Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

The Singer  by Pearl Took 8 Review(s)
FindegilReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/12/2007
Excellent, disturbing creepiness here--you're fleshing out some of the horror apparent in Tolkien's stories that he only hinted at.

Author Reply: Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Findegil. I value your opinion :-)

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/29/2006
And how did I manage to miss this one? So very satisfying, both to see Pippin and his son at their very best, assisted as always by their faerie ancestress.

Lovely story, my lady.

Author Reply: Hi Larner!

I seem to miss stories as well, but then I guess we get the serendipity of "discovering" them on our own :-)

I'm so glad you found it, enjoyed it and left a kindly response. Thank you!

storyfishReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/1/2006
Oooh! Wonderfully creepy. Reads like a good ghost story, but with that special touch of Tookish Faerie blood that I always love reading about in your stories. I especially love Faramir's involvement in his father's rescue--he's growing up good and brave, just like his da! ;-)

Author Reply: Thank you so much, Storyfish :) It's so wonderful to hear that people like my take on the Faerie Blood in the Tooks! And always good to know that a story that I wanted to be eerie succeeds in being so. I'm also glad you like my Faramir. Thank you :)

Elanor SilmariënReviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/18/2006
Oh, this was very good, Pearl! I noticed this one on the Challenge page, but I didn't get a chance to read it, so I finally have, and now I'm sorry I missed it! I absolutely love your faeries!
God bless,
Ellie

Author Reply: Aw, thank you, Ellie :) Glad you like Culassisul and the Faerie Blood Tooks :)

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/6/2006
Beautifully told. You are very good at these rather eerie tales! The singer is quite spine-chilling - and Cullassisul' aid very welcome. I'm glad she brought Faramir to the rescue - and that his hobbit-thrown knife was the weapon that released his father.

Took's Glen, huh? Well - that's a name that will cause some debate in future centuries, when everyone has forgotten the world beyond the obvious.

Author Reply: Thank you, Bodkin :) The skill with eerie tales may come from my first two favorite authors (when I was growing up) being Agatha Christie and Edgar Alan Poe, LOL Thank you for the kind compliment!

Yes, I figure that someday no one will know where that glen got it's name except the historians.

ArmarielReviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/5/2006
Oooo...eerie and delicious. I KNEW he shouldn't have touched her food! I kept telling him, She's a Witch, get out of there! But the fool of a Took wouldn't listen! Beautifully evocative and scary, my kinda tale exactly!

~~~{~@

Author Reply: I'm glad it's your kind of tale, Armariel :) Thank you so much!

I'm afraid that Pippin doesn't listen very well at times ;)

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/5/2006
Whoooo. (lets out long-drawn breath in sudden exhalation of relief)

I am certainly glad that you wrapped all this up in one chapter and didn't leave the reader hanging!

I don't get to read much at all, these days (still wanting to get to Shirebound's latest chapter, but no time...) but I stole a few moments while waiting for the kettle to boil. Got to get back to the business of the day now, but thanks for the excellent read. MEWD!

This bit:
The king placed his right hand gently to Faramir’s cheek taking a moment to hold the frightened hobbit’s eyes with his own. He knew what stirred in those green depths but he knew their magic would not be turned on him.

I had forgotten that Pippin could make his cousins do what he wished... and so Faramir has inherited the gift?

The "magic" being Frodo's mercy and pity is a wonderful touch.

But I am called away. Thanks again!

Author Reply: Thank you for making time for my story, Lindelea :)

It is one of the biggest follies of evil to underestimate the power of the virtues.

Yes, Faramir is a "faerie-blood Took" :) I figured Pippin needed to deal with someone like himself to keep him humble ;)

AspenJulesReviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/5/2006
I read this on the challenge page. Wow... very eerie, angsty, creepy...

I loved him traveling with Bergil... getting to see Bergil as he gets some training. And Pippin feeling like he needed to get away so he didn't hover so much... I can sympathise with that as a mother learning to let go. Sometimes it's just easier NOT to be there than it is to be there and not interfere.

I'm unfamiliar with your stories with Cullasisul in them... on what do you base the idea of a connection with Pip and/or his family and Faeries? And, I'm embarassed to say that I don't remember if Tolkien made any mention of Faeries in ME - did he? Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed your story!

Author Reply: Thank you so much for reading this twice, AspenJules :) Yes, it is hard to let go and let your growing young ones make their own way. Pippin showed good hobbit sense by getting away - even though it very nearly ended badly.

In "The Hobbit" Tolkien writes: "It was often said (in other families) that long ago one of the Took ancestors must have taken a fairy wife. That was, of course, absurd, but certainly there was still something not entirely hobbitlike about them, and once in a while members of the Took-clan would go and have adventures."

For me, the way he said it is, ". . . of course, absurd . . ." made it sound like it wasn't really absurd at all. So I took what is often said about fairy type folk and gave those attributes to some of the Tooks. Things such as being able to entrance and manipulate other beings with their voices and their eyes, being small and dainty.

Tolkien also says, in the prologue to LOTR: "The Took family was still, indeed, accorded a special respect, for it remained both numerous and exceedingly wealthy, and was liable to produce in every generation strong characters of peculiar habbits and even adventurous temperment. The latter qualities, however, were now rather tolerated (in the rich) than generally approved." From this I have it that there are only a few "fairy-blood Tooks" in each generation and that they are similar in appearance.

All of this is introduced and discussed in my story, "While We Dwelt in Fear". Then it crops up in a few of my other stories. Thank you so much, AspenJules, for asking about it :)

Return to Chapter List