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The Journey Home  by Fiondil 12 Review(s)
obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 25 on 5/3/2013
Interesting mapping expedition. As a child I was always pouring over maps and imagining the world from the markings I could see. In the German Museum in Munich is an exhibition about map making tools, I found highly interesting. I never really thought about how maps are made. Without modern tools to measure distances, counting strides is as good as anything.
Why do I have a bad feeling about those saber-tooth cats? I just hope they are not raiding the settlement with most of the warriors on hunting expeditions.

Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. I've always loved maps as well and used to draw my own, creating new worlds, much the way Tolkien did with Middle-earth. It was loads of fun. As for the sabertooths, we'll see soon what they are up to and how Maglor and the others deal with them. Thanks for reviewing. It's very much appreciated.

KevanaReviewed Chapter: 25 on 5/3/2013
Ooooh yes, do want getting rid of those cat-critters. And love the aqueduct engineering. If they stick around long enough they're going to have quite the little colony going on. Emphasis on "if." Maybe there is an abandoned mine somewhere in the mountains, wouldn't that be wild! Though like the towers you have to wonder if something would be lurking in such a place. If Khazad-Dûm could house a Balrog, well, no telling what might be left behind at this point in the little nooks and crannies long abandoned.

Thank you for the very informative footnote!

It seems they're making a lot of progress in a short amount of time here, great to see.

-Kevana

Author Reply: Hi Kevana. We'll see how long they do stick around. And I know that a lot of people are not all that familiar with the history of the First Age and its battles so I always make a point of explaining just which battles are being mentioned. It helps, I think, to put things in context for the readers.

Anyway, the Elves are highly motivated to make their present home as snug as possible before winter comes so they've had to hustle to get things done beforehand, more so than they are probably used to when they tend to thin in termsof centuries. *grin*

Thanks for taking the time to read and review. I really appreciate it.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
They appear to be doing fairly well with their mapping. Now to find the goats again and get home. Although I suspect they will encounter the saber tooths far too soon--although encountering them at all would be far too soon! Heh!

Author Reply: Yes, encountering the saber tooths will be all to soon regardless. *grin* We'll see how that works out shortly. Thanks for reviewing, Larner. It's much appreciated.

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
Winter during an ice age.... brrrrr. I'm glad they've had the time (and wisdom) to prepare.

Author Reply: Yeah, it's a good thing they're Elves and that they had the time to prepare for it. Thanks for reading and reviewng, Shirebound. I appreciate it very much.

LaerReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
I feel the need to explain why the dwarf comment was funny to me. My husband is a dwarf on LOTR on line. He says that kind of stuff all the time. He also claims the elves cheat on payments with gems.

As for this update I like the way they documented the mapping of the area. That was very interesting how they figured out the distance. My dad use to do that, he was always right when he did that. I never figured out how to match his stride without tripping over my show laces. ;)

Author Reply: Hi Laer. Hey! Can't trust those elves for anything, can you? LOL!

I had to read and re-read Tokien's own notes on how the ranga was measured and I had many discussions with one of my betas over it before we figured it all out. I'm glad it makes sense and that I got it right.

Thanks for reading and leaving a review. It's always appreciated.

FantasiaReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
Cartographic is one of those jobs that I always wanted when I was reading about early discoveries. When I was, I don't know, 11 or 12? I loved those books, all those expeditions going to the end of the world and almost never succeeding, but giving you the most beautiful stories about friendship, determination and unconquerable spirit. Then, I migrated to Verne and Salgari...A lot of Americans are really not familiar with Salgari, which is such a shame.
Any way, I deviate from your story, I like how they are settling in their new "home" and the dynamics between them, and of course, how strong is becoming the bond between Maglor and Arthalion. And those evil sable tigers, I'm afraid that they will show up in the middle of the winter and try to make the elves their pray.

Author Reply: I love maps myself and used to create them, drawing my own worlds when I played Dungeons & Dragons. I've read Verne but never Salgari. I'll have to see if I can find any of his books.

Anyway, I'm glad you like how the elves are settling in and how the bond between Maglor and Arthalion is deepening. I think they wlll be gwedyr soon enough. As for the sabertooths, we'll be seeing them soon enough, I promise. The elves do have to deal with them if they want to thrive.

Thanks for reviewing, Fantasia. I really appreciate you taking the time to do so.

SunnyReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
I really like Maglor's little quip to Gilgaran about rank! I LOLed when I read that! And Maglor certainly has come a long way from the doomy, gloomy ellon we saw at the beginning of the story! Being around other people, and taking care of Arthalion, has brought him a long way!


Author Reply: I thought that was pretty funny myself, Sunny. Shows that Maglor can laugh at himself, which is a good thing. And he certainly has come a long way from what he was before. He's not all the way there yet, but he's getting there and that's all that matters. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

someoneReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
Those cats are going to be trouble. If no one knows where they are, they may be hunting the map-makers...

Arthalion is proving to be a valuable member of this little group of wanderers, and as he pointed out, the cats need only to follow the scent to their headquarters. Which means that if the cats are not out there to get the hunters/mappers, they might be getting ready to attack everyone at the towers while many of the warriors are away.

At first, the elves only wanted to get to the shore. Now they have a nice home and an aqueduct, and they are talking of domesticating goats and finding a forge and mapping the area. It's getting so home-like that they might find it difficult to leave for Valinor when the chance comes. *grin*

Author Reply: Hi somenone. Oh yes, those cats will indeed be trouble and sooner than you think. Arthalion is coming into his own now that he's with Maglor and the others. And the Elves are only being realistic, recognizing the fact that they will need to wait for the ocean to return and for trees to grow so they can make ships. But as home-like as it may seem, their ultimate goal is to reach Aman. They are expected for Tea with the Valar after all. *sly grin*

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I really appreciate it.

Agape4GondorReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
A good chapter. A bit of a rest for us, thought Maglor and crew spent a LOT of time walking. I like maps and this expedition was fun to watch. I kept waiting for an attack and enjoyed the gentle chapter. Felt deeply for Arthalion.

Author Reply: Well in a world without mechanical transportation and all the horses are living in the south where it's warm, walking is about the only way to go unless they plan to tame some wild moose, like you see Thranduil riding in the Hobbit movie and I don't see that happening. *grin* At any rate, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for leaving a comment, Agape. It's very much appreciated.

CairistionaReviewed Chapter: 25 on 4/29/2013
How awful it must have been for Arthalion and his brother, watching the ship sail away from them. I'm glad Maglor was there for him when he released some of the grief. Now it looks like a long time coming before we see them set sail. I confess I'm fantasizing with Aerin in wishing Eärendil would come down and swoop them up! But I imagine Maglor is right... it won't be that easy. And in the meantime, there's mapping, storms and cat-creatures!

Author Reply: I'm sure it was pretty devestating for them both, Cairistiona. I know I would feel despair if it were me. Maglor is a good friend to have under any circumstances and Arthalion is lucky to have him. If Eärendil did as you wished, there wouldn't be much of a story and I never cared for the deux ex machina approach to storytellng anyway. That's cheating the reader, as far as I'm concerned. I hope that how I tell the story and how it ends will prove far more satisfying.

Anyway, thanks for reviewing. I really appreciate it.

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