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| Droplets by perelleth | 6 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/2/2008 |
| You ferreted out some nice nuances and depth from the steward's new 'law' and how the men might have seen it - and what burden Faramir took upon himself in laying the use of it on his own back. We realize anew what risk he took in letting Sam and Frodo go. I like how you worked in his own loyalty to his father, and the knowledge that things had indeed changed, that his father had not always been like this. And of course, wrapping this up with the finding of the horn... sigh. Poor Faramir. Poor Denethor. Poor Boromir. Proud, strong, valiant men, all. Author Reply: Thank-you, Nilmandra! I was trying to show good Denethor, and think that through Faramir's eyes, who would have difficulties finding the good in a father so much changed, it would be doubly worthy of both of them... A sad lot, for all of them, absolutely... | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/1/2008 |
| Thank you so much, Perelleth! This is such a layered and complex portrayal of Faramir - Captain, son, and brother. The Captain is so vivid, creaking in his boiled leather and attuned to his men's morale. Faramir the son, confronted with a father who has changed beyond his capability to understand. I loved the brief glimpses of his memories of better times, his enduring love for his father. And Faramir the brother, whose heart is about to be broken. This was just lovely, Perelleth. Like all your stories, it is subtle and full of meaning and wonder at existence and our part in it. This was a wonderful gift. Author Reply: I'm glad that you liked it! I know the Arnor Rangers are your favourite corps, but I was aiming here at finding some good in Denethor...though quite obliquely, I suppose. I think that Faramir's qualities, despite all, are a testament to the good man that the Steward too was... and I somehow wanted to find a moment in which the son, away from the father's moods, was capable of seeing it. Denethor deserves some acknowledgement, I feel! Thanks to you for reading. | |
| Redheredh | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/1/2008 |
| Oh wow, what an ending! The build-up to that phrase "...and recognized him" was well done. But, stopping it right there, right like that! Brilliant! These could have been two distinct vignettes, but you tied them together beautifully as being illustrative of Faramir's struggle with his father's struggle. Loved the paralleling/duality throughout! Very Tolkien! Great soldier story besides! Nice details! Thanks for sharing it, and Happy Birthday to Meckinock!! Author Reply: LOLOL! Thank-you very much! I indeed had the feeling that the two pieces were quite lame, both as stand-alones and together...but the book was the reason for the link and I'm glad that in the end it worked. THat moment by the river always looked so full of magic to me! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/1/2008 |
| A sweet vignette, with good extrapolation of Faramir's thought processes and interaction with his men. I can see how the Steward's decree to slay all strangers found in Ithilien without his leave would trouble Faramir; and how fortunate for Middle-earth that he did not follow that decree when he found the hobbits and Gollum. Denethor's behavior must have troubled Faramir greatly, since Faramir would have been observant enough to see that Denethor was ageing at an unusual rate. I believe that Faramir was not a saint, that he loved his father, but did not just take all the pressure and coldness and arbitrariness without at least some flickers of resentment, resentment that he controlled most of the time; one has the impression during Faramir's confrontations with Denethor in ROTK that Faramir is keeping himself on a short leash and figuratively walking the line between himself and his father on tenterhooks. Yet Faramir's natural instinct is to compassion; and that is well developed in this story. Nicely done! Author Reply: Thank-you, Raksha, I'm glad it pleased you, since I know you are a fan of the Stweard's family! I totally agree with your reasoning. And I would add that it is proof of Faramir's upbringing that he managed to hold himself short before his father, whom he was still capable of seeing as worth of resepct, despite all. Sad moments, indeed. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/1/2008 |
| I really liked the way Faramir struggles to remember and love the man his father has always been, even as that man is lost in his struggles. And his sense of the land as still worth loving is touching. But the moment when he thinks he sees Boromir dead sent a shiver down my spine. Tolkien was so good at that kind of thing. Author Reply: Thank-you, Daw! I had the feeling that how the thing reached that ending was a bit lame, but there was nothing that I could add after that impressive point... | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/1/2008 |
| Faramir sees how the uncertainty and too much meditation on the ways of the Enemy have changed his father from what he'd once been. He wonders about his father's activities in the high tower room, and resents the new directive to slay all strangers found walking through the land. I rejoice they all resent that directive, and shudder at what might have been. And then he sees his brother's funeral boat.... Author Reply: Thank-you LArner... you summed it all up so well... thankfully Faramir ahd the presence of mind to use his own judgement, and so Middle-earth was saved! | |