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| Concerning Sam by Kara's Aunty | 77 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 9/16/2021 |
| I just love this story! I've long been a fan of Sam H/C, and yours fits the bill perfectly. It's wonderful how you took the very real possibility of the Ring also affecting Sam, and showed how his friends and family all rallied around him to bring him back. Any chance you'll return to writing TLOTR stories? I'd so love it if you did! [hint, hint!] How's this for a plot bunny? A prose story about the help and healing that Sam receives in Valinor, as Frodo did before him. Perhaps he learns that Frodo and Gandalf were aware of his ordeal while it was happening, and rooted for him to come back to himself and escape the Ring's clutches! If you've ever read the late Fiondil's stories, you've seen how well he characterized the Valar, the Maiar, and the Elves who lived in the Blessed Land, and how well he dramatized the events in their lives. Too bad he's not still alive to write about the healing of Bilbo, Frodo, and then later, Sam, in the West! But at least you still have that option. =) BTW, Dreamflower and I have been co-writing a novel-size LOTR story of our own, titled "An Unexpected Adventure." | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 9/16/2021 |
| I just love this story! I've long been a fan of Sam H/C, and yours fits the bill perfectly. It's wonderful how you took the very real possibility of the Ring also affecting Sam, and showed how his friends and family all rallied around him to bring him back. Any chance you'll return to writing TLOTR stories? I'd so love it if you did! [hint, hint!] How's this for an plot bunny? A prose story about the help and healing that Sam receives in Valinor, as Frodo did before him. Perhaps he learns that Frodo and Gandalf were aware of his ordeal while it was happening, and rooted for him to come back to himself and escape the Ring's clutches! If you've ever read the late Fiondil's stories, you've seen how well he characterized the Valar, the Maiar, and the Elves who lived in the Blessed Land, and how well he dramatized the events in their lives. Too bad he's not still alive to write about the healing of Bilbo, Frodo, and then later, Sam, in the West! But at least you still have that option. =) BTW, Dreamflower and I have been co-writing a novel-size LOTR story of our own, titled "An Unexpected Adventure." | |
| PSW | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/12/2016 |
| Just stumbled across this today ... I have a special place for Sam, and I do love it when others acknowledge his worth. It was great to see so many do so in this story. I like the idea of his own special jewel, hopefully it will help to bring him comfort. Thanks for writing! | |
| eef | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 8/9/2013 |
| I may not be a critical fan of Sam's, but I brood over the logic of the story and this was just splendid! | |
| walkerskye | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 3/12/2010 |
| a very believeable tale. I'm a therapist and I've heard clients voice internal arguements of shame like those of the Ring remnant. and you're right - the only cure to such shame is loving acceptance. very nice work! Author Reply: Hello walkerskye, sorry it's taken so long to reply to your lovely review, but life has been a bit mad recently. Anyway, m'dear, I'm really glad that Concerning Sam has a professional (therapist) seal of approval! I've always suspected that Sam couldn't have gotten off as easily as he appears to in the books after wielding the One Ring. Something so evil would (IMHO) have to have left some sort of mark on our intrepid hobbit gardener, regardless of how deep that mark was hidden. And Sam is just the type of person to dismiss any superficial signs of trouble as 'having an off-day'. *shakes head at stubborn Gamgees everywhere* Writing his internal arguements was fascinating, but rather draining. I had to dig through a whole pile of unresolved issues of my own to better understand what he may have went through (and you can imagine how much fun that was). Still, it was worth it if his struggles against the Ring, and his self-loathing (during his darkest moments) have even the slightest ring of authenticity ;) And thank goodness he had such a tight-knit family - and equally tight circle of close friends -to help him through his trauma. Loved ones really do make all the difference in such circumstances. Thank you very much for your encouraging words. I'm absolutely delighted you enjoyed Sam's fic so much. Thanks for R & R-ing, Kara's Aunty :) | |
| Robinscat | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/8/2010 |
| I read you story in one setting. Out of all the Hobbits, Sam has always been my favorite. Frodo might have been the "Ringbearer" but he would have never accomplished his quest without Sam. I liked the exploration of what the Ring could have done to Sam. I had not considered that Sam would have been tormented in much the same way as Frodo. You explored that possiblility very well. I was a little irritated that Sam used Athelas. I had always felt it was only in the hands of the King that Athelas would work. I was worried that you would make Sam's dependence on Athelas like an additction. But you handled the concept well for your story. The only other thing that niggled at me was there was no mention of Legolas or Gimli being concerned about Sam. Aragorn and Merry made no attempt to contact them to let them know what was happening to Sam. There was only a glancing refernece to Legolas and Faramir. Now, granted, I am a Legolas and Gimli fan from long ago, but it was glarily apparent that they were not included in your story. All in all, a good read. Thank you for sharing your gifts. Author Reply: Hello Robinscat, wow, you read it through in one night? I was about to blush with gratitude when I read that, but then it dawned on me that you must have read this when I reposted the fic yesterday partway through a massive overhaul. Which I haven't finished yet. Which means you were subjected to at least nine chapters of horrific, grammatically-challenged gaucheness ... *cringe* My apologies, m'dear! This was my first ever multi-chapter fic, written a mere month after I'd posted my first two attempts at a one-shot. Don't get me wrong, I loved writing this, but at the time I was still finding my 'author' feet, and now I realise that it does't perhaps 'flow' as well as it should ... So I decided to revamp it. Unfortunately, when I reposted the first chapter live onsite, Javascript moved half the paragraphs around, then italicised, bolded, and underlined massive parts of the rest. I couldn't leave such a mess onsite, so I had to hide each chapter in order to rework it. But that means that if anyone reads it now, it's half-polished, half-mince! *chuckles ruefully* Still, you liked it, and that's cheered me up! Concerning Sam was a labour of love for me. I'd always wondered how the Ring might have affected Sam, and the fic was an attempt to explain that to myself, as much as anyone else. As it was my first LoTR fic, I was unsure about my ability to accurately characterise every member of the Fellowship, so I stuck with those few I was reasonably comfortable, plus a few guest stars. Legolas and Gimli, as much as I would've loved to include them, missed out because I wasn't sure how to tackle them. If it's any consolation, I did write a humorous fic later on, in which they are two of the main characters (A Pony's tale). Now, that isn't a shameless plug (not this time, anyway), it's just an assurance from one Legolas & Gimli fan to another that I would never abandon the lovable duo for long ... As for Sam and athelas, I'm fairly sure that he was adept at using it, having grown it in Bag End's garden specifically for nursing Frodo after the Quest (when Frodo suffered his anniversary illnesses). Well, I hope this mega-reply hasn't sent you off to sleep! I'm really, really glad that you, as a Sam fan, enjoyed the fic (warts and all!). Thanks VERY much for R & R-ing, m'dear! M :) | |
| Candice | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/2/2009 |
| Maureen, when I send emails to your ntlword.com address I get a bounce message with an msn.com address saying it's unavailable. Are you getting the emails that I send or, if not, is there another email we should use? Thanks. Candice | |
| FoxRafer | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/28/2009 |
| I'm sorry to leave a non-review to your story; but I wanted to cover all the bases in getting in touch with you. My name is Candice (FoxRafer) and I've been assigned as your liaison for the MEFA Awards. Three of your stories ("Concerning Sam," "Hope's Endurance," "Denial") have been nominated, and the deadline for accepting the nominations and completing the forms is close approaching. I'm going to resend the nomination e-mail to your ntlworld address now, but please send me an e-mail (foxrafer@gmail.com) as soon as possible so we can begin the process. Even if you'd rather not compete, let me know so you're nominator, Antane, has time to use these three nominations for other stories. Thanks so much, and congratulations on your nomination. Author Reply: Hello Foxrafer, Oh, my! I'm so honoured (Sends Antane a big kiss)! Sorry I didn't see this before today, but I've been taking a break from the fanfic arena for a month or two & for some reason decided this morning to log on & check my account! Just as well I did, though I hope it's not too late. I won't be able to respond properly to this until I get home from work, but this is just a quick note to let you know I'll check my e-mails as soon as I get home ('cos I've not opened my e-mail account in a while either - disgraceful, eh?). Will write soon... Kara's Aunty :) | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/18/2009 |
| Poor Sam. To be taunted so, and to be so worn down that he believes the Ring's lies! Help cannot get to him soon enough. | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 5/18/2009 |
| I like the idea that Gandalf asked Radagast to keep an eye on the remaining Ringbearer. Radagast is in the best position to do so and to call for aid at need. Merry will be comforted to know that Gandalf didn't leave them completely without assistance. It's good that Radagast acted on the news he was receiving so quickly. The twins will be just in time to help Sam. | |