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| Circumstantial Heroes by Gwynnyd | 18 Review(s) |
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| PipMer | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/10/2007 |
| I loved this. Pippin's dialogue with Aragorn is especially thought-provoking; imagine, offering yourself up to be executed along with your comrade. What loyalty; but then again, you can sum up the character of hobbits by commenting on their loyalty to their friends. I also liked how you handled Brithnir; I think his fate was very just. Well done! | |
| Katherine-The-Crowned | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/30/2007 |
| Nice job. Loved how everyone was portreyed. I did have to laugh at one little bit. "Queen's wing? He needed to do more exploring." I loved that line. Wonderful job! | |
| Elena Tiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/1/2007 |
| Oh, and I forgot to mention: I think Aragorn's decision regarding Brithnír and his cohorts shows wisdom and discretion. And thank you for the note regarding "scathless". I, too, saw that, and looked it up in my dictionary (which doesn't have it)... but I considered the source and decided that if anyone knows better than I about presumably archaic language, it would be you. LOLOL! - Barbara | |
| Elena Tiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/31/2007 |
| Hi Gwynnyd! This is excellent! I've had very few dealings with servants (um, make that none.... LOL!), but I imagine it would be extremely reassuring to have one such as Hithdol looking out for my interests so diligently! I like the way you portray Pippin: concerned about Aragorn's safety and Beregond's well-being, acting honorably by taking responsibility for his own actions, and so perceptive.... I wouldn't trust Brithnír as far as I could throw him, either! He just gives me the creeps (which means you did a great job of writing him ;-) ) And the intrigue around how Hithdol set his sights on serving Aragorn, elbowed his way into the top position, and discreetly questioned the Rangers to find out how best to meet Aragorn's er, more personal needs, are fascinating. He is a very interesting character. Another story from his POV would be very welcome.... but, no pressure! ;-) A fascinating story that I enjoyed reading... thank you! - Barbara | |
| cathleen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/11/2007 |
| Absolutely loved this! Cathleen Author Reply: Thank you! | |
| RS | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/11/2007 |
| I love it when I see that you've posted! This was a delight! The characters' subtle movements and slight gestures made them come to life: "Pippin's shoulders slumped.";"Aragorn arched his brows and peered at Pippin over the rim of his glass.";...."Letting the glass hang lightly from his fingers between his knees, Aragorn leaned forward studying.."; "Aragorn rolled the glass in his hand and took a sip."---Just made it more believable as that character (does that make sense?) I do love the fact that although Pippin and ARagorn are discussing something quite serious, Pippin is getting inebriated and Aragorn is keeping tabs on how many glasses Pippin has downed compared to his "three sips"....Hilarious! And Pippin slurring his words....cracked me up! I love the authority that Aragorn showed when he said, "I rule Gondor". You can just feel his majesty from that statement. I love the contrast between your OC's; from the cold "robotlike" Brithnir to the loveable "nannylike" and "not afraid to speak his mind" Hithdol. One more thing: "We asked the Rangers from the North, and they assured us you were discreet and preferred to choose your own partners." "There have been many ladies who wished to join you", "Did we err in turning them away?";... "Which one of his Rangers had had the cheek? --- PRICELESS!!! I WILL READ THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN! PS - I read one of the reviews where the question was asked if you can continue this? Will you? Anyway, Thanks for this jewel. RS Author Reply: I drive my betas crazy because my first drafts are a lot of dialog and very sparse in the detail department, and then I go back, over and over, and do what I call nuancing, trying to get the movements and reactions, and tweaking the dialog, to feel 'right'. I'm so happy to hear the effort is appreciated! Don't worry, there will be more stories. Please be patient because I write really, really slowly and the ones I'm working on right now are set earlier. Thanks so much for the nice comments! | |
| utfrog98 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/11/2007 |
| Another reviewer was nearly late for a doctors appointment; I was late for work due to refusing to leave until I finished the story. I just love stories about the days immediately following the coronation (book or movie verse). There had to be so much going on; so many folk wondering, hoping, trying and scheming. Poor Aragorn also had much to deal with including fatigue, grief, and adjustment issues. Please continue this story. Thank you very much! Author Reply: I certainly have ideas for other stories set right after the coronation, but novels intimidate me so they won't be 'continuations' of this one, they'll be separate stories. Although I do try to keep Gwynnyd!verse consistent, so they could be read chronologically eventually. (I hope the links work. They are all archived here at SoA) Of the ones I've already written, Paying the Price is set about three days later and Hithdol has a cameo in that one. Bare Feet and Beer takes place the next week. Raised Expectations, chapter 12 in my "2006 Yule challenge story is just before Arwen arrives on the scene. One Equal Temper of Heroic Hearts is about 80 years later and The Lap of Time is Arwen after Aragorn's death. Thank you for your interest and your comments! I'm so sorry I made you late for work. Author Reply: Sorry the links don't work, and of course, they can't be edited. Oh well. | |
| AM | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/11/2007 |
| Thank you, that was wonderful. Author Reply: Your welcome! and thank you for the comment. Author Reply: Can I plead too busy to proofread? and I really wish there was some way I could edit my replies. You are welcome! You're welcome. Hangs head and slinks away. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/11/2007 |
| This is one of my favorites of your many well-written and enjoyable works. It's certainly a compelling treatment of the issue of the morality of Denethor's servants vs. Beregond; those who blindly obeyed orders for the sake of honor and tradition, and the one who knowingly defied honor and tradition to try to prevent an unspeakable horror. It's a neat twist for Pippin to name himself as Beregond's accomplice and demand to share his fate; but I can see it happening; since of course Beregond had been reluctant to leave his post (a soldier leaving his post during a siege, the mind boggles, only a coward, or someone of enormous strength of character to see that there was a greater need, would have done such a thing) until Pippin came and urged him to save Faramir and hang the rules. Aragorn's wisdom is very much in play here; he does not wish to punish the servants, but Pippin alerts him to the fact that the servants, in their loyalty, were complicit in Denethor's immolation, and evidently (and this is sickening) are proud of it. I can understand why they obeyed Denethor, up until Gandalf charged in and pulled Faramir away, and tried to get Denethor to turn from his course - why did the one (unnamed in LOTR) servant just stand around with a torch and let Denethor take it to destroy himself? The servant (here the unctuous Brithdir) could have removed himself and the torch. Aragorn's strongest point to the very smooth-talking Brithdir is that he wants servants who will protect his children - and Denethor's servants did not protect the helpless Faramir from his the horrible end his father ordered. Beregond did, though he risked his life and honor to do so. I love drunk Pippin's delight that he and Beregond are going to live - an effective contrast with tough, determined Pippin willing to share Beregond's execution. And of course I love Aragorn's regard for Faramir when he thinks of him, though he doesn't yet know him well (you know I'm a Faramirist!). One quibble - Aragorn promises Pippin that he will write 'Clemency' on Beregond's indictment before going to bed, but he doesn't do so, he only writes that no action be taken without the King's involvement. Oh, I also loved the bit where Hithdol (the faithful and very competent servant, who has a good imagination, a mind that goes outside the box instead of being bound by it) brings up the issue of the new King's bed partners, and Aragorn suddenly realizes that it might look odd for him to be seen even by a loyal servant as improperly dressed alone in a room with a drunken hobbit in his bed! Poor Aragorn, he's got to learn to think of PROPRIETY! All these years of attending to people's health and welfare by campfires and on battlefields, etc.; even a gesture of kindness for a comrade and friend can be misunderstood - it's a whole new world for the new King. My computer has been doing strange things while I've been writing this review, the Post button has been clicking frequently, so I hope this review hasn't self-posted ten times.... Author Reply: I only see the review once, so I think it posted correctly. And thank you very much for such a detailed and thoughtful review. One quibble - Aragorn promises Pippin that he will write 'Clemency' on Beregond's indictment before going to bed, but he doesn't do so, he only writes that no action be taken without the King's involvement. I dithered about that, but because Beregond didn't know he was being pardoned until the last second, I thought perhaps that was the main part of his punishment. If 'reprieved' was written all across the indictment, I think it would have been harder to keep it secret. I'm toying with the idea of writing Aragorn and Faramir coming to the agreement on Ithilien someday, so I wanted to leave myself a little more wiggle room. At least Beregond won't be hauled off and executed out of hand. Poor Aragorn, he's got to learn to think of PROPRIETY! All these years of attending to people's health and welfare by campfires and on battlefields, etc.; even a gesture of kindness for a comrade and friend can be misunderstood - it's a whole new world for the new King.>/i> I'm sure he had experience with gossip before, but now it is at a whole new level. LOL Previously, if he slept alone, there was no cause for gossip. Now the fact that he does sleep alone is itself cause for gossip. If he'd thought about it all, he probably thought there was a betting pool on which Gondorian ladies were on the fast track to be chosen queen, and any of his Rangers would have given solemn assurance that he was known to be chaste. I'm so pleased the story is one of your favorites! Thank you. | |
| phyloxena | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/11/2007 |
| This Is a Great Story. I'm not up to a review it deserves right now, but I absolutely love every bit of it. Author Reply: Thank you! | |