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| Sundry Scrolls IV by Raksha The Demon | 10 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 9/7/2015 |
| Beautiful, vivid, thoughtful AU. A lot of things would be different if Finduilas lived, i feel. The family dynamic would change a lot and i think Faramir would be different as well. Loved seeing this through PIppin's eyes! Author Reply: My hobbit muse has been a fickle one, but Pippin is my favorite hobbit, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing a fairly dramatic AU through his eyes. Not sure how different Faramir would be if Finduilas had lived; much would have depended on his relationship with Gandalf and if Finduilas would have supported that bond or not. Also, Finduilas might have had her hands, between struggling with health and managing Denethor, at least to the extent she could. I do think she and Denethor loved each other; and that love could have brought Denethor off the pyre alive along with Faramir. Thank you for the review! | |
| Inkling | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/23/2011 |
| Great AU, Raksha! So many nice touches: “she swept into the House like a blue-grey wave off a stormy lake,” the arguing in Elvish, Gandalf holding his breath, and the tender submission of “The Steward bowed his head over hers.” Makes me wonder about another “what if”…What if Tolkien’s mother had not died when he was 12, utterly devastating him? Might his stories have featured more mothers? Author Reply: Finduilas came on very strong in my mind as I wrote this, I think that she would have, as Denethor's consort, been a woman who chose her battles well; and was above all the one person who could 'handle' her husband when she chose to make an argument. And this confrontation would have been her greatest, most desperate argument... Tolkien's treatment of women, in real life and in his fiction, might well have differed had his mother lived. I always find it curious that Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis, whose mother died when he was ten, wrote a scene in "The Magician's Nephew" where the young hero saves his sickened mother with a magic apple; while Tolkien's Middle-earth landscape and history is littered with mothers who died, or left, during their children's childhood, from Miriel and Elwing to Elfhild of Rohan and Finduilas and Primula Baggins. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Inkling! | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/19/2011 |
| This is a very interesting thought indeed, that Denethor would not have ended the way he did had he had a wife by his side. Very convincingly done, and usign Pippin's perspective works really well. Author Reply: Thanks for reading and reviewing, Virtuella. I'm pleased that you found the storyline convincing; Pippin's perspective really was perfect for it, I thought; he was our original eyes and ears in Minas Tirith... If anyone could have brought Denethor off of that pyre, it would have been Finduilas... | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/6/2011 |
| What a beautiful might-have-been! I can see it happening, with Finduilas at last talking sense into her maddened husband! Author Reply: A belated Thanks for reviewing, Larner. I think, at this point, Finduilas might have pulled off the near-impossible feat of dissuading Denethor from destroying himself and Faramir in such a terrible fashion. Much might have been different if she had lived...I'm glad you liked the piece. | |
| curiouswombat | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/2/2011 |
| I am fascinated by this glimpse of a different story for the House of the Steward had Finduilas survived. I would be really interested to know more - how would Denethor have served Aragorn? Would he have retired and left Faramir in his stead? I do hope, one day, you go back to this possibility. Author Reply: I'm actually not sure if Denethor would have been Aragorn's Steward. In the other AU I have in my head, where Finduilas died long before and Denethor lets Gandalf talk him off the pyre, things get worse for Denethor before they get better and Faramir becomes Aragorn's Steward while Denethor is alive and kicking and angry. But if Finduilas is alive, that changes things for the better...Not sure I'll ever write either AU; though there is always a chance. But thanks for the vote of confidence; Wombat. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/2/2011 |
| It's wonderful to see this 'might have been' through Pippin's eyes and heart. Author Reply: I did enjoy writing it through Pippin's point of view. My hobbit-muse speaks to me very rarely, so I'm always glad to try out what inspiration it sends me. Besides, Pippin is my favorite hobbit... Thanks for reading and reviewing, Shirebound. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/2/2011 |
| Oh what a beautiful AU! Indeed, I think if Finduilas had lived it would have made all the difference in the world. And I love this POV-- I can imagine how fondly Pippin would have remembered her. And now I can see all sorts of scenarios of the two of them interacting during his time in the City... Of course, it was no accident that both Denethor and Theoden were widowers. Wives would never have allowed either of them to fall prey to the Enemy's wiles. Author Reply: Thanks for reading and reviewing, Dreamflower. I don't know why this possibility didn't occur to me before; but of course I have been curious about Finduilas, mother to such outstanding sons and wife to such a singular and interesting man. I am not sure that Elfhild's early death was by design of Sauron; but since Tolkien tells us nothing of the poor young woman other than her dying in childbirth, fan writers can reasonably extrapolate either possibility. Tolkien did document Finduilas' influence on Denethor, in saying that he became more grim (which can, in my view, mean farther down the road of extreme social/emotional isolation) after her death and that Denethor loved Finduilas very much... I do think that if Finduilas had been living in ROTK, Pippin would have met her and been drawn to her as he was drawn to Faramir... | |
| phyloxena | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/2/2011 |
| I wish it happened this way. Author Reply: Tolkien did overdo the fading ladies a bit, didn't he?! Thank you for reviewing, Phyloxena. Much might have been different if Finduilas had not died... | |
| eiluj | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/2/2011 |
| What an intriguing AU! Author Reply: Thanks for reading and reviewing, Eiluj. Poor Finduilas doesn't get to do much in many fanfiction stories, due to her shortened life; but I think Denethor's cup of bitterness would have been much sweeter if she had lived... | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/2/2011 |
| What a fascinating AU. I'm certain there would have been a very different ending for Denethor had Finduilas lived. I wonder if she could have talked him into accepting Aragorn? Author Reply: I think if Denethor had survived the Pyre (without getting burned), he would have officially accepted Aragorn's kingship; because Denethor was not stupid and would not have wanted to tear the realm apart in a war (which is what it might have come down to if Denethor had refused Aragorn's claim; especially with Eomer and the Rohirrim encamped on the Pelennor and backing Aragorn). But emotionally, that's a different matter altogether. Finduilas might not have been so wild about the regime change either, loving Denethor as much as she did. But Denethor would have been less embittered if he could have faced the changes, and Boromir's death, with Finduilas at his side. She would have helped him adjust to the new Gondor, and his role in it. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Linda! | |