News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Shelob's Bane by Kara's Aunty | 12 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Celeth | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/22/2013 |
| That was beautifully written. Sam's actions after Gollum betrayed them was indeed beyond courageous, and he indeed showed his own quality, as he challenged Faramir just a few days earlier. Even though I've know this story since I was 11 years old, reading this story of Gandalf speaking of Sam as highly as he does still makes me teary-eyed. Thanks for sharing | |
| Mouser | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/11/2008 |
| Well done! I quite enjoyed it. It, like much of the book I'm very familiar with but this was a new and interesting spin. Muy bien hecho. Author Reply: Hello Mouser, Muchísimas gracias por sus bellas palabras. Muy amable de su parte! It was a delight to receive your review and I'm thrilled that 'Shelob's Bane' put a new slant on this very much overlooked feat of Sam's for you. I enjoyed writing it because Sam is such a fascinating character to explore - and writing Gandalf and Legolas was a first for me. Thank you once more for the unexpected and very well appreciated review! You have made my day!! Feliz Navidad! M ;) Author Reply: Hello Mouser, Muchísimas gracias por sus bellas palabras. Muy amable de su parte! It was a delight to receive your review and I'm thrilled that 'Shelob's Bane' put a new slant on this very much overlooked feat of Sam's for you. I enjoyed writing it because Sam is such a fascinating character to explore - and writing Gandalf and Legolas was a first for me. Thank you once more for the unexpected and very well appreciated review! You have made my day!! Feliz Navidad! M ;) | |
| curiouswombat | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/29/2008 |
| Thank you. I am sure you are right and Legolas would rejoice in the demise of Shelob, and be most impressed by the manner of it. I laughed out loud at "Legolas would have been impressed if he hadn’t had the misfortune of inhaling it, and struggled not to cough or otherwise ruin his air of elegant disdain for his friend’s bad habit." It is such a perfect description of how I also think he would have reacted. Author Reply: Hello curiouswombat, Oh thank you so much for the lovely review! I thought that a little bit of humour might be needed to break up some of the story's darker elements, and having Legolas object (in a very understated and elegant Elvish manner) to Gandalf's pipe-smoking seemed a nice way to do it. I'm glad it made you laugh. Having fought lesser (but still extremely dangerous) spiders all his life, Legolas was the perfect person to appreciate Sam's heroism against Shelob! And thank you for being the tenth reviewer - this is the first time a single chapter of mine (oneshot or otherwise) has broken the double digit barrier, so you have really made my day!! Many thanks, M ;0) | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/29/2008 |
| Wow! That was written very powerfully! I especially liked this: The spider was regarding him with a look of loathing deeper than any Gollum had ever favoured him with and he knew that he would die if she got him. While reading this you can *feel* that look! And I'm always impressed by Sam's courage. Peter Jackson's Shelob was very impressive, and Sam's fight as well. But I would have loved to see both hobbits in the cave in the film, and Frodo nearing the spider with his star glass held high. For that was a moment of courage, too. Author Reply: Hello Andrea, Oh, you are SO RIGHT about both hobbits being in the cave with the Lady's Starglass! Of course, that was one of the (several) things PJ thought HE could do better than the Master himself! But in other words, he stuffed them up spectacularly (hat sie total ruiniert) -I mean, how DARE he kill Haldir [that still annoys me], or have Frodo betray Sam on the stairs of Cirith Ungol [Aagh]; have Aragorn, fight the Troll instead of Pippin; or swap the Field of Cormallen for some cosy room in Minas Tirith, and then have Sam recovering from the healing sleep before Frodo (it clearly states in ROTK that Frodo recovers first), Aragorn bowing to all four hobbits instead of the two... Then of course there's the Scouring of the Shire that he completely ignored! Aaagh! Sorry, I got slightly carried away there, but I feel better for it now. You are very therapeutic! I'm glad you liked 'Shelob's Bane' though. I enjoyed writing it and am always glad to hear from people if the shared that feeling too. Danke dir für's Review! M ;) | |
| cookiefleck | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/29/2008 |
| Thank you for writing another "Sam" story! I enjoyed the premise and liked the story through Gandalf's eyes. Also enjoyed the way you described the encounter with Shelob. One of the things that makes Sam's heroism so admirable is that so many times he showed such bravery and perseverance while completely "alone" because Frodo was either literally or mentally absent. I love to see him honored in stories. ION, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. Author Reply: Hello cookiefleck, how lovely to hear from you again! I completely agree with you about Sam's heroism; he is courage and tenacity personified! One of his more spectacular deeds was hie encounter with terrible evil dwelling in Cirith Ungol - which certainly deserved more credit than it appears to get from fandom. But, it looks like it's up to Sam fans like me to make sure he gets the recognition he deserves, so I'm delighted I did a good enough job that you enjoyed it. I have a few other Sam stories here now, but some are in poetic format which is (quite frankly) not to everyone's taste. We don't have thanksgiving in Scotland (I believe it's a solely American celebration), so I don't actually know when it is (or was) - but if it's still to come, I hope you have a wonderful day and if it's passed already, may its joyful memory ever light your face with a smile! Bye for now!! M ;) | |
| Celeritas | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/28/2008 |
| For not being well acquainted with Gandalf and Legolas you did a good job at capturing their speech, I daresay! I especially liked the syntax in this one: "Many doughty warriors have I met and many noble Lords with hearts resolved to fight for their peoples and lands when it was required. Yet the greatest of these - even were they armed with the burning spirit of righteousness and the mightiest sword of Elven craft - could not have accomplished what our two young friends have so recently brought to pass." *grin* Eh... the castle of orcs more or less took care of itself, didn't it? After having seen the Dramatic Rescue (tm) of the films I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover that Sam didn't actually kill any orcs in the Tower--just disarmed one (literally) who then tripped and snapped his neck. Aaaanyway, a very nice, underdone gapfillery thing. Sam is awesome. *nod* Author Reply: Hello Celeritas, Wow, thanks for the compliment! I was a bit reticent to attempt the characterisation and vernacular of Gandalf and Legolas, but I'm very glad you approve ;o) As far as the castle of orcs goes, well, all Gandalf said was that Sam 'took on' a castle full of orcs (i.e. that he braved them), not that he single-handedly slew the lot (or any at all)... but his companion doesn't need to know that yet. Gandalf just likes a bit of drama now and then! And you're completely right - Sam is awesome! Thanks (as always) for reading and reviewing. M ;) | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/28/2008 |
| He was a hero that day, certainly! Ah, our dear Sam! And of course such a deed would please Legolas! Author Reply: Hello Larner, Legolas would certainly appreciate it to a greater extent - given the great spider connection to the Prince's home. Plus, I thought it was about time that some of Sam's other dramatic feats from the Quest received some acknowledgement and admiration... Thanks for reviewing, I hope you liked it! M ;) | |
| Antane | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/27/2008 |
| P.S. I think you did very well with describing Mirkwood as I have recently finished re-reading The Hobbit and what you wrote matches well. I hope Gandalf will realize that it wasn't he who sent Frodo on his Quest, but God Himself and He *really* knew what the terrible cost would be, but still sent His child into darkness and Frodo has some idea himself but still embraced his vocation. Gandalf need feel no guilt. I like the images of the cloak of guilt though, undeserved as it is for both, but the image is what indeed it would have felt like. Looking forward to more from you! Namarie, God bless, Aunty Anne :) Author Reply: P.S. - thanks for that. I just read the description of Mirkwood on Tuckborough.net (how I love that website) and took it at its descriptive word when writing 'Shelob's Bane' (it does quote directly from LOTR, so I assumed it would be as accurate with The Hobbit). As for poor old Gandalf, he's as bad as Frodo as far as guilt is concerned sometimes, and just can't help but feel responsible for what he feels to be his own manipulations. But we know better! All the best, Miss Impudence! M ;) Author Reply: P.P.S. Happy Thanksgiving! M ;) | |
| Antane | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/27/2008 |
| "No onslaught more fierce was ever seen in the savage world of beasts, where some desperate small creature armed with little teeth, alone, will spring upon a tower of horn and hide that stands above its fallen mate." Oh, my dear cousin, how wonderful to see another gift from you and on Thanksgiving too! I am certainly most thankful for you. Quit thinking you are unworthy! Dear me!! I love the title and I most love Sam as the Sun as Gandalf first described him. That was so beautiful. Love also that Shelob wasn't going to drag Mr. Frodo away like a cooked goose. Very Sam. :) Love the very end too. :) Now if we could have poems more How my heart would soar! Namarie, God bless, the impudent Tookish Imp :) Author Reply: Hello Cousin Aunty, I actually laughed out loud when I read your oh-so-innocent review. All those (very) flattering words stroking my ego, then the cheeky wee request at the end! You have TOOK stamped all over you - and no mistake! As far as your delightful request at the end, well, I'll try and have one up in the next day or so (after I research some gardening jargon). I am thrilled that you enjoyed the story though. This is a very underrated and underexplored topic, IMHO, and I thought it deserved a fic of its own. Shelob certainly got her just desserts trying to cart off poor Frodo like that. And as we all know, there's no fury in Middle Earth as terrible as that of an angry Gamgee protecting his master! And don't worry; if ever I think myself unworthy again, I shall call to mind the honeyed words of Miss Impudence Took. All the best, you cheeky rascal! Cousin Mo ;0) | |
| Elena Tiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/27/2008 |
| Ah! Sam's courage is an inspiration to all of us underdogs! ;-) Nice work, Kara's Aunty! ;-) - Barbara Author Reply: Hello Barbara, You're quite right - Sam really is the hero at the heart of every average Joe! Thanks very much for reading and reviewing. M ;) | |