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| I Entulessë (The Return) by MJ | 65 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| PSW | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/6/2015 |
| What a wonderful story -- this was amazing, and I soaked in every bit of it. So much to think about ... Thanks so much for writing! | |
| Antane | Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 12/29/2010 |
| I'm so glad this won a MEFA and Awakening did also. Both deserved First Place as far as I am concerned but certainly glad it placed! Looking forward to reading your latest masterpiece. :) Namarie, God bless, Antane :) | |
| walkerskye | Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 10/16/2010 |
| I like your theology. I think the Professor would too. Thank you for a thoughtful and heartfelt tale. Author Reply: You're welcome, walkerskye. I hope the Professor would agree with you. :) | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 10/3/2010 |
| Hopefully you have recovered and are now back amongst us. Thanks so for sharing your vision of Frodo's life after leaving Middle Earth, and I look forward to reading the reunion he will in all likelihood know with Sam when it is Sam's turn to come. And welcome to SoA. Author Reply: Thank you, Larner. I'm finally pretty much back, the month of traveling now behind me (although I'm still recovering from the touch of heat exhaustion and eye-burn I managed to give myself while in Florida). I'm still working on more of Frodo's life in Aman (as well as Olorin's, of course), and if my writer's block finally goes away, I'm sure I'll eventually get to Sam's arrival. All things in their own time. :) Thanks for the welcome! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 10/3/2010 |
| I've enjoyed this greatly, and found Olorin's final reward to be most fitting, one that would please him beyond telling and would discomfit all others. And love the idea of Shadowfax's decision to forgive Olorin while punishing Vanyalos! How fitting. I'm glad that in your-verse Frodo was free to visit the mainland, although in mine he was not. And I'm glad that the story ends with the hymn to Elbereth. Thanks for a lovely visit to a land I have come to love deeply. Author Reply: And I thank you for all your comments. I'm not exactly back with us yet, as I'm on the road with my husband (currently in Tampa), and the Internet is spotty, but I wanted to give you at least one decent reply. I'm aware that Olórin isn't quite acting like himself throughout this story, and that, I fear, is something I ought to have explained to the readers at the start, or in my profile. I've been writing fiction of all kinds for over 40 years, and when I get involved in a particular universe, be it another's or one of my own creation, I tend to think in uber plots. My stories may stand alone in some ways, but they are often very heavily interconnected, especially in terms of their subplots and metaphysical underpinnings. The question of healing for Olórin was never one that I intended to fully resolve in this one tale. As it was 2000 years in the making, it is going to be some years in the unmaking — just as for us, issues that are impressed upon us over longer terms take time and work to be resolved. What is particularly an issue here is the matter of self-esteem, something that can be undermined in pernicious and often subtle ways. It will eventually be recognized and resolved (in the following novel, "Twice Blessed," and the novella (or perhaps novel) "No Greater Love." Perhaps I could have handled it a bit better, here, but I didn't want to overplay my hand, so to speak. Ah, well. There are probably as many different takes on Tolkien's world as there are fans, and I'm glad that it is so. Those differences can be interesting, and cherished. Thanks once again for your lovely comments! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/3/2010 |
| Excellent, now that Frodo has seen more than most of the Wise and Mighty! About time they learned the full purpose for the circlet--one Ring meant to do more than the original Gandalf had borne did in preserving his great self. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 10/3/2010 |
| It appears that Vanyalos is far closer to their Father than any had realized.... | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 10/3/2010 |
| He is indeed diminished and weakened when he submits to such melodramatic considerations. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 10/3/2010 |
| Rather an overly dramatic response to the situation, I fear. Olorin, what have you just wrought? | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 10/3/2010 |
| I just finished reading this story, and I have to tell you I think it one of my best finds through the MEFAs this year! For me the heart of the story is the beautiful friendship you show between Gandalf/Olorin and Frodo. These two are truly kindred spirits, and have so much in common-- the parallels you show between them, most especially in the resolution to the story are striking and beautifully done. A Gandalf h/c is a rarity, but you make it so much more than a mere story of taking care of an ailing loved one. I have to say that normally I am not fond of the imposing of overt theology into JRRT's legendarium, as he himself preferred to use more covert and subtle means to convey his own faith within the story. Yet because it is set in Valinor and because the Valar themselves are main characters it makes it very natural that discussions of how the innocent can suffer for the evils of others, and the role of divine intervention, would of course be taking place much more openly than such things would ever be spoken in Middle-earth. Some of the things that especially delighted me were: Gandalf's role in the origins of hobbits (something that I find more than a little plausible!); the descriptions of Valinor, especially of the Shire-like Lorien; your completely spot-on characterization of Frodo, whose own nature is so like to that of his friend that it is no wonder both of them find self-sacrifice and humility the keys to their own well-being; and your resolution at the end, which I find completely captivating-- and as I see by your A/N a springboard to sequels, to which I am definitely looking forward! I thank you for sharing this story with us very much. It is one which I will re-read with pleasure and happily recommend to others!! Author Reply: You're most welcome, Dreamflower, and I thank you for your kind review! I readily admit that I'm not a fan of overt theology in this mythos, but when you're dealing with the "angels" on their home turf, the point of view is going to almost inevitably be different than it would be in Middle-earth, as you said. When I started writing this story, I didn't intend for Eru to put in a semi-personal appearance, but it just seemed to flow naturally from things as they evolved. Which, I think, is the way it ought to be. Things that are imposed deliberately to fulfill a preconceived authorial agenda too often don't feel right to the reader — and usually rightly so, I believe. Even Tolkien himself ran afoul of that issue when he kept trying to re-imagine the Orcs to fit more closely with his Catholic beliefs! :) There will certainly be more to come. Keep watching, and thanks again! | |