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A White Shell  by Celeritas 5 Review(s)
VirtuellaReviewed Chapter: 2 on 8/29/2009
This is such a well-crafted chapter! I am thrilled to see how Kira has managed to "keep alive the memory" by telling stories to the children - some of these are bound to grow into adults who will pass on those seeds. Both the tree story and the poem fitted very well, and ah, the mystry malady makes an appearance again. And it's lovely to see a potential love interest for Kira. :D

Author Reply: Thank you! Kira is indeed hoping that storytelling will impact children when they grow up; unfortunately she's going to have to wait a while before she finds out if they do. In the meantime as part of "growing up" some of them are leaving that behind, even if they'll return to it when they have children. So it's a little bit of a thankless task at the moment, especially because Kira is not very far-sighted at this point in her life.

I thought it would be untrue to the story and to real life if Kira's mysterious illness managed to disappear at the end of KatM, so she's been having to deal with it for a while now. If she ever gets healed from it it's going to take something suitably dramatic--perhaps as dramatic as the event that catalyzed her condition in the first place.

And who said there only had to be one potential love interest for Kira? *wicked grin*

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/8/2009
Lovely glimpse of Kira storytelling. And this Alaric fellow is intriguing; I hope he gets to spend more time with Kira when she's feeling better.

Author Reply: Thank you!

I'm very intrigued by Alaric, too; of course I wouldn't have introduced him if he weren't at some later point involved in Kira's life. I'm hoping eventually to be able to use him as an inlet to those who aren't familiar with Kira so that they can find out exactly what's wrong with her alongside him. He already has a great advantage to understanding her character, if he'll only realize it--unlike many of the people Kira actually knows, he's already seen her at her weakest moments.

AntaneReviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/30/2009
I'm glad someone is interested in the Travellers still and in the Elven histories also. I shall have to keep up with this story. I love that poem, but you already know that! Have you heard the Professor recite it? It's on the J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection - I recommend it - it has other recitals of his too and Christopher Tolkien.

Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

Author Reply: Yup, read it and own it. ^_^ And Kira appreciates your support.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/30/2009
Poor Kira--to first find the pressure she needed to recite Frodo's poem, then to be found fainted again! She must be terribly disheartened, and particularly because she thinks no one appreciated it. But it sounds as if Tom did, and certainly Alaric did! Tooks, I'd guess, considering the names! Someone who appreciates the King and the King's best friend among his own kindred, obviously! Why do I have the feeling that she'll be in the Great Smial copying books before she quite knows what hit her? Heh!

Author Reply: I don't know if Tom was listening to that particular bit of the party or not; he hasn't told me where he is and he'd still sooner be caught dead than let anyone, including the author, know he was listening in!

Alaric's a very peculiar case, though. Can't say that much more about him yet.

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 2 on 5/30/2009
I took a break from "Trotter" to read this! What a treat!

Perhaps "The Sea-Bell" was not the best poem in the world for a tentful of merry-making hobbits, but it certainly reached one who needed to hear it.

I'm intrigued by Alaric and Halbarad. You did not reveal their surnames, but I have a suspicion, going by the first names.

Poor Kira, this party was not the best time in the world for her. But at least she did have a chance to tell the children her stories.

I loved the way she framed Sam's story, around the mallorn seed. Very lovely and poignant.

Author Reply: You suspect, eh? *firmly clams up mouth as we are not going to learn anything else about these two for several chapters*

The story had to be my favorite bit, though. Took two tries to get it right, but since that second time 'round I've never had to revise it. Thank heavens!

All in all I'd say the party was a mixed bag for Kira--there was all that bodice humor and the officialness of Sandra/Kerry to balance off that terrible end.

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