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Beneath Strange Stars  by Larner 8 Review(s)
TeresaReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/18/2012
Larner, I loved reading this! I could see Boromir rallying his troops for that battle and leading them to victory! I also enjoyed seeing Artos's reunion with his family! Hmmm, is it a coincidence that Artos is similar to the name Arthur? I remember the legend about King Arthur, his sleeping knights, and their future last battle. I'm glad that Artos gave those gems to Legolas for his ship. It was also nice to see Frodo. The Valar's Council was excellent! As always, your stories give me great pleasure! Many thanks for writing this! :)

Author Reply: Oh, the name was indeed deliberately chosen. Artos was very likely Arthur's Breton name, after all. And the resemblance between the legend of the sleeping King's army awaiting their day of battle against evil and that of Ar-Pharazon's army awaiting the same fate, if not from the same sense of Might-for-Right, has always intrigued me!

Thanks so very much for this review! My laptop failed just about the time you wrote this comment, and I'm sort of limping along using a friend's computer until I can afford one of my own, so I apologize for being so late in responding. This computer also has issues, and I fear it, too, will die all too soon.

FiondilReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/5/2012
Valar! What a concept. Love it from beginning to end and I'm pleased that I had a small part in inspiring you to write this amazing tale. People keep asking me if I intend to write about the Dagor Dagorlad in my Elf Academy series but I don't know as I will. That's a part of Middle-earth history that I'm leary of writing about at this time, but this tale is great and I love Boromir at the end. Who better to lead these men? Thanks for sharing, Larner.

Author Reply: I'm so glad you do love it. I don't do that much with the Dagor Dagorlad, either, but now and then I brush up against it, it seems.

Who better to lead those of Men who will fight in the Last Battle than Boromir son of Denethor, who always wanted to lead the battle against the Dark Lord? He's left his desires for glory behind when he begged forgiveness for trying to take the Ring from Frodo; now he has the responsibility for doing what he'd wanted to do before mostly FOR glory, as now he knows fully what he is fighting against and because he's doing it now merely because it needs to be done, not for the glory of it.

Thanks so very much for all of the help you've given me in the past few years, and for the support and prayers of the last few weeks.

ArmarielReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/3/2012
Whoa....yes, I know who "Falmalote" is, was hoping to see a bit more of her, but what the hey. I love that she it was drew Boromir's boat to the island. (Love Boromir!) I'm honored to be one of the inspirers and it's great that Boromir got to be sent back and even had authority over...Pharazon? That was pretty cool. A lovely tale!

~~~~~{~@

Author Reply: Sorry I didn't give her more space, but I had to involve her in the rescue of the boat! And who better to lead the sleepers than Boromir at this point? Pharazon has a lot of humbling to go through after his willingness to subserviate his people to Sauron! He KNEW better, after all, but he fell victim to Sauron via his own fears.

Thanks so much for everything.

TariReviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/30/2012
What an amazing tale. Boromir deserved such a tribute to the efforts he made to destroy the evil one. His road to redemtion began as he lay dying, confessing his sins and asking Aragorn's forgiveness.

I can't begin to tell you much I enjoyed reading this and wish it could be extended into a full lenght story.

Author Reply: I rejoice that you liked this, Tari. I have found this one tickling at my imagination, and found myself needing to write it out. A blessed Advent to you!

AntaneReviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/30/2012
I am glad that I helped to inspire this story, though you must thank Agape4Gondor too. :) How very interesting and the reverent treatment of the Valar of Boromir's body and weapons, making all whole again, the best of all. Liked also Boromir accepting his commission. Neat story!

Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

Author Reply: And I thank you for the inspiration. My fate for Boromir is different from youts, but I believe it was one due him, don't you? Thanks so for the feedback!

eilujReviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/30/2012
Fascinating. And surely one of the most unusual fic plots ever written (I'm absolutely not including Badfic plots when I say that; I used to read at ff and there were numberless not-encumbered-by-logic-canon-or-knowledge plots to be found -- most of them also unencumbered by grammar, spelling, or punctuation).

Good idea about the gem eyes; I was completely persuaded it would have worked.

I was a bit sorry Mithrellas didn't appear in the story, to see her descendant.

I wonder what dreams Irmo gave Pharazôn's host. (And I note you weren't calling him "Ar-Pharazôn.")


[Psst: I believe Eärwen's father, the king of the Teleri in Aman, was named Olwë. Elwë was the original name of Elwë Singollo aka Elu Thingol, Olwë's brother who married Melian and ruled Doriath in Beleriand.]

Author Reply: I know what you mean about those fics unencumbered by logic, canon, or knowledge--have shaken my head over a few of those myself. I'm honored you find this so original--thanks so very much! How Cirdan's ships managed to find their way past the enchanted isles to Tol Eressea and possibly the mainland of Aman itself has always intrigued me, and this I thought to perhaps be one way that Vingilot might have differed from those wrought on Balar and in Mithlond or Edhellond. After all, Earendil was son to Idril and grandson to Turgon--his elvish side ought to have aided him to find the way, I'd think, if that was all that was needed to make the voyage.

I wanted to establish that Boromir also had Elvish blood, as had been true of the descendants of Elros, and it only made sense to me that once she'd begun to heal Mithrellas might well have felt moved to visit the parents to her former Lady's friend, companion, and successor to bring them word of Galadriel's more recent exploits. I'd not thought of her perhaps wishing to see the remains of one of her more recent descendants, however. And, no, I doubt Pharazon deserved the title "Ar-" at this point.

Thanks so very much!

And thanks so for catching the error. The names are so blasted similar--I knew there was something wrong, and I am embarrassed I made such a basic mistake!

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/30/2012
Oh my goodness, what a fascinating story! I never thought about what the Last Day might be like. I love the way you've imagined all this, and of course I always bask in Frodo's steps to healing.

Author Reply: Thanks so very much, Shirebound! I've thought on the nature of the Last Day a few times, and recently I've wondered how those who'd followed Pharazon might have taken part in it, Tolkien having indicated that this might be their final fate.

And I, too, love imagining Frodo's continued healing, as you well know.

Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/30/2012
Sunny posted: I really liked Boromir's drill-sergeant persona here. Just about kicking those lazy Sleepers awake, and taking no nonsense at all - even (or perhaps especially) from Ar-Pharazon.

Author Reply: Thanks so, Sunny! But I think that the chance to finally face Sauron and Morgoth would be the height of Boromir's eternity! And hopefully after all this time Pharazon has gained enough wisdom to realize that he should let the Captain General lead the way, and that it's time to fight the real Enemy rather than fear death.

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