FanficRecs Arrogantemu has much to be arrogant about
Arrogantemu may be the single best writer currently in the fandom. I love her compelling characterization, her turns of phrase, her empathy for even flawed characters. In particular, her depiction of Celebrimbor and Annatar is now canon for me- and I don't even like slash!
FanficRecs Spilintered Light Three, Four, and Five
This is perfect! The writing fits wonderfully into cannon, following the Professor's own penstrokes to weave a coda to the Lord of the Rings, a coda which ties back into the beginning of the worlds. From Mandos and Manwe, high and low, to Feanor and Sons, all are touched by the presence of hobbits. And that's just the final story.
Three focuses alternately on Finrod and a building project, and Curufin's apology for everything he did in Nargathrond, and sometimes Curufin apologizing while helping build.
Four is almost entirely a conversation between Thingol and Maedhros, in which responsibility and who owes forgiven for what is discussed. Maedhros also manages to be more kingly than Thingol without trying, even as Thingol works to outdo him. Fingon is also cheerful.
The fifth... is simply perfect, and can be summed up in an exchange between Bilbo and Manwe.
Bilbo: offering Manwe a handkerchief. "I thought this wasn't meant to happen until the healing of the world."
Manwe, weeping for joy: "This is the healing of the world.
FanficRecs No Words Suffice
There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how incredible thearrogantemu’s work is. For this, I’ll focus only on two stories in her oeuvre: “And What Happened After” and “In Full Measure I Return To You.”
The first is, as another reviewer said, a coda to the Lord of the Rings. It is divided into three chapters, each of which follows one of the three Hobbits who travel to Valinor: Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam. Each is poignant and beautiful in its own way. Bilbo’s chapter deals with his inevitable death and what follows after; Frodo’s concerns his healing from the spiritual and psychological wounds of his journey to Mordor; and Sam’s shows his encounter with a certain Elf and what he finds in Valinor decades after Bilbo and Frodo sail thence. By turns beautiful, heartbreaking, and insightful, it is deeply satisfying while still taking a deeper look at Tolkien’s work than any other fan work I’ve read.
“In Full Measure I Return To You” is the flip-side of “These Gifts That You Have Given Me.” The latter depicts Celebrimbor’s relationship with Annatar/Sauron, and the former changes a few of the events of the latter to create a marvelous result. As the title of Return of the King spoils the ending of the third volume, I will suggest an alternative title that will both sum up and spoil the ending of the first chapter: “Sauron Redeemed.” Of course, redemption comes with a price, and the next two chapters show the fallout of the first. The second chapter is my favorite in all of fanfiction, for it shows the Valar in council within the Mahanaxar, and their depiction as being as much the personifications of certain concepts as persons was fascinating. Do not read this first; it requires reading “Gifts” to truly appreciate.
In summation, these are the best fan fictions I have ever read. I do not lightly say this, but I truly think that Tolkien himself didn’t possess the literary powers to write these stories. Take that as you will.