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| Keep Alive the Memory by Celeritas | 8 Review(s) |
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| Beatrice | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/16/2010 |
| Even though I could see where this chapter was going, it was still horrifying when it came to the reveal at the end. So awful to imagine all that history gone forever. (Even though it's not real, the thought of losing the Red Book feels like losing a national treasure. You have a way that really makes me connect with the emotion of the story.) Author Reply: There were a number of people who were really hoping I was going to pull a last-minute save in this chapter, or if not this chapter, then in the chapter when Kira finally runs into the Families and it's confirmed that yes, her book was the original. It is horrifying, and it should make anyone who cares about LotR feel awful, even though we know it's not real. I mean, it made me feel awful. Thanks, though! | |
| Kara's Aunty | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 1/4/2009 |
| Hello Celeritas, Wow. Poor Frodo and Sam - what a ghastly storm, eradicating the flesh from their bones! But then, thankfully, it was only a fevered dream. I had worried that the Red Book was gone forever and was relieved when Aunt Penny handed it to her - until Kira opened it and all the words had disappeared through water-damage (did the cover not suffer some as well?). Those nasty boys have a lot to answer for, leaving our lass to almost die (even though they didn't mean it). I've gone right off them both. Bad Tom! Bad Roly! At least Daffodil redeemed herself somewhat by fetching help. M ;) Author Reply: And eradicating their bones, too... Expect Kira to get more really freaky dreams. *shivers and cackles simultaneously* The cover should have suffered some damage (probably all curled up) but it's just not as poetic that way so I didn't describe it. I have decided that the cover itself does not have any writing on it, so all the damage to it would have to be structural. Yes, they certainly do have a lot to answer for, but it remains to be seen whether they're really sorry or not. | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 12/17/2008 |
| The dream sequences in this chapter were absolutely excellent. Very eerie. And deary, deary me, the book is destroyed. Argh, what now? I also liked the very warm scenes between Kira and her mother and aunt. For the first time the mother seemed truly affectionate. Author Reply: *grin* Glad you liked the dream sequences; the first one freaked me out! What now? Well, that's what just about all of my writing in this "universe" will answer. The other chapters that are up right now show how Kira tries to cope; when Spring rolls around I'm able to show some of the rest of the Shire's actions. I'm afraid that up till now at least Kira's mother has had to take a bit of a back seat on the action and mostly serve as a guardrail against Kira's missteps. But there is (and always has been, even if I haven't been good about showing it) some genuine love there. Almost losing Kira is just going to make her show it a lot more. | |
| Agape4Gondor | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 12/16/2008 |
| I keep missing updates!!! My hand went to my computer to 'touch' the book and I sobbed myself at the destruction - dear Bilbo, Frodo and Sam's hands gone forever...................................................................... Author Reply: No worries; you find 'em eventually... Here, have a hanky. *passes* | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 12/1/2008 |
| And I weep with her! Alas! How terrible a loss--Frodo's own writing! I know there are copies, but none could be the same! Tom has much to answer for, and he doesn't realize how great a harm he has done her and the entire Shire! Author Reply: Yup. It's going to take a long time for Kira to heal from this, and right from the start she has a long, lonely winter ahead of her, one which could do more harm than good if it's not handled the right way. *sigh* There you have it, but it's canon. Doesn't make it feel any better, though. A lot of people have a lot to answer for, I'm afraid, but Tom especially. Too bad he's too much of a stubborn mule to see what he's done. | |
| Sunny | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 12/1/2008 |
| This was positively _painful_ to read! Poor Kira! And the book.... :-( I _still_ think it would be an excellent idea for some convenient monster to invite Tom over for dinner. And Roly and Daffodil, too! But I suppose you are not going to have any sympathy for those poor, starving monsters and won't let them get even a nibble. Well, with friends like those three, Kira certainly doesn't need enemies! Author Reply: As horrible as it is to say this, if I've inflicted pain on my readers with this chapter I've done a job well done. But that hasn't made it easy, let me tell you... Tom will--eventually--realize what he's done (at least so far as hurting Kira, and I'm not just talking about almost drowning her, goes). But it'll take a long time. Because of that, I must hold the monsters off. You may not have caught it, but Daffodil just saved Kira's life (yeah, I know, it doesn't look like much after she just participated in the plot that put it in danger). So her heart is in the right place, especially now, much more than Tom's (or Roly's, to an extent) ever was. You're right about the enemies front, but unfortunately she's eventually going to get a couple of them, too! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/30/2008 |
| Oh, say it ain't so - the Red Book of Westmarch destroyed because of two jealous hobbit kids? Aren't there copies somewhere (though they wouldn't be in Frodo's own hand)? No wonder Kira's so upset. Hurry and update, please! Author Reply: Yup--and the really sad thing is this is the point I've been working the entire story towards, right from the beginning. I mentioned somewhere in another review reply that a portion of the concept behind this was that since adults were at the moment not really carrying on the struggle of learning vs. ignorance, it's been up to the children to play it out on their own scale. But because they have different concepts of how far is too far, it ends up having much larger consequences. It'll be interesting to see how this shakes up the book community. I've mentioned the copies a little bit in the Buckland and Westmarch chapters; now of course I'll have to deal with them again once this horrid winter is over, because that's the question at the back of Kira's (and indeed a good deal of other people's) mind. Well, whereas normally I just stubbornly hold off updates for a week this time I really can't update as the next two chapters are still with my beta. Thanks for sticking through this with Kira--she needs all the support she can get! | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/30/2008 |
| Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear! I do hope that Tom is feeling the sting of some really nasty and well-deserved guilt! Poor Kira. And I find myself worried about Sandra Fairbairn. How much trouble will she be in, when all of this comes out... Author Reply: I'm afraid the next two chapters by necessity will have to deal solely with Kira and her own struggles to deal with this, so I can't exactly say what is going on with everyone but those nearest her (we do get a little bit of Daffodil in there, but Tom has not been allowed in the hole). It's good of you to worry about Sandra, but ultimately she will have something to help her that Kira does not: she is surrounded by people who recognize the importance of learning (and the Book itself) who are also grieving. Yes, there will be trouble, but it's of a very different sort from what Kira's going through. | |