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| Glorious Summer by daw the minstrel | 28 Review(s) |
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| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/17/2004 |
| Daw! Nice to see another story about Legolas! You have created such a full world of Legolas young life that I feel as if I'm returning home reading about many characters that I have come to care about! In this first I really get a feel for the responsibility that Legolas now carries. And you write battles much better than I do. I tend to shy away from writing battles because the words do not flow. But yours read so well. You paint a vivid picture of the whirling action and confusion of an attack. I shall continue to chapter two! MM Author Reply: Thank you so much for your kind words, especially about the battle scene. I find them hard to write too. Peter Jackson says that to make them interesting, battle scenes have to focus in on individuals rather than the large scale action. I found that helpful to think about. But they are really hard to do, I think. Legolas is learning to function in his new role. I love capable Legolas! | |
| lwarren | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/14/2004 |
| Yay!!!! Another story, and it's off to an exceptionally rousing start! This opening very clearly showed the combination of fear, expectations, and excitement faced by a young warrior in a new position of responsibility. You really caught Legolas' emotions as he waited in the trees for the Orcs to emerge. I was practically holding my breath with him! *LOL* But Legolas handled himself well throughout the battle (I just happened to reread your story of his first posting...hey, I was in withdrawal after the last one ended!!!... and it made for a good comparison of the new warrior with the somewhat seasoned one...also interesting how his relationship with Beliond continues to grow). How long had Legolas been with the patrols by the time this story takes place? Great beginning, daw, and since Eilian is at home with his new wife, I'm looking forward to that little strand developing, too...oh yes, preciousssss, I am!... linda Author Reply: I had to go look up my time line, but I think Legolas has been a warrior for about 220 years or so. So he has plenty of experience by our standards, but is still young for an Elf. I'm interested to know how this story sounds if you've just read "The Warrior." When I write, I have to keep reminding myself of where my characters should be in terms of development and maturity. Several characters in this story are dealing with new situations and responsibilities, some of which they like more than others. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Linda. | |
| Estel_Mi_Olor | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/13/2004 |
| Great chapter! I love this fic's subject matter! I love reading about Legolas in command! And I hear we are to read more about Eilian's marriage-yay! The fight was very well done. You conveyed the sense of urgency when the battle took an unexpected turn very well. I really like battle sequences, so I'm sorry this one didn't last very long. But then again, it might have gotten boring. *sigh*. I would like to agree with Beliond, Legolas is doing a great job. But I think he really needs to take a bath... Cheers and keep writing! Author Reply: It's fun to write about competent Legolas, even if he's still learning his lieutenant's job. And yes, Eilian is coming along. :-) Glad you liked the battle. I find them hard to write and I can already see that this story will have several such sequences in it. Maybe if Legolas just took his smelly clothes off that would be enough. | |
| Tapetum Lucidum | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/12/2004 |
| I am so glad you are back! You threw us right into this one. Waiting for orcs to come out of a cave in Southern Mirkwood is a bit harrowing. Waiting has always been hard for Thranduil's youngest. I don't know if being in his chambers in anticipation of his displeased Adar's arrival is better or worse than crouching in a tree waiting for orcs. His concern for his troop is very much in character for Legolas. He has always been protective. Now he can officially act upon it. I am glad you gave him Isendir to hover over. Beliond is wise to keep some of his opinions to himself. An estimate of 30 and there were only 29. I guess we will let the scouts slide this time. Apparently Sorion had waited a little too long - being overly cautious. Legolas did well pinning them down, then waiting for the opportune moment. "...leaving Legolas leaning after him in almost physical pain..." that was very well put. It surely must go against all of their natures not to pursue. The new lieutenant handled Isendir's barbs well. He put him in his place without making him angry. It is good that he supported his captain. I am glad Gelmir is there to keep Legolas' spirits up. He and Eilian must have been quite a handful. The new responsibilities are wearing him down a bit but I think your young prince is up to his new assignment. Two weeks?!... Ugh! I probably would not turn him out of my bedroll anyway. Author Reply: I don't usually start with action but I wanted to try it this time. And I wanted to introduce the Legolas part of the story, time, place, companions, quirky personalities, etc. So it was fun! I think waiting for something bad is probably hard on all of us. But I *AM* going to tell Thranduil that you compared him to an Orc and weren't sure which was worse. The change in both captain and lieutenant has to leave everyone a little unsettled for a while I think until the new officers learn their roles and the warriors decide to trust them. Legolas is in a tough position between the captain and the troops. He's a good second in command though, someone who will stand by Aragorn some day! I don't know, TL. Stinky Orc smell? I suppose he could just take the clothes off. :-) | |
| nessie | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/12/2004 |
| Now, I haven't seen Isendir in awhile. I actually almost forgot about him! I really love Gelmir, but I think I've said that enough already. Anyways, it seems Celuwen's parents are still mad about that whole bonding thing. They should really lighten up a little ;) Anyways, can't wait until the next chapter! Update asap! ~nessie~ Author Reply: Gelmir must be in an odd position because he was the previous captain's pal and now there's new captain. But I suppose that's happened before when Eilian was sent elsewhere. Celuwen's parents should indeed lighten up, but I'm not sure they will. :-) And the draft of my next chapter is at my beta's, so it won't be long. | |
| tigerlily713 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/12/2004 |
| Wonderful chapter of a marvellous new story! I am excited to hear more about this point in the lives of you characters. I eagerly await more! Author Reply: Thank you, Lily. I've been looking forward to writing about this time too. I think that both Eilian and Legolas face changes in their lives and those are always interesting to write about. | |
| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/11/2004 |
| I am sure this will be quite the new experiences for both Legolas and Eilian and I look forward to seeing them grow into their new roles. Legolas is fortunate that he has Beliond to keep him on track. I am thinking about borrowing Beliond, btw. I have nothing I need from him, i just think he needs someone to take care of him for a change :) Author Reply: Beliond probably does need someone to take care of him. Maltanaur has a wife, a married daughter, and a grandchild, but Beliond is on his own, poor guy. I'm not sure he'd be easy to take care of though. He doesn't strike me as the kick back and relax kind of guy. Author Reply: Also, for a wild moment after reading your review, I considered giving him a romance, but then I remembered that he's already married. His wife in just out of town in Valinor. | |
| Susanlu | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/11/2004 |
| Dear daw , I¡¯m sure I am a stranger to you at the moment, but I¡¯ve read all your lovely fanfics for at least half a year long. Moreover, I¡¯m not sure whether you still remembered that you¡¯ve given your permission to a fan name ¡°sarahfriend¡± to translate your fics into Chinese. Sarahfriend and I have made an agreement that we would like to translate them together, because I am a Tolkein¡¯s fanfics author too and she believed I would understand and expatiate your stories better, which I was really flattered.^_^ So far, I¡¯ve translated When Shadow Touches Home: http://www.obbbs.com/bbs/dispbbs.asp?boardID=12&ID=3125 Battles Won: http://www.obbbs.com/bbs/dispbbs.asp?boardID=12&ID=6691 Legolas's Begetting Day: http://www.obbbs.com/bbs/dispbbs.asp?boardID=12&ID=10025 Heart's Ease: http://www.lotr.cn/bbs/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?forum=10&topic=503&show=80 Watch This!: http://www.lotr.cn/bbs/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?forum=10&topic=514&show=80 They will be showed as Chinese language, of course, and I¡¯m afraid your PC may not able to work it out properly. Anyway, I¡¯d like to translate some reviews into English for you in the future, for as a fic author myself, I know how much they mean to you:-) Right now I just assure you that there are so many Chinese fans love your stories as much as I do, and Valar know how I admired you(weeping). Perhaps you¡¯ve noticed that Sarah and I both chose these ¡°Little Legolas¡± stories in your corpus to translate firstly, for we indeed love the cute, smart, kind-heart , sad-some elfling and his family then. Thranduil and Legolas have always been my favorites , I admit, and in my opinion, the kingly, proud, solemn, strict but family-loving Thranduil you described is mostly like the one in canon. When I read Talk about Legolas¡¯s two brothers, I must tell you something marvelous in advance. As I ¡®ve mentioned , I write Tolkein¡¯s fanfics myself, in Chinese of course, and just before I saw your stories online, I created two big brothers for Legolas on my own and posted their stories on our Chinese-Tolkein¡¯s fans-site, on September last year mayhaps. A severe and responsible Crown Prince of Mirkwood, and a flirt who was not get alone very well with his father, exactly like Ithilden and Eilian T_T. When I posted my translation of your stories on our site I also mentioned that, and some fans confirmed me by the old Chinese folksay ¡°the heroes¡¯ ideas are always similar¡±-_-|||. So you can image how exciting and familiar I feel for the two elf-princes, as if they should existed in ME at any rate. Shameless to say, I want to marry Ithilden and keep Eilian as a lover (Leave me the last gasp please ^o^.) I knew Eilian has been more popular in Daw¡¯s world, as my own second Thranduilion in my fans¡¯ world (Dunno what¡¯s the problems with the current girls:P), and I had to agree with Lorellin, Eilian was a pure wood-elf, while Ithilden was inclined to a Sindar I thought. I¡¯m regret to say that I donnot like their wives very much, although I confess that they¡¯re nice and good for the two Thranduilions and the entire family, I can¡¯t help be jealous of them T_T. As I remind, Ithilden once has been mad at Legolas for Alfirin¡¯s sake, so I was mad at him ,too. I am unfair, I know, leave me alone. There is another topic I wish to discuss with you, it¡¯s about Thranduil¡¯s behavior in < See the Stars>. I liked the feature of Thranduil you described, for my blond Elvenking was nodoubtfully handsome ^_^, but it¡¯s made me uncomfortable to see he, well, ¡°flirted with¡± his wife¡¯s cousin while he accused Eilian because of the similar behavior ( It¡¯s not surprised at all to see Legolas became to the finest archer of Mirkwood and a deadly warrior whom was on his way to Mordor already, is it? I must say I was so relieved when I saw Turgon died in < Prodigal Sons> ( May his fea rest well in Halls of Mandos), for finally he cannot entangle Legolas into troubles at all. So far as I recall, Thranduil hadn¡¯t been mad at Legolas seriously since Turgon¡¯s death, it that right? I have been puzzled about Legolas¡¯s innocent and lack of leadership when I read It¡¯s always an agonizing pain for me to express myself in English, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s pain for you too if you have read my review till now.ToT With some translating software¡¯s help, I can read English smoothly, and I can write my mother tongue good enough to translate your fanfics into it, but I¡¯m not able to manage a long English paragraph correctly and fluently, the grammar kills me. Thus you may forgive me for giving my first review just now, after so long time¡¯s enjoyment from your work without any repayment. Author Reply: Oh my goodness, how wonderful to get this review and know that you are enjoying my stories so much that you are making them available to others too. I am so honored that I don't know what to say. I went and looked at the site, and I can see the Chinese characters but, of course, can't read them. The site is very attractive though. If you are willing to take the time to translate some reviews for me, I would be deeply grateful, although I don't want to take any more time than you are already giving by translating them. I am glad you enjoy reading the elfling Legolas stories because I enjoy writing them too. I love the way his family tries to protect him and loves him, and I love the way he loves them back. He is so lucky to have this family, but I also think they are lucky to have him because his innocence and affection keep them anchored to Middle Earth even when they are in sorrow. It's amusing that you thought of two older brothers who are so similar to mine. Perhaps there are no new stories under the sun! "See the Stars" was the first story I even wrote and if I were writing it now, I would do it differently because you are right about Thranduil. I've learned a lot about Tolkien since then. Still, I do love the Elven king and think of him as attractive. It's just that he's married and Elves took that sort of thing so seriously, as you know. I'm looking forward to figuring out what kind of leader Legolas would be in this story. In LOTR, he did not seem to me to be very forceful. He seemed happy to follow Aragorn, but he was also a person who could think for himself. So we'll see if I succeed in making that come alive. Thank you so much, Susanlu. This review was such a nice surprise. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/11/2004 |
| Just felt the urge to tell you, if you don't know already, that a Lord Lieutenant is a quite different animal in the UK. I've nicked this from a government website: The office of Lord-Lieutenant is of military origin and dates back to the time of Henry VIII when they were appointed for the maintenance of order and for military purposes relating to local defence. The Lord-Lieutenant is Her Majesty's representative in his/her lieutenancy. Lord-Lieutenants have five main duties: 1. Arranging visits of members of the Royal family and escorting Royal visitors; 2. Presentation of medals and awards on behalf of Her Majesty; 3. Participation in civic, voluntary and social activities with the Lieutenancy; 4. Liaison with local units of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army, Royal Air Force and their associated cadet forces; and 5. Leading the local magistracy as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace. They are generally oldish and a bit stodgy - Legolas would make an interesting variation, but I don't think he'd like the work! Not much orc slaying required. Author Reply: I didn't know this at all! Gelmir was just being smart mouthed when he called Legolas that. I'm reserving 'brat' mostly for Eilian's use. :-) | |
| Brenda G. | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/10/2004 |
| Oh, joy! Another story! And a good one so far. What an opening - on the battlefield with our new Lt. Legolas. Sounds like he is becoming the warrior he always hoped he would be for his people, his father and himself. It is sweet how he misses the brother he admires so much. I am assuming much of this story will also revolve around Eilian and his escapdes at home with his new wife? A dash of spice, Daw? Celuwen, Eilian, Thranduil. Sounds like first rate ingredients for a delectable tale to me. Eilian has always been one of my favorites since you created him so long ago. Now, he is as much a Tolkien figure to me as Aragorn or Frodo. Well, I am delighted so far. How much do you wish to wager that I will remain so to this story's conclusion? I'm ready for the next chapter when you are. Hope school is being gentle to you so far. Thanks for keeping us fans happy! Author Reply: Legolas is already a competent warrior and now he's learning to be a good second in command. I've found it interesting to try to think of the leadership style I'd attribute to him. I think he's probably diffent than forceful Ithilden or charismatic Eilian, but I'm not sure that he knows himself yet just how he will be as an officer. And Eilian will be back in the next chapter. I've been looking forward to writing about this time in his life. Much as I love him, I'm not sure he'd be an easy husband to live with, especially not in a palace, while he's doing work he dislikes, under the eye of his already ticked off father. :-) School is going well. My students are wonderful this year. | |