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A Horse for Bandobras by Lindelea | 3 Review(s) |
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Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 2/21/2025 |
A sweet end to the story. They are certainly heroes and Archie's song will long be sung around firesides, as little Hobbits gather around, cosy and warm. In the excitement of all the events I'd almost forgotten about the Wanderer who 'loaned' Friend to Bandobras. I was really hoping to see more of him, if your Muse would be so kind as to tell us more about Wanderer and his travels. I haven't had my fill of Ferdi either! I never knew that he was the Thain rather than Bandobras, but now I'm fond of him too. Do you think Bandobras ever went to Rivendell? Or that he ever met Gandalf and got whisked away on one of his adventures? Author Reply: And Dobby will be embarrassed every time Archie plucks the opening chords to that particular song... LOL! He may even feel the need to excuse himself from the room for a bit, as some of my more modern Tooks do when their deeds are remembered. While I know that Wanderer returns at intervals to check on/visit the hobbits of Long Cleeve, and will eventually leave Friend with the north-Tooks for a well-earned retirement, at this point, I haven't caught many glimpses of him and his kin in their home environment or on their home turf, keeping the Bree-land and the Shire safe. I am starting to eagerly devour stories about the Northern Rangers, though, so I'm with you! I'd love to read more about Aragorn's predecessors over the centuries. I figure the Orc-invasion of T.A. 2747 must have been an extraordinary time for the Dúnedain, stretching them to their limits. I wonder, for example, about the impact on them of the news that a party of Orcs had reached the Shire? (They were pretty perturbed in my Fourth Age story where the same thing happened.) Did they have to ask Imladris for help to stem the tide? Unfortunately for the Dúnedain, my brain was taken over by Hobbits, for the most part, decades ago. (I say "for the most part" because Beregond was the first LOTR character to catch my attention and imagination, followed by Faramir, to a lesser degree, and Halbarad, though I've only written a little about Faramir and very little about Halbarad. But Frodo won my heart at Weathertop [in my first reading of the book], and Merry became my favorite hobbit on the Pelennor Fields [again in the book, the first time I read through it], though that may not be evident from a look at my stories.) It is possible that, as I continue to read excellent fanfic, I may find my imagination seized by certain members of other Races in Middle-earth. But I cannot say anything for certain. The nature of the Muse is that I cannot order her to tell me a particular story, no matter how many piña coladas or how much dark chocolate I might offer as compensation. She's stubborn that way. When she deigns to whisper a story to me from her comfortable spot in a dark corner, it usually comes "out of the blue" and often isn't something I ever planned to write. Added to that, she seems to prefer to dwell in the Shire amongst Hobbits. Perhaps it has to do with their lifestyle, like six meals a day and people giving others presents on their birthdays (meaning *lots* of presents all year round!), or her enjoyment of teatime, or something like that... There's a lot more about Ferumbras (who later became Thain Ferumbras II) in the "long form" of this story, currently existing as an outline with about half of the chapters written out in draft form. I may feel encouraged to take it off the shelf and work on finishing it after I've dealt with some of the other WIPs languishing on the shelf. That said, if Bandobras had any of the adventures you've mentioned, the Muse hasn't told me about them yet. We can always hope... Thanks so much for reading and taking time to share your thoughts! Author Reply: p.s. If you might be interested in other Hobbits who visited Imladris and befriended Gandalf, my "Shire: Beginnings" story has a few such chapters. | |
shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 2/21/2025 |
What a lovely conclusion. I hoped that Wanderer would return! Thank you for sharing your wonderful stories. Author Reply: You know how much I love a satisfying conclusion, where all sad things are undone (or at least as many sad things as possible). That's one of the things I love about your "Quarantined" universe! I have started exploring your stories again. I revisited "Avalanche", "Peregrin Took: Child, Tween, Knight" and "Shelter" last night. Wonderful stories, indeed, and perfect for lifting the spirits. | |
PSW | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 2/20/2025 |
Aw - glad that all ended well! And that he and Ruby are together and Friend is back w his master (even if it is a little sad he’s going). I enjoyed this story - thx for sharing! Author Reply: I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! Thanks for coming along for the ride. :) p.s. I do believe that when Friend grew older, Wanderer brought him back to Long Cleeve to retire, thus allowing Bandobras to continue "spoiling him silly". That's the satisfying ending I envisioned for Bandobras's Horse, anyhow. I'm a staunch fan of happy endings. | |