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| The King's Justice by maya_ar | 12 Review(s) |
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| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/16/2004 |
| I enjoyed this story a great deal. You made a good job of imitating Tolkien's style without parodying it, and I like the way you've portrayed Faramir. He's very methodical, yet relentless in his quest for the truth. He's tactful when thanking those who saved him, especially with Beregond -- I love the details of their childhood friendship, especially the intimation of Faramir being the leader of that duo and instigating mischief. At the end, I especially liked the distinction you made between law and justice. The two do not necessarily coincide, and you have made that abundantly clear while not dismissing the gravity of Beregond's situation. Almost makes Faramir out to be a superhero: Crusading for truth, justice and the Gondorian way! Author Reply: Hi, Very glad you enjoyed it. The "law versus justice" issue is the idea that kicked this piece off in my mind. Then all sorts of conversations crept in, and the back story with Beregond fell into place. Faramir as superhero: *splutter* now you've got me picturing him in tights. Green ones. Aragorn's would be black, no doubt. :-) | |
| Elena Tiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/16/2004 |
| What a remarkable story! I was pulled in by the epistolary beginning, and noticed how the tone of the two letters seemed so appropriate -- one to his respected liege, and another to his respected and beloved kinsman. When reading the books, I was truly impressed by Elessar's creative justice for Beregond, so I was disposed to like this story. But you added so much richness and texture to the decision that I appreciate Tolkien's version of the passage all the more. Thank you! - Barbara Author Reply: Hello Barbara, Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, Tolkien gave us a lovely series of endings and resolutions to the trilogy, while leaving room to imagine even more! Some of my favourite parts of RoTK are the post-war bits. It's always fun to write about these characters interacting. Most of the time they virtually write themselves. cheers, Maya | |
| Chathol-linn | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/15/2004 |
| A beautiful and moving conclusion to a story which should not have held surprises but thanks to the author's skill, did. Overall, a well-told tale with no flaws. Better - it's an affirmative and impressive use of story-telling techniques. Other features that I liked: it's about the right length to actually tell a story. Also, you completed it before you began posting. At least that how it looked to me. With apologies to those who start and post chapters in progress, I prefer stories to be completed before the posting begins. (I know I'm in the minority here.) It seemed to me that the author knew exactly where the story was going and how it was going to end. Good job. - Chathol-linn Author Reply: Chathol-linn, I truly appreciate your reading and taking the trouble to leave chapter by chapter reviews! You're quite right- the story was finished before posting. I usually write from an outline, though plot and details tend to change while the work is in progress. My personal preference is to wait till a piece is done, because I tend to revise extensively. Sometimes, the earlier chapters are rewritten completely because of developments in later ones. So I think it's unfair to expect readers to keep up with my vacillations! Thank you once again for your thoughtful reviews. They are very much appreciated. cheers, Maya | |
| Parker | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/15/2004 |
| This is just lovely! It drew me in from the first with the letters (you've got the formality down perfectly!) and kept me interested (*anything* having to do with Faramir will keep me interested) through to the end. Very Tolkienesque, yet the language was not stilted at all. I really like the themes of mercy and justice--and they seem to be quite intertwined in this piece. Thanks for a beautiful piece--I look forward to reading more from you. Author Reply: I'm so glad you enjoyed it. As you can probably tell, anything to do with Faramir interests me, too :-) It's good to hear that the language and style work, and that the themes make sense. Thank *you* for the words of encouragement! cheers, Maya | |
| Chathol-linn | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/15/2004 |
| What I like about this part, and its support of the story overall, is the balance it provides among narration, description, and dialog. I always think of these three elements as *the* elements of fiction. There was more narration in this part, and it was necessary to move the story along. It balanced the previous chapters that contained description and dialog. I was going to offer a featherweight criticism on the greater reliance on archaic terms and sentence construction. Then I realized that it all occurred as dialog in the mouths of the characters, which makes it sound natural instead of jarring or overdone. Once again, well crafted! - Chathol-linn Author Reply: Chathol-linn, I cannot tell you how much your comments here mean to me. One of the biggest concerns in drafting and redrafting this story was achieving an internal balance in terms of structure as well as themes. To have a reader pick out "balance" as one of the positive things about the piece - I'm sitting here with a huge grin on my face right now! Thank you! cheers, Maya | |
| Chathol-linn | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/15/2004 |
| In this continuation I thought you did an especially good job with the dialog. Hobbits sounded Hobbit-like; Numenoreans and Rohirrim sounded natural and distinctive. Regards - Chathol-linn Author Reply: Chathol-linn, Thanks again. Writing the different voices is one of the most enjoyable parts of Tolkien fan fiction. cheers, Maya | |
| Chathol-linn | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 7/15/2004 |
| What a competent touch you have with the tone and style of this correspondence. High quality indeed. Each word counts; there is not an extraneous one to be found. And you don't overdo the archaic approach by over-using reverse sentence constructions and odd vocabulary ('naught' 'ere' 'mayhap' etc.) but rather accomplish it through a very formal tone. The only archaic word I noticed was 'bethink' and you used it perfectly. Your story telling technique catches the reader's interest by promising a development in a specified time -4 days in this case. Well crafted beginning! - Chathol-linn Author Reply: Thank you! One of the most nervous-making things about writing this was kicking off with the letters: basically paragraphs of exposition in very formal language. With the invaluable input of my beta-readers, I did three revisions to the story, but still have doubts about whether the balance between archaic style and readability is maintained. It's wonderful to hear reassurance on that front- your words are much appreciated. Cheers, Maya | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/15/2004 |
| I liked the memories of their shared boyhood that Beregond and Faramir call up. Poor Beregond. The men he killed were only doing their duty too and they were comrades of his. Author Reply: Thank you - I was trying to create a back story for their relationship that would expand it without violating the canon. Yes, Beregond was terribly remorseful over those deaths. On the other hand, while they were following orders, they were doing so blindly. In modern armies, this would be like obeying "unlawful orders". So of the two, his choice is clearly the more honourable - he wanted to do the right thing despite knowing what the consequences to himself would be. Or so I see it, anyway. Thanks again for the comments! cheers, Maya | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 7/15/2004 |
| I liked the contrasting tones of the two letters. I've always thought that the fate of Beregond was an interesting one. If there were true justice, of course, he would be rewarded, but those over him also have to maintain discipline for everyone else. So what to do? Author Reply: Hi, Thank you. I was working for a more "official" tone with the letter to Aragorn, while the one to Imrahil had to be more revealing while still formal in style. Yes, Beregond's case is a classic case of the conflict between law and justice, isn't it. That's what gave me the idea for the story. cheers, Maya | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/15/2004 |
| I like the way you write Gandalf. Poor Faramir has had plenty of practice in striving with terrible fear and pain and mastering them. Loved the back story on Beregond and Faramir; I've always wondered why Beregond was so fond of Faramir and risked so much to save him. Author Reply: Gandalf practically writes himself :-) cheers, Maya | |