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The Tenth Walker  by Lindelea 6 Review(s)
harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 22 on 11/7/2008
You made me shiver right along with Bill and the rest. Poor Sam, having to do that to Bill. Lovely, faithful, Bill.

(Great to see another chapter!)

Author Reply: Thanks!

After cleaning up leaves in the cold rain, I'm shivering too. Off to heat some apple cider...

Elena TirielReviewed Chapter: 22 on 11/6/2008
Hi Lindelea!

So glad to see a new chapter in Bill's story.... You really do a marvelous job of putting yourself in his, er, horseshoes... LOL!

Well done!

- Barbara

Author Reply: Hi back at you!

It is so nice to have a little breathing space in the schedule for writing again. Whew.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a good word!

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 22 on 11/6/2008
Oh dear! Poor Bill, poor hobbits, poor Strider.

Lin, I love how detailed all this is from Bill's POV. Just as a pony would, he notices every little detail about the "now" he is in. In that way, the shortness of the chapters works to the advantage of the story, because you are able to devote each one to the entirety of Bill's "now".

His growing affection for Sam, "not-merry" (it's so sad to see Merry described that way, yet so indicative of his state of mind) and young hobbit and Strider is shown in the way he blows his "warm breath" and tries to block the cold from them.

Soon, I hope, they will be encountering a certain Elf and his horse, and perhaps that will put a bit of heart into them...

Author Reply: Glad to hear it worked. I was feeling a little disappointed in this chapter, as I meant to work in Merry opening Frodo's shirt to look at the wound, and Sam peering over his shoulder, and then when I wrote it I forgot about that part, and the way it wrote itself that scene just won't fit. So it must have happened earlier... maybe before the climb began...

Anyhow, I am most heartily looking forward to Glorfindel, and afterward, Rivendell. (Actually, part of Bill's stay at Rivendell has been written for months, and I've been working toward it.)

I'm glad the short chapters make sense! (Ponies, in my experience, have short attention spans when it comes to anything but eating.)

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 22 on 11/6/2008
Ohhh, such an arduous, heartbreaking journey! But every time Bill thinks "my Sam", I smile a little.

Author Reply: every time Bill thinks "my Sam", I smile a little

Me, too. (or as one of the little ones would say, putting on a grand air, "As do I." *g* ...comes from all the reading aloud from classics, I suppose.)

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 22 on 11/6/2008
Oh, hooray! This is so very likely an expansion! And that Bill recognizes that Sam does only what he feels is necessary shows the trust Bill has developed for the Hobbit

Wonderful word pictures here regarding the saddle and the weariness of the group, and the growing distress in Frodo!

Author Reply: Thank you!

I do think, in retrospect, that Sam would have just come from looking at Frodo's wound, when he said what he did to Strider, but I couldn't figure out how to work it in. All I can think to do is to re-imagine a little earlier, perhaps during the climb or slightly before it began, and make some excuse for Sam (and Merry) to look at the closed wound. Of course that would be background, and not necessarily in the spoken story.

Sorry to say I haven't read any of your latest chapters yet--I took this little bit of free time to write, not read. But they are on my list for holiday reading time...

eilujReviewed Chapter: 22 on 11/5/2008
Everyone is doing their best in impossible circumstances. I don't envy them the rocky ground, the cold wind, the exhaustion, and the fear for Frodo.

I'm always glad to see more of this story!

Author Reply: Thanks! It's been a long busy spell, but the holidays are coming up and I can hope for a bit of free time again. (Of course, time off from school also means more competition for the computer... LOL!)

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