Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Currents by Thundera Tiger	5 Review(s)
Estel_Mi_Olor	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/24/2004
Thundera Tiger, I am speechless. Or rather wordless. That was amazing. Where to begin? I shall start with the title, its symbolism, and the recurring theme of the currents. Currents not only represented the obvious currents in the river, but the paths of destiny, that continue on their way, refusing to cede to change, regardless of the will of those who wish to change them. That is a very appropriate image for this period in LOTR. Good work! Another excellent point is the order of Frodo's musings, the theme of friendship. Friendship is one of the most important parts of LOTR and I think this fic deals with it beautifully. "...Aragorn’s guidance. Sam’s companionship. Merry’s mirth. Pippin’s innocence. Boromir’s valiance. Legolas’s serenity. Gimli’s courage." I love that quote. I love each contribution of every member of the Fellowship to a common goal, the same journey. Finally, I love how the oar represents Frodo's indecision and idleness, which he then conquers. Thank you for this fic. It is true: we did need something at this point in LOTR to figure out why Frodo suddenly made his decision, if, as you have illustrated, he was so starved for company. This account is amazingly well written and perfectly plausible. Thanks again Thundera! I eagerly await updates on your other fics... :) Author Reply: Thank you, as always, for your wonderfully kind words. The symbolism inherent in the title was admittedly obvious, but I like it. In my life, at least, it sometimes feels as though I'm beating my head against a stone wall in an effort to change directions. Sometimes you just can't. And though I can't relate to Frodo as far as having a dangerous destiny complete with Dark Lord and evil Ring, I felt that I had a pretty good chance at portraying him as a helpless passenger. Because at that point, that's more or less what he was. As for Frodo's ideas on friendship...he takes a rather interesting stance, and I like to explore it. He has gotten into the habit of giving things up so that he can hold on to them in his mind. What Frodo doesn't understand until the very end is that things change no matter how hard you try to keep them unspoiled. At this point in the journey, he still thinks that things can be saved. It doesn't occur to him that Pippin and Merry will get into trouble without him. But at least the idea of keeping things safe does manage to jog him from his idleness, and that's where the oar comes in. Another rather obvious piece of symbolism, but it does show a margin of control within a larger destiny. Anyway, thank you again so much for your review! I always appreciate and look forward to your comments! Thank you!!!

Periantari	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/19/2004
This is one of my favorite Frodo fics, to tell you the truth...i really like how you wrote about his indecision...it sounds really real to me and i love the references to the book. I like fanfics that incorporate a lot of Tolkien into their writing and to me, you've done that wonderfully in this ficlet... to me i think that is one of the reasons why you're one of my favorite authors... your characters sound really real. And this piece is no exception. Very creative idea about the current... and his thoughts in relation to what he thinks about how each member of the Fellowship views the Ring is very creative indeed. I really like this paragraph: "Yet even as he desperately clung to blissful ignorance, he could not ignore the currents that drew him forward. He took no action with his oar, but still he moved closer to whatever destiny awaited him. Passive resistance was no longer an option, yet the Quest was too important for Frodo to actively protest. But the temptation to do so was certainly there. He longed to throw back his head and loudly proclaim himself finished with Rings and Dark Lords and other matters not meant for simple hobbits. He did not want this for his own sake, though. With well-intentioned ignorance, Frodo had willingly consented to this task, and he would see it through to the end. But his friends and companions…they were another matter. The Burden was not theirs, yet the path that swept him into shadow also carried those around him. Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli…they were all here because of him. And Gandalf… Frodo’s breath hitched in his throat, and for a moment, his eyes blurred. Gandalf wasn’t here because of him. " I like your thinking that hobbits are more naive than the other members... i think that fact about them seems overlooked quite often and it is important to mention as well... the indecision written about in this paragraph is done very nicely. The main unique feature about this piece was how Frodo's thoughts went from the beginning, advice gathered from the beginning of the journey, to up to present times... you seamlessly weave what he thinks from the past in terms of quotes from the book to the present times and that is indeed quite effective. Great job~ Thanks a lot for sharing =) Author Reply: Wow. When you said on the LJ that you were going to go over and make a longer review, you weren't kidding. I'm really flattered! Thank you so much! To be honest with you, I was uneasy about having so many book references because I wanted the focus to be on Frodo's current predicament rather than on what had happened before. But it's all gone into shaping Frodo, and his current situation is so dependent upon the choices he's made and what others have offered to do for him. I actually had even more references in one of the earlier drafts, but I cut them out over some debate and I think I found something resembling balance now. The movement from past to present was very deliberate, and it was also something I tried to incorporate in the dark river banks that kept sweeping by. They all became past and the "now" was so shadowed that it was impossible to see. I don't think I made that clear at all, but it was something that was supposed to come out. Ah well. Anyway, thanks so much for your comments, and I really appreciate you said at the start regarding characterization. It's something I work on in all my pieces, and it always gives me a nice, warm feeling inside when someone tells me I'm doing all right. Thanks again! You've made my day!

fadagaski	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/18/2004
The preview was the perfect teaser, and this the perfect end product. I'm not the greatest fan of internal monologues, but in your case I made an exception. :) Loved it. A very melancholy, somewhat distant look into Frodo's psyche. Of the good. :) Also, printed off a copy of Beyond This World at school today. Was reading it in a free lesson, and was crying. Crying, in school. Do you have any idea how potentially embarrassing that could have been?! Author Reply: beams with delight and watches as ego approaches break-away speed Well, there it goes. I suppose it will come down again some time... Anyway, many thanks for your comments! I understand your feelings about internal monologues. I like them myself, but I've run into quite a few that were very dry and very bogged down. I'm glad you took a chance on mine and even happier that you liked it. I tried to keep as far from Frodo without losing touch of him altogether, and I think this helped keep the story from crashing under its own weight. As for BTW, once again my ego soars. It passed Mars a moment ago and is now somewhere in the asteroid belt. Do you know how hard it is to find things in that mess?! Thanks so much for your many compliments, and I sincerely hope you were able to cover up your tears with a good excuse. Tell them you were thinking about that poor chicken who is doomed to keep crossing the road until people stop telling jokes about it. Thanks again!

	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/18/2004
Absolutely outstanding analysis of how Frodo came to the decision to break with the Fellowship. Great use of quotes from the book. Fabulous! Author Reply: I worried about using so many quotes, to tell you the truth. In fact, an earlier version of this fic had three additional quotes that I took out because I felt it was getting bogged down. This is a time for reflection and thinking about the past, but the story has to move forward, too. At least, as far as a story can move with only five pages to work wtih. Anyway, I wanted to show Frodo pre-broken-Fellowship and the thought that maybe he was already contemplating the breakup made sense to me. Glad you liked it!

fliewatuet	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/17/2004
That was excellent! To link Frodo's inevitable path to the flow of the Anduin is a wonderful idea and the images of the flowing currents you used to describe Frodo's thoughts are marvellous. I also liked the analogy of leaving his friends behind and leaving the Shire behind in order to save both. As I already said: excellent! fliewatuet Author Reply: Many thanks! I've always loved analogies drawn using water, and the fact that Frodo was floating down a river while contemplating some rather heavy matters was just too much for me to resist. I had to tie them together. Add to it all the fact that rivers tend to wander (which this particular narrative did) and it all worked out very nicely. At least to my mind. I'm relieved to know that you liked it, too!

Return to Chapter List