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| A Long and Weary Way by Canafinwe | 4 Review(s) |
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| obsidianj | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 1/12/2014 |
| Did I say Aragorn is brave? This is a totally creepy cave. Getting narrower and narrower without knowing if he can turn back. And then the room/cell whatever. I don't want to be in Aragorn's shoes. Now on to find out what the stench is all about. Author Reply: Nor would I. Ugh. I'm not one for small dark places. | |
| ellon | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/24/2013 |
| That inner room with the locked door that seems to be at the very heart of the Shelob's lair, where did you come up with that idea? What did you think that room was originally meant for? Author Reply: Excellent question! The earlier drafts of Book 4 place greater emphasis on the mingled nature of her tunnels: some natural, some ground out by the agelong motion of her massive body, and still others of undisclosed but very deliberate manufacture with tools. Someone, at some point, tunnelled actively in the Ephel Duath; whether men or orcs or something else, Tolkien merely hints. That door in particular would have been access to the room that Aragorn fell into out of the narrow shaft, originally intended as either a storeroom or a cell: no way to tell after so many millennia! Since it opens inward, however, a cell seems a safe bet, doesn't it? | |
| UTfrog | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/18/2013 |
| I hope you have a quick update ready. This was a horrible place to stop. Poor Aragorn. Whether Orc den, prison, or Orc locker room, that has to be a smelly, evil place. Wonderful to have a clue, but what a place to be in. shudders. Author Reply: The update is imminent, I promise. I laughed aloud at 'orc locker room': great image! But yes, what a place to be in indeed! | |
| Aiwendiel | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/18/2013 |
| My goodness, this is a really engaging tale. I love gapfillers, especially ones based on brief snippets like this, with hints of dark and dangerous adventures. You've done a wonderful job here, your characterization of Aragorn and in the first 2 chapters of a despairingly cross Gandalf. Lots of wonderful details and your language is awesome! This long increasingly narrow cave ending in what surely seems like a dungeon cell is totally creepy and now a horrible stench... oh my. Not sure if I really want to know what the stench is all about but I can't wait for an update. And if I recall correctly from the original, our poor hero has yet to "tread on the foul blossoms" of Imlad Morgul or something like that .... shivering in anticipation! One question -- do you plan to veer west to illustrate the verbal jousting match between Denethor and Gandalf? Not nearly so scary, dangerous or thrilling, but I for one would be interested in that side story too. Great work! Aiwendiel Author Reply: Thank you so very much for the wonderful feedback! It's especially lovely to know that the characterizations come off well. Poor old Gandalf: he really was at the end of his rope. Yes, Aragorn has yet to 'tread the deadly flowers of Morgul Vale', and 'walk in sight of the Black Gate', and reach the point where he too 'despaired at last'. And then there's the journey related in 'The Unfinished Tales' to accomplish... I love the idea of the verbal sparring between Denethor and Gandalf! It would make a lovely companion piece, though this story follows Aragorn alone. Gandalf's own adventure, while crucial and difficult, doesn't provide enough narrative balance to be included in the longer work. Thanks again for the beautiful review! I hope you continue to enjoy the story. | |