News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Aspects of Aragorn by Inzilbeth | 8 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Mirach | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 9/16/2009 |
| Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West, for your King shall come again, and he shall dwell among you all the days of your life. What a feeling of fulfillment! Joy mixed with reverence, and sadness for those who can’t see this day – Gilraen and Halbarad… And with the fulfillment of Ivorwen’s foresight, the circle closes. Sing all ye people! Yes, and thank you for the lesson on the heirlooms of the both kingdoms! =) Author Reply: Oh I'm so thrilled you enjoyed this as I LOVED writing it! Yes, the king has come home at last and what a joy it must have been for his people. The eagle's song says it prefectly. I wanted to include something about all Aragorn's heirlooms in the story somewhere and Eldarion eventually provided the solution! | |
| Celeritas | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 6/10/2009 |
| Another long one, but there was so much that was good in it! The beginning part with Gilraen's house was heartbreaking, particularly the book and all the cobwebs. You'd think someone would have taken care of the house, though... Dirhael and Ivorwen still alive to see this! Glory be! (And also rendering their daughter's fate even more tragic, alas.) Haladan seems to be a credit to his father (and oddly enough this has to be at least the third universe I've come across where each author has independently chosen the same name or something very like it [the difference of a letter] for Halbarad's son!), which is good to see. And at last we learn what Halbarad's final moments were like. I really liked how you held that off until you could put it into the context you did. Aragorn's daughters remind me of the way I was at that age--very excited to be dressed up!--and Eldarion I can already tell is going to be an awesome king. The ending to this, though, was exquisite, especially when contrasted with the formal entry into Gondor. I'd have to reread this whole opus to be sure, but that passage ranks as some of your best writing (IMHO). Thank you! Author Reply: Thank you SO much, Celeritas. I'm delighted you enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit long and rambling - lots of loose ends to tie up, and , yes, Halbarad's death deliberately held back to this point. [I've since come across one other Haladan but I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are more - it's an obvious choice.] Who knows if Dirhael and Ivorwen were still around but as Gilraen was very young when she married, I'm guessing they might have been. Their presence here certainly helped bring the whole story full circle from the scene in the Prologue. I'm also guessing that the house was taken care of for a while after Gilraen's death but inevitably these things wain over time. But most of all I'm just thrilled you enjoyed those last paragraghs as they are among my favourites in the whole story [the end of the Epilogue not withstanding!] Thank you for being such a thoughtful and fun reviewer! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 6/10/2009 |
| An exciting chapter, with an emotional culmination. I liked Aragorn's joy and pride in his people, and the mention of the increased number of Dunedain children. I have a minor quibble with this line: Even Minas Tirith, rebuilt from the aftermath of war, was but a pale imitation of the glory of Annúminas restored. I don't think Tolkien ever indicated that the rebuilt Annuminas was so much more splendid than Minas Tirith, and the sentence indicates to me that a deliberate effort went into assuring that Annuminas outshone the Tower of Guard (or the Tower of the Sun, depending on if one believes the name of Minas Anor was resumed). But it's still a lovely chapter. I liked Ivorwen's watching; and her and Dirhael being still alive to welcome their grandson back to the north. Author Reply: Thank you so much, Raksha, I'm glad you enjoyed Aragorn's return to his people. It was a wonderful moment to try and capture. You are quite right, no mention is made anywhere of the appearance of the restored Annuminas. I've made a guess at how splendid the original Annuminas was based on an assumption that Elendil's home, seeing as he was the High King of both Gondor and Arnor, probably outshone any of the palaces of his sons in the South Kingdom. We also know that the main palace of the king in Gondor was originally in Osgiliath where the twin thrones of Isidur and Anion sat side by side. Minas Anor was simply Anarion's home and later just the summer residence of the king. Only when Osgiliath was finally abandoned, was it restored and considered fit to be the main residence of a king. As it backs onto a mountainside, I've never imagined it as being as breathtaking a place as Annuminas with its lovely lake side setting in the Hills of Everdim. I also like to think that the Dunedain of the North did their former Chieftain proud and built him a worthy palace and that the whole emotional tumult of the day would have further added to the feeling of awe and wonder. I also had the problem of having already written Aragorn's first sighting of Minas Tirith in an earlier chapter so I did need to top that rather! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 6/9/2009 |
| Ah, so great a moment! Hooray! Eglerio for the King Returned! Author Reply: LOL! Thank you, Larner. We can only imagine how much this moment meant to both the King and his People. | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 6/9/2009 |
| What a glorious chapter. As you may imagine I revelled in it. It's so good to see Aragorn after all his toils come into his country as Elessar and the joy of his people at finally being able to welcome their beloved king home. I found the scene at Gilraen's home very moving, and absolutely loved Elrond's inscription. It sounded just like something someone as wise and foresighted as Elrond would write, and does total justice to the Dúnedain of Arnor. "Hope has ever dwelt in their hearts and may it yet be that the Hope we have raised between us will find a way to bring light to the Dúnedain in the dark days to come". It puts everything in a nutshell, doesn't it? I loved the meeting of Aragorn Dírhael, Haladan (it's great to imagine Halbarad having a worthy son to follow his steps), and the glimpses we get of the hobbits and of Elladan and Elrohir. It goes without saying that I found Aragon's loving interlude with his family most delightful. Aragorn's conversation with Eldarion is most enlightening. What I loved the most though is Aragorn's arrival in Annúminas and his joyful reception by his people. This is just perfect, as is the beautiful last paragraph in which we glimpse Ivorwen seeing her foresight come true, and taking joy in seeing Aragorn walk "slowly through the city and into the welcoming arms of a People who adored him." Author Reply: Thank you so much, Estelcontar, for your lovely review. This chapter was all about bringing events full circle and it was a great pleasure to finally be able to do so! There were, as you mention, various loose ends to tie up and I felt any story called 'Aspects of Aragorn' ought to include something about all his heirlooms. Eldarion was the key to this! And I'm so delighted you enjoyed those last paragraghs especially; I wish I could have joined in the cheering myself at that moment LOL! | |
| Elflingimp | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 6/9/2009 |
| Sniff,sob,sniffs again, This was one of the best chapters you have ever written! Now I must go get the tissues. LOL! Hugs The Imp Author Reply: Oh I'm so happy I made you cry! No, no, I don't mean that - hands The Imp a box of tissues - but I'm absolutely thrilled that you found this so moving. This chapter was a joy to write to thank you so much. | |
| Jancy | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 6/9/2009 |
| Hi I’m not sure if I’ve ever reviewed this but I love reading this. This is great. You put a lot of care into telling us about Aragorn’s life, and this expanding makes me impressed. How long did it take you to come up with all this information? Anyway I look forward to the rest of this story. Author Reply: Hi Jancy, I'm sure I've heard from you before so I'm very pleased to know you're still enjoying the story. And thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, I have indeed put a great deal of time and care into trying to make this story both feel right and be factually accurate [nearly four years in fact] so I'm absolutely delighted that it shows! There are still two more chapters to go so I do hope you enjoy them. Thank you again. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 6/9/2009 |
| I suspect that Haladan and Eldarion will be great friends. This is truly magnificent, and I loved every detail. Behold the King! Author Reply: I suspect that Haladan and Eldarion will be great friends. What a lovely thought! Thank you so much for your review, Shirebound, I must confess, I thoroughly enjoyed giving Aragorn the full on movie-star treatment! | |