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A Little Nudge Out of the Door  by Jocelyn 11 Review(s)
aykevinReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 2/16/2017
This is so good.... keep writing authornim

KwistoweeReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 8/30/2014
This is the most incredibly well written story based on Tolkein's characters of Middle Earth that I have ever come across and it was such a pleasure to read! I couldn't put it down. It is a rare thing to find a writer who captures the essence and spirit of the original books while seamlessly blending in elements of their own. Every single character was beautifully written, never once seemed to slip out of character, and their stories were developed realistically. The way you took elements of each character from the books and supplied events and experiences that explained what makes them tick was just brilliant! Great care was obviously given to Legolas's journey and to his relationship with Thranduil. What a bitter-sweet experience to ride their ups and downs with them! My heart ached with them as they struggled and endured loss or pain, and it rejoiced for them as they found peace. This story had me smiling, holding my breath (in anticipation, excitement, or dread), crying, and laughing. I think this is how I will forever think of Legolas's years before he became one of Frodo's companions, because I cannot imagine anything could do more justice to those years than you have done with this story. I fully intend to reread this whenever I read 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings', and I plan to share this with anyone else who would appreciate it. Very well done! Thank you for this beautiful labor of love!

Ivy-GreenReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 9/9/2009
Okay, so I read this story YEARS ago now, and I absolutely LOVED it!! It's one of the best I've ever read, and I'm being honest here. I found it when I was younger, and silly me, never thought to write down the author and soon forgot about you, but remembered the story. I FINALLY remembered the name this year, for some random reason, and looked it up, and now that I can, I wanted to say that this is BRILLIANT!! I loved it, and you are a great story teller and writer. Thanks for the wonderful tale. It's still enjoyable, even after all these years!!!

NoorReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 9/7/2006

I read this stoy earlier this year and thought that I had sent you a review. My mistake. I loved this story! It is so well written and the characters are so well thought out even though they are canon. It was a pleasure to read. many thanks
Noor

NoorReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 6/22/2005
Just finished reading your excellent story!
Very well written.
Excellent characterisations.

Thank you

docmonReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 10/3/2004
wooooo-hoooooo! What a great story! It was fun, and sad, touching and heartwrenching, filled with adventure and drama - terrific! You described action scenes so well, not only could i see the action happening, I felt it - often I was out of breath! Your use of language did well to set the tone, and you did a magnificent job of keeping the tone of the narration consistent with the books. I think it would be very hard to write in the same tone (at least that's the word I'm using for it) as Tolkien. Many words are used differently as we use them today, or put together differently. Yet you manage to do this so well, I felt like I was reading the books. And when you got to the Council of Elrond scene, you blended your words with Tolkien's so well, it was hard to see where one ended and the other began. I thought your interpretation of the characters in that scene was dead on; everyone's thoughts rang true to how I saw it unfolding in the books. In fact, I found your characters kept true to the characters as Tolkien wrote them. I never felt a person was out of character. And, AND (as I go on and on), your original characters were terrific, never 2-dimensional, or placeholders, but real characters. Poor, Tathar! How I missed you! Silivren was so awesome! And then the novices! Your descriptions of the characters emotions were so strong, so telling, I felt their anguish when someone perished, and laughed with them when they pulled pranks. When the family thougth Legolas was dead, it simply brought tears to my eyes. Their despair and anguish were so keen, and you simply wrote it so well, I felt it with them. And so too with Legolas's absolute despair when carrying home the novice... I felt it. What else can i say?
But nothing rang true more than the drama, ups and downs, of Legolas and Thranduil. This is how families are, how they struggle, how they live. Two strong personalities, far too much alike, clashing violently, then dancing around each other for too long. Who doesn't know a family like that, if not having lived it themselves? It so often takes nearly losing one of them for both of them to realize, you both love each other, why are you so afraid to show it? Those two each could face a hord of orcs without blinking, but it took Legolas apparently dying for them to forgive each other. And they both had things to forgive. I loved how balanced you portrayed that relationship. Neither one was always right or wrong; they both had faults and did wrong. Like real life.
Believe it or not, I think I'm even forgetting thigns! Like the hysterical match making scenes! And tons of other things I enjoyed about this story. Oh! I almost forgot - how you used the movie-verse for Arwen taking Asgolath to rescue Frodo, and Glorfindel all put out b/c she 'stole' his horse - ROTFLMAO!!!! When you first hinted at this I thought it was just poking some fun at the movie, but then you took it further, and it was hilarious! I love your sense of humor and how you can get it in even in the serious moments (like Legolas falling off teh roof when asked to join the Fellowship!!!)
Sorry I didn't reveiw by chapter, but I just had to read this all at once.
Wonderful, terrific job! Please write more!
monica

mistry89Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 3/31/2004
Can't think of much to say - I've commented now and then as I've read each chapter, and it seems redundant to say I've thoroughly enjoyed your view of pre-LOTR Legolas and his world.

I've appreciated where you've stuck to canon, or at least not broken it! And where you have .... buckled it, rather than bent it, you have acknowledged it and provided a reason - whether or not I agree with it/them :)

Thank you very much, a story rich in both detail and scale, and combining enough humour and sadness and danger and hope to feel as if it can be slotted into the bookshelf marked "Tolkien's Middle Earth".

I'm off to look for the "Elven Song" you mentioned in the footnotes.
Cheers,
Helen

Estel_Mi_OlorReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 1/25/2004
I am totally blown away by this fic. It's amazing. The fight between Legolas and Thranduil was so moving. "You don't realize what you've got until you've lost it." Or almost lost it, in this case. I really liked the meeting of Aragorn and Legolas. And the party at the end was great. Perhaps you'd consider writing a sequel to this? Please do!!! Cheers!

rgbjReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 1/3/2004
So Araagorn is forced to put up with Legolas on a quest again. I think they both will survive.
As far as Arwen's choice of mortality, it is my understanding that only the Peredhil have that choice set before them. Any other elf that bound themselves to a human might die of a broken heart when the human died but the elf would go to the Hall of Waiting and wait to be reborn to the Undying Lands. Having said that I know that your writings are fanon not canon and I could be wrong anyway. Arwen though of course will die and be a great loss to her fellow elves.
The world will change again and we know how Legolas reacts to change. Not all change is bad or disorienting though. This change will be wonderful. And I think this change will set Legolas free from his past. He will finally put a lot of demons behind him and be his own elf.
The apple motif again and the black pearl on Gimli's finger now. Tathar again in Legolas' thoughts. Probably never very far from his thoughts. Tathar did say the Legolas was destined for greatness and his friends remind Legolas that Tathar was seldom wrong. He did talk the prince into joining the Great Gathering and he scored the highest score ever. I just wish Tathar were alive to see how right he was about his dearest friend. SOB! And Legolas misses him still. He will right up to the time they meet again in the Undying Lands. But his friends have given him good advice about change, seeing the world change for the better and finding new friends. All these things will come to pass as well as many others. He will still have to wait to marry until he goes over sea though. At least the good professor gave us that impression.
You even gave us famous last words at the end. "I will never know so great a friendship again."

So all good things do come to an end. Do you think you would ever be interested in writing more about the friends and their early adventures. I want to read more of Tathar and Legolas. You portrayed their friendship in such an ideal way that I want more.
I will admit that when I first found this story on Henneth Anun and saw the word count I really couldn't see myself sitting still for long enough to read it. But I was wrong. I was mesmerized and completely caught up in your efforts. You get an A+ for such a fabulous adventure if you still like to be rated. Thank you for sharing this lovely story with us.

AmyReviewed Chapter: Epilogue on 12/20/2003
I really liked it. I love long story's like this one. How long did it take you to write it? Write more please.

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