Title: Saerang
Author: Azrubêl
Rating: T (not declared by author)
Genre: General
Status: 97k words, updated on 29/07/20
Library Category: Other fandoms
Fandom: Crossover between ASOIAF and The Silmarillion
Summary: None given by author, but (f)Aegon, his companions, and The Golden Company are transported to Middle Earth during the events of the Silmarillion.

Link: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/saerang-a-song-of-ice-and-fire-the-silmarillion.774262/

Posted this originally in the ASOIAF recs thread, but was told to post it here in the review section too.

I think the writing is done well, and the author is able to convey a sense of dread in the beginning of the story pretty well when the Golden Company find themselves in a strange place with some Tolkien monsters lurking about. I like how the mystery and confusion is slowly built up then revealed rather than when authors jump the gun and are too excited and thus show their hand too quickly. The author also plays around a bit with POVs, and their lack of knowledge or competence, although at times it can be a bit too obvious when a particular POV comes across as completely incompetent.

The characterizations is solid to me and seems to fit what we know of them from the books (I am referring to the characters from ASOIAF, I cannot comment on the characters from the Silmarillion). Their actions are consistent with nothing so far being done which I would consider to be OOC. It will be interesting to see how the author maintains this in the future with the plot picking up.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing style, and the author does a very good job of setting up a creepy and ominous atmosphere. I give it a 4.5/5.

 

This is a really well-written story, and it still shocks me that someone for whom English is a second language could write such vivid prose. It has this really mythic feel to it, like you're reading something from the Illiad or the Odyssey, and that's something that is only rarely captured in fanfic. I do agree that it has an omninous atmosphere, particularly once you realize that the main POV characters are working with the bad guys.

The only real quibble I have with this fic is that it assumes a ridiculously in-depth knowledge of the tolkien legendarium. Its the kind of story where some name will be dropped with a lot of dramatic emphasis and.... that effect is lost on me because I have no idea who "Amarphion" or whoever is. Bear in mind that I'm not a slouch wrt the Tolkien Legendarium, but this fic goes really deep into it.

Overall, 4/5. Solid work, just very niche.

(tempted to give it 5/5 purely because of the reeeeeing of Spacebattles versus thread people in the comments.)

 

Hard to write a full review on this one. Even though on one hand it feels that there's already a lot of material, I feel slightly uncertain about the direction of the story.

In my view, the latest events (upon the time of this comment) are setting up a "make or break" moment for the story. I'll put it in spoilers.

Spoiler: Current events

Sauron in one of his old names has "infiltrated" the camp as a guide, has healed Jon Connington of Greyscale, and has tricked him into getting Young Griff a new, conquered kingdom, since return is impossible. This has put the Golden Company at war with the elves, participating in battle together with Orks.

As the humans realized this, Sauron has given a weak, but mostly fitting explanation about Orks, comparing their use in war to the use of Targaryen dragons, and the men have taken a lot of elvish prisoners.

Depending on how this build up resolves, my marks would improve or decrease, but for now, 4/5


There's also something in this particular style that doesn't sit perfectly well with me, but it's technically competent and I cannot take marks for that kind of personal preference.

 

I found this rather slow and dull and would have rated 2/5 from the part before I dropped it. I'm surprised to see such high praise, so maybe I'll give it another shot.

 

This is really high quality stuff, I can't give it anything but a five out of five. The writing in Saerang's later chapters is almost impeccable: the characters are well defined and fleshed out, the dialogue seems natural, the combat is decent, both in a tactical and a visceral sense. I haven't read the Silmarillion, so I did feel lost at times, especially when the POV shifted to non-ASOIAF characters, but my lack of familiarity didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the story.
All of the above being said, the earlier chapters aren't quite as strong as the ones later on in the fic, so have a bit of patience when you begin to read it.

5/5