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A Matter of Appearances by Lindelea	7 Review(s)
demeter d	Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 8/25/2006
Good, the brawny man is now in Hobbit clutches. Poor Pippin. the wait until the next chapter will be hardest of all on him. Interesting how the ruffian refers to the "coward" who spared his own miserable hide in the Battle of Bywater.there are, indeed, many kinds of courage, and you are dealing with many of them very well here.

MaidenofValinor	Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 8/24/2006
Aw, such a sweet scene between Ferdi and Nell. And prospects are looking brighter for Farry, as well. YAY! Glad to know the young ruffian has a heart. But, oh, Pippin!! I can't imagine what it would be like to get something as horrible as that package!! Oh, I just want to rush in and tell Pippin that everything's okay. :( Sorry I haven't reviewed more; I'm trying to catch up on all these chapters!! This one was so exciting I had to tell you!! You're amazing. This is wonderfully juicy.

Pearl Took	Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 8/21/2006
This was excellent!! "the nearly departed hobbit" - nice play off of 'dearly departed' "the unburial feast" - like an 'unbirthday' party "he gave a wail, an eerie, keening sound, flinging the handkerchief and its grisly burden down. The brawny man had never seen this side of it before. He’d never seen a father receive word of his son. He’d left off plenty of tokens in his day, true, but he’d never waited to see the result . . . ‘No,’ he said brokenly, and taking the bag from Merry, he gently laid the grisly bundle to rest once more, pulling the drawstring tight, tying a knot, thrusting the whole under his jacket, to rest beside his heart. ‘No,’ he repeated. ‘We’ll collect all that’s to be found, and bury him, as much of him, as they’ve left us... and may his dreams be peaceful ones. I can only hope...’ And then he straightened his shoulders, recalled to the present moment, and lifted his head. And the brawny man had never known such fear, ever before, in all his life." "Laugh, you, he thought coldly, much too coldly for one of his tender years. We’ll see who has the last laugh." MEWD!! A powerful, powerful chapter, even the lighthearted begining has power to it. MEWD!! Author Reply: Yikes! Thanks! And today's chapter was extremely difficult, but things will improve. Promise.

storyfish	Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 8/21/2006
Oh. Oh wow. For the longest time I just sat staring at this blank review form, stunned into silence. I think my heart's left me for someplace safer, because it's nearly been broken by these scenes.... Poor Pip. Poor Farry. Thank God they got Ferdi out of the grave, because if they'd started burying him again, I don't think I could have stood the anguish of all this. And I don't know what's worse, Farry still in the ruffians' hands, Pippin's wail at the sight of what was in the handkerchief, or the way these ruffians have turned the usual light-heartedness of these hobbits into cold rage. I shivered when I read the last line: Laugh, you, he thought coldly, much too coldly for one of his tender years. We’ll see who has the last laugh. Of course, I'm pretty mad myself...how dare the brawny ruffian call Frodo cowardly for saving his life!!! Grrrr, I hope he gets what's coming to him.... But kudos for seeing this through--it's a marvelous, chilling, breath-stopping read! I hope you've been filling yourself with lots of daisies and puppies when you're not writing this tale...it must be like immersing yourself in darkness for a few hours a day... Author Reply: Oh, I know, the story had to flow so that some of the angst was relieved even as the main burden continued. Otherwise I couldn't have stood it either. And Pippin's "walking wounded" at the moment, and in need of healing, but there are a few more chapters to come. The brawny man is going to find a bit of the coward in himself, soon, I suspect. And he might just understand Frodo a little better, soon, too. Daisies and puppies sound lovely. Blackberries and sunshine are almost as nice.

FantasyFan	Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 8/21/2006
OK, I made it through. Thank you for not being more graphic. I think my imagination was worse than what you actually wrote. Although there isn't much that bothers me, I was having trouble with this, probably because it is a child. I think of both the bright promise of my own sons, and memories of my own childhood traumas, and this is unusually difficult for me. How predictable for this ruffian to not understand the quality of mercy, or the one who offered it. He saw only weakness in Frodo at the Battle of Bywater, and so he has wasted the second chance that Frodo offered him in his mercy. He was given his life, and this is what he has made of it. In the previous chapter, it was made very clear that they have lost all sense of humanity, and see the value of their victims not as living, breathing persons with families that love them, but only as the gold those families can provide. This is the first time he's thought of what a father might go through, receiving tokens of his son, and a little of it does penetrate, to my surprise. But he has come to it too late, and after doing too much, and with the wrong person. There's no Frodo here to restrain Pippin, and I wonder if some things aren't unforgivable anyway. Pippin has never been a hard person, never cruel or arbitrary or unyielding. But he has made hard decisions before, and in his growth into leadership I think he understands much about justice. I expect the ruffian is right to fear, and that he will receive what he deserves, at the hands of the king's soldiers if not at Pippin's own. But Pippin is a king's soldier too, and although no hobbit has ever killed another on purpose, no hobbit has ever done anything like this either. A man's justice must be excuted, for surely too many other lives would be put at risk to offer a third chance. And as he recognizes too late, these leaders are not your typical hobbits. The one I worry about is Farry. It is inevitable that he will lose much of his innocence over this, and he has had too many burdens already in his young life. He has already come to the same conclusion that I expect Pippin to, that these ruffians do deserve swift and definitive punishment. But he's so young for that cold laughter. He's the future of the Shire, and he can't afford to lose the capacity for mercy, or go back to the insular ways of the past. Ferdi's ill treatment at the hands of ruffians soured him on all Men for a long time. Farry has had experiences of good men - will that be enough? He can't be unaffected by all this: I don't want him to end up either bitter and cold, or wounded and afraid. (And it seems Ferdi will get his second chance too, and a much happier one. Or is it his third chance? Fourth chance? Sometimes mercy is unending, and that is a much more hopeful thought to end on.) Author Reply: Well, Farry and Pippin both are in need of healing at the moment. Stay tuned for further developments. You're right about Pippin, not being hard, cruel or arbitrary, but he is certainly impulsive. It probably took a great deal of self-control on his part, in chapter 29, to keep himself from wreaking revenge on the ruffian then-and-there. Oh, yes, the ruffian ought to be very afraid. And welcome to it.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 8/21/2006
I'm so happy for Nell and Ferdi now; at least the worst of his ordeal is over, and Nell can be glad they'd not named their daughter yet, for what hobbit could die with that sort of unfinished business to tend to? Ah, Pippin and Merry! I was so hoping a look at the eyes would reveal that those could not have been Farry's eyes, but that was too much to hope for, that they could bring themselves to examine the gory tokens that closely. Poor Pippin! And I am ever so glad that the brawny ruffian is afraid--be afraid, yes, be very afraid. I'd like to see him groveling with Trollsbane at his throat! And it shouldn't be long before the Fat on and Red get blown to kingdom come. Though it's a shame to waste good black powder on them... Author Reply: Yes, unfinished business! Wonder what they'll name the babe? I am glad that even the brawny man did not examine the eyes and tongue too closely... And chapter 29 has been posted. Your least wish is my greatest desire. (And I want to finish this thing so that I can start typing in your belated birthday present, some time before your next birthday rolls around, anyhow!)

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 8/21/2006
I myself feel the flash and bang and sudden realization of the mistake made--if there's time--perhaps might be too good for Red and the Fat Man. So glad there is a core of unbreached decency in the young one, and that the Brawny Man was at last caught. Now, if Pippin would allow an examination of the eyes he'd realize those can't be those of his son. And the Brawny Man is at last seeing the results of his actions, is beginning to appreciate what they do to folk. And to see Frodo characterized as "cowardly" makes me ANGRY! Oh, Man, you have no idea of what true courage is, much less what comprises compassion. And Bagginses, you must realize, have an extraordinarily strong core of compassion. Author Reply: Definitely too good for them. The quick drop and jerk at the end of a rope, that's too good for them too. What would a suitable punishment be? Pippin has an inkling, I think. I think the brawny man is wishing, at the moment, that he were dealing with a Baggins...

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