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


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Tangled Web by daw the minstrel	19 Review(s)
lwarren	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/6/2004
So many little things in this chapter that I loved....let's see.. Legolas hearing the whisper of the trees that tell of something important happening...Sinnarn being accepted back into the circle of his friends and peers...Thranduil going after the treasure for his people's sakes (you built in that reasoning soooo well, a few chapters back!), Annael (I love this guy) and his generous assessment that Sinnarn should not be punished forever for one mistake....Legolas' bewildered look when Thranduil hesitated about helping the people of Laketown....Legolas' relief when Adar sends the help to Laketown, and his chastisement of himself for doubting his father....Legolas' immediate interest in the "archer" who killed the dragon (a little case of hero-worship here, perhaps)....Thranduil's thought that if the people of Laketown had elected a donkey as their Master, they deserved everything they got g....Bard bearing his teeth in a smile at Thranduil (two King Wolves feeling each other out!)....Thranduil looking at the beautiful sight of his 3 sons all together and grown, too! (sigh I'll just look right along with him!) ;-) Wonderful stuff!!! linda Author Reply: What I really appreciated in this review is the way you picked out the moments I tried to build for my characters in Tolkien's story. His plot is so compelling that I find myself getting swept up in it and rushing along, but then I have to remind myself that he already told that story and I'm telling about what matters to these other characters.

White Wolf	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/2/2004
Wow. First Sauron is driven out of Dol Guldur and then Smaug is killed. The elves sure are having some happy surprises. Thranduil watching his three sons and his grandson all together and realizing what a treasure he already has was very touching. As for Smaug's treasure, if the dwarves aren't dead, they'll be sitting right on top of it. That wouldn't sit well with Thranduil. I'm glad he stopped to help the humans. I would have expected nothing less from him. Author Reply: There certainly was a lot of good news all at once, wasn't there? And yet, in the end, it wasn't enough, not until the one ring was destroyed. Still the forest had about 10 years of peace, Tolkien says. Thranduil did the right thing, even when it was hard. I love the Elvenking.

Duchess	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/1/2004
Very well written and I enjoyed it immensely. I'm glad Thranduil didn't disappoint Legolas. vbg More please? Soon as you're able? hopeful look I know, I'm greedy, but it's your own fault for writing so well. lol Author Reply: Thank you, Duchess. I thought it was sort of poetic justice that Thranduil now lives under the eyes of his sons, who all know what would be good behavior, because he drummed it into them. So now he has to live up to it! The next chapter is coming along. This part has a clear plotline (at least in terms of external events) because it has to follow the book, but it's still interesting to think about how the Elves reacted to those events and the lasting effects those reactions might have had.

tigerlily713	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/1/2004
What a wonderful mixture of emotions therre was in that chapter! Riches indeed confuse the mind and heart, but I am glad to see that Thranduil isn't completely seduced by them. His children would likely have been much dejected. I can't wait for more! Lily Author Reply: Thank you, Lily. I think it would be hard to remain unmoved by the idea of treasure for the taking, especially if your people might need it. But Thranduil knows what's most important. Gotta love the Elvenking.

Jebb	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/1/2004
What a wonderful chapter and of course that was why Thranduil needed the treasure it all makes perfect sense now as a good king his subjects needs come first. The different ways they heard of Smaug's death was interesting as was their reaction to the news I am glad Sinnarn is being brought back into the fold again I think more than his minder have missed his presence Also Thranduil's thoughts on the Master and Bard rang so true this elf is no fool he knows where the power lies typical that he would give up his tent when the human mayor would not nice point But best of all his thoughts on his sons and grandsons he is rich indeed and he knows it Author Reply: I've had some trouble trying to work out what I think about various people's claims on the treasure and there's more on that to come, but I think that Thranduil actually comes out of it far better than Thorin does. The stuff about the trees and the birds carrying news of Smaug's death was straight out of The Hobbit. It's amazing what details are in there. I'm having a good time trying to work them in. Annael is right: Sinnarn should not have to pay forever for one mistake. He's a good person and his fellow warriors have had years of experience with him to learn that. He is, indeed, one of the jewels in Thranduil's treasure.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/1/2004
What a tribute to Thranduil as a parent, that his sons should have such high expectations of his behaviour and motivations. And to his conduct as king - but mostly it is the way he has behaved and trained them to operate that leads Legolas to feel confident he will do right. (Poor Calith has been putting up with Tinar for 200 years? And Tinar is still learning to repress obvious signs of prejudice - he is a seriously slow learner!) Author Reply: The good job Thranduil did as a parent is coming back to haunt him here. He's taught them clear, unbending ideas of right and wrong, so now they just assume he'll do the right thing. I think he would have anyway, but it sure made it harder not to when they were right there watching him. Maybe "Poor Calith" is the thing we all should be saying!

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/30/2004
I wonder if the Elves have a version of the old rhyme "A son's a son till he gets him a wife, but a daughter's a daughter the rest of her life." I read the bit about how Thranduil is starting to see Legolas and Eilian as grownups, and I'm thinking of the way my mother and my grandmother deal with each other and with me, and I think "not a chance." Must be a boy thing, actually deciding your offspring can stand on their own two feet without you. The troops are massing, I see. Thranduil assembles a great crowd to go after the treasure, for he is correct that unguarded treasure does not remain long in one place. Hey! Idea! Death match! Thranduil's treasure hunters versus the IRS! Sunday Sunday Sunday! I wonder what details of Elrond's needlework on Gelmir could possibly be so gruesome that a seasoned warrior like Eilian would curl up at the thought of it? I mean, it's just stitches, really. It's not like Gelmir had a total hip replacement, which looks really vicious on video. He had stitches. I guess this, too is a guy thing. And there goes Thranduil, turning aside to aid the humans. See, that right there is when I really knew that I liked him, right the first time I read The Hobbit when I was ten. You can always get money from somewhere, but turning aside from the quest for it to help someone is a much better thing to do. That's really when Thranduil proves that he's a true-blue Good Guy and a good friend to have. He can be my friend any day. And I think Bard will find him a good friend, too. Thranduil seems to like Bard. He has someone clever to spar with, and I'll bet he enjoys that almost as much as concluding negotiations successfully. Author Reply: I'm not sure that Thranduil has REALLY decided that his kids can stand on their own without him. He had a moment of clarity, I guess. But maybe he's achieved wisdom like that. After all, he's had hundreds of years. The idea of watching a hip replacement of video is making me cringe as I sit here drinking orange juice and writing to you. Why would you do that? I assume it must be job related, because otherwise, WHY? Thranduil going to the aid of the Men is, indeed, a wonderful moment, one that the fans who call him greedy forget. He was under no obligation. He just did it because it was the right thing to do. I love the guy. Death match? Have you been reading at ff.net again, FP?

Ms. Whatsit	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/30/2004
Annael is really too nice. Good thing I know he's alive in A Question of Duty :). Same thing could be said of Beliond. I loved him teasing Legolas about Hobbit--and I loved the bit about Nithron missing Sinnarn. Apparently Maltanaur and Beliond are not the only keepers to become enamored with their charges! I liked the way you showed Thranduil's love of the jewels, and his sons' surprise and lack of comprehension at that. He would be particularly sensitive to beauty, as an Elf formerly of Doriath. It also gives him something in common with the Dwarves! I liked the subtle political interactions between him and Bard. And Thranduil gives up his tent for the people of Laketown! Gotta love that Elven-king. Oh, yeah, and you manage to bring in Tinar's buffoonery into this otherwise serious chapter, which was great. Is the office job a punishment for Calith, too? Surely he doesn't deserve this! Author Reply: Yeah, it's like Annael, Beliond, and Amdir have immunity. They can do whatever they want and I can't kill them. They're taunting me. Elves and Dwarves do seem to have a common love of jewels. It wasn't Dwarves who engaged in war to get the Silmarils back! I think wood-elves might be less interested in jewels than the Noldor are thought. I think that Thranduil and Bard still have some negotiating to do too. Bard is a take charge kind of guy. But he and Thranduil share scorn for how the Master fails his people. Neither one of them would do that. Calith is NOT being punished. He's just unbelievably good at organizing Ithilden's office (and the rebuilding of Lake-town). What he did to deserve Tinar is hard to imagine!

Manderly	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/30/2004
The latter part of the chapter was really heart-warming. We haven't had Thranduil and sons together for a while now. Thank you for giving us some insight into Thranduil's thoughts about his sons. They were very touching. Thranduil really has every right to be proud of his sons, but he should be proud of himself too for he has raised them well. I really like your Legolas, so compassionate and caring. Wonder where he picked up this trait from. Though his brothers and father are far from being cold-hearted, but they also do not show their concern so openly for others, especially if those others are not of the elf-kind. Another wonderful chapter, as always. Author Reply: I liked the idea of all three of Thranduil's sons together on this mission, sharing wine around the campfire and trying to keep warm in the November cold. They don't see one another often enough to waste the opportunity to spend time together. And Thranduil appreciates them together as adults of whom he is terribly proud. But you're right. He deserves some credit for that too. I don't know where Legolas got his compassion from. Maybe from the loving way he was raised?

erunyauve	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/30/2004
I love the way Eilian understood the trees at once, while Thranduil presumably got his news from the birds. I've always thought that it would have been a rather unusual thing for Thranduil to lead an army - I think Thundera Tiger mentioned the biggest problem in one of her short stories - someone would have to be able to close the doors of the cave in case of disaster. And it would make more sense to have Ithilden lead rather than risk the King's life. With Sauron leaving Dol Guldur and no real trouble expected, it's natural that Thranduil would make an exception here, and I can't help but feel that aside from the treasure, the adventure is part of his excitement. And the ending of the chapter was perfect - there's a bit of an echo here of Feanor, who chose to risk his sons' lives to recapture his jewels, and Thingol, who lost everything to obtain one of those jewels. Feanor and Thingol might be remembered in the lore, but Thranduil had to have a bit more sense to rule for so long. Author Reply: I forgot about the doors, truthfully, but maybe they can just be pushed shut but not sealed? Those things gave me fits to write about. It's interesting to think about the fact that rulers in Tolkien led from the front. Oropher and Thranduil were both at Dagorlad; Eomer and Theoden were both at the Pelennor. I think that Thranduil's heart is clearly with his sons and grandson. He may be a the ruler of wood-elves, not a Noldor prince, but he is far smarter about what matters.

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page

Return to Chapter List