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| The Tide of Times by daw the minstrel | 28 Review(s) |
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| LozzaBabachoo | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/19/2020 |
| Hello! This my first review. I am not sure anyone comes back to read them, but speaking as a youbg lady who find the J.R.R.Toilken's literary works to be fascinating, when I came across your writings and the many stories you have written because of inspiration from LOTR, I was truly enamoured and impressed by their quality. You are a wonderful story teller! You have brought to life, for me, the people of the Woodland Realm in a way I hadn't connected with before and made for some cosy evening readings. This is written in the early 2020's, and writing on a possibly archived website, but I loved the writings so much I was compelled to compliment the author. Thank You! Author Reply: Hi, Lozza-- SoA automatically sends me a notice when someone leaves a review, and believe me, I always come and read it! Thank you so much for your kind words. I spent a long time writing about Thranduil's boys. I love my characters quite shamelessly, and I appreciate it no end when someone else does too. I'm writing my own stuff now, but I will never, ever regret the time I spent on LOTR fanfic. It was one of the great pleasures of my life. daw | |
| Eirinn Leigh | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/22/2016 |
| Have you done any quest-tics from the pov of Legolas' family? Seeing how hard it is for them to allow each other into danger I can only imagine his brothers' and father's reactions to the news that Legolas - whom they probably only reluctantly allowed to travel to Imladris without them in the first place - had volunteered for an unnamed quest through dangerous territory with a ridiculously small number of people... and then spent the better part of a year nearly completely out of contact with them. I cannot believe that you killed Annael's father! Was this some kind of plot connivance - oh I need a way to split Legolas and Annael up - or what? I am actually angry with you! (although I will try to refrain from throwing tomatoes :j ) Author Reply: I've sometimes thought it would be really interesting to write a fic about the quest in which I alternated between what's going on with Legolas and what's going on in Mirkwood. IMHO, during the Battle Under the Trees, Thranduil and his people were driven back to their very door step. I think Sauron's forces probably burned large pieces of the forest. So there'd be plenty of action for all of Legolas's family in addition to their worry over him. And of course, he apparently sense that they were in trouble because he says that thing about how war had come upon his people. The problem is it would take me months to write that, and at the moment, I'm struggling to meet deadlines for my original fic. Hm. Why did I decide to kill Annael's father? I think because the story was about coming of age and I wanted Annael to come of age with a vengeance. I love his whole family, and I felt guilty about killing Siondil, but it seemed the right thing to do. Sorry! :-) daw | |
| Asms2 | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/13/2016 |
| Wow this story was awesome!! Thranduil being away in the beginning was a unique dynamic as Ithilden had to hold down the fort by himself. The fire fighting was neat to read about, and oh gosh I just love Anneal! He felt so bad that his tree chopping caused a chain reaction that injured Legolas. It was really sweet how he got Legolas' pack and asked Eilian if he could go and see him. My heart broke when Siondel died! I was like NO!! Not Siondel. He was such a good father. And a rock of wisdom/experience. Poor Anneal! What a shock and tragedy that must have been. There were a lot of interesting layers in this story. The family dynamics are always so fun to read about especially in the face of stress or injuries. LOVE IT!! Author Reply: I like Annael a lot too, though he stays a minor character. I like his whole family actually. Legolas was lucky to have this normal, supportive household to go to when he needed it. After I wrote this story, there were plenty of times when I felt guilty about killing Siondel. But I wrote these stories out of order, so if I could always jump back in time and resurrect him. I have to confess though that every once in a while, I got an urge to kill a character, and following through was always sort of thrilling. Once I'd done it, readers no longer felt that a non-canon character was safe, and it made them nervous, which, from a writer's point of view, is a good thing! Thanks for the review. daw | |
| endorearwen | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 9/6/2013 |
| Excellent story conveying the weight of loss and change, Daw! I think you’ve done a marvelous job in this one of reminding us how fleeting happiness actually is. It was quite a journey, constantly moving from catastrophe to catastrophe! The entire plot was brilliantly executed and every scene was gripping in its own way. I think I felt the most sympathy for Anneal and Thranduil - they lost the most in my mind. Though, I must admit, I do have my concerns about Eilian. The loss of Celuwen has definitely taken the heart from him. Could it be that it is time for him to leave the Southern Patrol behind for good so he might enjoy other pleasures in life?... The most poignant scene in my mind was the bathing at the end of the coming-of-age vigil. The manner in which you had Legolas explain the significance of what his father and brother were doing brought tears to my eyes! It was the worst moment in the whole story for me because that was really when Thranduil ‘lost’ his elfling. Absolutely beautifully done! I loved the way you mixed Thranduil’s memories into the ceremony as it played out. It was nice to see a reference to Turgon at this pivotal moment for both father and son. It was, perhaps, more meaningful because it was Thranduil who reminded us of the special bond the three boys shared in childhood - despite his personal objections to the friendship that meant so much to Legolas. Undoubtedly, Turgon’s influence has marked the character Legolas now takes with him into adulthood. Strangely, I also liked that there was no female involved in the ceremony. Legolas had never known what it was to have one in his early life and it felt right that only the men who had reared him were the ones who had earned the privilege of ushering him onward into adulthood. It must be a wonderful feeling, Daw, to write something that is both insightful and that truly touches a reader’s core! Well done! :-) Author Reply: Endorearwen, your consistently kind and insightful reviews make me light up the minute I see them in my email. You know you don't have to do this, but I appreciate them no end. For the longest time, I felt terrible over killing Siondel. I liked him in himself as a character, and I liked him as Annael's father. And of course, Annael is really young to suffer this loss. I thought it was the right thing to do, but I felt bad anyway. It was also interesting to send Thranduil out of his own realm and see him be thrown a little off balance. Not too much. He's pretty self contained and doesn't care a whole lot about making friends except as his realm needs them. Gotta love the Woodland king. He kept his realm intact even without a ring of power. I think this story was the first time I ever wrote from Celuwen's point of view. It's always exciting and a little intimidating to enter the head of a new character. And Eilian is pretty wiped out by events. Of course, he's also the kind of guy who doesn't break off a battle until his hair is nearly on fire. Poor Ithilden. They all drive him crazy. I think he needs your comfort. :-) | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/11/2005 |
| Legolas had his day and finally found out where he would be stationed, but he dosen't like his keeper. Eilian is sick with shadow, he is stubron and wasn't going to mention it to his brother or father... Author Reply: I liked being able to finish the story with a party where everyone was around, even if Eilian is unhappy. Poor guy. | |
| FaerieQueen | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 1/11/2004 |
| Another beautiful story! Just an aside comment, but do I really start every review like that? I need to get a little more creative. Well I really liked this story. Although, Legolas and the tree issue was pretty clumsy. Poor Annael and poor Eilan. I'm sure they'll get over it though. Now Legolas needs to learn to be nice to Beliond. Or some issues will occur. Well keep writing! FaerieQueen Author Reply: Legolas and Beliond will adjust, but they will never be new best friends, I think. I actually wondered how plausible it was for Legolas to fall etc. but I decided I needed it for the plot, so what the heck. | |
| xsilicax | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 1/9/2004 |
| This was as brilliant as all your others have been to read, though I'm inclined to favour this above all. I really enjoyed seeing your characters having to cope with new situations. Ithilden made a great interrim king, but I do not think it is ever a position he would like to hold for real. It was good to see Eilian coming off worst with a lady for a change, I like that your OFC is so strong-willed. They would be well-matched if they could ever manage the time to be together. Seeing him despondent makes the encroaching shadow seem that much darker, that it is able to suck the life out of one so full of fun. Out of curiosity...are we ever going to see the adventures of Eilian at Dol Guldor? I wonder if how long Legolas' sense of peace will last before he finds himself behaving rashly again. No matter how old he thinks he is I don't think he's quite reached the level of maturity needed. Although he has clearly evolved hugely just in this piece alone. I also wonder how Thranduil will cope not being able to baby Legolas anymore. Especially as it seems he won't be allowed to transfer these feelings onto his grandson. Cathy, xx Author Reply: Eilian's love life is not going to run smoothly for a while. Which is a shame, because he is sexy and sweet, in my opinion. I don't plan to write about this trip to Dol Guldur (although anything is possible!), but I have some other interaction with Dol Guldur in mind for the Southern Patrol for a future story. And Legolas is not quite grown up yet. I am outlining a new story that takes up a few years down the road from this one. | |
| sofia | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 12/29/2003 |
| i love this story, too! my first story i read from you was shadow touches home, and this is the second story i read from you. I really enjoyed reading this story and i am now working my way to read all your stories. It seems to me that the tides of times is kind of like, in a way, a sequel to shadow touches home. Author Reply: Sofia-- Thank you for your kind words. I think of all my stories as fitting together into a single story of Legolas's growth toward being Legolas of the Fellowship, so Shadow and Tides do fit together. I hope you like the other stories too. | |
| bryn | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 12/20/2003 |
| My huuugest apologies for falling behind in reading! As I've said many times before, I absolutely adore your work. With each piece, it gets better and better. This has been my favorite story as of yet. With each fic, Legolas, his family, and his friends become more developed and stronger characters. I simply cannot rave enough!!! :) You are brilliant, daw. Absolutely brilliant. Author Reply: Bryn, you are too kind. I find I too have to leave stuff unread sometimes because I just don't have time to read everything. Sometimes I see a new story and deliberately choose not to start reading it because I am already following too many others. But I do appreciate your comments. This story was interesting to write because I deliberately tried out some different stuff, like Thranduil apart from his sons and the combination of fire and orcs. So thank you for telling me it worked for you. | |
| Lera | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/25/2003 |
| That was awesome! But I'm so sad it's over! My only comfort is knowing you'll write more soon. Right? Right? Please!!! Legolas's coming of age cerimony was beautiful. I think it's awesome how the families have direct participation. *wipes tears away* Ok. Poor Eilien. He's normally such an upbeat guy, that it's really depressing to see him down. It makes me sad! I like Alfirin. The conversation she had with Thranduil was very necisary, but she was so sweet and tactful about it. She let Thranduil know she appreciated him, but let him know his place. What's your next story going to be about? Hope it comes soon. I hope PJ puts the sea longing in ROTK. Actually what I'm really hoping for is the scouring of the Shire. God bless! Author Reply: I feel bad for Eilian too. He's gregarious and a natural optimist and he was sitting by himself and brooding. I need to fix that. I'm in the process of outlining a story that takes up a few weeks after this one ends. :-) I too want to see the sea longing, but I hear that the scouring of the Shire is not in the movie. | |