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Interrupted Journeys: Part 2 Journeys Perforce by elliska	3 Review(s)
daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 10/16/2004
It's interesting to see the conflicting feelings of the villagers and the warriors' families. That makes sense to me. And Thranduil has to think of all of them! Amoneth is starting to annoy me. She needs to decide what she wants and live by that. Author Reply: I would not want to be in Thranduil's position because you could not please anyone in reality, probably. It could not be a pleasant situation. Thanks for the review!

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 10/16/2004
I listen to NPR in the mornings, and then I go to school where the two most popular political activities are Rocking The Vote and opposing the war in Iraq -- and then I read this. Writing in a fantasy world is such a nice thing to do, because you can make sure that all wars make sense and are just wars. The villagers object to sending their kids to fight and die in battles far away from home, but in this case it's in response to a power that is a deadly threat to them in ways that Iraq is not and never was. And Thranduil comes right back with the words you want every commander-in-chief to say: I am risking my own family and my own neck even as I send your kids into danger. Thranduil for President in '04! While I did appreciate the long discussion with the villagers, I did wonder about the beginning of the chapter. All that long discussion about the merits of buying from Dwarves in the previous chapter, and all that comes of it is "Thranduil purchased swords from the Dwarves?" I was so sure that we'd get to see Lindomiel dispatched as Chief Negotiator to work her magic on the Dwarves and reduce them to little puddles of happy. Oh well. At least we didn't have to see the villages put up tourist-trap shops with names like The Happie Dwarfe Candy and Confectionary Company selling oh-so-cute little jugs of syrup, maple-sugar-on-a-stick, greeting cards and souvenir statues of trees. Thranduil certainly does know how to run a meeting. Just sit back and let Aradunnon and Engwe fight it out between themselves, then swoop in and pick up the best of the points raised. He's getting to be quite good at this King business. And even though we all know what they'll ultimately decide, it's sad to see them thinking about moving. I wonder if this was how all the Native American tribes felt right before they moved to reservations. Author Reply: NPR is very educational, isn't it? And you are right about this story and the current news. I cut large portions of this because it is too close to real life and sounded like a political speech (even though I wrote this long before the Iraq War started). I could no longer stomach it. I think Thranduil does handle the meetings in this chap as well as he can and he can do that because he is handling the overall situation as well as he can. It is impossible to please everyone but he is thinking about his realm. And I think he is getting better at handling the business of being king, especially given that he is being faced with some pretty nasty situations. I would vote for Thranduil in '04! :) That is the funny thing about writing this--obviously we know they're moving to the caves. That's a done deal. No surprise. So its the process, reactions and maybe a few other ancillary things that have to provide the plot. The way this process makes the elves feel is very interesting to me. I imagine the Native Americans felt largely the same way. That's interesting to think about. I agree with you about the debate about dealing with dwarves in the last chapter and then this chapter. I wrote the negotiations with the dwarves for the weapons several different ways and I never liked them. I gave them another look this week (awful week) and I like them no better. That interaction never worked, seemed isolated where it would have been in the overall story and was anticlimactic compared to another chapter coming later. So I gave up on it. But it does disappoint me too. Truthfully, it does a lot. Perhaps I will do another rewrite tomorrow with "The Happie Dwarfe Candy and Confectionary Company" and see if I like it better. :) My friend writes comedy much better than I. Maybe I can inspire her with that... Thanks for the review!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 10/16/2004
I'm glad I don't have to try and reconcile squabbling people with hugely different demands. Between the Council - pro-attack and 'you must be mad' camps - and the warriors' families - 'they may have joined the warriors, but they're not there to be killed miles from home' - and the villagers - 'protect us, protect us, but we're not going to move, help or pay taxes' - Thranduil has quite a problem to face. At least he can comfort himself with the knowledge that they are all going to be disgruntled no matter what, so he might as well do what he thinks best. Aradunnon and Amoneth seem to be making a bit of progress - he seems to have matured a bit, but she is irritating. Perhaps she needs to get a better understanding of the responsibility that is involved in being a prince of the realm - the 'noblesse oblige' side of privilege. How? I don't know. Seeing the reality of the threat will probably only make her worse. Involving her in developing the defence against the dark arts? She needs something, because her attitude is quite irritating. Whereas Lindomiel has an excellent understanding of the problem and what she can do to help. Which is maybe why she and Thranduil married so quickly and Aradunnon and Amoneth are still pussyfooting around. Author Reply: I really had to laugh reading your opening paragraph--bunch of whiners! Let 'em all sit there with Sauron, I say. :) They better be glad I'm not their king! Yeah, he's got no hope of making them all happy so that might be his only comfort. But listen to people talk about real current affairs. Many people are like this. Its all me, me, me for so many folks. I think if you spent 1000 years of relative peace and were then faced with an increasingly difficult orc situation, that would have to evoke some pretty strong reactions. Everyone would have their own needs and the government could not possibly satisfy them all. That would be tough to face as a leader assuming the leader actually gave a darn about his/her people. Aradunnon has made enough progress to be spending time with Amoneth rather than drinking with his buddies. That is probably good. But you hit the nail on the head with their problems. Bottom line--they are both a little selfish (like the villagers/warriors families). Dealing with a serious situation like this is about conquering selfishness and being able to sacrifice for others. The more serious the situation, the more that willingness to sacrifice is tested. But you are right, that is why Thranduil/Lindomiel could marry fairly quickly. They both grasped each other's responsibilities. Aradunnon and Amoneth understand themsleves, just not each other. I think you can still be in love in such circumstances. The question is, is that necessarily a good thing? Something must teach them. Thanks for the review!

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