Reviews (840)

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It didn't seem fair to me that everyone else would get a spot of comfort right there in front of Bill, and leaving the pony out! So I rather took the bit between my teeth and ran away with it, in terms of imagination. Hopefully JRRT would agree. He seemed to put a lot of stock in the concept of pity. Thanks!

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Perhaps all the Company are insane... I'm sure many of them questioned their sanity here and there along the way. Your theory sounds plausible to me. Maximum drama. They do say that it's the conflict that drives the plot. (At least, somebody said that once in my hearing. I don't quite remember who or where.) Thanks!

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I'm not sure it ever occurred to me before, either! (Or if it did, I've forgotten.) (Trying to imagine Bill's thoughts on the Golden Wood, and the Lady... I think he would have liked the Lady a great deal, actually. If she could charm a Dwarf, one can only imagine the impression she would make on an observant pony.) Again, thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts and impressions. I do appreciate it.

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He did, indeed! (Thanks!)

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A tart made from dried fruit is something I remember from reading about past times when fresh fruit wasn't available year-round. (Maybe it was a book about American pioneers? I don't recall the context anymore.) Some people might have canned fruit and used it for pie filling, while others dried fruit in the sun (for example, turning grapes into raisins). Dried fruit travels well. It can be used in travel rations as well as reconstituted to be used in pies and tarts. I do remember that my horse seemed to enjoy dried apples almost as much as she loved fresh ones. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to leave an encouraging word.

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I found it interesting that the only thing that could tear Legolas away from the forest was the Sea. They seem so unalike. I suppose one similarity that might make sense to me lies in my love of (and fascination with) waterfalls, which are found in the forests around here. There's something about the sound of the falling water, along with the mystery inherent in the look of a waterfall always changing and yet ever the same from moment to moment. My love of the ocean springs from similar sensory impressions: the sound of the surf and the way the size and shape of the waves are always changing, yet the sight of the breaking waves seems the same from moment to moment. I have definitely fallen into rambling, as I mentioned in another review reply, so I'm going to heed the cats' increasingly imperative hints and take myself off to bed. Thanks for listening. And many thanks for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

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Thank you! I have made up most of my LOTR poetry, including hobbit songs and rhymes, though I must admit that for some of the more complex poetry I've drawn heavily from Tolkien's examples. The fish-wish rhyme was my attempt to come up with a Middle-earth version of "Ring around the Rosie", which I've been told describes details of the Black Death. (Somehow I can't envision hobbits making a children's rhyme that describes a plague. Children of Rohan or Gondor, perhaps, but not hobbits; at least, it would seem out of character to me.)

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Again, thank you for your encouragement. I've always wanted to be an artist, but I've had to settle for drawing pictures with words. I've never been able to draw or sketch pictures of what I see in my head or with my eyes, so words will have to do. Wouldn't they be thrilled to discover that particular magic! (Somehow it sounds like something you might find in a Twilight Zone episode.) Gandalf might have flown on that Eagle's back from Orthanc to Rivendell. But wait. In the story, doing what he did, he drew off some of the Black Riders, if I'm remembering right. So maybe that wouldn't have been the best possibility. Probably the quickest end to the story would be if Círdan and Elrond had picked Isildur up bodily as soon as he said he was going to keep the Ring, carried him to the Crack of Doom, and thrown him in. But then, as you have so aptly observed, where would our story be? (Don't mind me, I'm in a fey mood tonight after finishing another WIP. Writing the final chapter of anything is a strangely melancholy exercise for me. But then, I suffered a shock when I read, He drew a deep breath. ‘Well, I’m back,’ he said. And the book ended. Just like that. And I wanted it to go on and on because I'd come to love the characters so. Which is probably why I started writing fanfiction. But I'm rambling, which is a sure sign I need to close up the laptop for now.) Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

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I get that same feeling every time I read a story that includes ruins. From my younger years, I remember clearly the joy of exploring old crumbling ruins from various periods of history (e.g. castles, chapels, walls, Roman roads, a salt mine founded in the 1500s, a reconstruction of a prehistoric village on stilts, and Roman baths in Europe; ghost towns and the still-visible ruts of the Oregon Trail in the Western US; cave paintings that I don't remember anymore where I saw them because it was so long ago). I can close my eyes and remember walking up a stone stairway in a castle ruin where feet have worn down the middle part of each stair, passing arrow slits in the outward-facing wall, pausing to peer outwards and imagining what the place was like when it was full of life and animals and people... I've never been on a "dig", but the idea of digging down through layers of history is also a fascinating concept. Their stars! Yes... I'd love to see the night sky in Middle-earth during the various seasons, and learn the names and shapes of all the constellations...

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I have long had a secret wish to visit Hollin. Even with the uneasy notes JRRT added, it sounds like a lovely place. Thanks!

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Weren't they the birds in the playground scene (and maybe other scenes) of Hitchcock's The Birds? Very eerie! Frightening, even. It wasn't long after seeing that film that I swore off horror films. JRRT seemed to have a better opinion of them, though, at least in The Hobbit. If I'm remembering right. They're so intelligent, and I've found their customs and culture fascinating in the past. I always stop and watch when I see a crow or two driving away a much larger raptor; so bold and brave and clever and determined! It's too bad Saruman used them for nefarious purposes. Do you think the silence (I think a single croak is mentioned in the book) increased the eeriness of the scene? Thinking back on it, that single croak must have made an impression on me in reading that passage and writing this chapter since it's something Bill mentions. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

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I remember Boromir as "a noble man" though I think JRRT actually describes Denethor with those words. He's a tragic figure, and yet from the glimpses of him given throughout the book, it's no wonder he's been the subject of interest for so many excellent fanfic writers. He's not all brawn and muscle, but also intelligent, observant, practical, caring and even sensitive (though forced to suppress it or, at least, hide it most of the time). I can understand the temptation to write an AU where he lives and gets to see his beloved City safe at last. It's a difficult day (woke up with no spoons today; was Lobelia visiting recently?), so I'm taking great comfort in reading reviews and dabbling in fanfic. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.

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Hahaha! That resurrected a faint memory of one of my older family members... Thanks for the chuckle!

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Thank you so much, dear friend. I'm glad this weekend gave you some space to read and (hopefully) relax. (((hugs))) Happy Mother's Day to you! (I think I probably wrote this in another review reply, but it bears repeating.)

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He can certainly read their emotions, even though he can't make sense of the lines that appear on the rocky surface of the cliffs. (While I've seen video of studies where dolphins and other creatures were able to learn to recognise fairly simple symbols and shapes – who knows what complex shapes they naturally respond to in the wild? – I'm not sure if any such studies have been conducted with equines. So I went with the idea that Bill couldn't distinguish a star from a rune or a tree in a 2D rendering.) Thanks!

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I have stolen some time to type review replies this morning, and so I must thank you for your encouraging feedback – for reading reviews is so energizing – but the "kitten" is having a cow, so to speak, and so I think I must close the laptop and embark upon a voyage of discovery to see what she needs. Or thinks she needs. A lap to nap on? Freshening the supply of food or water? A few light-hearted moments chasing a feather tied to a string? All demanding, insistent meows sound alike to me, and so a process of trial-and-error lies in my immediate future. (((hugs))) Thanks again!

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Bill has learned much and grown much over the past weeks. He had a good foundation, what with the Old Man who bred and trained him and his dam who brought him up (and who evidently had stored up quite a lot of experience and wisdom before he was born). I'm glad that Aragorn made sure he had at least a little water as they walked through the dry lands, but I also wanted to emphasize Boromir's qualities as I imagine would be characteristic of a Captain of Gondor. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! I hope this finds you well.

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Gandalf undoubtedly had good reasons for his repeated urging to make haste, and the others probably took their cues from his concern, I should think! Thanks!

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Poor Bill. Stairs seem to be his bane. I wonder if Gandalf would have welcomed (or at least allowed) his continued service in Moria, had it not been for stairs? Thanks!

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It was certainly a relief to have this respite after the wolf battle and before the encounter before the Doors of Moria, for sure! (Thanks!)

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I have to say, I skimmed over the "wolf battle" in my past readings, or at least I hurried through reading that passage. To write from Bill's perspective, I had to slow way down and read carefully, trying to note every detail as well as keep track where each character was throughout. Thanks so much for the praise! I'm glad the description works.

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Your review brings me relief; I wasn't sure if Pippin would be believable, but his suddenly becoming overwhelmed and paralyzed by fear made sense to me in terms of his youth and relatively sheltered life in the Shire before setting out to accompany Frodo (despite all the fanfic out there just dripping with angst and such, my own included). Not knowing what to expect makes it worse, for he cannot even plan or strategize at all because he can't imagine surviving the attack. (Do you think he does better when the Orcs attack in Moria simply because he has experienced this battle and now knows more about fighting back-to-back and that, small as he is, he can make a difference with his sharp blade by applying the skills and lessons Boromir taught him along the way? Somehow, his change in attitude reminds me of something I heard someone say recently: 'Don't let the fear stop you; let it get behind you and push you forward.') As I have said elsewhere, Bill is both a wise pony, and he has grown wiser along the way. I think he might even be able to hold his own with Bill Ferny by the time he reaches Bree once more. Thanks!

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Bill appreciates his hobbits and each one's individual qualities and strengths. I'm not sure that the loyal pony would recognize weaknesses as weaknesses, either. He might just see them as personality quirks. Thanks!

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And I am answering reviews belatedly. I don't know if you'll get the chance to read these replies, but I do so appreciate your pausing long enough to share your thoughts. Reviews are so motivating and encouraging! I hope life has improved for you since you wrote this review. It never seems to rain but that it pours... and I'm sure the saying became a cliche because it's so often and so unfortunately true! It has been fun (even diverting) to travel in my imagination with Bill and watch him gain in experience and wisdom while remaining delightfully oblivious in areas where a pony wouldn't be expected to understand the ins and outs of how "the other half" (meaning two-footed creatures) live and think. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. I hope life lightens up. In any event, I need to go back and read your older stories, especially the ones I missed when I was away from fanfic because of the demands of needing more income! While my work was absorbing, and I learned a lot, I also missed the fanfic community very much. (So I guess another kindness I must thank you for has to do with your visits, which kept me loosely connected with the phenomenon of fanfic while I had to be away. Not to mention, it's always good to see you!)

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Thank you! Part 2 was promised for April, and I've managed to make it work. So far. (Think good thoughts, if you wouldn't mind.) I agree! I can't bear the thought of Bill lost and alone in the howling wilderness! Thank goodness JRRT wrote a better ending for him than that!