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| Escaping the dragon by Nesta | 12 Review(s) |
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| Rian Steelsheen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/19/2010 |
| Author reply: It's difficult to imagine Denethor seeing or making a joke, though! Since I’m in my Denethor fan mode: Well I don’t find it so hard! I think he does show some very faint traces of humor in LotR. He is under great stress, and there were few reasons to rejoice in those times, but he does smile and laugh (not in a joyous way, yes, but still) in the Book. From memory, I’ve always thought his remark about the food in the city not being at Pip’s liking somewhat humorous, in the same way I thought Faz’s ‘take your fish’ humorous, and the Appendices also says he found the fact that Pip’s addressed him using the familiar form amusing, while it seriously choked his poor servants. All this to say that I can (and do) imagine him being funny in the very witty sort of way you mentioned. He’s not made of stone, you know, even if he looks it! ^^ Author Reply: That's fair enough. There is a sort of wintry humour about D. As for Faramir telling Gollum to take his fish, I think there's a chuckle behind those words - as well as F's characteristic compassion - but I doubt if Gollum appreciated the humour. Maybe if the young(er) D. hadn't constantly been sidelined and overshadowed by 'Thorongil', his more humane and humorous side might have had more scope. I can certainly imagine him coming out with devastatingly satirical comments at Ecthelion's council table. | |
| Rian Steelsheen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/31/2010 |
| Lol this is so funny! I love Faramir's humour... Author Reply: Thanks, Rian! I always thought there was a sense of humour lurking under Faramir's grave exterior. In fact, very 'grave' and intellectual people can sometimes be quite startlingly funny, in a witty sort of way, when they want to be. Boromir has a sense of humour too, under his bumptiousness; I think that was probably one of the reasons why the two brothers got on so well. It's difficult to imagine Denethor seeing or making a joke, though! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/3/2009 |
| Delightful! Long may the Old Dragon (who is not so old) roar! And the image of Firiel brooding over 'dragon eggs' is very cute. Author Reply: No indeed, I'm sure the 'old' was merely an affectionate token of respect. Though in a way, anyone born after the downfall of Sauron probably saw people who had grown up before it as 'old', in the sense of belonging to a new generation. I'm always intrigued by the way children's games hover between pretence and reality - as when children playing at picnics will offer you pebbles to 'eat': they know perfectly well they aren't real food, but they'll be upset if you don't make a solemn gesture of eating them. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/2/2009 |
| Oh, I love this whole scene! Ah, a childhood game inspired by Hobbit tales has become the stuff of legends, which actually inspires fear in the invading enemy! Love, love it! And loved the desire of Firiel to hatch the "eggs." Wonderful detail! Author Reply: Thanks, Larner! I think 'men' children would have been fascinated by hobbits, who are 'grown up' but no taller than they are. And hobbits in LoTR are always being described as 'like children', and Bergil is the person Pippin gets on best with, so I think hobbit visits to Ithilien would have been wildly popular with the children. As for the enemy being frightened, it's a fact that rumour and superstition can be very potent weapons, though they won't usually win the whole battle for you! | |
| Edlyn | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/2/2009 |
| Oh, I so definitely enjoyed this! An utterly charming story and I loved the fact that it was written in the first person from Faramir's point of view. Bravo! Edlyn | |
| phyloxena | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/2/2009 |
| What a perfect tale! *happy dance* Headless servants, painted dragon and bored prisoners. *More happy dance* Author Reply: Glad you liked it, Phyloxena! I don't think the servants were really in that much danger. As for the prisoners, I expect they were treated well, but somebody came every morning and recited Aragorn's pedigree to them until they screamed for mercy. | |
| Agape4Gondor | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/1/2009 |
| Small addendum - I see in one of your reply's that you are a Cornwell fan - I am too - just finished the Beowulf type tale... well, the last of the three written so far! I don't recall the Sharpe incident - might you say which book it was? Blessings, Agape Author Reply: Heck, I get the Sharpe titles confused and I don't own them, I borrow them from the library. I think it was one of the earlier Sharpe stories - Sharpe's Eagle or one set about that stage in the war? | |
| Agape4Gondor | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/1/2009 |
| My goodness - this was absolutely delightful. I loved how you took the childhood incident and had it blossom to a full-fledged legend! Excellent. I did have to laugh thouhg - my grandbaby is very frightened of all the wolves in tales - Three Little Pigs, Peter and the Wolf, etc. etc. etc. - but she insists on hearing the stories over and over and watching them on youtube and reading the books. I shake my head in wonder. I will NOT - however - become a wolf.... Again - excellent tale - this was fun!!! Author Reply: Children are funny that way, aren't they? I was one of the first generation that watched 'Dr Who and the Daleks' in fear and trembling from behind the sofa - but I wouldn't have missed an episode for the world. | |
| Cairistiona | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/1/2009 |
| Oh, bravo! Let's hear it for the Old Dragon! This was delightful... you've captured Faramir as I see him: strong, wise, a creative and caring father, with the same sort of wry humor that Aragorn also shares. "‘You seem to have lost them already,’ I said dryly." had me chuckling aloud. If you hadn't already drawn the conclusion, I enjoyed this immensely. Thank you for writing it! Author Reply: Glad you liked the story! Although Faramir is frequently described as 'grave' in the book, he also smiles quite often and laughs at least once, so I'm convinced he has a good deal of humour down below which circumstances didn't give him much chance to display. And I think a person who is deeply compassionate would have to be aware of the absurdities of human nature as well. | |
| Fantasia | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/1/2009 |
| Nesta, I love this story, really love it. There is not many stories of Faramir like this is one, I don't know what to say, but it is just perfect...Faramir (book version) is my favorite character of LOTR, noble, brave, scholars, humble, merciful...I don't remember exactly now, but there is a two famous quotes from "Don Quixote" that always meke me think of Faramir, something like "the reputation of the stern judge stands not higher than that of the compassionate" and "though the attributes of God are all equal, to our eyes that of mercy is brighter and loftier than that of justice". It is a shame that people in power don't lean to mercy instead of severity, as Don Quixote advised Sancho and as Faramir did and his Father didn't. Anyway, thank you and sorry for all the Quixote thing, it just came to my mind, it is such a good book. Author Reply: I'm a great admirer of Don Quixote as well - it's one of those books that is richer and deeper every time you return to it. I think JRRT's ideal was mercy and justice in perfect accord, as Aragorn shows when he judges Beregond. Nor is being merciful incompatible with being stern: you have to try and elevate human nature even while you have pity on its weaknesses. That was indeed the trouble with Denethor - he couldn't stand what he saw as weakness either in others or in himself. It killed him in the end, and nearly killed Faramir too. | |