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| Light from the West by Armariel | 4 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/17/2006 |
| The rest of the story is very much Regency humor in feel; but the short story Balm is true poetry, and very beautiful--well worthy for inclusion with the Master's works, I think. And even if there was no balm, Frodo is right--there WAS Sam, and the pure love of one for another that Sam represented. This is the pearl hidden within this story. Author Reply: Oh gracious *blushing* thank YOU! A pearl, well! I think I mentioned to someone else about the concept of including elements in a story that were true in spirit even if they were not literally true, a technique I borrowed from Tim O'Brien. So the balm may not be literally true, but it symbolized the pure love that sustained him, so it was true in spirit. And I thought, well, maybe Frodo invented the prose-poem, as well as metafiction! Why not? Regency humor?? Hmmmmm...! Not even sure what that is, exactly;) I rather thought of the hobbits as being a trifle Victorian, maybe more than a trifle--complete with plum-puddings, flowing-bowls, umbrellas, pocket-watches, and the rest of it. At least, in the Shire and Bree. Then things begin to happen, and they are propelled into a long-vanished past! ~~~{~@ | |
| Antane | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 6/6/2006 |
| What a loving, heartbreaking tribute here! "Not to the being who is trying with all his small might to keep more pieces from falling, to keep what is left moving along, tearing pieces from himself to patch it." Yes, even if there was no balm rubbed in, there was still balm indeed, the love of a friend, the touch of his hand, the sound of his voice. Sam was the best balm to that troubled soul, still is. I imagine that when Frodo is claimed by the Ring at the fire and he gives Sam that wicked grin, that's, of course, the Ring smiling, taunting Sam saying basically the same thing Frodo heard the Ring say in this rememberance - He's mine, I know you've done everything to keep him from being claimed, but he's mine, and there's nothing you can do about it. Like that first paragraph too! :) I don't know when Sam and Rosie first met, but I imagine he was growing up loving the both sides of his heart, one right alongside the other, giving himself to both. Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: Ah yes. There was no balm except Love, but that was enough, at least to put Evil out of commission for a long while! Unfortunately, human love will only go so far, no matter how great, it can't do all. Still, without it, there is no stairway to the Divine. Somehow I thought that first bit might go over well;);) hugs Armariel~~~{~@ | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 6/6/2006 |
| Oh, I love this chapter! “Ha! That’s the sort of thing you thrive on,” I said grinning. “Anyone who likes to juggle burning sticks while dancing on a rolling barrel can’t be so averse to taking risks." LOL! I have to say, Galendur is a bit...out of the ordinary for Elven-kind, but I do like him! Burning sticks, is it? *tsk tsk* doesn't sound very wise at all. LOL! You cannot escape Me, it says. You cannot destroy Me. You are a fool if you think any balm will erase the marks I will put on you. I will enter you as a devouring worm and live inside of you for all your days. You will have no rest, no rest. You are mine. In My image I have made you. You cannot escape Me. I am the hands of the orcs when they touched you, tore the patches from you and tossed them to the wind, they are My slaves and so you shall be. I have only begun to take you apart, and no adoring wretch of a servant can put you together again. You are Mine. And I have only begun to show you. You will scream to die before I am done with you. Did you really think you could destroy Me? I was born before your kind walked the earth. I will be when your kind are no more. And you will love Me and call Me your own even as I violate and kick you into the dust, you pathetic little heap of ugliness. Defy Me if you will, I own you, and you cannot escape, cannot escape...there is no life in the Void.... And then you get me from laughing to crying. Oh, I hate that Ring! How terribly cruel! Maybe not a poem exactly, but it reads like poetry. Yes, I can see what you're saying about Rosie. And yes, we all have those moods where we think someone is coming between us and those we hold most dear. Still, I'm glad Frodo realised it wasn't really so. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: So glad you like it Dearie! No, I suppose juggling flaming sticks isn't such a great idea..."Don't try this at home, kids!";);) But I just get a wee bit tired of nothing but wise, ethereal, all-knowing, near-perfect Elves all the time and want one who's a bit wild and wacky to keep things from getting too stodgy over in that paradise...and of course he's a very YOUNG Elf--I never established his exact age, but conceived him as the equivalent of a young man in his mid-twenties, and half mortal at that, and so he could get by with a bit of craziness, surely! Not a poem exactly, but it could be called a prose-poem...some would say "poetic prose" but that sounds a bit too, well, prosy, to me. This chapter being basically about memory, Frodo is essentially inventing stream-of-consciousness, which could be a form of poetry, and he has to evoke the specter of evil in order to exorcise it. Not an easy thing to do, surely. But hopefully he can accomplish it through his writing. Thanks bunches for the FB! hugs Armariel~~~{~@ | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 6/6/2006 |
| A powerful memory - no less so for being expressed in prose. Sam's balm, though. I think his presence was all the balm Frodo had. Was it really Rûdharanion trying to poke around in Frodo's head? Very bad manners of whoever it was! Good thing he was warned about it. Author Reply: Yes...I think I was drawing on a technique practiced by Tim O'Brien in his Vietnam stories, "meta-fiction", explaining how a story came to be written, even admitting to certain falsehoods, which may be essentially true in the context of the story. The balm being no more than a symbol of Love, so that the addition of it was basically true even if it were literally false. Well, yes, I dare say it was Rûdharanion...and yes, tacky of him! Although there are those who might call it blatant theft, perhaps bordering on rape. But surely he's sorry now and won't try it again, ahem....And we writers are all spies and eavesdroppers anyway, snagging people's memories without their permission and hopefully putting them to good use! ~~~{~@ | |