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Dreamflower's Mathoms II by Dreamflower	6 Review(s)
GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 76 on 4/4/2010
Berilac handled both his errands with grace, though the news he had deliver was difficult to tell. I enjoyed the Gaffer and Marigold having a laugh at Lobelia’s expense, and of course the Gaffer wouldn’t blame Mr. Frodo for the trouble, though plenty of others will. Author Reply: They were very hard errands for him to run, but he's a Brandybuck, so he was up to the task! I thought up that scene with the Gaffer and Marigold a long time ago, such a tiny snippet of scene, but I did not know when or how it happened-- and then it just fitted perfectly into this story! As to blaming Frodo, there are some who will, if only because he sold Bag End to the S.-B.s if nothing else. And a few who will even blame Bilbo! But the Gaffer's instant conclusion that all trouble can be laid at Lotho's door is going to prevail in Hobbiton (at least in my version of the Shire) because most of the hobbits there think there was something suspicious about Frodo selling Bag End to Lotho in the first place and in the second place they immediately suspect that Lotho was behind the raid on Crickhollow. And that idea can probably be laid right at the Gaffer's door.

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 76 on 3/30/2010
Very well done! As was pointed out before this story lives of the contrasts. On the one hand we have the beautiful landscapes, the nice weather, the working hobbits as well as the relaxing hobbits. And last but not least, the Gaffer pretending to be deaf to Lobelia! On the other hand there is Berilac's sad errand! Poor guy! But it shows that for a hobbit the well-being of family and friends is very important. I particularly liked it that Sara sent Berilac to the Gamgees to deliver the news directly. That was very thoughtful. P.S.: Good luck to Esme and all the others for the Final Battle :-) Author Reply: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it all! I had fun with the Gaffer's little scene with Lobelia. She deserved it. Berilac's errand really was quite sad, especially since all was so uncertain, and he could not tell the Gamgees exactly what had happened to their Sam! I've always imagined the Brandybucks as exceptionally sensible and also as being somewhat more egalitarian that the rest of the Shire. (Perhaps because they were a colony?) And so Saradoc would feel that the Gamgees had just as much right to know as anyone. (And to your PS: I think the Good Guys are going to win! grin)

Thundera Tiger	Reviewed Chapter: 76 on 3/29/2010
Hello! I finally got a chance to sit down and do a review after I saw your livejournal post. This is absolutely beautiful! You've got some wonderful tone contrasts. There's the sheer horror of the message that Berilac is bringing as well as the mystery and the looming sense that trouble has only just begun. But then there's the very mundane and ordinary details of a journey from Buckland to Hobbiton. You play the two against each other so well and both tones are accentuated to the point where the story becomes richer and more nuanced. I love the hints of a backstory that develop, like the fact that Saradoc doesn't confide in Berilac but there are enough hints running around that Berilac can connect it all to Bilbo's disappearance. And getting an outside perspective on the situation from Berilac's limited angle was a wonderful way to portray a familiar tale in new light. But most of all, I love the fact that you've created a scene that makes me go, "Duh! Of course that had to happen!" Except that I'd never considered how news got out regarding Frodo and the others. Many thanks, Dreamflower! This is brilliant story! Author Reply: Thank you so much! The contrasts were important to me, to emphasize that for most of the Shire, everything was still "just fine". Only in Buckland and the closely adjoining parts of the Shire, where the Black Riders had exposed their true nature, was there any knowledge that something truly wrong was going on! I am sure that a sensible hobbit like Saradoc would have felt that it was important to keep the true reasons behind what had happened on a "need to know" basis, and so that's how I portrayed it. It meant Berilac had to deduce things from what he did know. He did know that the Black Riders were not ordinary Big Folk. The Gaffer did not-- and so his own deduction was logical, if a bit biased. But most of all, I love the fact that you've created a scene that makes me go, "Duh! Of course that had to happen!" Coming from you, that's a high compliment. I cannot count the number of times I've had that same reaction to one of your tales!

Virtuella	Reviewed Chapter: 76 on 3/29/2010
A very well presented scene which shows, heartbreakingly plain and direct, that even in times of heroic urgency, comparatively little things matter greatly to people - if you love someone, that someone's safety is your paramount concern. Against sweeping backdrops of grand battlefields, the death of one young hobbit stands out as a stark and haunting deed of evil. Author Reply: Yes, of course, it was only the first blow the Shire would recieve during that time. if you love someone, that someone's safety is your paramount concern This, I think, is why the hobbits appeal to me so greatly. Each of the four did what they did out of love for individual people and for the home they loved. Sam, Merry and Pippin went on the Quest for Frodo's sake, not for any lofty ideal of heroism or grand ideal. Sam stuck with Frodo because he loved his Master-- it was personal loyalty to Frodo Baggins that enabled him on his trek through the Black Land. And each of Merry's and Pippin's "grand deeds" were performed for personal reasons: Merry loved Theoden and swore fealty to him; he wanted to help Pippin, and rode with the Rohirrim; he was stirred by Eowyn to strike the W-k. Pippin swore to Denethor for love of Boromir, and ran to fetch Gandalf for love of Faramir and marched to the Black Gate for love of Frodo, and struck a troll for love of Beregond. And Frodo? I believe he, too, was moved by his love for the individuals of the Shire, the ones he found "tiresome" and in need of "shaking up", but whom he knew as his kinfolk and his neighbors.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 76 on 3/29/2010
It's a difficult errand, but a necessary one. And it was lightened by watching the Gaffer playing the deaf old codger for Lobelia, and seeing her played for the fool she was. The worry is there, and so naturally done! Well done, Dreamflower! Author Reply: It was, both difficult and necessary. I had fun writing the scene with the Gaffer and Lobelia-- it's a little scene I'd had in the back of my head for a while. But I never really had a logical place to fit it in before! I'm so glad you enjoyed this!

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 76 on 3/28/2010
I liked this very much. I do recall ever reading a fiction in which someone brings the news to Freddy's family and to Sam's. Poor Berilac did not have a pleasant chore in this one but he handled it very well. Great story! Author Reply: I don't know if I've ever read one either. But it was something that would have had to be done! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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