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Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux  by Fiondil 12 Review(s)
KayleeReviewed Chapter: 69 on 8/11/2008
"Who do you think told me where to find you?" LOL...if he only knew, as I do, who Yaravinyon is! *snicker*
Ah, poor Glorfi, thinking he's going to be punished for being on the mountain *Huggles him* He'll be fine. The Valar aren't mad with him, I know. :)

~Kaylee!!

Author Reply: The clues were all there but I'm glad that most readers were unable to guess who Yaracinyon truly was until the very end. *grin*

TariReviewed Chapter: 69 on 4/8/2008
"The Past is a dangerous place to be, for it is full of regrets and ‘should-have-beens’. It does no good to dwell there overlong. The present moment is all any of us are ever offered, even we who will live until all the ages of Arda are spent. Take joy in the Present and leave the Past where it belongs."

Words of wisdom I should be following.

Glorfindel has finally been rescued. That he feels no animosity toward those who abducted him speaks volumes about his character, which is why he is one of my favorites.

Tari

Author Reply: Yes, they are indeed words of wisdom we should all follow. My mother always said the one phrase that should be struck from the English language is "I should have....".

Glofindel is a truly noble person by anyone's yardstick.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 69 on 2/13/2008
The Valar know where he was brought, and by whom. They made certain he'd be rescued, and he will be the stronger in the end for what he's been through.

Author Reply: The Valar are more aware of what's going on than they let on and Glorfindel will be stronger in the end, though at the moment he's not feeling too strong. *grin*

RhyselleReviewed Chapter: 69 on 5/18/2007
I felt bad for Glorfindel when he woke up... I've never been beaten up but I've had a near concussion and migraines where even the thought of dim light hurt... much less the glare that the snow was making the he suffered from. I have to say that he is a persistent fellow... many people would have given up and just lay in the snow, but he kept going. He is still quite the elfling, seeing things in black and white; when he realized where he was, it just never occurred to him that he had not actually violated the prohibition of his climbing the mountain of his own will. But youngsters frequently don't get it that they aren't responsible for the things that other people do to them.

He's got a lot of mixed feelings about the Valar, it seems... fearing them and loving them and wanting to trust them but being afraid to. He wants to obey what he's been told to do, but he also resents having to obey, even if he hasn't articulated it yet. Hmmmmm. He and Ingwion seem to have much in common when it comes to that...

But the ones I really felt sorry for were the Maiar who were set to watch and guard him, but not allowed to succor him from his pain and fear. That must have been a very difficult task to accomplish. It certainly would have been very hard for me to do what they did without 'interfering'.

As I've written before, I find so much of this tale tied around the concept of obedience... Glorfindel's struggles to obey his promise to not climb the mountain were heartbreaking--not just because of the physical damage he'd sustained (a considerable amount of it, in fact)--but because of the emotional pain he was enduring because he could only think that he'd disobeyed the command of the Valar and he was afraid of the consequences. I think that it never really occurred to him that his choice to crawl away from a place where he would have receive help was a more than adequate demonstration of his desire to obey the Valar. All he could think of was that he was in trouble and was being bad and, well, stopped thinking.

Since I'm still a very beginner in learning the Elvish languages, I wasn't able to figure out the meaning of the name of the elf who was helping him. His identity is a puzzle but I find that my not knowing just who he is doesn't bother me... I know that his presence is a gift of the Valar to Glorfindel as is the service he is providing by caring for our Reborn Balrog Slayer.

I can just picture the look on Glorfindel's face when Yáravinyon asked him who he thought had told him where to find Glorfindel. :) Poor ellon... he's confused and upset and feels very very put upon right now.

I know that eventually, he'll mature to the point that he becomes the confident and more than competent Elf Lord we meet in The Fellowship of the Ring. It's interesting getting to see him make the steps necessary to becoming that fulfillment of his character.

Author Reply: As I've said in response to other reviewers, Glorfindel's physical pain makes it difficult for him to think straight, so he's really acting on pure emotion, in this case, fear: when he realizes where he is, panic sets in and all he can think of is that he's got to get down the mountain before someone finds out, never taking into account that the Valar are probably quite aware of who's sitting on their front doorstep, so to speak.

>> But the ones I really felt sorry for were the Maiar who were set to watch and guard him, but not allowed to succor him from his pain and fear. That must have been a very difficult task to accomplish.

One has to wonder, extrapolating from the above observation, if God's angels who are set to watch and guard us, also must stand back and not interfere when we are hurt (spiritually or physically) unless specifically enjoyed by the Father to do so. It cannot be easy and like you I wouldn't want to have to be in such a position.

The identity of the mysterious elf is revealed with a full explanation of his name in a future chapter. You can always skip ahead, but why spoil the surprise?

It is interesting to compare the Glorfindel we meet in LOTR with the Glorfindel we meet here. One has to remember that nearly five thousand years separate the two Glorfindels. He obviously has had lots of time to get his act together. *grin*

MithLuinReviewed Chapter: 69 on 4/10/2007
Yah! Glorfindel is back! FINALLY :P And he's met a hermit! How cool is that? I haven't thought of elvish hermits before, but I suppose Eol and Tuor both lived solo lives for awhile, and of course Frodo and Bilbo were ecentric bachelors, so it fits in well enough. Glad to see all the threads finally coming together.

Author Reply: Yes, the threads of the different plot lines are finally coalescing, though they will shortly split apart (inevitable when dealing with three or four different characters, each with their own stories to tell, though Glorfindel's story is the main one).

Agape4GondorReviewed Chapter: 69 on 4/5/2007
Just a little personal note, Fiondil. I've been reading and truly enjoying all your works - this one is particularly good.

I wanted to thank you though - the RW has been vicious of late and I have struggled profoundly - thought I was fighting the good fight - but last night I got a piece of news that just knocked all the breath out of me. As I lay on my bed, sobbing and in tears and really ready to give it all up, I thought to myself, "I can't die - I've got to find out what happens to Elf Interrupted."

Thank you for sharing your tales...

Author Reply: Obviously you don't say specifically what has happend in the RW but I can guess. I have two dear friends back in the States who are even now struggling against cancer (both recently diagnosed) and I myself have been in remission for many years, so I know what it means to be given bad news about something. All I can say is that you now have a *real* reason to keep going for as long as you are permitted — to finish your own tales, never mind finding out what happens in others' stories. And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you will be given the strength to remain long enough to find out what happens to Elf Interrupted. *grin* It will be as Eru wills.

Thank you for sharing your own tales with us...

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 69 on 4/5/2007
Poor Glorfindel! He's in so much pain, but so determined - and still scared to death about being found on Taniquetil. It's just as well that the Valar aren't as stupid as the conspirators - and sent Yaravinyon to retrieve him from the snow.

He needed some time to begin to recover from the abuse he had suffered, but he is doing well - and the length of the storm is a good reason for him being out of touch for so long while all his friends are running round like blue-tailed flies seeking any information.



Author Reply: Yes, Glorfindel exhibits the literal thinking of most adolescents where it concerns potential "parental" disapproval. Of course, his injuries don't help matters and make it difficult for him to think straight: He's on the mountain... Lord Námo told him he wasn't to be on the mountain... doesn't matter *how* he got there, he's not supposed to be there... if he's caught on the mountain, he'll surely be punished, and so on. He definitely needs the healing time in more ways than one and the storm (however convenient) helps keep him in one place while his friends effect a rescue.

KittyReviewed Chapter: 69 on 4/4/2007
Oh, poor Glorfindel! Just now I’m rather angry at the Valar for allowing him to be beaten up so badly at all. They could have given him at least something for the pain, instead of allowing him to crawl around with *these* injuries.

Well, at least his feëa didn’t try to run away again; that was what I had feared when he discovered where he was, particularly as Vorondil stole the ring which should prevent that. My heart ached for him when he turned away from Ilmarin instead of seeking help. He would *never* have made it down the whole mountain and to the next inhabited area.

Hmmm ... Glorfindel thinks his rescuer is an elf? Not entirely sure about that. I’m too lazy to google for translations, but when I read the description, it was a certain Istari we meet shortly in FotR who immediately came to mind. But you’ll probably not tell me if I am right ... Anyway, I am so very glad Glorfindel is safe and someone is caring for him. But why do I get the feeling this snowstorm is raging only around the cave and only to keep Glorfindel willingly there? Taniquetil didn’t seem so far away from Vanyamar that the weather could be so very different, and down there the bad weather didn’t last long.

Author Reply: You, of course, are not the only one to think Glorfindel's rescuer is a certain Maia named Radagast (or Aiwendil, as he was called in Aman), but you're correct that I won't tell you if you're right or wrong. *grin* You'll have to wait and find out... I promise, though, the wait won't be too long in coming.

Sometimes a snowstorm is just a snowstorm....and sometimes it's not.

lwarrenReviewed Chapter: 69 on 4/4/2007
Hey Fiondil! Surfacing just long enough to say I LOVE this story and I wait impatiently for your wonderful, prompt and numerous updates. Love the fearsome threesome (Finrod, Glorfindel, and Sador) and the Valar, especially Lord Namo and his relationship to 'his' charges. Now, I wanted to pop in and yell, "Is it Radagast (your mysterious good Samaritan)?" but you know I can't keep it short! LOL Wonderful, just wonderful...*sinks back under the weight of end of the year testing and paperwork*

Linda

Author Reply: Hey Linda! Glad you were able to surface long enough to let me know how much you are enjoying the story. As to who the mysterious good Samaritan is... we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? *grin*

CalenlassReviewed Chapter: 69 on 4/4/2007
Ah, so we're back to our Balrog Slayer. *grin*
Poor Glorfindel. At least someone found him. Someone nice.
I await the next chapter.
~Calenlass

Author Reply: Yes, someone nice indeed and we'll find out just HOW nice soon. *lol*

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