[Viv]

I've noticed that Silm fics -- even some astonishingly good ones -- just don't get a lot of attention. And that's too bad. Consistently, in my opinion, the best Tolkien fic out there is Silmfic. I have my own theories on why this is, but I'm more immediately interested in this: Why don't people read Silmfics? Are they scared that since they personally don't know all 32 of Galadriel's names, they won't catch on? Do they just not like elves??

Anyway, if you read or don't read for a reason, please chime in. I'm interested (mostly because my muse won't let go of a longish Silmfic right now, and I may need to beat her back with a spoon).

[Ellbee]

I've never really tried Silm fic, and I'll tell you why. For one thing, I've heard many rather uppity purists say things like, "Well, at least the Suvians and the stupid people don't write Silm fics" which really rubs me the wrong way. And I have read some bits and pieces, especially by one particular writer, that are just so overblown and pompous that I figured, probably unfairly, that all Silm fic writers were like her.

But ultimately, it's because I have tried (and failed) to read the Silmarillion several times before, and I'm trying again, though I've only gotten through two chapters. I like to believe I'm not a mental lightweight, but it's really rough going. I want to know the history of Middle-earth, I want to like it, but so far it just hasn't grabbed me.

That being said, can you recommend some good fics that don't require a thorough knowledge of the book? And that don't oppress a reader with the sense of their own superiority? I'm always looking for good fic to read, and now that my husband has gone to war, I figure I'll have to do something to keep myself busy.


-Ell

[KhazarKhum]

"Across Dark Waters" is a good one, even if somewhat AU. Zimraphel has several good ones on this site--she has a real feel for the Sil, which helps her detangle some of the more obtuse parts of a difficult book. Viv has a couple, too, but she's being modest.

[Viv]

Silm recs..

Zimraphel's Gold Like Tears is pretty self-sufficient; I don't think you'd need to know a lot of Silm stuff to appreciate the stories and how they tie together. Basically, you start out with a lot of gold beads, and they get lost and destroyed as the ages wear on, much like the race of elves in middle-earth. The only warning is that the use of names is very Tolkienesque, which is to say, sometimes confusing.

Andreth's For Love of Creation features a character we all know and hate: Sauron. This ficlet is from his point of view. Andreth also has a really nice WIP (A Veiled Light; Warning for NC-17 rating) that tells the story of *a mystery Maia*, the early years.

Finrod's Oath by JMac is one of my favorite Silmfics, but it requires a bit of knowledge going in. Finrod, in the piece, is facing death in Sauron's pit and is remembering his several oaths: to his love back in Valinor, to his friend Barahir. He never mentions the Oath of Feanor, the one that brought him to this end, but it is really the 400-pound gorilla in the corner throughout the whole story.

Tinni's Iadel meshes the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale with Tolkien's Silm characters. The integration is seamless, and the story includes plenty of Tolkienology without rapping you over the head with it. You don't really have to know anything about the Silm to appreciate this story.

And though she isn't a member here, there's a writer named Finch who is incredible. Her story "Fell Fire" (the tale of Aegnor and Andreth, the only mortal-woman/elf romance in Tolkien) is one of my favorite Tolkien fictions.

Finally, not to put my scribblings in the same class with these others, I wrote a little Silm piece about the fall of Gondolin, and it's here on OSA too. The title is Red Dawn, Golden Flower. I don't think that it requires a lot of background knowledge, at least I hope it doesn't.

[Viv]

[Leila]

[Zimraphel]

Trying to read The Silmarillion from the very beginning is not something I would do. I would skip ahead to the story of Feanor and glance back at the earlier stuff as necessary, because Feanor and the creation of the Silmarils and his overweening pride is where the story really starts. Later, I would also skip the chapter titled "Of Beleriand and its Realms." All the information you need there is clearly labeled on the maps provided with the text.

The parts you would find most interesting are the story of Beren and Luthien, the chapters entitled "Of Maeglin," (Maeglin is one sick little puppy) "Of the Fifth Battle," (very gruesome in parts) "Of Turin Turambar," (very twisted) "Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin," "The Voyage of Earendil" and "Akallabeth," which is the Atlantis myth.

[PoweroftheBook]

[Hathor]

I read Silmfic. I do. It all just depends on the time I have. At the moment, I'm not reading any fic, because I just don't have any time to sit down and appreciate a story/give a review that's fair.

So yeah... The Silmarillion. Hard book. Someone gave it me for Christmas last year, and I spent the whole holiday trying to read it, getting confused and going back to the beginning. In the end, I found it really helped for me to have a pad of paper and treat it a little bit like a textbook- I made notes on who the characters were. This really helped my reading of it. Three reads on, I now just enjoy it as a book because I have the characters sorted in my head!

Okay, I think that's about it...

[Andreth]

Thank you, Viv, for mentioning my stories. It was very kind of you. I have to second her recommendation for Tinni's story Iadel and have to second the recommendation for Viv's story Red Dawn, Golden Flower. That is by far my favorite depiction of Glorfindel. And it's a story that Silm knowledge helps, but you dont' really need it to enjoy reading the story. Levade has a short story about Cirdan here that I really like called Ebb Tide.

I do have to agree with you guys that some Silmfics are really way too heavy and some Silmfic writers too elitist. I write Silmfic because I love the history and I like the fact that there so much vague area to play around with there. But a lot of Silmfics I have trouble wading through because it seems more like the author is trying to impress you with how much they know rather than write a story. Heck, some of the reviews I've gotten aren't really so much reviews as they are other Silm authors trying to impress upon me how much knowledge they have in the area I'm writing about. Some of them seem to think that because they write stories about a character or era, they're suddenly experts in that field. Unfortunately, I think that holds true in other areas besides just Silmfics. But we're not all like that, I promise!

I had a lot of trouble with the Silm and I think it's because of how it was put together. No insult to Christopher Tolkien, because goodness knows he had his work cut out for him, but I enjoy the History of Middle-earth books and Letters of Tolkien a lot more than I enjoy the Silm. As I read those as they came out, I would pop back and look at the Silm and then it would hit me....'oh, that's what he meant there!' I felt like I did when I was a child trying to wade through Shakespeare and just not getting it because of the way it was written. My mother bought a book that was Shakespeare's works in just regular stories. After I read that, then went back to the heavy leather tome she had of the real stories, it was like a light went on and I understood them.

I think it's all a matter of finding something to connect with in the Silm and it helps your understanding of it, if that makes any sense. My husband's not real Silm-friendly, he doesn't like reading it either. He gripes at me for being too vague at times or keeps on me about adding things to my footnotes that wouldn't be common knowledge to someone who wasn't a First and Second Age-freak like me. I know for me personally I don't try to be elitist but sometimes I add tidbit facts here and there without thinking that somebody might read it and think, 'what the h*ll is she talking about?' It's just that typical absent-minded writer trait - having so much running around in your head that you can't get it all properly explained in the story. My beta and my husband try to keep me in line. There are a lot of good Silmfics out there; unfortunately, I think it's a case of a few bad apples spoiling the whole barrel for the rest of us.


Andreth

PS Ell, I hope everything goes well with your husband. I had to go through Desert Storm, so I know it's not a pleasant time, especially since this 'occupation' is a lot worse. Take care!

[Ellbee]

Y'all have given me lots of good recommendations, I'm writing them all down now, though I may not get a chance to do any serious reading until after Christmas. And I'll have to try skipping ahead to some of the more interesting parts of the Silm.

And thank you so much for all your prayers and good wishes. My husband just found out that they'll be going to Kuwait at the end of January, running transportation missions into Iraq. So at least now we know something. The good news is that he gets five days off at Christmas, so he's renting a car and driving home. He'll have to leave Christmas Day to get back in time, but he'll be here for a couple of days. I'm thrilled to pieces.

-Ell

[Dragon]

Going back to the first comment, I think that maybe Silmfics get less attention because each character has less 'fans'? Not as many people read the Silmarillion, and there are so many characters that people might be interested in reading about some elves and not others. Also I'm scared of reviewing Silmfic in case people think I'm not clever or knowledgeable enough to review their stuff.

I do read Silmfics (and have written one or two which are sort of borderline Silmfic that I moved over to the Silmarillion section because nobody knew who the characters are) because they often have very good writing and deal with rare characters that I'm interested in. But I don't read it all the time because Silm stories just aren't as entertaining or as fun as LOTR stories... and since so many of them have loads of facts or names I can't keep track of I have difficulty following the ones that are based heavily on HoME. Also I like reading stories about elflings and things that are all cuteness fluff and light... and that isn't really Silmficcy to be honest.

Also they got me interested in reading the Silm anyway (I got into it by picking a bit in the middle that I liked and reading forwards and back... once you have characters you like it gets easier... Melkor and Fingon and Fingolfin are almost wholly responsible for my reading it). Haven't finished it all yet.

That was a ramble.

[Halfwest]

Personally, I don't like it because I find the characters difficult to get close to.

Except for my pet Gorlim.

Reeeeeead the Gorlim fic.

WRITE GORLIM FIC.

You will know and love the Gorlim, yes precious...

[Andreth]

[miriel361]

Let's face it - we live on reviews and people tend to read and review characters they already know and love. So you can write the best Silm fic in the world and you won't get half as many reviews as for a nice smutty legomance.

Fan fiction - reader driven or not?