What do you think?
Rate this book
Sansûkh
An incredibly well-written and well-researched fanfiction telling the entire Lord of the Rings from the perspective of the dead dwarves keeping watch over their relatives (both Gimli and at Erebor). Protagonists are Gimli and Thorin Oakenshield, but the story follows all threads the books follow, but also adds Erebor, and Mirkwood.
1777 pages, ebook
First published June 24, 2013
29 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
April 28, 2022
Listen. I've never put fanfiction on my goodreads to count towards my reading goal, but this. This 500 thousand word MASTERPIECE that I started following when I was 16 or 17 was finished last year, and over the past three months I took the time to read the entire thing, and I will shamelessly say that this is as good as and even better than many, many published books. All my love and respect to the author, Dets, who took eight years of her life to expand on Tolkien's world in the most beautiful way ♥
December 7, 2020
EVERYBODY QUIET SANSÛKH IS ON GOODREADS!!!
I'm gonna start BAWLING. This is my favourite fanfiction in the entire world. I first read it in 2017 and have read it every year since like some sort of ritual. I don't think I have the words to describe how phenomenal this fic is and how special it is to me. I still remember 13-year-old me sitting in a boring family get-together with my dying phone in hand and poring over this story like it held the key to happiness itself. I don't want to put it on a pedestal (though I probably already have) but Sansûkh means so much to me. It makes me cry and it makes me cheer even though at this point I know what's coming and could even quote my favourite scenes to you if needed. If you've followed me on social media since then, you know how much I gush about this fic. if I could fit all that into here, I would. I care so deeply about all of determamfidd's OCs in this story and consider them all part of my personal canon. I'm not joking, I wanted it to be canon so bad I had an actual dream it was published as a physical book once. I've read the fanfiction of this fanfiction. I've seen all the art and cosplays. I've made art for it myself.
It's just.....oh god, Sansûkh is everything to me.
I'm gonna start BAWLING. This is my favourite fanfiction in the entire world. I first read it in 2017 and have read it every year since like some sort of ritual. I don't think I have the words to describe how phenomenal this fic is and how special it is to me. I still remember 13-year-old me sitting in a boring family get-together with my dying phone in hand and poring over this story like it held the key to happiness itself. I don't want to put it on a pedestal (though I probably already have) but Sansûkh means so much to me. It makes me cry and it makes me cheer even though at this point I know what's coming and could even quote my favourite scenes to you if needed. If you've followed me on social media since then, you know how much I gush about this fic. if I could fit all that into here, I would. I care so deeply about all of determamfidd's OCs in this story and consider them all part of my personal canon. I'm not joking, I wanted it to be canon so bad I had an actual dream it was published as a physical book once. I've read the fanfiction of this fanfiction. I've seen all the art and cosplays. I've made art for it myself.
It's just.....oh god, Sansûkh is everything to me.
July 8, 2024
I want more 🥹
December 31, 2021
it’s always “wyd” and never “my favourite adventures were always the ones we took together”
-
wow wow wow okay i need a second to collect my thoughts. i think this is the longest thing i’ve ever read. i marked it as august but really i’ve been reading this fic for the better part of a year, i started in march after reading the hobbit and decided to take a break until i could read the trilogy.
this is the most well researched fic i have ever read i learned so much about middle earth and was able to see the story i love so much from different and wonderful perspectives.
also can i count dís as a favourite tolkien character when this is my only basis? i loved her.
-
wow wow wow okay i need a second to collect my thoughts. i think this is the longest thing i’ve ever read. i marked it as august but really i’ve been reading this fic for the better part of a year, i started in march after reading the hobbit and decided to take a break until i could read the trilogy.
this is the most well researched fic i have ever read i learned so much about middle earth and was able to see the story i love so much from different and wonderful perspectives.
also can i count dís as a favourite tolkien character when this is my only basis? i loved her.
May 1, 2021
This is one of my favorite fanfics of all time, and I'm counting it towards my goodreads goal because it was on here & it's almost as long as the actual lord of the rings.
The way Dets mixes book canon, movie canon and her own imagination is just so expertly done. Just such a good read.
The way Dets mixes book canon, movie canon and her own imagination is just so expertly done. Just such a good read.
October 22, 2021
It's taken me two weeks of reading 3+ hours per day but I have finally finished this, and oh! I am a mess of feels.
Some thoughts:
- Mahal is the most comforting being, I don't know how but he's exactly what a maker god should be and I just want to live forever in his hug
- Never have I laughed so out-loudly as I have at Oblivious Thorin (and his Mercilessly Teasing Relatives)
- What a wonderful way to relive the story of LotR from a new perspective
- The Caves of Aglarond, we actually got to see the CAVES OF AGLAROND!!!
- It's been a little while since I read Tolkien's stories but this reads so much like him; the writing style is so immersive and perfect for the story
- I would die for Soft Thorin
- ...and Dutiful Fili and Selfless Kili
- As someone so inspired by Tolkien's linguistics and languages that I recently started studying Linguistics myself, the snippets of Sindarin and Khuzdul throughout this were just *chef's kiss*
- Also I've picked up some new curses which I'm excited to pepper around the workplace (I feel like "Mahal's Blood, Beard and Balls!" will go over nicely, don't you think?)
- Sam/Rosie/Frodo threesome is so perfect and I can't believe more people aren't talking about it
I feel so blessed (by the Valar, no doubt) to have finally read this incredible story, only a short time after it was completed (rather than years ago when it was first recommended to me). It has brought me such joy and comfort over the past few weeks, and I'm sure it will be a story I return to again over the years. Thank you.
Some thoughts:
- Mahal is the most comforting being, I don't know how but he's exactly what a maker god should be and I just want to live forever in his hug
- Never have I laughed so out-loudly as I have at Oblivious Thorin (and his Mercilessly Teasing Relatives)
- What a wonderful way to relive the story of LotR from a new perspective
- The Caves of Aglarond, we actually got to see the CAVES OF AGLAROND!!!
- It's been a little while since I read Tolkien's stories but this reads so much like him; the writing style is so immersive and perfect for the story
- I would die for Soft Thorin
- ...and Dutiful Fili and Selfless Kili
- As someone so inspired by Tolkien's linguistics and languages that I recently started studying Linguistics myself, the snippets of Sindarin and Khuzdul throughout this were just *chef's kiss*
- Also I've picked up some new curses which I'm excited to pepper around the workplace (I feel like "Mahal's Blood, Beard and Balls!" will go over nicely, don't you think?)
- Sam/Rosie/Frodo threesome is so perfect and I can't believe more people aren't talking about it
I feel so blessed (by the Valar, no doubt) to have finally read this incredible story, only a short time after it was completed (rather than years ago when it was first recommended to me). It has brought me such joy and comfort over the past few weeks, and I'm sure it will be a story I return to again over the years. Thank you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2020
This is the best thing I have ever read. No book, fic, etc that I have ever read can compare for me. I really don’t know what else to say
July 27, 2023
LITERALLY THE GREATEST FIC OF ALL TIME. DELICIOUS FINALLY SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD
July 21, 2019
You know how in every fandom, there's that one epic fanfic that just stands head and shoulders above the rest? In Hobbit/LotR fandom, this is that fanfic. I've been reading it on the train for several weeks, alternately giggling like a madwoman and/or weeping silently. This is so good. So very, very good. And the art is amazing, and omg the songs! The author performs all the songs she writes! The song that goes with Chapter 34 is heartbreaking and I've been singing it for a week and half now. The song that goes with Chapter 45 is professional-quality and I stand in awe.
When I was writing my own Hobbit fanfic epic back in 2013/14, people kept telling me to read this. I'm glad I didn't read it at the time though; I needed to write a much bleaker view of Middle Earth and a much more misogynistic dwarven culture for the story I wanted to tell, and this would have pulled me in a different direction. But it's been a pleasure to dip back into the fandom for this. Highly recommended. :)
When I was writing my own Hobbit fanfic epic back in 2013/14, people kept telling me to read this. I'm glad I didn't read it at the time though; I needed to write a much bleaker view of Middle Earth and a much more misogynistic dwarven culture for the story I wanted to tell, and this would have pulled me in a different direction. But it's been a pleasure to dip back into the fandom for this. Highly recommended. :)
January 24, 2024
The first and only fanfic I’ll ever put on goodreads. Guys I cannot get this book out of my head??! I am completely and utterly obsessed. I’m already rereading it, I can’t even look at another book. I sobbed, I laughed, I giggled, I literally felt every emotion ever. This is my Roman Empire. The best fic I’ve ever read and ever will. All hail Sansûkh and it’s author Dets🙏
July 18, 2022
Pasted this over from Ao3, just if anyone is on the fence, they can see and know to Absolutely read this story.
--
And so it ends. The combination of sorrow and joy, the bittersweetness of reaching the final words of the story that seems carved into my bones... I can never thank you enough, Dets. Yet I will continue to try.
You probably don't remember me. I left you a comment a year ago on chapter 48, telling you I needed to reread "this monster" (as you coined it) again so I could appreciate the end. It took me a while (I kept saving it for hard times, like a child with the last piece of halloween candy), but I've finally reached the end.
(Even on my fifth (sixth?) reading still made me sob like a baby. I never sob! Cry, yes, and I cried so much reading this, but I swear those couple chapters were perfectly designed to tear me apart.)
This story is a masterpiece. It's my favorite written work--and this is coming from a person who has read thousands upon thousands of books, not to mention fanfiction and other unpublished materials. I love it with all my heart. It's walked with me through some of the worst times in my life, and as a steadier person now I read it and am filled with so much gratitude. You poured so much of yourself into this--as a writer myself, I can barely comprehend how you wrote so much brilliance in comparatively little time--and all of the love and passion and stubborn hard work created something so powerful it couldn't help but move people.
I know I am not the only one who has come back to this story again and again. With clever words and perfect pacing and a deep understanding of humanity, you created a space of comfort and beauty and hope that became a refuge for so many of us. Despite the fantasy setting, despite the fact that a small portion of the cast is human, you created the most compelling people and relationships I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Every time these characters touch me, and even in the years between my readings I still think of them and *feel*.
This story--your words--are a part of me. The gift you have given me is indescribable. There is nothing I could ever do to repay you.
At this point I'm rambling. I just keep fumbling for words, hoping I can find the perfect combination... alas, I don't have Gimli's (or your) eloquence. Simply saying thank you feels so inadequate, but sputtering on and on hardly makes it better! So I will quit while I am (debatably) ahead. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have comforted me, inspired me, and given me an escape and release when I needed it most. I am a wiser, more compassionate person than I was when you posted the first chapter of this story eight years ago (or is it nine? has it really been that long), and you have helped shape me into that better person. I will forever hold this story in my deepest self.
Soon I will be figuring out how to get this story formatted--my next reread will be with a physical book in my hand. Until then, I will continue to dream of dwarves.
Gaubdûkhimâ gagin yâkùlib Mahal.
--
And so it ends. The combination of sorrow and joy, the bittersweetness of reaching the final words of the story that seems carved into my bones... I can never thank you enough, Dets. Yet I will continue to try.
You probably don't remember me. I left you a comment a year ago on chapter 48, telling you I needed to reread "this monster" (as you coined it) again so I could appreciate the end. It took me a while (I kept saving it for hard times, like a child with the last piece of halloween candy), but I've finally reached the end.
(Even on my fifth (sixth?) reading still made me sob like a baby. I never sob! Cry, yes, and I cried so much reading this, but I swear those couple chapters were perfectly designed to tear me apart.)
This story is a masterpiece. It's my favorite written work--and this is coming from a person who has read thousands upon thousands of books, not to mention fanfiction and other unpublished materials. I love it with all my heart. It's walked with me through some of the worst times in my life, and as a steadier person now I read it and am filled with so much gratitude. You poured so much of yourself into this--as a writer myself, I can barely comprehend how you wrote so much brilliance in comparatively little time--and all of the love and passion and stubborn hard work created something so powerful it couldn't help but move people.
I know I am not the only one who has come back to this story again and again. With clever words and perfect pacing and a deep understanding of humanity, you created a space of comfort and beauty and hope that became a refuge for so many of us. Despite the fantasy setting, despite the fact that a small portion of the cast is human, you created the most compelling people and relationships I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Every time these characters touch me, and even in the years between my readings I still think of them and *feel*.
This story--your words--are a part of me. The gift you have given me is indescribable. There is nothing I could ever do to repay you.
At this point I'm rambling. I just keep fumbling for words, hoping I can find the perfect combination... alas, I don't have Gimli's (or your) eloquence. Simply saying thank you feels so inadequate, but sputtering on and on hardly makes it better! So I will quit while I am (debatably) ahead. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have comforted me, inspired me, and given me an escape and release when I needed it most. I am a wiser, more compassionate person than I was when you posted the first chapter of this story eight years ago (or is it nine? has it really been that long), and you have helped shape me into that better person. I will forever hold this story in my deepest self.
Soon I will be figuring out how to get this story formatted--my next reread will be with a physical book in my hand. Until then, I will continue to dream of dwarves.
Gaubdûkhimâ gagin yâkùlib Mahal.
Read
August 22, 2022this might be the most grand of fanfics ive ever read, the following scene shall be forever engraved on my heart and soul
“Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit,” Thorin said, and he staggered forward to collapse onto his knees before the foot of the throne. “He is a fine Hobbit, a good Hobbit. He saved our home, saved my life - saved the world. He knows my Name, he guards our secrets, and he has walked the halls of my ancestors. He can sting with tongue and blade and pen. He is quick to anger and slow to trust; he is made strong to endure, and he has. His is the stubbornness of stone, and he is stronger than steel and true as gold - yet over him, even the most treacherous gold had no true power. He is one of us in every way that matters.”
He glared up into the shattering light of the throne. “And he is beloved of a Dwarf.”
NIENNA OR AULË HAS BROUGHT YOU HERE. ALAS, DWARF, BUT YOUR PLEAS ARE IN VAIN.
“Why?” he demanded. “I am of an Elder race – cast aside we may be, but we are as ancient a lineage as the Elves! Please, I beg you – I beg you –“
YOU WERE NOT CAST ASIDE, NOR YOUR PEOPLE. YOU WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE MUSIC WHEN YOU WERE SPARED THE HAMMER-BLOW BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME, was the strange answer.
“Then if you care for us, if your far-seeing eyes see us at all, I beg of you - please. Please.”
YOU ARE NO IDRIL AND TUOR, CHILD OF AULË. YOUR LIVES BUT BARELY BRUSHED FOR A YEAR, AND THEN YOU PARTED. NO MARRIAGE-BONDS HOLD YOU TOGETHER, NO YEARS OF INTIMACY AND COMFORT. YOU HAVE BETWEEN YOU A TALE OF LIES AND VIOLENCE AND THEFT, MOREOVER. WHAT IS THIS HALFLING TO YOU, THEN, BUT A COMPANION FROM LONG AGO?
Thorin stared at the foot of the throne through his wretched tears. “To me? To me he is everything! It is true that my life was spent before I knew my own heart, but all I have done in death has been for him! For Bilbo Baggins I have shaped and reshaped the endless march of the lonely years, my vow and my vigil and all the endless rotations, for his sake. My Gift and the Fellowship, the Ringbearer and the terror and grief and standing before the Great Eye; it was for him. Facing the waking world and all I have lost over and over, to exhaustion and grief and sorrow - teaching my hands to build in gentler ways, to speak in flowers, the slow painful unpicking of my past self to become better than I have been, all for him!”
HE IS NOT A DWARF FOR WISHING IT. HE DOES NOT HEAR THE SONGS OF STONE. HE HAS NO NAME WRITTEN IN HIS BLOOD AND BONES.
“His name is Bilbo Baggins!” Thorin half-roared in his desperation. “I do not care that he is no Dwarf; I would not change him, even as he is!”
A terrible hush fell. Even the whispers were quiet.
Thorin slumped. “Please, I beseech you. Please let him come home to me.”
Silence was his answer.
His eyes slid shut. “Please.”
A small hand then threaded through his, and Thorin looked down in surprise.
Bilbo smiled up at him, and squeezed his hand softly. “Hullo, Dohyarzirikhab. I’ve been making something of a fuss trying to get to you.”
Thorin smiled back, wobbly and tremulous. “I’m making something of a fuss trying to keep you.”
Then his nerve broke and he wrapped the Hobbit in his arms, and held him, and held him. The Hobbit’s slight weight in his arms was perfect, too perfect to be true. It was as if he had walked into a dream of longing, all made blurry and edged in white-gold by the light of the High Throne. Here was Bilbo with him at long last, the soft, warm, sturdy little frame, the nimble hands, the sharp-tipped ears, the expressive face, the indomitable spirit. Burying his face in the join of neck and shoulder he drank in the smell of seedcake and tea and ink.
I DO INDEED SEE.
“If nothing else,” Thorin breathed, and Bilbo’s hands were everywhere: clinging to his side, burying deep into the fall of his hair, creeping nimble and furtive into his beard, “there is this moment. I have lived in this moment. I have held you now.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Bilbo said, stubborn and intractable as ever, and he pressed his bare-cheeked face against Thorin’s streaked mane and buried it there. “I’m staying right here by your side, and nothing and nobody is taking you away from me ever again: not time, not death, not distance, not age, and certainly not some musty old rulebook that I’ve never even so much as read! I’m going wherever you go, and pish to the rest of it!”
“Oh, let Aulë have him!” burst out Námo. “It would serve him right!”
Thorin glanced up at the Lord of Eagles over Bilbo’s shoulder. “Could you do that, my One?” he murmured into the soft, unwrinkled skin of Bilbo’s cheek. “Live under the earth for long centuries, no forests or fields, never seeing a star or a bird, waiting in the dark until the end of all things and the renewal of days?”
Bilbo sat back on his heels and regarded him seriously. “Will you be there?”
Thorin nodded.
Bilbo took a deep breath, before he took Thorin’s face in his soft little hands, and kissed him gently – so gently that Thorin thought his heart would shatter with the ache of it. “My favourite adventures were always the ones we took together,” he said.
“Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit,” Thorin said, and he staggered forward to collapse onto his knees before the foot of the throne. “He is a fine Hobbit, a good Hobbit. He saved our home, saved my life - saved the world. He knows my Name, he guards our secrets, and he has walked the halls of my ancestors. He can sting with tongue and blade and pen. He is quick to anger and slow to trust; he is made strong to endure, and he has. His is the stubbornness of stone, and he is stronger than steel and true as gold - yet over him, even the most treacherous gold had no true power. He is one of us in every way that matters.”
He glared up into the shattering light of the throne. “And he is beloved of a Dwarf.”
NIENNA OR AULË HAS BROUGHT YOU HERE. ALAS, DWARF, BUT YOUR PLEAS ARE IN VAIN.
“Why?” he demanded. “I am of an Elder race – cast aside we may be, but we are as ancient a lineage as the Elves! Please, I beg you – I beg you –“
YOU WERE NOT CAST ASIDE, NOR YOUR PEOPLE. YOU WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE MUSIC WHEN YOU WERE SPARED THE HAMMER-BLOW BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME, was the strange answer.
“Then if you care for us, if your far-seeing eyes see us at all, I beg of you - please. Please.”
YOU ARE NO IDRIL AND TUOR, CHILD OF AULË. YOUR LIVES BUT BARELY BRUSHED FOR A YEAR, AND THEN YOU PARTED. NO MARRIAGE-BONDS HOLD YOU TOGETHER, NO YEARS OF INTIMACY AND COMFORT. YOU HAVE BETWEEN YOU A TALE OF LIES AND VIOLENCE AND THEFT, MOREOVER. WHAT IS THIS HALFLING TO YOU, THEN, BUT A COMPANION FROM LONG AGO?
Thorin stared at the foot of the throne through his wretched tears. “To me? To me he is everything! It is true that my life was spent before I knew my own heart, but all I have done in death has been for him! For Bilbo Baggins I have shaped and reshaped the endless march of the lonely years, my vow and my vigil and all the endless rotations, for his sake. My Gift and the Fellowship, the Ringbearer and the terror and grief and standing before the Great Eye; it was for him. Facing the waking world and all I have lost over and over, to exhaustion and grief and sorrow - teaching my hands to build in gentler ways, to speak in flowers, the slow painful unpicking of my past self to become better than I have been, all for him!”
HE IS NOT A DWARF FOR WISHING IT. HE DOES NOT HEAR THE SONGS OF STONE. HE HAS NO NAME WRITTEN IN HIS BLOOD AND BONES.
“His name is Bilbo Baggins!” Thorin half-roared in his desperation. “I do not care that he is no Dwarf; I would not change him, even as he is!”
A terrible hush fell. Even the whispers were quiet.
Thorin slumped. “Please, I beseech you. Please let him come home to me.”
Silence was his answer.
His eyes slid shut. “Please.”
A small hand then threaded through his, and Thorin looked down in surprise.
Bilbo smiled up at him, and squeezed his hand softly. “Hullo, Dohyarzirikhab. I’ve been making something of a fuss trying to get to you.”
Thorin smiled back, wobbly and tremulous. “I’m making something of a fuss trying to keep you.”
Then his nerve broke and he wrapped the Hobbit in his arms, and held him, and held him. The Hobbit’s slight weight in his arms was perfect, too perfect to be true. It was as if he had walked into a dream of longing, all made blurry and edged in white-gold by the light of the High Throne. Here was Bilbo with him at long last, the soft, warm, sturdy little frame, the nimble hands, the sharp-tipped ears, the expressive face, the indomitable spirit. Burying his face in the join of neck and shoulder he drank in the smell of seedcake and tea and ink.
I DO INDEED SEE.
“If nothing else,” Thorin breathed, and Bilbo’s hands were everywhere: clinging to his side, burying deep into the fall of his hair, creeping nimble and furtive into his beard, “there is this moment. I have lived in this moment. I have held you now.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Bilbo said, stubborn and intractable as ever, and he pressed his bare-cheeked face against Thorin’s streaked mane and buried it there. “I’m staying right here by your side, and nothing and nobody is taking you away from me ever again: not time, not death, not distance, not age, and certainly not some musty old rulebook that I’ve never even so much as read! I’m going wherever you go, and pish to the rest of it!”
“Oh, let Aulë have him!” burst out Námo. “It would serve him right!”
Thorin glanced up at the Lord of Eagles over Bilbo’s shoulder. “Could you do that, my One?” he murmured into the soft, unwrinkled skin of Bilbo’s cheek. “Live under the earth for long centuries, no forests or fields, never seeing a star or a bird, waiting in the dark until the end of all things and the renewal of days?”
Bilbo sat back on his heels and regarded him seriously. “Will you be there?”
Thorin nodded.
Bilbo took a deep breath, before he took Thorin’s face in his soft little hands, and kissed him gently – so gently that Thorin thought his heart would shatter with the ache of it. “My favourite adventures were always the ones we took together,” he said.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2025
feels like cheating to log a fanfic on goodreads but i don't care i didn't read those 2000 pages for nothing ☝️ no but really this was so good, the way the author mixed book canon, movie canon, and own ideas was phenomenal and expanded on tolkiens world so beautifully, and the way it was written almost (!) rivals tolkien himself sometimes. such an emotional journey
March 6, 2025
This masterpiece took me 17 days to finish. I am unwell. I need 10-15 business days to recover. This book utterly wrecked me.
February 27, 2024
A la gente le encanta mirar en menos los fanfic, tanto a quienes los escriben como a quienes los leen. No me voy a poner a analizar el largo por qué (en resumen, sorpresa: misoginia) en este review, pero sí quise empezar por recordar esa realidad, que lleva a muchos a afirmar, con total convicción, que los fanfics no podrán equiparar jamás a los "libros reales".
Sansûkh es la prueba irrefutable de que no es así; que los fanfic pueden superar con creces a muchísimos libros publicados, incluso al trabajo del que nace. En este caso, la fuente de inspiración es el Legendarium de Tolkien, tomando elementos tanto del Hobbit, como de la trilogía del Señor de los Anillos como incluso del Silmarillion.
Es principalmente una historia de fantasía épica, como cabría esperar, y de romance.
Al inicio dudaba si darle una oportunidad porque la pareja principal es Thorin y Bilbo, y de manera paulatina, Legolas y Gimli. Encontré este fanfic buscando contenido de los dos últimos, y que no fuesen el foco de atención durante los primeros capítulos me desalentó. Sin embargo, estaba tan bien escrito que pronto olvidé el motivo principal por el que buscaba un fanfic, y me sumergí en la lectura tal cual me habría pasado de tratarse de un libro que uno empieza sin saber de la trama; sin impaciencia, totalmente entregada.
Es genuinamente impresionante el nivel de cuidadosa investigación que desarrolla la autora para cada capítulo, jamás alejándose del canon del universo, pero sí expandiéndolo allí donde se acaba el camino, como ocurre con las lenguas de la Tierra Media, en especial el sindarin y el khuzdul. Tolkien tiene un par de anexos dedicados exclusivamente a la linguística detrás de sus idiomas inventados, pero en realidad, intentar utilizar cualquiera de ellas como un idioma real no habría rendido frutos de no ser por los aportes que se han hecho a lo largo de los años, recopilando e investigando y corrigiendo. En la trilogía de LOTR no utilizan mucho ninguno de ellos, pero en Sansûkh aparecen en cada capítulo sin falta, en palabras sueltas que dicen los personajes, frases o incluso conversaciones enteras, siempre con un pequeño diccionario en las Notas del final. Me encanta, realmente los hace sentir como un idioma real que quisiera aprender, en especial el khuzdul (estoy seriamente considerando tatuarme una palabra en el khuzdul de Sansûkh).
Además de esto, el nivel de dedicación se nota en la impecable línea de tiempo que sigue la historia cuando se trata de situar a sus personajes, tal y como la ideó Tolkien, pero con mucho más desarrollo de aquellos eventos a los que él sólo dedica una línea o dos. Hace que te encariñes con personajes que en la trilogía son sólo un nombre, como Frerin, Thrór, Thrain, Dís, e incluso Mahal, que es constantemente mencionado como la deidad de los Enanos, en Sansûkh es un verdadero padre de todos ellos. Hace que veas con tus propios ojos el desarrollo de todo aquello que se menciona que pasó en la Tierra Media mientras nuestros héroes luchaban contra Sauron; la última batalla de Dáin Ironfoot y el rey de Bree, el asedio a Erebor, la lucha de Mirkwood, y aquello que aparece como epílogo en los anexos; el nacimiento de Thorin III y del último Durin, la consagración de Gimli como Lord de las Cavernas Centelleantes y su arduo trabajo por convertirlo en un nuevo asentamiento para su pueblo errante, la muerte de todos los integrantes de la Comunidad, la construcción del barco y el consiguiente viaje a las Undying Lands. Ni un sólo detalle mencionado por Tolkien es olvidado o no aprovechado al máximo para seguir tejiendo esta hermosa historia.
Por si esto no fuera poco, la autora añade un montón de personajes originales, en su mayoría enanos, y específicamente, "dwarrowdams", o enanas. No es desconocido para nadie que las mujeres en el Legendarium casi brillan por su ausencia, y que ni la trilogía ni el Hobbit pasan el test de Bechdel. La autora se encarga de corregir esto de forma magistral, dándole a cada una de ellas no sólo un nombre (nada de "la esposa de") si no toda una historia de vida y una personalidad acorde a ella y a su cultura.
Aún más: la autora escribe canciones originales, las canta y las transcribe a partituras para distintos instrumentos. Las canciones son preciosas, te llegan al corazón y son un guiño a la enorme cantidad de canciones en el Legendarium (siempre lo he dicho: las películas debieron ser musicales).
Y mi parte favorita: estas canciones, estos personajes originales, estas subtramas nunca antes exploradas en LOTR, fueron tan bien recibidas por los lectores a lo largo de los 9 años que pasó la autora escribiendo, que hay incontable material al respecto; fanarts, cómics, covers, memes, foros de discusión, celebraciones de aniversario por su terminación, incluso aún más fanfics inspirados en este. Me hace tan feliz ver a tantas personas movidas únicamente por la pasión que sienten por algo, creando por la dicha de expandir este universo que la autora tomó prestado y terminó haciendo suyo.
El fanfic es un arte tan increíblemente desinteresado, genuino hasta resultar poético; escribo porque amo lo que otros crearon, honro su trabajo con mi absoluta devoción, traigo mi gota de agua para alimentarlo, para que nunca deje de crecer. Es inspirador.
En pocas palabras, deja de lado el prejuicio que puedas tener; si te gusta Tolkien, tanto su universo como su forma de escribir, si amas el amor, en especial aquel que florece tímidamente, entre una interacción y otra, lento pero siempre leal, si eres fan de las historias con cantidades abismales de lore, al punto en que tienes que hacer árboles genealógicos y líneas temporales, si tienes una mente inquieta que necesita que muchas cosas pasen a la vez para no dejar de estar interesada, y poder ver cada una desde distintos puntos de vista, y sobre todo, si tienes tiempo para leer casi 600 mil palabras (y las historias en el Anexo) dale una oportunidad.
Sansûkh es la prueba irrefutable de que no es así; que los fanfic pueden superar con creces a muchísimos libros publicados, incluso al trabajo del que nace. En este caso, la fuente de inspiración es el Legendarium de Tolkien, tomando elementos tanto del Hobbit, como de la trilogía del Señor de los Anillos como incluso del Silmarillion.
Es principalmente una historia de fantasía épica, como cabría esperar, y de romance.
Al inicio dudaba si darle una oportunidad porque la pareja principal es Thorin y Bilbo, y de manera paulatina, Legolas y Gimli. Encontré este fanfic buscando contenido de los dos últimos, y que no fuesen el foco de atención durante los primeros capítulos me desalentó. Sin embargo, estaba tan bien escrito que pronto olvidé el motivo principal por el que buscaba un fanfic, y me sumergí en la lectura tal cual me habría pasado de tratarse de un libro que uno empieza sin saber de la trama; sin impaciencia, totalmente entregada.
Es genuinamente impresionante el nivel de cuidadosa investigación que desarrolla la autora para cada capítulo, jamás alejándose del canon del universo, pero sí expandiéndolo allí donde se acaba el camino, como ocurre con las lenguas de la Tierra Media, en especial el sindarin y el khuzdul. Tolkien tiene un par de anexos dedicados exclusivamente a la linguística detrás de sus idiomas inventados, pero en realidad, intentar utilizar cualquiera de ellas como un idioma real no habría rendido frutos de no ser por los aportes que se han hecho a lo largo de los años, recopilando e investigando y corrigiendo. En la trilogía de LOTR no utilizan mucho ninguno de ellos, pero en Sansûkh aparecen en cada capítulo sin falta, en palabras sueltas que dicen los personajes, frases o incluso conversaciones enteras, siempre con un pequeño diccionario en las Notas del final. Me encanta, realmente los hace sentir como un idioma real que quisiera aprender, en especial el khuzdul (estoy seriamente considerando tatuarme una palabra en el khuzdul de Sansûkh).
Además de esto, el nivel de dedicación se nota en la impecable línea de tiempo que sigue la historia cuando se trata de situar a sus personajes, tal y como la ideó Tolkien, pero con mucho más desarrollo de aquellos eventos a los que él sólo dedica una línea o dos. Hace que te encariñes con personajes que en la trilogía son sólo un nombre, como Frerin, Thrór, Thrain, Dís, e incluso Mahal, que es constantemente mencionado como la deidad de los Enanos, en Sansûkh es un verdadero padre de todos ellos. Hace que veas con tus propios ojos el desarrollo de todo aquello que se menciona que pasó en la Tierra Media mientras nuestros héroes luchaban contra Sauron; la última batalla de Dáin Ironfoot y el rey de Bree, el asedio a Erebor, la lucha de Mirkwood, y aquello que aparece como epílogo en los anexos; el nacimiento de Thorin III y del último Durin, la consagración de Gimli como Lord de las Cavernas Centelleantes y su arduo trabajo por convertirlo en un nuevo asentamiento para su pueblo errante, la muerte de todos los integrantes de la Comunidad, la construcción del barco y el consiguiente viaje a las Undying Lands. Ni un sólo detalle mencionado por Tolkien es olvidado o no aprovechado al máximo para seguir tejiendo esta hermosa historia.
Por si esto no fuera poco, la autora añade un montón de personajes originales, en su mayoría enanos, y específicamente, "dwarrowdams", o enanas. No es desconocido para nadie que las mujeres en el Legendarium casi brillan por su ausencia, y que ni la trilogía ni el Hobbit pasan el test de Bechdel. La autora se encarga de corregir esto de forma magistral, dándole a cada una de ellas no sólo un nombre (nada de "la esposa de") si no toda una historia de vida y una personalidad acorde a ella y a su cultura.
Aún más: la autora escribe canciones originales, las canta y las transcribe a partituras para distintos instrumentos. Las canciones son preciosas, te llegan al corazón y son un guiño a la enorme cantidad de canciones en el Legendarium (siempre lo he dicho: las películas debieron ser musicales).
Y mi parte favorita: estas canciones, estos personajes originales, estas subtramas nunca antes exploradas en LOTR, fueron tan bien recibidas por los lectores a lo largo de los 9 años que pasó la autora escribiendo, que hay incontable material al respecto; fanarts, cómics, covers, memes, foros de discusión, celebraciones de aniversario por su terminación, incluso aún más fanfics inspirados en este. Me hace tan feliz ver a tantas personas movidas únicamente por la pasión que sienten por algo, creando por la dicha de expandir este universo que la autora tomó prestado y terminó haciendo suyo.
El fanfic es un arte tan increíblemente desinteresado, genuino hasta resultar poético; escribo porque amo lo que otros crearon, honro su trabajo con mi absoluta devoción, traigo mi gota de agua para alimentarlo, para que nunca deje de crecer. Es inspirador.
En pocas palabras, deja de lado el prejuicio que puedas tener; si te gusta Tolkien, tanto su universo como su forma de escribir, si amas el amor, en especial aquel que florece tímidamente, entre una interacción y otra, lento pero siempre leal, si eres fan de las historias con cantidades abismales de lore, al punto en que tienes que hacer árboles genealógicos y líneas temporales, si tienes una mente inquieta que necesita que muchas cosas pasen a la vez para no dejar de estar interesada, y poder ver cada una desde distintos puntos de vista, y sobre todo, si tienes tiempo para leer casi 600 mil palabras (y las historias en el Anexo) dale una oportunidad.
December 15, 2021
Just read this all the way through after reading most of it as it came out years ago. And god damn if it wasn’t a rollercoaster and pulled on my heartstrings so so many times. It was well worth finishing.
July 19, 2021
one of the best pieces of literature I have ever read. I have no words, it's just so good.
December 21, 2023
Well… I’ll preface this with the fact I am not a big fan of fanfiction for the most part. Normally I prefer my stories to stay within their own bounds unless it is a universe series collaborated by multiple authors. This is not one of those.
With that said, this was incredible. The best fanfiction I have ever read (which admittedly isn’t many) and I am amazed on multiple fronts.
First and foremost, the author captures the spirit of the characters perfectly. I never gave much thought to how the characters would think behind the scenes. Nor would I have been able to give them a voice like they were in here.
Secondly, the amount of lore put in here is astounding in both volume and detail. The fact there are notes, dates and lore put through and explained in and of itself is great. It helps the reader understand more about the undercurrent and history of the world if they have not read more than the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (like me).
The writing here is of the highest quality. It has details abound in every scene and character dialog that is both easy to follow and flows naturally.
Overall, the single best piece of fanfiction I have ever read. I love The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with a passion. I also look forward to reading The Silmarillion for more details and background in this universe. Also, I’d love to read the whole of The History of Middle Earth series and anything else I come across. Still, this is up there in quality and in some ways finds a place deeper in my heart than the originals. Kudos to Determamfidd for an awesome piece of writing.
With that said, this was incredible. The best fanfiction I have ever read (which admittedly isn’t many) and I am amazed on multiple fronts.
First and foremost, the author captures the spirit of the characters perfectly. I never gave much thought to how the characters would think behind the scenes. Nor would I have been able to give them a voice like they were in here.
Secondly, the amount of lore put in here is astounding in both volume and detail. The fact there are notes, dates and lore put through and explained in and of itself is great. It helps the reader understand more about the undercurrent and history of the world if they have not read more than the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (like me).
The writing here is of the highest quality. It has details abound in every scene and character dialog that is both easy to follow and flows naturally.
Overall, the single best piece of fanfiction I have ever read. I love The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with a passion. I also look forward to reading The Silmarillion for more details and background in this universe. Also, I’d love to read the whole of The History of Middle Earth series and anything else I come across. Still, this is up there in quality and in some ways finds a place deeper in my heart than the originals. Kudos to Determamfidd for an awesome piece of writing.
January 6, 2022
Simplemente épico y perfecto!En cada fandom siempre hay un fanfic que se destaca por encima del resto y en el fandom de Hobbit / LotR, este es ese fanfic. Es un fanfiction de El señor de los anillos increíblemente bien investigado, detallado y bien escrito, que cuenta toda la historia desde la perspectiva de los enanos muertos que vigilan a sus familiares. Su protagonista es nuestro amado Rey Thorin Escudo de Roble y para todos aquellos Bagginshield y Legolas/Gimli shippers como yo, esta es un MUST READ!
May 27, 2022
This story is an absolute masterpiece to rival the great works of Tolkien himself. I love everything about this story and could hardly put it down; the crushing sadness of Thorin longing for Bilbo, to the "dead peanut gallery" commentary that is at times equally hilarious and heartbreaking. I love the addition of so many female and non binary dwarves to the story, they truly are incredible original characters.
ETA: It's been one day since I finished and I already want to re-read this incredible story.
ETA: It's been one day since I finished and I already want to re-read this incredible story.
April 20, 2024
INCREDIBILE!!! The story building is to DIE FOR! I especially loved the retelling of LOTR, which was both accurate and true to character.
I usually do not enjoy too many new characters introduced, but in this case I even fell in love with a few of them, like Legolas' brothers.
Towards the end I started to be a bit overwhelmed by the new plot line and that's why I'm not giving the full 5 stars, but really, the effort, the research and sheer novel-like bulk is really impressive!
It is also very worth reading the appendices!
I usually do not enjoy too many new characters introduced, but in this case I even fell in love with a few of them, like Legolas' brothers.
Towards the end I started to be a bit overwhelmed by the new plot line and that's why I'm not giving the full 5 stars, but really, the effort, the research and sheer novel-like bulk is really impressive!
It is also very worth reading the appendices!
April 11, 2024
I have never read a more well researched, thoughtful, heartfelt love letter to the Lord of the Rings, Dwarves, untold stories and love itself. In 1,777 pages (over half a million words) I never once grew tired, bored or impatient for the end of this true masterpiece. My Erebor tattoo now means more to me than it did when I got it and my unashamed dwarf bias feels entirely justified. I already want to read it again.
April 30, 2024
Oh. My. God.
Now I am not one to often include fanfiction in my reading goals, however I set off to read Sansukh and immediately knew that I needed to log this in my Goodreads. I have spent days reading this, feeling heartbreak a book has not brought me in a long time. The connections (each true to character!!) that deter crafts is worthy of Mahal himself.
If you are a LOTR/Hobbit fan, this is a must read.
Now I am not one to often include fanfiction in my reading goals, however I set off to read Sansukh and immediately knew that I needed to log this in my Goodreads. I have spent days reading this, feeling heartbreak a book has not brought me in a long time. The connections (each true to character!!) that deter crafts is worthy of Mahal himself.
If you are a LOTR/Hobbit fan, this is a must read.
October 19, 2025
'The Eagles are coming.' too soon 😭
• ☆☆☆☆☆ •
this may have to become an annual re-read for me. it is written so poetically and with such lyricism that not only are tears a near-definite (or absolute in my case) but you will be laughing at something the next moment as you struggle to see through the watery film of your eyes. every character is enthralling and for me at least, it enrichens Tolkien's work beyond what I ever could have expected. It is PERFECT and I am just in awe.
• ☆☆☆☆☆ •
this may have to become an annual re-read for me. it is written so poetically and with such lyricism that not only are tears a near-definite (or absolute in my case) but you will be laughing at something the next moment as you struggle to see through the watery film of your eyes. every character is enthralling and for me at least, it enrichens Tolkien's work beyond what I ever could have expected. It is PERFECT and I am just in awe.
March 30, 2023
600k parole che mi hanno distrutta sconquassata struppiata cromata purtroppo i Nani sono i miei preferiti Tolkien non lo sa ma tutto questo È canon ecco (no ma seriamente LA CURA per i dettagli, sceneggiatori pagati milioni di dollari piattaforma streaming sappiamo quale vorrebbero così tanto essere lei)
May 25, 2023
I know this is a fanfiction but after reading over half a million words I am going to add it to my reading goal.
But that aside. This fanfiction is literally a masterpiece. I love it so muchhh. So if you are into lotr and the hobbit this is a much needed read. It focuses a lot on dwarves which I find very refreshing. Anyway go read it.
But that aside. This fanfiction is literally a masterpiece. I love it so muchhh. So if you are into lotr and the hobbit this is a much needed read. It focuses a lot on dwarves which I find very refreshing. Anyway go read it.
March 30, 2024
When a stranger on instagram tells you to read a 557k word fanfic. You read that fanfic.
(And the extra long epilogue Tasâlalkhud which is basically as long as a 200 page book)
all of these is like equivalent of 4 and a half books so I had to note down this fanfic in my goodreads cos I am behind on my reading goal this year 🥲
(And the extra long epilogue Tasâlalkhud which is basically as long as a 200 page book)
all of these is like equivalent of 4 and a half books so I had to note down this fanfic in my goodreads cos I am behind on my reading goal this year 🥲
Read
December 29, 2021Yes, I am in fact going to start counting long fanfics towards my reading goals when goodreads has them. I probably should’ve started doing this ages ago. I’m not going to rate fic on here, but this was really freaking good.
December 6, 2022
Nothing can touch this fic. It hit the exact same notes and emotional depth I felt watching the Grey Havens scene for the first time. I am in awe of this, all the detail, the characters feel like home. I want to own a physical copy of this story.
March 10, 2024
Este es el npab de lotr, me ha tenido llorando por mes y medio. Todo lo que he leído en este fanfic es canon para mi a partir de ahora. Ha sido increíble, un excelente retelling que ha sanado mi alma.
10000/10
10000/10
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews