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| The Counsels of Men by Thundera Tiger | 14 Review(s) |
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| Aiwendiel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/16/2010 |
| Rich tale, and explains perfectly something that I never actually took notice of before in the original canon. True to each character and to the differing fates of the races. Nice end of battlefield description, too! (I've spun a different idea but in the exact same setting in my "Details, Details" posted on HASA.) Thanks for this! Author Reply: Hey Aiwendiel, Ooo, I just wandered over and checked out your "Details, Details" story. I think you have a much more involved description of the battlefield, which sets the tone for your story very nicely. That's some amazing descriptive work! Apparently great minds think alike, though not with exactly the same "details." :) I like your addition of carrion fowl and black wings fluttering around the corpses. It sets up perfectly that Nazgul remains that Aragorn and Gandalf go to examine. I'm going to take notes for the next time I need to set a scene like that. Many thanks for the wonderful comparison! | |
| docmon | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/15/2010 |
| Well, I already knew this was an insightful, bittersweet, well-crafted story. But I have to say, Thundera, the "last-minute changes" you made really improved the story! I especially like what you did with the dialogue transition after Aragorn asks if Merry & Pippin need them. It's really a terrific addition. As you said in a review, it gets at what the hobbits give Legolas and Gimli. But I also like the following part: Gimli asks "'Have we an understanding?' They did not..." I just like how all that unfolded. Oh, and I have to second a vote in a review: "grinding march of days" is just lovely phrasing. The discussion here is more than an argument. It's a process where Legolas and Gimli present, in less and less gentle terms, a harsh fact: Our people fade - and yes, we are of those people - and so now begins your time. Now begins the Time of Men. It took several attempts before Aragorn would accept what Legolas and Gimli had to say. As he is not a man ruled by pride, he accepts what must be. It is time to don the crown. Author Reply: Hey Docmon, Nice timing. I just sent an email off to you. Anyway, you should know that those "last-minute changes" were all inspired by you. The "have we an understanding" moment came about because you finally made me see that it was silly for Gimli to look for a conversation-ender in the middle of the story. No matter what I tried, it just didn't flow, and it certainly didn't make sense. As a result, it changed to understanding instead of concluding, and that really seems to have helped everything around it. So huge thanks, both for the review and the betas. ::cheers loudly:: | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/14/2010 |
| A very sad, poignant and well crafted story indeed. Author Reply: Thank you so much! I tried not to let it get too sad, so hopefully there was room for meaning apart from the angst. Thanks again! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/14/2010 |
| A sad thing, this realization of the fading of the other kindreds, and to be thus so forcibly reminded of it on such an occasion. Well done. Author Reply: Thanks so much, Larner! I'm glad you felt the emotions in this piece, and I'm even more thrilled that the circumstances played into it, too. I really wanted to have a rather grim backdrop to this story. Thanks again! | |
| BeeGee | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/14/2010 |
| I re-read this for the fourth time today. First, because it is a well-crafted story, and the dialogue is very good between Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. Secondly, I wanted to get my thoughts in order to formulate a review. I agree with other reviewers that the end of elves and dwarves and hobbits is sad, but it appears "they" have all come to terms with it. Aragorn, having been raised by immortal elves, has had less time to come to grips with his own mortality. He always seems a bit leary of his destiny (I don't blame him) and now, after this battle, he can't put it off any longer. Everyone who knows him, and especially Gimli and Legolas, know he has the skills to do the job, but he needs a little push. I agree with Legolas and Gimli on this, they have helped him as a friend, but it isn't their fight anymore. Aragorn needs to win his crown on his own. Afterwards, they can both return to Ithilien in friendship, which agrees with canon. Yes? This is what I got out of it. I enjoyed it! Author Reply: Hey BeeGee, Thank you so much for the review, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing your insights into Aragorn's character. And into the racial characteristics of elves and dwarves. It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this. My own opinion is that the movies made a bit too much out of Aragorn's destiny. I agree with you that he certainly approached it with a bit of caution, but to me, a lot of that seemed to be more timing than anything else. Aragorn knew what he was destined to do, and he didn't want to slip at the last second by claiming it too quickly or too slowly. But he was definitely a born leader, and he knew it, too. With one notable exception during the chase across Rohan, he never shied from making the hard decisions. But during this story, Legolas and Gimli might have felt the timing was right to step back, which would definitely equate to a push on their part. That's where your perspective fits in nicely. It's something I hadn't thought of myself, and I thank you for showing me another nuance to the interplay going on. Thank you again! | |
| Aiwen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/12/2010 |
| I've always found the fate of the elves, ents and dwarves to be heartbreakingly sad. Nice to see Aragorn feeling the same way. So much that is beautiful is being lost, and it all feels so unnecessary! and yet inevitable at the same time. Thank you for writing this. Author Reply: You're very welcome, and thank YOU for the review! I'm glad that the story resonated with something you were already feeling. I'd like to think that means I was on the right track. :) And thank you for your comment about an inevitable feel. That was something I had hoped to convey, but I wasn't quite sure how to do it. I'm so glad it came across clearly to you. Thank you again! | |
| curiouswombat | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/12/2010 |
| How poignant - a sad reason for them being missing - but one that rings true. Author Reply: Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad there's a truthy ring to it. :) It made sense to me, but that doesn't mean it will make sense to anyone else. Thanks again! | |
| Le Rouret | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/12/2010 |
| Oh, how lovely and heartbreaking! You constructed Legolas and Gimli's arguments, and Aragorn's rebuttals, so precisely! My congratulations to you; this was a pleasure (if a bittersweet one) to read. My favorite line: "And so our end approaches. It will either come to us through Rhûn and Dol Guldur, or it will come through the grinding march of days. But it will come, regardless. We made that choice long ago." Just the phrase, "the grinding march of days," sent a thrill through me. It's so evocative. Thank you for writing and posting this. Kudos to your plot bunny-generator! Author Reply: Hey Le Rouret, The phrase "grinding march of days" was actually a last-minute addition. I can't remember what it had been before and I'm too lazy to go look at the drafts, but I do remember that it implied a much faster fading than I felt was appropriate. The rest of the line was around from the first draft, but that particular phrase barely made it in before the story was posted. And I'm glad you liked the bittersweet nature of this story. This was probably my most deliberate attempt to catch both high and low notes in a dialogue-driven piece, and I wasn't sure if the mood was going to come across correctly. Thank you again for the review! | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/12/2010 |
| What a powerful story! I admit I never wondered why Legolas and Gimli weren't at the Council, thinking it only for the captains, but I like your reasoning very much. A beautifully written story. Author Reply: Hey Linda Hoyland, Thanks so much for the review. Your explanation sounds much more straight forward than mine (and probably more plausible, as a result), but the Gimli and Legolas fan in me can't help but think that they really should have been at that debate. There's nothing quite like hero worship when it comes to gap-fillers. :) That said, I'm thrilled you felt that the reasoning was sound. It made sense in my head when the story was first conceived, but that doesn't always mean it will make sense to anyone else. Many thanks again for the review! | |
| eliza61 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/12/2010 |
| Oh how sad. Great story but I have to agree with Aragorn, it does feel like a stab in the back. Author Reply: Many thanks for the review! I'm glad you could enjoy it despite the sadder themes. | |