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| With Hope and Without Hope by docmon | 4 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Naledi | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 8/26/2008 |
| It's good to see Aragorn well on the road to recovery. He handled his encounter with Saruman very well. I liked the way that he simply refused to believe that Gandalf was there until Theoden confirmed that yes, he was actually in the room with them. It really pointed up how Aragorn feels unable to believe his senses after Saruman has messed around with his mind so much. Author Reply: Yes, you and many others are rather relieved to see Aragorn on the mend. I suppose I took it to the limit with him, hm? But if I did, there had to be consequences, and one of them was his doubting of his own mind. I'm trying to put him back together now, I promise! Thanks for writing! | |
| Cairistiona | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 8/26/2008 |
| Ah, wonderful to have Strider back, and in a reckless mood at that! I really like how you worked in, very quietly, his reverence for the Valar, in that small thought that maybe he might be breaking some rule by touching a wizard's staff. That was a nice touch. I like all of this chapter, actually ... from the way Aragorn felt the mire starting to entrap him again to the final smile at Gandalf. Well done! Author Reply: Thank you, Cairistiona! Yes, Strider's back - well, mostly. Reckless, yes, so not entirely himself. I'm glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for writing! | |
| Thundera Tiger | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 8/25/2008 |
| Hey Docmon! Ba-bye, Saruman! Ah, I like this chapter. I've got a thing for snappy dialogs, and this chapter has some doozies. The give-and-take of conversation is fast and witty, and you can see it ebb and flow. There's a real power to it, and the funny thing is that it seems to take the form of an action sequence. You claim that you're still honing your skills in writing those, but really, all you have to do is look at your conversations and you've got it. One thrusts, another parries, still another decides to hide behind a verbal shield for a while, someone else feints, there's a bit of a scuffle, then everybody regroups and tries again. Anyway, Aragorn and Theoden are my two favorites in this chapter, and I think a big part of that is just how much their characters evolve over such a short time period. Saruman is kind of already on his way out, and Gandalf is always Gandalf, but that's not the case with either Aragorn of Theoden. You start them off low, and though neither has fully recovered by the chapter's end, they've nevertheless made huge strides (pun partially intended). It's great to see them grow and shake off their enthrallment, especially in Aragorn's confrontation with Saruman on the stairs. Go future King of Gondor! And go Docmon! Awesome new chapter! Author Reply: LOL! Ba-bye indeed! Though not easy, it was rather fun to write this section. Although parts of the dialogue went through enormous change under infinite rewrites, there are parts that go all the way back to the original draft. It's gratifying to see that, despite the many evolutions, many of my original ideas survived! Those character evolutions needed a bit more care to develop, but they're also some of the most important to me. If they work so well, like the rest of this chapter, it's due to your help! Thanks! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 8/25/2008 |
| One by one--and Saruman has betrayed himself at last. Fool. Author Reply: Yes, he certainly has. They always do when they run their mouth on like that, don't they? ;-) Thanks for writing! | |