Comments on The Voice of Rage and Ruin

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Wow, Igbee, what a great tale with a twist you've given us here! There I was, imagining the wolf to be... only to find out how wrong I was. I loved the alternative, and it makes so much sense, how could you come up with something so perfect for a horror story. Maglor's dreams and the scene in the glade were so sad and moving. Thank you for such a dramatic and clever story. 

I was wondering what you'd think of this one, Russa. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get your input as I wrote it. I love writing dreamscapes so I'm glad to know that worked, and the scene in the glade seems to have hit just the note I was aiming for. Thanks so much for your comments.

Here's the review that I left over at AO3.  Thought it should be here too. :-D

I enjoyed this a lot, Igbee.  You really grabbed me from the moment I started reading until the finish.  The story had all the elements I love, good characterizations, a mystery, a sense of loss, self-sacrifice, and redemption, and gorgeous language. A really well-crafted story. I liked the relationship between Maglor and Galathwen which you deftly drew with just a few well-chosen strokes, such that, even though a minor character, I really felt the loss when she died.   I liked the sense of the village with the different crafts and voices.  And all those names you had to invent!  The mystery was well-done including dressing the sheep up as red herrings.  I have to say I guessed that Mithdor was more than he appeared to be, but I loved how it went.  The dreams were lovely as well, romantic, erotic, and really told me about Finrod and Maglor's relationship.   I loved the description of how to detect a cold trail in the woods -- did you have to research that?  In addition, you really captured that sense of loss and sorrow and the weight of long history felt by the elves -- all attempting to escape in their own ways -- that always so resonated for me in Tolkien's work.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from your story:  "The remaining Elves did not question each other much about the past, for which he was grateful."
"For him the oath had never been about the Silmarils, it had been about freedom, it had been about Finrod."
"Someone must own the oath, bear the unforgiven sins, remain as a sacrifice in Middle-earth until the world’s end to give Finrod the chance for a blessed life in Aman, far away from his tainted soul."
"One can hide the past but never escape it."    These have the ring of truth about them.   
Thanks for crafting such an enjoyable read.

I saw and replied to your review on AO3 so I thought I'd copy my response here as well:

Thanks so much, Elfscribe. It's one thing to write a story but quite another when one gets feedback to know that the elements came together as intended. I really appreciate your thoughtful comments. One thing I like about writing the First Age Elves is that sense of tragedy and loss, but there is also joy and an exuberance for life that makes the erotica more romantic. I don't often write female characters so it's great to know Galathwen worked well and came off as a believable friend for Maglor.

As for the names, I have Darth's Sindarin name generator to thank for that. It would be impossible to write OC's without it since I don't have a clue about Elvish. I did a little hint with Mithdor, which means "Grey Brother" so anyone who both knows Elvish and has read The Jungle Book would spot that as a wolfish name. :-) One thing I always liked about werewolf stories is how the wolf is always someone known to the village or group but no one suspects him until he takes a wound as a wolf that shows up when he's in human form. The other is the bicolored eyes, which I read many years ago is a way to spot a werewolf. The thing about the cold trail I made up. I know nothing about hunting but it seemed logical, especially for an Elf who wouldn't be scaring away the wildlife tromping around in the woods.

Thanks also for your mention of the quotes. I was looking for a reason that Maglor would have stayed in Middle-earth and I thought his love of Finrod, and fear of spoiling things for him, seemed the perfect reason. Of course that just makes their story all the more tragic.

Excellent story-telling, IgBee!  Per usual, your characterizations, attention to detail, and world-building are so satisfying.  You handle the shifts from Maglor's introspection of the past to the challenges as part of his life in the elven-village so well...I need to take lessons!  I especially appreciated how you build up the mystery (and how you tossed out those breadcrumbs for clues).  You've a knack for suspense and horror, and this fits the bill.

Thanks so much, Pande. I don't think you need to take lessons from me but the compliment is flattering nonetheless. I fell in love with the concept of this story so it's great to know it turned out well. I also enjoy reading stories with surprises so I like writing mysteries or at least having some little twist. I'm glad you mentioned the horror too because I always have a good time getting my Stephen King on. :-) Your review really gave me the ego boost I needed today. Thanks again, I always appreciate your generosity and your comments. I hope things are going well with your writing, in between your current busy schedule.