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| With Hope and Without Hope by docmon | 8 Review(s) |
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| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/18/2008 |
| It is good to see Gandalf again.I hope he can offer a solution. Author Reply: LOL! We can hope! Yes, we finally got Gandalf off of vacation time and back to work! :-D | |
| ziggy | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/9/2008 |
| I have to confess to have been, lurking and enjoying your story immensely whist not writing a review- groveling apology. Guilt has forced me to take time to do this. I have loved this. Right from the start, the quality of your writing has had me gripped. One of the things I like most, oddly, is the orcs!! I like Norgy! He has a sense of humour and is cheerfully brutal - the first inkling of him as a real character with history is when he tells off a minion for only using rope on an elf- that is a stroke of genius, reminding us of the real danger from them for the fellowship, and that these orcs have had elvish prisoners before- things don't look good for Legolas. Norgry’s special interest in Legolas is chilling – but he warms up later with Merry. When finally Legolas is free and meets up with Gandalf, it's only really then that we get a sense of what Legolas really endured the breaking of his fingers, not once but over and over, shows the mindless cruelty of orcs better in a way, than endless beatings as that is hard to imagine. Everyone can imagine the pain of breaking a finger, and then to have it hurt further. The sense of pain is more intense and emphasised the other tortures he has been subjected to. In the chapter where they first cut him and then took a bite out of him, I physically recoiled - so it was very effective. And the way we don’t see ,but hear the torture- Merry isn’t sure at first what it is and then realises it is someone in pain- and it can only by Legolas or Gimli – I felt like Merry – like looking away and not dwelling on it. You have dealt with that aspect ever so well- not salacious but quite real and intense. But back to the orcs! I also liked the way they lie to Saruman quite happily- not wanting to be the bearers of bad news- it reinforces part of Saruman's plan about the disloyalty of orcs and his own ignorance that it cuts both ways. Aragorn is torn with guilt and indecision- and again, it picks out a quite overlooked incident on the book, when he hesitates after they have bid farewell to Boromir. It is key moment really, and it is Legolas who tells him they will follow him and have fait thin him, basically, pull yourself together and get on with it! I always felt it is one of the things that made Aragorn more than just your usual hero, that he suffers doubt and indecision. The use of the palantir to amplify this is a wonderful idea- I think it helped to explain why Denethor saw what was real but how twisted and bent it was. I am intrigued to see how Aragorn will come out of this- I suspect he has kept his integrity and is just waiting for the right moment to usurp Saruman and Pippin is vital in keeping him sane and focused. The sense that he has become a shadow, as he is when tending to the horses on the way to Edoras, is perhaps because he is holding onto the real Aragorn, submerging him for a while from Saruman's gaze. I hope anyway- but even then, he has Pippin, who is going to remind him of who he is. Once Pippin had done the damage of revealing Aragorn, he grows tremendously and becomes noble and valiant- Pippin at his best. And Merry – his rescue of Gimli shows him at his best too. Merry and Pippin become, actually, the courage and the hope of the remaining fellowship and I loved that- too often in fanfic hobbits are shown as childish and needing protection etc- they are adults in their world, although Pippin is still young. “He can’t walk!” Merry shocked himself with his defiance before the massive Orc, but a greater surprise came when Legolas shifted over and put his hand on Merry’s shoulder without protest. That defiance threads its way throughout the story- wonderful! Can’t wait for the next chapter. Author Reply: Wow! What a wonderful, thoughtful review, ziggy! It's so gratifying to hear what you're enjoying about my story. And all your comments show you're reading attentively. That you like my orcs is especially gratifying, since they are original characters. "Cheerfully brutal," now that's one way to describe Norgry! I didn't want to get gory with the torture, and soon realized that the implied torture would have more impact on readers - glad you agree! I agree with your assessment of Aragorn. He is so much more real, and so much more than usual at the same time, because he has faults like you and I. I'm afraid I have capitalized on those faults. One of my aims in this story was to show how the members of the Fellowship had to work harder to achieve what they needed to do, but at the same time, I wanted unseen traits to come out. Just as you describe, Merry and Pippin show courage that they surely always had, but never had the occasion to call upon. I wanted to keep away from making the hobbits child-like, since they aren't. Thanks so much for the terrific review. It was worth the wait. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/5/2008 |
| At last--Gandalf is back and aiding Legolas--I'm glad he's a whiz with fire! Heh! Now--to open the cuffs and get riding. I take it Eomer is already imprisoned beneath Edoras? Now--to see what can be done to counter Saruman and free Theoden from the old White Wizard's influence. Author Reply: Well, you're anxious to get on with it, huh? Ready for Gandalf to get to work. He did just get back from vacation. He deserves it, I suppose. And already you're looking to the next one. And you have it all planned out, I see. I don't want you getting disappointed, but do remember - *AU* - so throw out the canon timeline! [snerk] Many things just haven't happened that happened in canon. Not all, as you probably noticed, but many. Which, you ask? heh-heh ;-) ...time to go... | |
| Ainu Laire | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/4/2008 |
| Wait, wait, wait. A hopeful note? Is this actually ending on a hopeful note? Yeesh. About time. I hope that, well, good things start happening soon! I hope Merry and Gimli are taken care of, too. Legolas seems to be doing a bit better, especially since he's met Gandalf the Amnesiac. Now if only Aragorn would, you know, snap out of it. I really don't care how it happens, just so long as it happens soon... his compliance with Saruman is distressing for a hopeless fan girl to watch :( Not that he was in this chapter... but I know what's happening in the background! So now that the rest of the guys are, if not well and peachy, a lot better than the last group left in captivity... well. It's time that Saruman gets his head beaten in, Pippin to get out, and for Aragorn to turn back into Aragorn. Can't wait for an update :) Would write more but I'm on the run. See you next chapter! Author Reply: Didn't I tell you not to give up? Oh, I probably didn't, did I, you know, didn't want to spoil the suspense. >:-D Well, there ya go, a little bit of hope for ya. Enjoy it while it lasts... d'oh! I didn't say that, did I? [looks around innocently] Of course I didn't! That's no small order there: make Saruman's head like a cantaloupe, Pippin make like Clint Eastwood in "Escape from Alcatraz," and Aragorn, well, you're looking for Houdini for him, I guess. I'll see what I can do. | |
| Thundera Tiger | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/4/2008 |
| I absolutely love the way you write Gandalf. He's exactly as he is in the books: grim, dour, and powerful one minute, and then the next minutes, he's putting on this disgruntled old codger act. Which I have always found to be wildly hilarious. I'm not entirely sure why, but seeing it here in your story just had me laughing all over again. I love that Legolas doesn't believe it's Gandalf until Gandalf plays the cranky, impatient wizard card. And all of a sudden, it's definitely not Saruman. Which is a credit to all your characterization work, by the way. Moving on, Merry was definitely in fine form, and I love the muted hostility between Gimli and Rohirrim. Definitely a step down from his initial confrontation with Eomer in the books. You can see echoes of it, but your Gimli has endured much more and is a little too weary to be so bold in the face of strangers that offer help. Ah, the throwbacks to canon! And finally, the last part involving Legolas tied together some great threads you've been weaving. The idea that it was Legolas who woke the Ents and somewhat circuitously provided the means for his own escape was a stroke of brilliance. His initial escape attempt was not such a failure after all, since it led to the successful completion of his second escape attempt. And it was fun seeing all of this from Gandalf's perspective. We got to step back and really examine Legolas without worrying about all the things he isn't letting himself think about it. Awesome chapter as usual, Docmon! Author Reply: Ah, too kind, as usual, Thundera. I have to say I really enjoy writing Gandalf. He just kinda speaks to me like this. We have good conversations. I have to wonder why he went off to the Caribbean in the middle of my story... ;-) Writing the Legolas scene from Gandalf's perspective felt much better to me, too. I felt the need to take a step back from everything he'd been through. As you say, Legolas was still too mired in his pain and fear to be the POV for the scene. How different that scene would have been. Thank you so much for writing! | |
| Ithilien | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/3/2008 |
| Woohoo! Another chapter! Focused on Legolas no less! And he's found Gandalf to boot. Or perhaps it is Gandalf who has found him. In either case, he is in a safe place though I feel very, very sorry for him. He suffered a lot and I wonder if he will ever really recover psychologically... or even physically. His right hand probably will not. I noted carefully that you used the past tense when Legolas explained that his injury was inflicted because he had been an archer. If there is a cure it will be a very painful one. My heart breaks for him, but he does not seem to be focused on his own losses, only those of a greater consequence. That, of course, is very noble. Still, the light dims in his eyes at the thought of the pain he might suffer in removing the shackles and the contrast between the big picture and his own plight is quite extraordinary. He suffers. Gimli and Merry have encountered the Rohirrim and that thrills me. But I worry what will happen once they get to Meduseld and find Saruman is already there. I don't think the wizard will take their escape well. Will they be recaptured or will there be aid to them in the guise of Eowyn and Eomer? I wonder but can't even speculate on the outcome. I loved Merry's defense of their actions, by the way. No, they did not come for aid for their friends but to serve a greater good. Again, nobility reigns supreme among those that remain of the Fellowship. Gandalf will be arriving to Edoras soon, and with Legolas at his back. Is it possible the combination of all his friends united again could be enough to pull Aragorn from his stupor? See Aragorn, there is hope. In any case, I expect the fireworks will be flying when the two wizards face off. This is going to be fun! Author Reply: Thanks for writing, Ithilien! I'm so thrilled to hear you picked up on all the nuances of this chapter. It's quite gratifying. Yes, Legolas has been traumatized, but let's see what Gandalf can do, shall we? And hey, he's an elf! He can take anything! heh-heh... right. I always need to follow through with the consequences of events and the behavior of characters. It may come off as dramatic to some, but to just ignore what he's gone through would seem "unrealistic," if I can use such a word here. ;-) I'm just glad you appreciate the time spent on the "suffering." And it thrills me to no end to know you can't predict the next move in Meduseld. Really. Aragorn out of his stupor? Hmm, seems to be what readers expect next. Perhaps I should give them what they want? >;-D | |
| Cairistiona | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/3/2008 |
| Oh, hooray! Gandalf the White is here at last! And Legolas is getting succor at last as well. Whew. And the bow and sword are found, and Gimli and Merry are heading to Meduseld ... I'm daring to draw breath again! Author Reply: Well, I'm so glad I can make the world safe for you to breathe again ;-). Yes, we have Gandalf back (you should have heard the talking to he got from Eru >:-D) and all is well. Yup, that's right, all is well... | |
| Naledi | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/3/2008 |
| I'm so happy Gandalf has met up with Legolas. I'd hoped he would make his appearance soon. Poor Legolas though - it looks like it will be some time before he is fully recovered. And it will be a tragedy if his right hand is permanently impaired. I liked the way you handled his meeting with Gandalf. It showed just how badly his confidence and trust in others has been damaged and how much he feared being sent back to Orthanc. And the fact that he was startled by the noises of the forest was so poignant. I hope another days rest at Wellinghall will help matters. That is, if Gandalf doesn't blow him up with whatever he's about to attempt to break the manacles... Author Reply: Glad you're happy with the reunion, Naledi. I managed to get Gandalf to stop grumbling about missing his sun time long enough for this appearance. ;-) I couldn't ignore what Legolas had gone through and pretend he was "all better now," just because he'd escaped. I'm probably still overestimating his condition, but hey, elven resilience, right? I'm thrilled that you caught how his being startled by the sounds of the forest was a measure of his experience - that was the whole point exactly. Now if Gandalf doesn't make anything explode, Legolas should be able to recuperate. Everyone's out of Orthanc, we're on our way "home," right? Sure. You can go with that if you like... >:-D | |