News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner | 12 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Armariel | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/15/2006 |
| Wow, getting tied up, that's some tradition...cute! *g* So the hobbits are going home...not going to see so much of Aragorn now? *pout* Those figures sound lovely...if you want to get rid of the Aragorn one, heheh...... Btw, here is my most recent completed composition if you'd like to check it out: http://delroz.bravepages.com/music/fairyqueen.mid I'm rather proud of it....:D Now onto the next chapter............Really nice gap filling here! ~~~{~@ | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/2/2006 |
| Saying goodbye must have been very hard in the days before swift travel,emails and phone calls. Poor Frodo to be so ill on the journey,it does not seem that he accepts his condition. I felt sorry for Faramir seeing the place of his father's madness. I loved the interaction between Aragorn and the Hobbits on the journey. I'm puzzled about Faramir and Eowyn's wedding as all the sources I have seen say they were married the next year and what happened at the funeral was just the formal engagement. Author Reply: Well, I've not read all of HoME or the Letters, and here I had to rely on the appendices, which don't make anything completely clear. So, I decided to go with a full wedding--hope you don't mind. I know I'd always thought of it as a wedding when I was younger, I know. A journey we make in a few hours by car could take days when all travel was on foot, by ship, or by wagon or horse; and it could take months and possibly years to make a trip we accomplish by jet in a few hours. And so many didn't live through the entire journey, due to disease, sudden loss of foodstuffs, natural disasters, attacks by brigands or hostile forces, and so on. A goodbye could easily be permanent in such times. And Frodo's not yet seriously ill, but is aware he is not going to live long if he stays, and unsure as to what is going on in himself, and naturally enough sick and tired of being sick and tired, and fussing as a result. Natural response to chronic illnesses, unfortunately. Anyway, hope you don't mind I actually had Faramir marry Eowyn in my version, and hope you liked the rites. | |
| grumpy | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/1/2006 |
| I like it that Frodo named his pony Strider, a very fitting name. The spider bite sounds dreadful, and it keeps getting better and then worse. Very perplexing. Sound a bit like Elrond there. Lovely chapter, so Eowyn and Faramir are married. nothing like a wedding, except maybe babies. Author Reply: The name is from the book, for Frodo was said to name it Strider, and rode it to the Havens. I have him leaving Strider to Rosie, myself, for her own. I've seen stories in which the trothplighting was merely an engagement ceremony, and in which it was a wedding. I chose to have it a wedding, and rejoice that these two didn't have to wait longer to become husband and wife. And the babies will come in time, thank the Valar! ;-) | |
| Amy | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/1/2006 |
| Such a sweet and touching moment when "Strider" watches over the hobbits one night! Author Reply: Yes, a resumption of older roles for the moment, and the comfort of it. | |
| Radbooks | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/1/2006 |
| How terribly difficult it must have been for Faramir to go down the Silent Street and deal with the emotions of all of that. I'm sure he hadn't been back since he had almost died there and it would have been very tough emotionally on him, both because of what had happened to him and because of his father's death, of course. Tragic. Ah, yes, love is blooming between Eomer and Lothiriel and Imrahil is going along to keep watch over her. Though of course he is going for Faramir's sake too. But I imagine he should be there more for his daughter's sake than for Faramir! :) The ponies and the saddles for the hobbits sound wonderful, and I'm sure that they are small horses and not ponies. I doubt that the Rohirrim breed too many ponies, but small horses for their children would make sense. And I imagine that the saddles that they have in Rohan would be incredibly intricate and beautiful - probably much nicer than lots of other things they have. They do love their horses! :) The idea of traveling in the company of elves, hobbits, and men sounds very appealing right now (especially as the weather sounds wonderful enough that you can sleep outside instead of this rainy icky stuff we are having on my side of the state! I'd rather have it cold and clear than cloudy and blah.) Anyway, I would love to wake in the middle of the night and have a pipe-smoking ranger sitting by me! HA! But, seriously, I was glad that Frodo could find some ease for a day or two. Then the spider bite raises it's nasty head again. Is there a pattern to that? I haven't noticed one, but perhaps there is. Maybe it's stress related. I felt sorry for both Frodo and Aragorn during their conversation about the draughts and if Frodo was going to get well, etc. I could feel both of their frustration. Frodo for being tired of being sick and not geting better and having to take draughts and being a burden, etc. And Aragorn for having to deal with a patient that was not willing to do what was best for him when Aragorn knew that he was getting somewhat better and for having to take the brunt of Frodo's anger and even when Aragorn knew that it was not really directed at him, he still had to deal with it. It was all very well done, but the highlight was when Aragorn reminded Frodo that it was his choice to return. He could have left, he could have gone on, and Frodo admitting that he had stayed because he had seen Aragorn's light and wanted to find his way by it. Very moving. The trothplighting was almost as complicated as a wedding! :) Fascinating though. Wonderful chapter, the only sad thing is that I know it's drawing to a close. sniff. Happy New Year and may you have a blessed 2006! Author Reply: Yes, love is in bloom indeed. A trothplighting might be either a formal announcement of engagement or a wedding, so I've decided to make it the latter, as in our wedding we used the old wording "and I hereby plight with you my troth." I couldn't see making the two of them wait longer, although I certainly loved your engagement ceremonies in your story. Stybba was described as a pony, and so I thought of these as being described as ponies, but of a more horse-like mould than our Shetlands and so on. And I'm certain the tack for Rohirric steeds would be gorgeously intricate. On this side of the Sound we've been having windstorms, although at midnight it was clear as I went to oversee a client's donning of his C-Pap machine. Today it's been nasty, and we've had a series of power outages that didn't last long. I'd written before that the spider bite seemed to fill and drain every couple months, and this was about time. It'll continue to trouble Frodo until after he goes to Tol Eressea, I fear. But those who are chronically ill DO get to resent it, even when they try to be fair. Have seen it in too many over the years not to appreciate how the resentment grows. The story will continue through the taking of the ship, but more lightly, I think. And the motherly Nuzgul at last is happy to be dealt with. She's been getting nippy lately, I've found. | |
| Elflingimp | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/1/2006 |
| This chapter is very moving and well written I know I have not reviewed before but I admire all these chapters you have written and have kept everyone of them written with the same quality and care and detail,you truely are a great writer Oh and Happy New Year! Author Reply: Thanks so very much for the reviews you have given (this one and the other story you read). Am always glad when people report they feel that I've done a good job with detail and care, and hope I can always do so. Thanks so much for the compliments, and hope your 2006 is a good one. I'm certainly trying to keep it so. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/1/2006 |
| He smiled unconsciously, glad to have had the chance to see the renewal of this land, the beginning to Aragorn’s reign, the joy of the Tree. Lovely. What an incredibly detailed chapter of the leavetaking from Gondor and the journey to Edoras. It's as if you were part of the Company, taking notes and sharing your observations with us. Author Reply: Thanks so much for sharing what you like best in this chapter, Shirebound. I like to try to imagine how the farewells might have happened, and how the various members would have reacted. Haven't had time to read your story yet--catching up after a grueling week last week. Will try to get to it in the next few days. | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/1/2006 |
| These farewells make me so sad! Especially as far as Frodo is concerned, because I know he is the one besides the Elves who will never return. It's touching to see how much even Lasgon and the others have come to love them. And it is so frustrating to see Frodo having all the health problems. No wonder he wasn't in the best mood at times. Well, at least he was able to sing and enjoy himself again a bit, in spite of Shelob and all the other ordeals he has gone through. I'm glad Elrond and his three sons are there to help him during the way home. The way all paid their respects to Théoden was nice, and the wedding of Éowyn and Faramir simply lovely. It is very fitting Aragorn and Éomer did it together. And I loved the idea of the newlywed couple bound together during the meal, so they have to work together to eat and drink. I hope their fine garments remained unsoiled ;) A happy and healthy new year to you, my dear! Author Reply: Author Reply: Okay--I managed to post an empty reply. Am getting loopy, I think. Tolkien didn't indicate Frodo suffered from anything worse than shell shock, although PTSD sufferers will tell you it is miserable enough; and yet after what he'd been through, having been at the brink of death there on the side or Orodruin itself, that just has never seemed quite realistic. So, I tend to write him as physically failing, but doing so in such a way that few realize just how bad he is. Yet Sam did recognize Frodo was leaving permanently, but apparently expected him to retire to Rivendell rather than the Undying Lands. But chronic illness is wearing and often evokes fussiness and immense frustration. But between bouts the same person who yesterday was biting off heads today is cheerful and singing. Been there, seen it in action. I wish I could remember which culture it is that the husband and wife are literally bound together for the wedding feast so they must begin by practicing cooperation, but it is a feature in one culture I've read about. Thought it might be an interesting one to use for the Rohirrim. And glad you appreciated that Theoden received respect and honor even in Gondor. | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 1/1/2006 |
| I think that you must be psychic Larner as I spent some of the holiday enduring a similar reaction from my dearly loved Mum. With as little resolution I might add! And I am really a nosy parker! I wanted to know what, if anything Aragorn or Eomer was going to say to the happy couple. My best wishes for a happy New Year all. And go get some sleep Larner! | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 12/31/2005 |
| What a sad chapter of leavetaking. But there were some humorous touches as well--I loved the bit about the seedcakes, a sly reference to "The King's Commission". I liked also the details of how the cortege was arranged, and the respect paid to Theoden's remains. The bite from Shelob continues as a horribly distressing problem for Frodo. I am sure that Elrond and Aragorn are very perplexed about it. And I loved the end, the sight of the four hobbits, sleeping together as they had on the Quest. | |