12. "A star shines on the hour of our meeting."
Middle Earth March 2025, what I read this month, and a series recommendation
Dear reader,
Did anyone else feel like March as a whole was longer than January this year? Especially the second half. But I digress with this random observation. So, what can you expect today? I did find the time to write a little bit about Middle-Earth March (do I hear mild cheering?). I’m also doing a quick wrap-up of the books I read this month, sharing an editor Q&A I was a part of, and a series recommendation that feels particularly prescient. If there are any sections you’re particularly keen to read, they’re all under separate sub-headings, so let’s jump in!
The Freelance Writing Network Q&A
I was interviewed by the lovely founder of the Freelance Writing Network as part of an ongoing series. Topics include what I consider the signs of a good pitch and how to go about writing one, green and red pitching flags, what I love about being an editor, and more. Let me know if you have any follow up questions after reading it or if there’s a question you’ve always wanted to ask an editor (or, you know, if you need an editor at any point, pop me a message about your project). I love chatting about this part of my life 😊.
(Needless to say, if you’re a fellow freelance writer, this is a great community to be a part of.)
Middle-Earth March 2025
The Tolkien Folk do a fantastic job each year of coming up with themed prompts. This March, the idea was to honour the Professor’s “immense love for linguistics, storytelling, and worldbuilding” which is why each prompt is “embodied by either a well-known Elvish or Khûzdul proverb, saying, or quote uttered by one of the LOTR characters”. Some of these, as you may know or shall see, are attributed differently between the page and screen.
Such as the quote that opens The Fellowship of the Ring movie and is narrated by Lady Galadriel—“The world has changed. I see it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air.” (I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen, han mathon ne chae a han noston ned ‘wilith.) It is a voiceover designed not only to introduce new initiates to the dominion of Sauron, the forging of the Rings of Power, and the ensuing fallout, but also to narratively set up everything to follow. Who will oppose the spreading darkness that rides ahead, heralding whispers that Sauron is regaining his strength and biding his time until he can reunite with the lost One Ring?
In the books, it is Treebeard of the Ents who says this in farewell to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, aware that they would not meet again, aware in his most ancient wisdom as one of the oldest beings residing in Middle-Earth that the Third Age, the Age of the Elves, was nearing its end.
The quote continues with “Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it”. One of the key themes—and there were many—in Tolkien’s work is the truth of time. Transition and change are unavoidable, necessary even, because renewal must follow; on and on in an eternal cycle that once the One Ring is destroyed, even the mighty immortal Elves, who experience time differently to the other Middle-Earth species and possess rings forged to combat the inevitable decay, cannot escape—in true Tolkien style, even the immortal are faced with decisions that require sacrifice and letting go no matter what they choose.
There is so much I want to say about Tolkien’s love for language and his dedication to his world-building that I don’t know where to start and I’m not going to be able to cover it all today anyway. For now, let me stick to the other quote that I plucked from the prompts to write about, which is also the title of today’s issue.
“A star shines on the hour of our meeting.” (Elen sila lumenn omentielvo)
This is a Quenya (High-Elven) greeting that first makes an appearance in the books when Frodo, on his way out of the Shire with the One Ring upon Gandalf’s command, meets Gildor Inglorion in the forest. The Elves revere the stars— the legend goes that they uttered Ele (behold) when they first laid eyes on them upon waking into consciousness. Hence their preferred form of greeting whether they’re meeting someone or sending them on their way involves the light of that which they revere as a higher power.
This symbolism of light, stars, and hope flows throughout the Lord of the Rings; one of my favourites is when Lady Galadriel, having passed the test of resisting the One Ring’s power, gifts Frodo a phial containing the light of Eärendil’s star because she knows the journey that awaits the Ringbearer once he leaves the shelter of Lothlorien. “It will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” For those of you who haven’t read the book or watched the movies, I don’t want to spoil the specific scenes when Frodo needs that brightness, but I know that I’m not alone in reliving them and feeling all the feels as I type this.
If you’re read any of my previous writing about Middle Earth and these stories (you can catch up here if not), you will have read me discussing these threads of hope that shine throughout the Professor’s legendarium. He, as someone who experienced both World Wars and saw firsthand the depths of human cruelty and suffering, as someone who had already experienced deep personal loss very young and was prone to fits of seemingly unshakeable melancholy, knew hope as hard-won but essential to the living.
Without ignoring any of the realities of simply existing from one day to the next, or disrespecting the unshakeable grief that underlies and shapes each and every one of us, Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien believed in beauty and good cheer and the bonds of fellowship and family and the transporting, transforming glow of stories that pay tribute to this complicated and complex legacy of our universe and all those who exist within it.
And that these stories renew in relevance and offer solace and wisdom no matter which season of your life or the world you find yourself in?
What a gift.
The final prompt of MEM 2025 is The Sea Calls Us Home (I Aear cân ven na mar). Sharing a beautiful post from a dear friend I wouldn't have made without our love for this man and his words and worlds.
What I Read: March edition
I read four books this month. I had started the Becky Chambers one on February 21 and loved taking my time with. It’s definitely one of this year’s standout reads and one I know I’ll return to. I’m reviewing the other three for different publications, so won’t write a lot here, but they were all enjoyable in different ways.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (book 1 in the Wayfarers series)
This one was so good. I mentioned in the previous issue how much I was enjoying taking my time with this and to be honest I didn’t want it to end. The found family, the interesting characters given equal weight in this ensemble story, the vibrant world-building, the effortless diversity, this crew that I wanted so much more time with. A comforting hug, a warm mug of tea and a blanket on a chilly day, and a bit of goodness and hope when the world seems cruel and unforgiving. I always find it hard to talk about the books I love and offer coherent and articulate thoughts, so this definitely isn’t the last time I’ll be writing about this on the newsletter. For now, all you need to know is that I couldn’t recommend this enough!
Buy print (India) | Buy ebook | Bookshop.org (US)*
Tamarin by Priya Hein (out later this year)
Priya Hein of Riambel fame returns to Mauritius in her upcoming novel named for Tamarin Bay which is as picturesque as you can get but also houses the La Preneuse beach infamously known as the “taker of souls”. Anita Ram flies home from her life in Britain after a searing betrayal and the collapse of her marriage. This is a story that is unflinching with its portrayal of a beautiful island still haunted with tragedy and the remnants and reminders of colonial rule and the people who must navigate their complicated identity. It is against this backdrop that Anita must make some sense of everything that has led her life to her present moment and decide the path forward. This was a difficult read but one you couldn’t pull away from.
A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry (out June 17, 2025)
This was my first experience with H.G. Parry and I jumped at the chance to review this. A standalone portal fantasy inspired by A Tale of Two Cities, are you kidding me—if I’m not the audience for this, who is?! Sydney Carton’s the only narrative point of view in this story which was a great decision given how complex his character is; it also provided the author more freedom to develop the story on her terms. For my money, there was a great balance between staying faithful to the original and adding elements that made it Parry’s own. The faerie and changeling plot also allowed for a nuanced and in-depth exploration of certain themes which elevated this adaptation.
Girls Who Stray by Anisha Lalvani (a debut novel released on December 18, 2024)
A debut novel that came across my radar because the author reached out to me. This is part crime story, part psychological urban thriller, and part coming-of-age. “A” is a 23-year-old recent England-returned graduate living with her divorced father and ailing grandfather in Noida, and searching for purpose and belonging, and prone to giving in to her most impulsive and unhinged desires even though she knows those choices will only make things worse.
Anu Recommends: The Great Library series by Rachel Caine
I discovered these books when I was stuck indoors during the pandemic far away from my home country—sadly, it was also around the same time the author was battling a terminal illness (from which she passed just a few months later) which I found out only after I’d tagged her in a post about loving the first book and she left such a sweet comment.
When I picked up Ink and Bone, I didn’t know it was a five-book series, but by the time I finished the book, I was thrilled to find out because I’d enjoyed it so much. Even just writing about them now is making me want to revisit the series; so many of its themes are ones to hold close in current times.
Imagine a world where The Great Library of Alexandria has survived. Over the centuries, it has become ruthless and all-powerful, gatekeeping what it deems “harmful”, controlling the knowledge that goes out to the masses (it is illegal for anyone to personally own a book). It rules the world through sister Serapeums in every city.
This is a world that, on the surface, is based on the world we're familiar with, though it is much advanced in many areas yet also very medieval in others. Adjusting to it takes a while, but the writer does a great job of world-building and I loved the fantastical and steampunk elements. It felt like a real, well-developed and consistent world.
In book one, 16-year-old Jess Brightwell, coming from a long line of book smugglers, is sent to Alexandria, to train as a hopeful to enter the Library's service, while being a spy for his family back in London. But, as he gets to know his fellow postulants and uncovers dark secrets about the Great Library, his loyalties and beliefs are tested, and it is just the beginning.
The Library, over the centuries and through fear and greed and the all-consuming, corrosive lure of power, has rotted to its core. Through one single act of saving their friend, imprisoned for a heretical invention that has been consistently suppressed by the Library leading back to the Pharaohs, the burden of saving the Library's soul falls to Jess, his fellow postulants, their instructor Scholar Christopher Wolfe, and Captain Niccolo Santi of the High Garda (two of my favourite characters).
“Goliath fell to a slingshot and a stone. and the Library is a lumbering giant, dying of its own arrogance; it has to change or fall. We have the tools. The will. The knowledge.”
But, they have to fight to rid it of poison and corruption before they can remake and rebuild; they have to go up against the Archivist, the vicious, all-powerful head of the Library, who has presided over one of the most bloody reigns in the institution's history and will continue to do anything to maintain his iron fist, even if it means the destruction of everything.
They have to do much of this while being actively hunted by him, branded as dangerous as the rebels who call themselves the “Burners” (take a guess at what their mission statement is), unsure of whom to trust, with potential spies and deserters even among their potential allies. And none of this happens in a bubble. The unrest spreads to the rest of the world, and countries, sensing weakness and sniffing out vulnerabilities in a once-mighty institution, are all too keen to snatch what power they can, whether through outright attack or political machinations.
Our friends, then, occasionally assisted by a band of repeat supporting characters over the course of the series, are the only ones fighting to preserve the Library, even as they crusade to defeat the darkness that has seeped into it. They believe in its mission of the spread of knowledge. Knowledge is power and everyone deserves a chance to access it. But is it worth all the loss of life, the sacrifices by many, the destruction? Is the Library worth saving?
“To all those who face change without fear. Go forward. To the ever-transforming glory of the public library, without which we would all be diminished. No one with a book is ever alone, even in the darkest moments. We are all book lovers. And we all chase the Great Library of Alexandria, one book at a time.”
It's a massive, near-impossible undertaking with a miniscule chance of success through maximum risk. An adventure that will take our renegades across the world from England to Italy to the American colonies to Wales to Spain and back to Alexandria where the final battle will be fought. The stakes are consistently high and no character is safe which makes for a rather stressful experience because the writer's done such a good job of creating people you can so much about, even when they are being stubborn and reckless and even downright stupid.
The series starts off slow before shifting to a far pacier, more page-turning style halfway through book two that exponentially increases in future installments. I loved this strategy because it gives us plenty of chances to really get to know the main players, for the writer to develop the world and set the stage, before it explodes, often literally. Because despite the intricate plot, the twists, and the double-crossing, it really would all be hollow without the complex, multi-faceted, effortlessly diverse cast of characters for us to root for; without them driving the narrative.
The characters themselves are more than worthy of the time and attention they get on the page. Each gets their own developmental arc and story threads to prove themselves but also fail and learn, suffer and fight and grow. Whether Jess (whose singular POV tells the story in the first three books, before a multi-character narration for books four and five when many of them are separated), Dario Santiago with his royal Spanish lineage, the gentle yet physically imposing German engineering genius Thomas, the hijab-wearing, intelligent, brilliant, compassionate badass Khalila, the fiercely loyal, competent born soldier and leader Glain, or the enigmatic Morgan who holds more raw, elemental power within her than any of them.
As the action amped up over the course of the series, I cherished the rare moments of quiet these characters get to share with each other and as a group because those moments show, as much as the ones where they act, how far they've come as individuals and together, how much has changed for the better and through unavoidable circumstance. Caine did a fabulous job of consistently balancing all her narrative elements.
This is a series that is violent, gruesome, dark, and doesn't flinch from the realities of battle, but there is also my favourite kind of humour (dry and witty); there is laughter and moments of love and joy and hope. The books, for all the idealism of many of these characters, recognise that there is no such thing as a happily-ever-after—while the ending is hopeful, it also takes into account the after-effects, of the considerable work to be done after that war is won, after those enemies are defeated. The work of survival and of rebuilding, of change and adapting without giving up on your principles. A process that is oftentimes harder than fighting in and winning the actual war.
At its heart, this is a story about fighting for what we believe in even if it requires everything we have to give and more. It's about hope in a tomorrow that may not be perfect but is infinitely better and worth sacrificing for. It's about one of the most memorable found families I've ever read about and how that kind of kinship, those bonds of love and loyalty through it all, can be one of the biggest strengths and sources of light there is.
"In this place we burn the lamp of knowledge that never goes out. We light the world."
Buy the e-book (Ink and Bone, book 1)*
From the archives
What else but this for today?
Middle Earth March: homecomings, partings, the power of storytelling, and a personal essay
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Take care and I’ll see you next on April 13!
Anu
*the book buying links I share on here are affiliate links (barring the links for my own published work for which I will earn royalties instead), which means that if you make any purchases through those links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no additional cost to you.
Hi Anu. Thoroughly enjoyed reading about The Lord Of Rings. Makes me want to read it all over again. Best wishes.