[Airerûthiel]

In my opinion Tolkien knew exactly how to walk the metaphorical high-wire that all writers tread without losing his balance and allowing his tale to fall to rack and ruin, or leaning too far to the side by having too much narration and description and too little action and pace (or vice versa). He also mastered the subtle art that is describing people, places and objects without describing them too much. Every story and legend he refers to in his books led off somewhere into another wonderful part of his mythos that was just waiting to be discovered and explored, and all the while he told a tale that always flowed and, while embroidered with a detail as fine as that of a delicate tapestry, never derived from the heart of his work - the greatest story of the twentieth century, possibly of all time.

[ January 13, 2003: Message edited by: Airerûthiel ]