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| The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner | 16 Review(s) |
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| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/23/2021 |
| Hi Larner, I just wanted to let you know that I've just finished reading 'Acceptable Sacrifice ' for the umpteenth time. It is not an easy read and I find that as I get older and my own health deteriorates I resonate more and more with Frodo. I also find that I see or appreciate something different each time. For example just how similar are Elrond and Frodo in their individual griefs at losing Arwen and Aragorn. Thank you so much for this and all your works. I find I also miss the heyday or Stories of Arda and Authors and reviewers sparking off one another. Hugs, Elizabeth | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 2/10/2014 |
| I've finally finished this massive epic, and I'm more impressed now by the level of detail, the effortless shifting of points of view, and the research that went into crafting it than I was the first time, having made a few attempts at something of similar scope which all fell flat. Now I want to reread The Choice of Healing, Reconciliation, Filled with Light as with Water, and, I think, Reunion? Not to mention The King's Commission, Go Out in Joy, and all of the things I've missed out on in the last few years. It may take me as much time as I've missed to catch up and revisit my favorites! There are a comparative few fanfiction stories I would love to have in a format independent of internet access and particular websites, like favorite books, and many of yours are among them. Author Reply: I am truly honored, my Lady. The cycle of this, Reconciliation, and Reunion were the three stories I truly wished to write, and it took me some time once they were written to find my muse again. Now it's time and energy that are my bugaboos. I am finding being in my sixties and having diabetes undermines my energy, and with my work being more physically challenging rather than being mostly minding others that also decreases my energy for writing. Thank you so, and hope your own writing is fulfilling and productive. | |
| Szepilona10 | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/9/2012 |
| I really love this story :). Maybe because it was the first of your stories that I read or maybe because it is so well written, either way, I enjoy rereading it and discovering new details that I missed the first times around. Ever since I was young (OK, I'm still young, but anyway :D), I've avidly read books about/written by Holocaust survivors. I'm not sure why I began reading them as a 3rd or 4th grader as most of the stories are really depressing, but they helped me to develop compassion. When I read "The Acceptable Sacrifice," I can see these stories in Frodo's. It is a story that is sad and happy at the same time, a depressing, yet hopeful ending. This is the kind of story that makes me cry, which I will admit I did while reading the last two chapters. I'm not sure if this review makes any sense at all, but at least the story does :D God Bless! ~Szepilona~ Author Reply: There wasn't much Holocaust literature available when I was a child in the fifties, so I truly became aware of the situation in the sixties as some of the testimony from the Nuremburg trials became available, and as a dramatization was made of the trial transcripts was released. I remember reading it in my high school drama class, and we discussed how we would possibly stage such a play, probably in the gymnasium as a sort of theater in the round. But it was our family visit to the Dachau concentration camp that fully sparked my interest, and I began amassing a collection of books about the camps and the manner in which inmates--Jews, Gypsies, political prisoners, those in "protective custody" (mostly family hostages of potential dissidents to the Nazi regime), ministers and priests and nuns who spoke out against Nazi atrocities, and those who were mentally deficient, ill, alcoholics, permanently disabled, and so on, as well as testimony from camp survivors. Both Frodo and Sam went through the kind of privation experienced by those who went through the camps, and all four Hobbits had to have suffered some degree of PTSD, although Frodo's was the worst, having gone through the additional emotional, intellectual, and spiritual torture offered by the Ring. Thank you so much for your comments. I am honored to know that this story has meant so much to so many. | |
| buffyaddict | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 9/13/2011 |
| well, i've spent the last hour or so weeping at my desk. i've spent the last several days reading your amazing fic. i read lotr as a child and know that i loved it (my 12 year old self named my stuffed unicorn aragorn, after all). i loved the movies as well. i spent last week rewatching them and have been on a huge quest for good lotr fic, something i've never read before. after spending some time on the mefa website, i cam across your story. and i am overwhelmed by your story. it is so beautifully written, so perfect. every character is right, especially aragorn and frodo. oh, your frodo. i love him so. i've begun reading the books again, and plan to read this fic again, once i have finished rotk. i plan to work my way through your other stories now. i see you have a new story loosely based on the wm3 case which astounds me. i am in awe, madam, or your skill and imagination. i have no proper words to tell you how much this story meant to me. i am only sad that i've already read it, i can't imagine i will find another fic this amazing, or this bright. you mentioned how frodo shone with light. so did this story. thank you. Author Reply: Thank you so, Buffyaddict. This story was indeed a work of love. After I finished it, I wrote "Reconciliation" and then "Reunion," both of which are considerably shorter than this one but which complete the stories of those who loved Frodo, and Frodo and Sam's reunion after Rosie's death. Actually, almost all of my stories, long and short, are written within the same "universe" and all are written to fit together. I do have some AU ("alternate universe") stories as well, and a few short crossovers, most intended to be humorous but a couple which are more serious. I do a lot of writing any more, so you'll find a I have a number of collections of short stories, mostly gapfillers, as well as the novel-length tales. "Murder Most Foul" should be posted in its entirety by the end of the week. I've been following the WM3 case for many years now, and that I should finish posting it and the author's notes on the Many Paths to Tread archive just as Jessie, Jason, and Damien were released was totally coincidental--or perhaps it was, as Dreamflower suggested, "meant to be." You might also like my other epic, "The King's Commission," which was I think the fourth novel-length story I wrote. As for naming things after the characters in the books--when my dog had puppies when I was fifteen, one was named Thorongil and the other Estel. Guess who I've loved since I first read the books back when I was in my early teens? I was thirteen when I started reading The Lord of the Rings, and finished it just before my fourteenth birthday! | |
| Lúmë | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 6/11/2008 |
| I must be the last of your fans to read this one. I must admit, the subject daunted me and I read your stories above and below, always thinking, yes, one day I will read it. And now I have. And it was moving and uplifting and yet every bit as gruelling as I thought it would be, following Frodo on his continuing journey. I formatted it to read on my Palm handheld (it being easier to snatch a page now and then on the Palm) ... did you know that this story (including Author's Notes) has 4999 Palm pages? That's a huge tome :) ('The King's Commission' by the way, has 3512 Palm pages.) In any case, as always I am astounded by the detail you manage to include in your stories. Your stories read like I'm watching them on the big screen. And I can turn my attention away from the action for a bit and look around and see all the little bits of life just happening on the edges, as it always is. Wonderful experience to read a story like that, and I thank you! Author Reply: I am honored you have read it at last, Lume. This combined two different stories that had worked at me for some time, and so it ended up much longer than I'd expected it to be. In my old version of Microsoft Works I write under it runs 766 pages in 12 point Barbedor T font. One page short of 5000 pages on your Palm, eh? That's overwhelming! I am so glad you appreciate the level of detail, and that you feel you are actually seeing it unfold before you. That is how I feel as I write, as if I'm describing what I'm seeing and hearing and experiencing, looking through the senses of the characters. And it's always wonderful for me to explore how children perceive what's happening around them as I write. Thank you again for the feedback, and I'm so glad you braved the grief and pain to find the Light along the way. I like to think that this was what Frodo himself found. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/25/2006 |
| Lovely. I still have absolutely no time for reading, much less writing, at least not without robbing myself of sleep, but checking my email I saw a new story of Citrine's that led me to SoA that led me to your new story that led me here... It is past my bedtime and my eyes are burning, but I wanted to finish this even if I had to read quickly, without time for thoughtful comments. And still I have not finished this, but am a few chapters closer than I was. Fascinating, well-woven, obviously deeply thought-out. I love your characters, especially Ferdi, with his perceptiveness, and Bard, and the way you write Aragorn, and (I am sorry but the name evades me, am very tired) the "lawyer" (obviously much better respected in the Shire than in our culture!), and it brings a smile to see mention of Budgie and Viola, and Freddy editing the writing, and his written praise of Frodo. And the author's notes are very helpful, explaining your take on the role of PTSD. I too have seen Dachau, and afterwards read much on the Holocaust as a result. Amazing how such things can haunt us, though we have heard only echoes of the past. But I must close now, and seek my bed, for though tomorrow is Saturday, many obligations hover, and morning will come earlier than I'd wish it. I hope that this finds you better, and that the stress is not so great, but in any event will be sending good thoughts your way. Author Reply: Well, you know that my version of post-quest Freddy was inspired by how you wrote him in "The Rebel" and "A Small and Passing Thing," and that Budgie and Viola moved into my version of Middle Earth, although they do start diverging from yours in time. I remember discussing your visit to Dachau when we met last. My personal library on Holocaust survivors, both Jewish and Goyim, is pretty extensive by now. What the Nazis willingly did to so many is nearly unbelievable, and yet such atrocities still continue in this "enlightened" age. That their experiences should end up being woven into my stories is as inevitable as the presence of caddis fly larvae and woolly bear caterpillars, I suppose. And am so glad you appreciate my versions of Bard, Ferdi, and Brendilac Brandybuck. I think that for most folk, a lawyer in the family in the Shire would be a mark of great respectability, unlike how it often is today. The stresses are beginning to abate, but the tide is still rolling out. Hopefully it will stay out for a LONG time, considering how long it was in. Rest well, and thanks so much for the feedback and letting me know you've continued reading. I'd never planned to see this one go so long. | |
| grumpy | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/18/2006 |
| Dear Larner, Just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed this story. It was great and so very well written, I thought I was there. Poor Frodo, he went though so much, nice to know he is on his way to recovering. Once again thank you for the great read. Author Reply: And thank you, Grumpy, for following it so faithfully. That you found it took you into it is reassuring that I'm able to project the moods I intended. Thank you so very much for all the feedback. | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/16/2006 |
| That was interesting. Some of it I knew already, but mostly from various replys to reviews, and so it was good to have it summarized and expanded here. It’s always intriguing to know more about the thoughts behind a story. I remember when I’d read the books for the first time I was rather surprised that Frodo sailed, as Tolkien told very little about the effects the Quest had on him. At Cormallen he seemed a bit bewildered, but not much more, and later he was maybe a bit quiet and withdrawn, but we didn’t get to see much of the trauma he ought to have if one thinks about it. And as much as I’d loved to have Frodo healthy and happy staying in the Shire, as long as you stick to Canon he had to sail West, and you’ve given a wonderful explanation about the ‚why’ and filled so many gaps. Thank you for sharing this great story and for the frequent updates in spite of the immense length of this tale! As always, I look forward to what you’ll post next! Author Reply: I'm glad you appreciate the summarization. I do try to use a lot of reality in my stories, and this is part of the draw of Fan-Fiction--seeing how our "What ifs...?" might work out. If Frodo himself was the writer of "The Lord of the Rings" and he was a typical PTSD victim and was minimizing his own pain and hiding it from others, he would probably have written it just as it was written, only hinting at the moments of worst discomfort. I'm so glad so many feel I managed to fill in gaps so well. It is a distinct honor, I must say. Thank you for all you're feedback. Now it's done, I've been reading the original once more--just one last time to see how it strikes me. Then Primsong's stories, I think, and work on a few of the plotbunnies and look at getting the Nuzgul OUT of the jewelry box! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/16/2006 |
| Thank you for a lovely long story, Larner. I hope lots of plot bunnies are hopping round your lawn to tempt more tales out of you! Author Reply: Help! The plot bunnies are breeding here, and I don't know that I'll be able to keep them contained that much longer! It may be a week before I post a short story or two. Have to deal a bit with real life, which as you know isn't the most easy thing to face. | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/14/2006 |
| Wow! That was very detailed and it showed once again how much work it cost to write such a story. Tolkien’s description of what Frodo and Sam experienced after their awakening is remarkably sketchy and even rather unbelievable I totally agree! I'm re-reading "The Lord of the Rings" right now and it was only yesterday that I came to the awakening in Ithilien and the feast. It may be very well possible that it was the influence of your story (and others about that time), but I was rather surprised to see Frodo and Sam up and about in no time. I have never believed that Frodo left Middle Earth because of spiritual distress alone. I thought of it as a combination of physical and mental pain. And the mental pain produced additional physical pain, and vice versa - a vicious circle with no escape, not in Middle Earth. Regarding "the voice", my conclusion is that it is indeed the voice of a parent :) Thank you again, Larner, for this wonderful story and for the creation of OC's like Brendi, Narcissa and Mina! I've come to love them all. Author Reply: Well, one certainly can't question that the description is both sketchy and simplistic. But then at the time Tolkien reached this part in the story to focus specifically on how the waking Hobbits would react at the feast and focusing on proper medical treatment for their physical condition would be inappropriate. I had no specific thoughts beyond the obvious shell shock and the likelihood of mental, spiritual, and emotional distress Frodo must have felt as long-term results of the damage the Ring had inflicted on him when I first read LOTR when I was 13-14. I did recognize Frodo NEEDED to go wherever the great Elves were retreating to to find the healing he needed for that distress, however--if the Enemy's Ring was so powerful, its influence would need more than mortal means to fight. It was some years, I'll admit, before I truly understood the basis for Elvenhome and why the Elves would leave Middle Earth to go there. It wasn't till I read the Silmarillion when I was in my thirties I truly understood what the Valar were and why Numenor sank beneath the sea. Glad you are satisfied with your identification of the Voice as a parent (or Parent?). And am so glad that my OCs of Brendi, Narcissa, and Mina (and, of course, Ruvemir and Hardorn) have all been so gladly accepted. Thank you so much for following the story through and offering so much feedback. It keeps me writing. | |