Fic Rec Fridays 2019 - part 36

[katajainen]

Hollow (3360 words) by ThunderaTiger
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Aragorn II, Elladan, Elrohir, Gimli, Legolas Greenleaf
Additional Tags: War of the Ring

Summary:

There are some forests even Legolas cannot abide, and there are some caverns even Gimli cannot endure. A Halloween gapfiller featuring the Grey Company on the Paths of the Dead.

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An unapologetically haunting gap-filler that illuminates one of Middle-earth's less-known mysteries in a way that's inventive, believable and appropriately chilling.

What's more, it's a joy to read: the narrative is eloquent and atmospheric, and the author has a solid good grip on the characterizations, with a well-executed show-don't-tell approach to describing emotion that truly gets under your skin.

And as for the premise proper… the mystery itself is presented in the manner of best tales of terror: with very little shock value, yet with a hook that grips some corner, some trailing cloak's edge of your soul, and refuses to let go. This here is not a simple spooky treat to enjoy when the days turn dark -- this is one of those that stays with you.

Comments

[roselightfairy]

I love this fic a lot, and also everything by this author. I read most of their stuff before ever writing my own, and a lot of their fic just seamlessly shaped my background headcanons. (I highly recommend “Horatio’s Philosophy,” and if you want to cry over Legolas/Gimli gen, “Beyond This World” and “Of Rowan and Ruin.” Be warned, though, that tears are not optional in the former.)