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The Way Home  by Lindelea 4 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/19/2025
A lovely way to spend the hours.

Author Reply: It's always good to have a bit of rest in between the more intense parts of the journey. (As you've anticipated, there's a heavy dose of angst coming up shortly.)

Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts.

Lady ForlongReviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/14/2025
"Make haste more slowly" - A hobbity thing to say LOL

And when we talk about Gandalf and hobbits, we're not sure who taught what to who.

Making hay while the sun shines would certainly be an "agreeable notion" to a horse or a pony.

"If the great horse cannot count the days in a month, then what hope does a pony have to do so?" I hope Bill's not getting back into the habit of thinking of himself as "less than" because he's "only a pony." I thought he got over that many chapters ago. I guess old habits die hard.

Never a dull moment, indeed.

And yes it's easy for hobbits, dwarves, and Wizards to fly if they have Eagles to help -- I'm supposing that's the story Shadowfax is about to tell. Although I always wondered if Radagast could do it by shapeshifting into a bird. I don't know what else Gandalf's comment about "a master of shapes and changes of hue" could mean.

Author Reply: When I first thought about it, "Make haste more slowly" sounded more Entish than anything else. But I can also easily see Frodo saying it to young Merry, and Merry saying it to young Pippin when the young one is tripping all over himself in his eagerness to do whatever.

I'm looking forward to the time when Bill will have as much hay as he wants, and "plenty more where that came from".

Bill's thoughts about counting don't reflect feeling inferior but rather acknowledging the reality that Shadowfax, the Chief of the Mearas, can understand Men's speech better than most other equines, and he can count higher than Bill. And even Shadowfax has his limitations; as I've written him, he acknowledges that even he cannot count to 28.

An early draft of the story had Radagast appearing and leaving in the form of a giant bird, but when I re-read the few mentions I could find of the wizard, it struck me that he had a horse! And so, in the revision, he's riding his horse this side of the Mountains. At least at the moment he is.

Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your insightful thoughts! You've made my day.

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/13/2025
The great horse tosses his head, whickering his amusement. It must be quite diverting to travel with them.

And he will! It's fun to imagine Shadowfax's POV when Gandalf and Pippin will ride upon him to Gondor.

Author Reply: I hadn't even thought of that! What a marvellous thought to contemplate! I wonder what Shadowfax would make of the following snippet of conversation?

‘But I should like to know—’ Pippin began.

‘Mercy!’ cried Gandalf. ‘If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?’

‘The names of all the stars, and of all living things, and the whole history of Middle-earth and Over-heaven and of the Sundering Seas,’ laughed Pippin. ‘Of course! What less? But I am not in a hurry tonight.’

Thanks for reading and stopping long enough to leave such delightful food for thought!

KathyGReviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/12/2025
LOL! Someone needs to tell Shadowfax about Pegasus! =)

All kidding aside, I'm glad that Gandalf doesn't need Shadowfax yet. Bill is clearly in no decent shape to travel alone, and at least Shadowfax can keep his mind occupied en route, as he's doing now.


Author Reply: Funnily enough, I was thinking of Pegasus at the time! (Middle-earth doesn't have any winged horses, or does it? Not that I've heard of, anyhow.)

According to Tolkien's timeline, Gandalf won't need Shadowfax for quite some time yet... which means, thankfully, that Bill will have a guide and bodyguard while he's regaining his strength, just what he needs right now, along with good company and companionship.

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