Henneth Annûn Story Archive

I read this by chance a few weeks ago but wasn't able to reply at the time. The descriptions and characterizations are excellent: certain scenes and emotions are still etched indelibly in my mind. Sauron's perverted use of religion is very well portrayed. I also loved the hints of backstory that flash through and make a reader eager to learn more about your vision of him - his relationship with Morgoth, a woman that apparently moved him (Luthien?) - as well as the foreshadowing (literally!) provided by the sudden clouds.

Brilliant interpretation! Thank you for sharing.

Lissa, oshun & DKP,

Thanks so much for reading this and for your most welcome comments.  If you found this chilling, then I have done my job as a writer.   In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien appropriately wrote the Dark Lord as a menacing but largely unseen presence.  However, delving into The Silmarillion,  The History of Middle-earth (esp. "Myths Transformed"), The Letters of JRRT, and Parma Eldalamberon 17 reveals a more complex character.  Thus, my interpretation is of a more "humanized," although still reprehensible, villain.

And thanks, GA, for the rec! 

Thanks muchly, Ziggy.  The vast majority of my writing is archived elsewhere, so it's a pleasant surprise to find a compliment like yours here on HASA.  Glad to hear this worked for you!

This is a really superb piece of writing. It is epic in its material but so concise, focused and rich. And absolutely spine-tinglingly chilling.