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| Stirrings of Shadow by Fiondil | 5 Review(s) |
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| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 9/7/2007 |
| I'm getting nervous about what Thengel is going to do to his vicious mother. I enjoyed Aragorn's Quenya lesson to young Theoden. Will we ever learn the identity of the man who gave his life trying to protect Theoden? Update soon! Author Reply: Whatever Thengel plans for his mother I'm sure will be well deserved. There are of course limits to what he actually can do to her, but hopefully he will be able to punish her in a suitable manner to satisfy justice. I do not know if we will ever learn the identity of Théoden's protector. Some times such knowledge is never given. | |
| Mysterious Jedi | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 9/7/2007 |
| Excellent story. I love the mix of drama and humor. I also enjoy seeing the languages that you integrate into your stories and their translations. I think the best part, however, is the characterization. I already liked Aragorn, but you've made me like obscure characters and OCs as well. Good job. I look forward to reading more. Author Reply: Thanks Jedi, I really appreciate your review. I try hard to make minor canon characters and OCs as real and three-dimensional as the major canon characters we all know and love. And since I love the languages of Middle-earth, especially the Elvish languages, I just can't help putting them in my stories when appropriate. I studied Old English at university (in England, no less), so being able to use that knowledge with this story has been a lot of fun, too. | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 9/6/2007 |
| Another gripping chapter. I loved the way Aragorn cared for young Theoden and shared his memories. This is a wonderful story, better than many published novels I have paid for. You deserve far more reviews as I know many people are enjoying it. Author Reply: Thanks, Linda. I really appreciate your comments. I think it's important for older people to share their memories with younger people who sometimes (well, almost always) think their situations are unique and that no one can understand how they feel. Having an older person describe a similar situation and how they reacted to it helps to put things in perspective for the younger person who often has no other guidelines but their own subjective views. I'm just grateful that anyone bothers to read my stories. Getting a review is merely a bonus. | |
| Agape4Gondor | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 9/6/2007 |
| Great chapter, as always. I loved Theoden's protest of Thengel's inopportune kiss. The fact that Hildebrand was named First Marshal was neat - it's a shame Theoden did not remember his father's wisdom and give Theodred or Eomer or even Erkenbrand First Marshal duties. Instead, Rohan was weakened. It was a terrible blow to hear that Theoden's grandmother was so hideous to her own grandson. I can hardly take it in. Someone should skewer her!!! Thengel was right to put his trust in Thorongil, but hadn't the man proved that he could be trusted by the way he had taken care of the Queen... and yet, no one except Thorongil had told Thengel about the Queen... so perhaps it was instinct that had him put Theoden in Thorongil's care? It absolutely broke my heart that Theoden watched the bad men kill his protector... and that the child was distraught because he did not know his guardian's name... Very sad indeed. I hope they do find out who he was and give him (and his family) the accolade due him!) Thanks for another great chapter. Author Reply: Hi Agape! Yes, it is tragic that Théoden was forced to watch his protector be killed and not know his name. It's unlikely, though not improbable, that anyone will learn who this man was and so a family will be left wondering what has happened to one of their members. But such is the way of things in this or any other world. Théoden, unfortunately, fell under the machinactions of Saruman early on, though he was unaware of them until Gandalf and Aragorn rescued him. Rohan's weakness did not occur overnight and we see the seed of that weakening here. I think Thengel put his trust in Thorongil because he wasn't Rohirric. He was unsure at this point whom he could safely entrust his son and heir. Thorongil, as an outsider, had no stake in what was going on, though he had pledged his support to Thengel in taking service with him. Plus, Thengel's instincts about such things is sound. Eólind's treatment of her own grandson, of course, points out the difference between mother and son: she sees everyone else as a "commodity" to be used or thrown away as the situation requires. Thengel sees everyone as an asset, something to be treasured for it's own sake. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 9/6/2007 |
| The loss of the unknown Dunedan would indeed be a matter of grief. Alas, that so young a boy as Theoden must already see treachery, murder, and battle, but such was the family in which they lived. Author Reply: Most of our heroes, if we just think about it, are unknown and unsung. They do courageous things everyday and no one notices or even knows who they are. Whoever the man was, all we will ever know about him is that he tried to protect a young boy. That he failed is of no consequence, that he tried is. And unfortunately, given the times and circumstances, young children like Théoden are often forced to grow up sooner than we we would like. I have no dobut that the events of his childhood directly impacted his reactions as an adult. | |