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| With Hope and Without Hope by docmon | 6 Review(s) |
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| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 9/25/2008 |
| I love your heroic Eowyn. It is great to see Gandalf defeat one of those evil Nazgul! Author Reply: Thanks, Linda! I'm glad to hear it. I haven't written Eowyn before, so I was a bit worried about this first try. And aren't we all glad Gandalf came back rested from his Caribbean vacation! ;-) Writing a fight scene was a... learning experience. Hopefully the next one will be better. Thanks for writing! | |
| Cairistiona | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/26/2008 |
| Wow. Go, Gandalf! The battle sequence was electrifying ... and wryly funny at the same time with Gandalf's wish that the Nazgul would stop screeching, as though it were merely annoying like fingernails on a chalkboard. And poor Legolas, hating to admit he's hungry. I guess he didn't want to seem like the Hobbits had rubbed off on him. ;) Excellent chapter. Author Reply: So glad you liked that scene! It was not the easiest for me. I did try to keep Gandalf in character, and that meant keeping up the grumpy complaining he so likes to do. Just like Legolas would try to keep his pride and dignity, as any elf would do, no matter what's befallen him. Thanks for writing! | |
| Ithilien | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/20/2008 |
| Hello again! Forgive me for missing the last chapter -- RL travels have kept me from the computer. It looks like you are trying to unite the Fellowship again, at least our bedraggled friends on this side of the Anduin. I wonder how long before Eowyn reveals those she is keeping in the dungeons to poor Legolas. And I wonder too if, once reunited, he can forgive himself for what he considers his betrayal. He needs a dwarf to cuff him once and remind him he was about to be eaten alive. I can almost hear Gimli saying, "That is a very reasonable excuse for flight." I have to admit Legolas' gloom unnerves me. He is not a very pleasant person to be around right now, and aside from the beauty he finds in Eowyn's hair (how funny is that!), he's not much like his old self at the moment. I'm fretful also about his hand. No one seems to be eager to try and fix it. Will it mend on its own given time? Legolas makes it sound so, but from the way it was described I would think it permanently mutilated. (I would have thought Eowyn would at least take a peak at it.) Not to be critical of her -- Eowyn has shown her strength numerous times over in these last two chapters -- but shouldn't Gimli be getting a look over too on the medical side of things? He wasn't much better off than Legolas when he escaped and he and Merry have been on the run ever since. I'm sure he's in need of more than food and water. Hooray though that Strider is back among his own, and just the few minutes he has been with them seem to be revitalizing him. I'm hoping Eowyn can keep him away from Saruman long enough the he can completely regain his wits. Now where is Eomer? Gandalf, of course is the true hero in this last chapter. He is apparently not cowed in the least by the Nazgul while all others quail. White really suits him as a color. Now does he have the power to defeat Saruman. He did in the un-AU version of the story, so I'm thinking yes here too. Still, I wouldn't put it past Saruman to resort to nasty tricks in order to stay his hand. Here's hoping Gandalf is craftier than the former white wizard. Looking forward to more! Author Reply: Thanks for the review, Ithilien! It's always great to hear from you. Slowly, slowly, they are coming together. And you are observant, but that's all I will say on that! But I must make mention of the fact that Eowyn has no reason to know of any connection between Legolas and those in the dungeons. She only knows that Legolas was prisoner of Orcs. Neither Gandalf nor Legolas has said more than that. But do have patience! There is so much more to come! I know Legolas's mood is not what we're accustomed to seeing from him, but I couldn't brush off all that he'd been through and bring him back to his usual self. It felt as if it would be ignoring all the past, you know, the whole almost-eaten-by-orcs thing, for instance. ;-) You raise a good point with Eowyn and Gimli. Part of your question actually will be addressed later. But now I wish I had made some mention here, if only to address such a question, for the time being at least. I love your characterization of Gandalf: "White really suits him as a color." Love it! | |
| Thundera Tiger | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/19/2008 |
| I said it a while ago, but I need to say it again: I love your Nazgul characterization. The creature is obsessive compulsive. Once it sets its mind to something, it won't back down. And I think that's a perfect characterization. These things are extensions of Sauron's will, which means they're going to be fixated upon their objectives with minimal wiggle room for other cares and concerns. So when Gandalf waltzes in on Saruman and his guest, the Nazgul keeps going with the same old argument. And even in battle, there's an intensity to him that speaks of that same obsessiveness. Gandalf, on the other hand, is flexible and adapts to the changing situation. Great action sequence, by the way, and I love how the victory seems hollow to him in the end because he knows he's still got to deal with Saruman. Working backward to the first part of this chapter, I really enjoyed the awkwardness between Legolas and Eowyn. Some of that awkwardness was broken by the shared feeling of darkness over all of Edoras, and I love how that permeated the section. But in spite of it, Legolas seems to be on the mend. He's a little more lively than we've seen him lately, and that feels good. He hasn't been reunited with the rest of the Fellowship, but I'll be patient. ;) Author Reply: You know how hard that battle was for me to write, and yes, I still need to work on those skills, so I'm glad it turned out as well as it did. And yes, the victory is a hollow one for Gandalf. As big as it may seem to take out a Nazgul, to bring down one you once looked up to like a mentor, one you once considered a friend, well, that's gotta hurt. That's what makes it worse to me, whether or not Saruman is harder to bring down. I was hoping the awkwardness b/w Eowyn and Legolas felt natural, given Eowyn's strong personality and Legolas's usual confidence. I think I found a balance between the two. Yes, Legolas is coming 'out of it' slowly, especially now that he's had some food! I promise I won't turn him into a hobbit! | |
| Naledi | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/17/2008 |
| Oh wow - 2 new chapters! Aragorn's mind is still confused, but he seems to be gradually regaining his senses. I like the way you describe his struggle to grasp reality. Hopefully now that he's with Merry, Pippin and Gimli they'll be able to help him understand more clearly what's going on. Poor Legolas (I seem to be saying that quite a lot in this tale!) despite all he has been through, he still has his pride. To appear before strangers in rags and in such a weakened state must rankle. Eowyn seems to have made quite an impression on him though! Hopefully some food will help as will the (possibly) imminent reunion with Gimli. Now I'm looking forward to Gandalf's confrontation with Saruman. The way he finished off the ringwraith was thrilling, so I can't wait to see how he deals with Saruman. Author Reply: Thank you, Naledi! Yes, the fog is clearing for Aragorn. How much will it clear? Have I been abusing Legolas a bit? [eg] I haven't taken his pride, you're right. He wouldn't let go of that. Nor would he let go of that elven fascination with hair. Food, Gimli, who knows what will really help this elf now! I'm thrilled you enjoyed the ringwraith scene so much. I hope you enjoy what's coming just as much! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/17/2008 |
| A wonderful battle! Hooray! Author Reply: Ooh! So glad you liked that, Larner! It wasn't the easiest part of that chapter to write. I think I need some practice with action and battle sequence writing. So, should I write more battles, perhaps??? hmmm.... | |