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A Conspiracy of Hobbits by Dreamflower	4 Review(s)
Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 11/9/2005
So the story is merging together with canon - well done. "“My dear Fredegar Bolger! You are no coward--do you think so little of my judgment that I would have confided in you about the Ring if I thought you a coward.?” “Not everyone’s meant for the same kind of courage. Choosing to sit at Crickhollow like a piece of bait when you know there may be someone looking for Frodo is pretty brave, I’d say.”" Your stories always leave me wishing that we saw more of Freddy in the Trilogy. Merry's right - he does have his own particular type of courage, even though he doesn't recognise it yet. I hope to see a lot more of him in your future stories. It was very thoughtful, and intelligent, of Freddy to think about giving Merry some money to take on the venture. "Outdoors, the tweenager found a few ways to stave off the boredom. He found the empty wine bottles from the day before, and lined them up on the garden wall for targets to throw stones at. Smashing them was very satisfactory, but his speed and accuracy meant they were all broken very quickly, and then he had the tedious task of cleaning up the broken glass. (Hobbits are meticulous in the matter of glass shards.) Then he went and climbed the Party Tree. Though it was not the first time he had climbed it, it was his first chance in a long time. He could not help but think it was also his last chance. He climbed quite high, and was still up there when Folco came looking for him to call him to lunch." Excellent reference to the quick but extremely accurate aim of hobbits. I always liked the references to that hobbity characteristic in the books and am glad to see it included here. Yes, I imagine hobbits would be quite meticulous about glass shards since they go around in bare feet. I guess Frodo told Folco that he should look for Pippin up in the trees as well as in the normal places. Is this the last we will see of Pippin climbing trees? I sure hope not, as I've grown quite fond of this Tookish trait. It's very sad to see Pippin saying "goodbye" to the Party Tree and thinking of the very real and scary prospect that he might never return to the Shire. "When he opened the door, there stood Lobelia and Lotho. “You’re early,” he said rudely, and prepared to slam the door in their faces. But Frodo was behind him, and forestalled him. He did not look happy. ... “You’d be surprised, young Took, at the friends I might have. You’d best learn to keep a civil tongue in your head. Being the son of the Thain might not be protection much longer.” Lotho gave him a nasty sneer, and went out after his mother and Frodo. Pippin wondered what he meant by that. Just bluster, he supposed." I like the way Pippin treats the S.B.'s here and in his "gift" to them. Much kinder than they deserve, actually. It does give me chills though to think of the hidden meaning behind Lotho's words about the friends he has and his irreverance for the Thain. I guess Frodo really is going to leave Bag End. sigh Author Reply: I've always wished so myself--to see more of Freddy, that is. I wish that JRRT could have perhaps cut back to the Shire, for example to show us the Rebellion. Yet still, it gives us a chance to figure it out for ourselves. I suppose it was thoughtful of him to leave us so many gaps. I like that characteristic of hobbits myself. It's just about the only natural defense, besides moving quietly and being able to hide well, that JRRT gave them. Yes, the S.-B.s, well, they are pretty nasty, and they happen to be among the few people Pippin truly dislikes, because they give his Frodo a hard time. And yes, Lotho was being pretty sinister there. I had quite a few other things Pippin had planned to leave them as well, but finally decided that it would be over the top, not to mention that Frodo might notice and make him undo it. Yes. He is. JRRT said so. sigh

Pervinca	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 4/7/2004
I was worried that you wouldn't have Pippin's little plan in this chapter! So very cute, and so very Pippin. I think that your story has made me love Fredegar even more - I absolutely loved the idea that his nickname had come from Estella! Merry was so right in what he said to Fatty: "You know it won’t be much longer until it all comes out.” :) Author Reply: Oh, I had that for the end of this chapter since the first bed bouncing episode. I always thought it odd for "Fatty" to be a nickname for a hobbit when it obviously would describe so very much of the population. But if it started out as something else, then the fact that he was a bit plumper than average might cause the nickname to stick later when the original reason no longer existed. And so many little ones do have a problem with the sound of "R".

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 4/6/2004
Way to go, Pippin! I think that is a splendid plan as a house warming gift, considering who the new owners are. Fredegar is so wonderful in this chapter. He realy is thinking of everything that could help in any way. Frodo was very lucky to have him for a friend. Author Reply: Yes, very appropriate for the S-B.s who are major pests themselves. 8-) I'm having a lot of fun with Fredegar--he just keeps on showing me new sides to his personality. Frodo inspired deep devotion in all who came to know him; his flaw was that he underestimated how much he was loved, and never considered himself as worthy enough.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 4/6/2004
That devilish little Pippin! With a present like that, I'm surprised Lobelia wasn't waiting for them at Crickhollow to pay him back! And he gives "let them eat cake" a whole different meeting. I would be ill after that much junk food. No, after just half that much junk food. Can't wait for the conspiracy to be unmasked. Which is silly, since I don't have to, I can just read the book, but I want to see your version of it. Update soon! Author Reply: Lotho should have waited. Merry warned him. 8-) Actually, I wanted Pippin to leave a lot more "surprises", but I realized that it would have been over the top. ( You may have noticed that I sort have it in for the S-B.s. I always was a bit disappointed that Lotho got his just desserts "off-stage" so to speak.) I warned everybody that Pip has a sweet tooth! Also, I think he might be a bit hyper. [VBG] The closer I get to the unmasking, the slower it goes; it's so hard to decide which details from the book to bring in and which leave out, and I keep getting sidetracked by discovering new things about the characters.

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