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In the Deep Places  by Lamiel 5 Review(s)
FaithReviewed Chapter: 16 on 2/18/2005
those two.....hehehe....love them...love both....hehehe..they rock....:D




Faith the slightly obssessed fangirl

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 16 on 2/18/2005
'If I live to get out of these woods, Gimli swore to himself, I’ll never set foot in a tree again. Never. And no more ladders, either.'

That sounds like a promise he won't be keeping!!

I love the arrival of all the Elves to stare at the visitors - it's like a movie premiere.

How very Gimli not to realise that actually he did the complete opposite of failing. Galadriel put temptation before him and he shrugged it off. Very good grasp of what is real, has Gimli.

'if ever those two came into conflict he would have preferred to watch from a safe distance, such as Valinor.' Mind you, so has Legolas.

The way to a Hobbit's heart is through his stomach, is it? Pretty good analysis there - I'm sure the Elves are amazed how much they can eat yet still stand.

I enjoyed watching Legolas tease Gimli - it's true that they have become more than a representative of their separate races to each other - that they have, despite all the odds, become friends.

I wonder how Legolas felt after Gimli's death, when he was, probably, the only Elf in Valinor to remember the glories of Dwarven culture - and whether he spoke of them to anyone else.


Author Reply: As wonderful as Legolas and Gimli's friendship is, it does have an additional element of sadness for the Elf, because of course Gimli will eventually die. In choosing to bond with him Legolas is accepting that eventual grief, just as he has done for Aragorn and to some extent all of the mortals in the Fellowship. This is a theme that will be hinted at in the epilogue, though not overly much so. But I think that Legolas would keep his promise to remember and tell others of Dwarven culture - with or without embellishments of his own making.

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 16 on 2/17/2005
What a delightful chapter! One can see the final opening blossom of Legolas's and Gimli's friendship, based on mutual respect and affection, and displayed by teasing banter. I love it, but it makes me sad, because I know the story is winding down. *sigh*


Author Reply: Sigh. All good things must come to an end, I suppose. This story remains my favorite of all the ones I've written, but there are others out there too.

TithenFeredirReviewed Chapter: 16 on 2/17/2005
I want to be there when curious elves swarm! If only! Anyway, the way Gimli's adoration for Galadriel blossomed was lovely. I like the way Legolas is doing his best to be proper representative of his home. He seems very princely. His interlude at the top of the mallorn was really beautiful, very elvish. You did a great job of evoking his elven stangeness to Gimli when he first appears where the dwarf is meditating. Then there was that light, teasing note at the end to keep things from getting too earnest. I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter! Thanks! TF

Author Reply: I usually visualize Legolas as being rather quiet, and very reluctant to draw attention to himself as royalty. But when the situation calls for it, he can act every inch the Elven prince. I think his father raised him well.

elliskaReviewed Chapter: 16 on 2/17/2005
Of all the chapters, this one is my absolute favorite. There is just too much here to comment on.

Elves are foolish. But she was wise.
Elves are flighty. But she was serene.
Elves are capricious. But she was constant.
Elves hate Dwarves. But she had welcomed him, and there had been no hate in her eyes, no scorn or condemnation. There had been only love, and acceptance, and peace.
Never trust an Elf. But he loved her.

This is a terrific sequence. Ahh Gimli! I love to see the internal struggle of character's whose entire world has just been set on end and Galadriel has done that to Gimli. How wonderfully you capture it there!

There is no hope without friendship, and no friendship without understanding. So I will understand. I will understand them all, starting with the Dwarf.

And this is wonderful too. The same train of thought from Legolas's perspective. And that is what I loved about this whole first sequence--you have two characters drawing the same conclusion. But if I had read Gimli and Legolas's introspections without having been supplied their names (or even thoughts like, 'can mortals do this') I still could have been able to tell you which was Legolas's thoughts and which was Gimli's. And that is outstanding characterization. Loved this part.

Then, completely unarmed for the first time in his adult life, Legolas climbed up into the canopy of the Golden Wood. He moved swiftly through the trees, climbing for the sheer joy of it higher and higher until he reached the uppermost branches that bent and curved easily beneath his feet. Then he stopped, and settling with his back against the cool brace of a mallorn’s trunk he turned his face up toward the stars.

I liked this image. Nothing more than that--I just enjoyed it. I like the 'unarmed for the first time in his adult life.' I liked the vision of Legolas climbing in the trees for the sheer joy of it. And I liked the image of him sitting and enjoying the stars. Very nice.

And the closing dialogue between Gimli and Legolas--superb! The humor in it still has me giggling.

thumping like a woodpecker in the forest

and

“I can sing.”

“Aargh”

and

“Invent?” Gimli had to hurry to keep up as the Elf slipped silently into the forest.

“Of course. For example, I can say that Dwarves were so frightened of knives of any kind that they refused to cut their hair, and their beards grew so long that they frequently tripped over them when they walked.”

“What?” etc

Those are absolutely priceless snippets.

But I also love Legolas's complete openess and how you showed it. And Gimli's struggle to finally let go and accept the change in him and how you showed that. This is a fantastic culminating point to the story in my mind. Loved it!






Author Reply: Thank you so much, elliska! This chapter is of course the culmination of the whole story, and I'm just thrilled that you like it. Your comments about the characterization absolutely made my week. That was the point of the story, after all.

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