Anadûnai by darthfingon

I just tore through this while haing my coffee this morning. It felt for me like I was suddenly immersed in a world that was both oddly familiar and completely alien at the same time. Little details - Elrond coming to hate the lembas, the Vanyarin dentist (with the wife who might be pregnant or might be fat), hair removal - all of those things just added to that feeling. I like that Elrond's recognition that he doesn't belong in Numenor comes slowly.

The differences between the men who ape elvish culture and those who don't - that gives a sense of the groups who'll eventually be the 'king's men' and the 'elf-friends.'

And the ending made me reach for kleenex.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I finally got to start this last night because I had to choose a quote for it and wanted to be sure that it at least somewhat fit the story. I stayed up a half-hour past my bedtime (and after having not slept the night prior) because I could not put it down. And I may have shirked responsibilities at work just now to finish it. This was an amazing story for so many reasons and worth every moment spent reading it. Your Numenor comes to vivid life, and the characterizations are wonderful. I laughed throughout and only just barely avoided crying at the end.

I think it's safe to say that Elros and the Edain have been vindicated. ;)

I love all the little details in here: the bits of past, the comparisons, the hints of what could happen in the future. And I love that Elrond observes that they can wear the same clothes-- I've actually tried on clothes for my twin when she wasn't shopping with me and bought them for her.

Love Elrond's heresies! I am now curious as to what would have happened if they had attempted to form such a colony.

I'm glad you have Marialdë being competent and far from helpless.

The ending brought tears to my eyes. Your characterizations are wonderful, especially Elrond's problems accepting his brother will die.

I feel so sorry for Elrond here, watching him struggle to accept the unacceptable.  You do a masterful job showing the rift between the brothers that their different choices have created.

And I just love the Vanya dentist!

This is a remarkable story, very rich in description, intensely rich in detail.  I like the interweaving of the twins' childhood and the present; it really heightens the pathos throughout.  The opening dream is nice, especially the switch from realism to dreamlike weirdness, Feanor and the meal of birds' tongues.  And I loved Elros's house, more Elvish than any Elven palace, and his pride in the myths already gathering around it.  Elros's surprising wife is a delight, as are the various lives of his various children; but in particular I liked Elros himself, so intricately characterised and such a perfect foil for the equally intricate Elrond.  Thank you!

I enjoyed this very much. I loved the dream of Elros and Elrond searching for treasure and Elros getting the Vanyar to hand over his money, very clever. I really enjoyed reading about your visions of Romenna and Armanelos. I liked that you made Elros' house unique and that Elrond would want to copy it later. I thought that was a great tough. I thought the idea of the bathing houses a really great one, since it also referenced ancient cultures such as Rome and Egypt. I thought that was a great touh. I love all the detail you put into this. I really felt like I was there.

 I had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard over the hair removal scene. That was priceless! I have to admitt I would not mind seeing Elrond's trip to the dentist.

I liked the hints of Elrond's stress, his concerns for his brother. I like the way you are playing this out very much.

I also have to say I really loved your ideas for Numenorean fashion. Our own history has a lot of ridiculous fashions, and I liked the idea of the headscarves that hid the tips of the ears and the wooden ear tips to try and make the young men seem more Elvish. I also liked how sensible folks  wouldn't have anything to do with that particular trend.

This is a wonderful, vivid, story and I am looking forward to the next chapter! I am really enjoying this.

I loved reading this. The amount of cultural details was such that it really felt like I was there, and there was so much to learn and discover. Every single character was nuanced and fun and full of life. Elrond and Elros were both fabulous, and so real and conflicted. Being able to see them getting to the core of what their issues really were was an amazing, bittersweet journey. You want to think that there is merit in each of Iluvatar's gifts to his children, but watching families forever torn apart is something that I cannot really contemplate, and you can see Elrond and Elros trying to come to grips with the fact and coping as best they can. It was awesome. Thanks for a great story.

About two years ago, I met Oshun and Gandalf's Apprentice at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC where we careened through the exhibit of human evolution (GA exclaimed when she saw a depiction of a Cro-Magnon dude: "Look! A Númenórean!") and ambled on to the gallery of minerals where we saw meteorites and talked (loudly) about Eöl's use of meteoric iron.  Nothing like yammering fancrones on an outing at The Museum.

We continued our fannish clucking at a nearby restaurant.  I was pretty new to the whole fan fic thing at that point so  Oshun and GA enthusiastically recommended a writer by the name of "Darth Fingon" whose work they were sure I would enjoy.  Then they started hooting about something called a "Fëanorian turnip."  Something of an in-joke that I didn't get at the time, but I figured anyone who could come up with the phrase "Fëanorian turnip" was my kind of writer.

So I went to HASA and started reading "Never Speak Nor Sing" and have been swallowed into the Darth-maw ever since.  Your marvelously creative vision of Middle-earth and your superb writing style fit my metrics for fictional enjoyment -- whether fan fic or Real Literature™ -- to a "T".  

Thus I would be hard-pressed to say that Anadúnai is my favorite among your compendium, but it is a story that has engraved itself as an exemplification of what makes your writing and vision so appealing:  splendid characterization, wildly imaginative attention to detail and a subversive view of Middle-earth that still is, well, Middle-earth. 

I know that you had some reluctance to use first person PoV a while back, but thankfully, you overcame that ludicrous bias. Elrond's voice is fantastic here: a mixture of the bemused, the perplexed, the annoyed and the grieved.  Elros likewise is an engaging character, like his brother with their shared memories and experiences and yet...different.  The way you have shown the distinctions of the Elves and Men -- the "same race" biologically speaking (as Tolkien wrote) -- but with significant differences -- resonates so well with what I see as a realistic interaction between these kindred and expressed  through twin brothers.

Your Armenelos and Númenor are things that float in a fever dream -- alien, exotic compared to the cold mists of Lindon.  Again, you've captured Elrond's perspective so well here.  The fantastical details of the odd trees and animals are great.  Really sets an atmosphere.  Likewise, the strange Maiarin architecture of Elros' residence is a very cool touch. 

And the supporting characters.  Man, these make the grade in all your fiction and they do here, too. Elros' wife, his children, the blind girlfriend -- fantastic!  Your trademark subversive comedy is ever present, too: the Vanyarin dentist with his wife-in-a-burkha (who might be fat or pregnant or both), the whole teeth-cleaning business and the dragon spider.  Oh, god, the dragon spider.  It's not often that I literally LOL -- and loudly -- when I am reading something on the computer (or on paper for that matter) but this was a case in which I did.  The dragon spider has joined the Fëanorian turnip in my Darth Fingon Official Treasure Chest.

The comedic elements are welcome because overall this is truly a bittersweet, melancholy story.  Even my hard old cynical heart became teary at the end.  So congratulations on almost making me overtly weep.(I thought of Yoda to prevent full tear-age).   I know that you and Indy did not intend this, but the two fics complement each other nicely.

There are a handful of writers who, when I read their work, make me wish I could write like them.  You're among that handful. 

Well, that's a lot of effusive verbiage that will likely embarrass you.  Too bad. Deal with it and pls wrte mre!!! 

I don't think I can add any more insights but I really enjoyed reading this (more than once too!).  I liked the lovely details like the Vanyarin dentist, the bath house, and the young men who ape the elves.  But what I liked most was the interaction of Elros and Elrond, the ending was just beyond words.  

Fabulous, fabulous story. I've always loved your Elrond anywhere I have gotten a peak at him. You have so many lovely reviews on this story already that I am going to just say that I endorse them and not write a big long, review. Yeah, I am jealous of you as a writer and of your wild imagination. The details in your stories always kill me. The counterposition of the comedic and the serious, the cynical and the emotional, that characterizes all of your work is probably what makes me love your body of work so much. This story is no exception.

Fabulous, fabulous story. I've always loved your Elrond anywhere I have gotten a peak at him. You have so many lovely reviews on this story already that I am going to just say that I endorse them and not write a big long, review. Yeah, I am jealous of you as a writer and of your wild imagination. The details in your stories always kill me. The counterposition of the comedic and the serious, the cynical and the emotional, that characterizes all of your work is probably what makes me love your body of work so much. This story is no exception.

Wow, this was brilliant. I love it when a story really brings a foreign culture to life, and that's what this story did. All the little details - from the shabby guesthouse and the day in the baths, the currency system, the attempts to appear "Elvish", the dentist - paint a vivid picture of early Númenorean culture. Elrond's surprise and confusion were very convincing, and his difficulties to come to terms with his brother's fate were heart-breaking. At the same time this was also a highly entertaining read - not just for the anthropology  geek in me. Thank you!

What a magnificent story. I loved the First Person narrative, it was wonderfully done. It was a very engrossing read.

Ohh, this is so heart-breaking! But that's Elrond and Elros for you, I guess...

I honestly think I love everything about this story. I especially love the way you show Elrond's trail of thought, bouncing from one topic to the next and ending somewhere completely different from where it started (and the fact that Elros calls him out on this, and apparently finds this trait as endearing as I do). I really liked the bathhouse scene, because Elrond is just such a loremaster- he's curious about everything! And immediately regrets it, when he starts to realize there are consequences to his impulsive experimentation, haha. 

The little details you add in about the their childhood are adorable and touching and insightful. I especially like the bit about Elrond telling Elros all his weird dreams in the morning; it just shows the tiny things you miss when a person is gone...all the tiny little holes that absencee leaves in your life. The part about Elros having his head shaved as a child was interesting, too.

The fact that the Eruzanar has a gesture that means "I am too flustered, so you must do all the work." just makes me laugh. Also, Isille is great and I love her banter with Elrond and Elros!! 

Okay, I'm seriously rambling at this point, so I'll just mention one more thing:

This line: "It takes a long time for the surgeon to come, and even longer for the tea. By then, Elros has put me in a chair by a window for some fresh air, and placed a dog in my lap."

Elros can be my doctor any day, if his idea of medical treatment is puppies, haha! That whole scene was great, honestly, but that part was a great touch. 

I'll stop babbling now. I just wanted to let you know I really like this story and say thank you for writing it.