not allowed to go to Alqualonde because he father objects the most and Nerdanel fights for it, but this chapter, especially at the end shows us the reader that Fëanor was the one who wanted him to go the most, but giving him a basis first:

You tell me that the sound of water inspires you, so I build you a fountain. You receive an invitation to an audition and the desire in your eyes takes my breath, so I send you to Alqualondë.

Such a revelation. Besides this breathtaking moment, I just love the teenage angst of Maglor and the so in love Vingarie. But oh la la Dawn....

Nelyo peels away his clothes as we walk, until he is wearing only breeches—unlaced—over his underwear. His shoulders and chest are slick with sweat, and auburn tendrils of hair stick to his neck like leeches. I am getting hungry and my shoulder has begun to throb so hard that I can count my heartbeats by it. “Must you always be naked?” I ask Nelyo. “It is no wonder that you are always in trouble.”

Maglor is right, that image alone had my mind instantly in the sewers!

A great chapter Dawn! Let's see if I can catch up before you post a new chapter Smile smiley face

Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:47 am

I really enjoyed this chapter! It's really interesting to get such a detailed story about life in the House of Feanor that doesn't begin with them covered in blood or riding somewhere in Beleriand. Eagerly looking forward to reading the rest of this fic....

Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:18 am

I enjoyed your story from the beginning, but I especially love this chapter....

.....

She spoke to Nerdanel. Nerdanel, I want your consent before we begin the operation. I have your husband’s. I will likely be able to save the life of your son. But you will have no more children. You may die. Nimelomë had known us when we were children, with scabby knees from crawling about the mines and dizzying love for each other. She does not bother with formalities.

And Nerdanel’s faint reply: I will give my life for him.

.....

And I adored this part of the story....
I can't wait the second chapter.

Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:31 pm

Hey Dawn,

I just read the first chapter of your story and I wanted to say: you are a great storyteller. This part was simply fabulous. Smile smiley face

If anyone asks me, I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a real die-hard Feanorians fan. I have a kind of cautious, reverent respect for the House of Finwe, but I'm more a Sindar girl Wink smiley face

and my heart lies in Doriath, but I thought I'd take a chance to understand the motives, lives, thouhgts and purposes of the sons of Feanor better by reading your story. Throughout this first part I already knew I've chosen well.

I love the peaceful flow of this chapter. The descriptions are splendid, to quote one of my favorites, "He is slender in the way of the Elves, in a way that doesn’t betray his strength, but when he lifts that hammer, his muscles flex and the fires of the forge gleam gold on sweat on his arms, and he looks more a Vala than an Elf: or as though he was himself torn from the earth and made of bright gold."

The above is one of the best portrayals of Feanor I've ever read.

I admire the depth of your knowledge of canon, and I'm amazed at how wonderfully it's used to portray the life of a family. The characters are so familiar, and yet so unique at the same time. I'm really happy that I've got 30 chapters ahead to savor, and I'm really looking forward to reading all of them.

Thank you for sharing this excellent story. You have an eager reader here Smile smiley face

Best wishes,
Binka

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Reviews for "Another Man's Cage"