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| Beyond Hope by Raksha The Demon | 12 Review(s) |
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| MusicDreamer7 | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/31/2013 |
| Lovely story featuring one of my favorite minor characters. I have to thank Lindahoyland for pointing me to this little piece. You captured Gandalf so very well here..all his lines in this were full of such wisdom and comfort. This story just warms the heart. Beautifully crafted, thank-you for sharing it. Author Reply: I'm glad you followed Lindahoyland's recommendation; and pleased that you liked the story. I felt that Beregond probably felt very close to despair, having killed the porter in the Hallows and rebelled against his liege-lord in order to save Faramir and then have Faramir (apparently) remain apparently moribond. Gandalf is my favorite of all of Tolkien's characters and I am still in awe of him; so I don't often dare to try writing him. I'm pleased that you felt I 'captured' him; the Grey Pilgrim is not easy to pin down! Thanks for the review! | |
| Tari | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/31/2009 |
| The depth of despair filling Beregond is as thick as a fog. It is sad for me to see this because what he did was so brave. How many men would give their lives to save a friend? Very few, I’m sure. Yet, I’m also sure he would have risked his life again, if need be, in order to save his beloved captain. This is a beautiful insight into Beregond’s thoughts and feelings as he guarded Faramir in the House of Healing, not knowing what his fate would be. Author Reply: What a great review, Tari; thanx much! Yes, Beregond was a great hero and an unusual man; and the hours that followed his courageous actions must have seemed very dark indeed. | |
| Celeritas | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/19/2009 |
| This was quite realistic; I was waiting for Gandalf to spill that the King was coming back and Everything Will Be All Right but instead his comfort was much more in keeping with his own character and the expectations of the battle at this point. Too often we products of the modern age boil everything down to a battle between hope and despair and forget that there's another kind of glory that consists of doing the right thing even when you know you're going to lose. And Pippin was simply unquenchable! Author Reply: I don't think that Gandalf would announce the King's coming until Aragorn was willing to declare himself as King. It's interesting that Faramir beat both to the punch in terms of an official announcement. I'm glad you found Gandalf's comfort to be close to his own character; I'm always nervous about writing the Grey Pilgrim/White Rider, who is my favorite of Tolkien's characters. You make a very good point about the kind of glory that comes from doing the right thing even when things are going wrong. I'm just so glad that Beregond and Gandalf's sorrow and fear for Faramir (and Merry and Eowyn in Gandalf's case) will only last a few more hours... Yes, Pippin was unquenchable! Thanx for reading and reviewing, Celeritas! | |
| Nesta | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/18/2009 |
| So many wonderful touches in this - most particularly, Beregond thinking 'Poor old man' until he looks into Gandalf's eyes, and then finding a likeness between Gandalf and Faramir. And Pippin refusing to give up hope and Beregond worrying about his wife and child. A very moving story. Author Reply: I think Beregond is a fairly perceptive fellow, as well as a compassionate one. And yes, there's a likeness between Gandalf and Faramir; Pippin first noted it; there's also a likeness between Gandalf and Denethor (and of course between Denethor and Aragorn) - all kinds of resonances there; Tolkien was very skilled at that. Thanx for the review, Nesta! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/18/2009 |
| You have preserved at least some of the honor of the Steward of Gondor. When men speak of Denethor in days to come, they may speak of a great lord over-shadowed to his own ruin by the force of Sauron’s will; but they will not speak of a man who burned alive his helpless, wounded son. What a wonderful thing to say to him! | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/17/2009 |
| A most moving and perceptive portrayal of the mind of faithful and brave man, who had the courage to stand up for what he believe was right. Author Reply: Thanx for reviewing, Estelcontar. Beregond was definitely one of the heroes of ROTK; if Denethor's servants had had his guts, Denethor and Faramir both might have survived the day...It's a very thin line sometimes between obedience/duty and atrocity... | |
| inzilbeth | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/16/2009 |
| A very insightful look at the mind of this great hero, and how very true that, if nothing else, he saved denethor from being a kin-slayer. As always, a delight to read your work. Author Reply: Thanx for the review, Inzilbeth. I think Gandalf knew that Beregond was getting desperate for something to cling to in those hours beyond hope, and gave him a truth - it was sad that Denethor killed himself, but if he had also succeeded in killing his son, it would have been even worse; and Beregond saved him from that. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/16/2009 |
| Ahh, Beregond. His plight was what drew me into fanfic in the first place. Nicely done; you've captured his feelings, and Gandalf's and Pippin's reactions very well. Author Reply: I'm pleased you liked this short story, since you explored Beregond's situation in more depth and complexity. He's a wonderful character, Beregond; and those hours when he thought Faramir would die, after all he'd done to save him, must have been difficult. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/16/2009 |
| He is well repaid in the end for both the breaking of the laws of the city and the saving of Faramir. So worthy a Man, to be granted this hope for the future! And he will indeed see more wonders ere the night is gone.... Lovely! Author Reply: Oh, it's a day of wonders, that's for sure! Wait until the scruffy warrior comes waltzing into Faramir's sickroom and cures him and then Faramir hails him as King. And then, eventually, Sauron falls, and Beregond is given honor instead of execution. Thanx for reviewing, Larner! | |
| Annawen Ereiniel | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/16/2009 |
| Raksha, I was just reading something by Lindelea on this site the other day about the judgment of Beregond, and wishing there were more fics about this fascinating character out there. Perfect timing! ;) I think you've done really well in capturing the complexity of Beregond's dilemma and the fears and self-doubt his ultimate actions would have engendered in him. Thematically, I like the way you weave in Eowyn and Merry's triumph against all odds to offer your characters a glimmer of hope in a dark hour. And finally, in terms of close reading, I love the tiny detail about Gandalf reading Beregond's thoughts and immediately masking his own weariness and sorrow while he thinks up a way to lift his spirits. That just seems so perfectly Gandalf somehow--semi-divine but not invulnerable, concerned about the Children of Middle-earth more than about himself. Pippin's cameo is spot-on as well, irrepressible Took that he is. Thanks so much for sharing this piece! --Annawen P.S. I re-read "The Falcon and the Star" today, as I do every March 15th, and found it just as satisfying as ever. As Linda Hoyland says, definitely required reading. Awesome work! Author Reply: Beregond's a great character isn't he; an Everyman Plus, and very much an unlikely hero. I think Beregond acted as he knew it was right to do, but when the action was done, and the reality that the man for whom he had sacrificed his honor and perhaps a good chunk of his family's future (not to mention, very possibly, his life) was dying anyway; and Beregond could do nothing but watch Faramir worsen, that's when the fear and worry would nag at him. And gosh, wasn't Eowyn and Merry's slaying of the Witch-King one of the most unlikely things ever? Even Gandalf had to have been surprised; and I think he brought Beregond to see Eowyn and Merry, and tell him about their victory, to show him that more surprises could come (especially since Gandalf knew that Aragorn was on the field). I see Beregond as a very practical and normally optimistic man; but he's been shaken to the core; and needed a bit of emotional/verbal TLC; which Gandalf of course would try to provide. And I think Beregond's heart was open enough to process Gandalf's words and use them to lift his own spirits, or at least make peace with himself. A great review, Annawen; thanx! | |