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The Unquenchable Light by Virtuella | 43 Review(s) |
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Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 3/31/2025 |
How did I miss this update? No idea. This chapter has action interspersed with comedy in the most delightful manner. Glad to see Tilar and her new advisor meet their just desserts. "๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ธ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ,โ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ช๐ฅ. โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐รป๐ป ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐ถ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ช๐ด๐ฐ๐ณ.โ ... โ๐๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ,โ ๐ด๐ข๐ช๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ข๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ณ. โ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ญ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ โโ Sure ambassador! There was the last Louis of France who lasted for less than half an hour and then there is this 2 minute Archseraphine. I know, Tilar, we all wanted to become princesses when we were young, but we don't ally with Dark Lords to fulfil our dreams. Better luck next time. As for the ambassador, I believe that Hamujil will be more merciful to him than Sauron, so he better not try to escape. Thank goodness for the quick thinking by Majani and her ladies that saved the day. โ๐๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ!โ ๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ, ๐ฆ๐น๐ค๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ค ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ซ๐ฐ๐ฃ. โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ?โ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ฑ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ. โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด, ๐ด๐ฏ๐ถ๐จ๐ญ๐บ ๐ธ๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ-๐ช๐ฏ-๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ. ๐๐ง ๐ช๐ต ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ๐ด ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ธ๐ข๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ.โ Lol! The guard's thoughts and Majani's calm response. I think she is still a little bemused at the absurdity of the attempted coup d'etat. *** Hamujil on the other hand is too very nice and I don't know what to call it... he takes blame so easily or thinks everything is his responsibility? It isn't but, well he is a very nice neighbour. I don't know what to think of the Krรข response. On one hand I think that their accusations are too ludicrous but of course jealousy caused the world's first crime, so it is understandable that the Krรข are moved to war as they feel that they have not been treated fairly by the Kรปzeen. Of course, Sauron's lies may have worked to exacerbate the situation. ๐๐ป๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ถ ๐ด๐ข๐ช๐ฅ ๐ด๐ช๐น๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ช๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐บ. ๐๐ตโ๐ด ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐๐ป๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ฎรป๐ซ๐ช๐ญ, ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ข๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฏ. Finally a wise council from the Ezen. โ๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ!โ ๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ธ๐ข๐บ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ง๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ. Oh poor thing. I feel so sorry for Jarin. I wish she didn't feel so bad, but I understand her horror. Hoping that the saner heads will prevail and the negotiations will be successful. Have a nice day! P.S. I love the new summary. It is a beautiful reflection of the exotic nature of the East. Also, if I may say so, thanks for your work in trying to 'redeem' the East. Honestly, as an Eastern person, the constant negative portrayal in the legendarium is sometimes a bit too much. | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 3/28/2025 |
This chapter is as much comedy as it is drama. And then we come to the tragedy at the end. Poor Jarin! Can there be any healing possible for her heart and conscience? | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 3/23/2025 |
Yeah, regarding labeling entire nations "evil", I suppose that fits the "good vs evil" theme. But even JRRT opened the door to not all Men in different nations being evil in his exploration of Sam's thoughts in Ithilien: It was Samโs first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the manโs name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace โ all in a flash of thought which was quickly driven from his mind. I took "what lies or threats had led him..." in the sense of what we call today disinformation, as in a malicious twisting of facts to manipulate people's thoughts and actions. I can definitely see Sauron and the Mouth of Sauron employing that tactic. Along similar lines, the Haradrim in my stories are a mix of noble-minded and evil-minded people, with strong and weak individuals in both categories. It takes all kinds to make a world. *** As to this chapter, my first thought was to hear some soldier in the back of my mind saying blearily to a comrade as the ships sail away, "...Man, those Elves sure know how to throw a party...!" Uh-oh. Here comes the ambassador. To quote a certain princess, "I thought I recognized your foul stench when I came aboard..." O-o-o-o-o-kay-y-y-y-y. Enter the Tree Women, stage left. (Did I ever mention how pleased I was that you brought them into this story?) Oh! So the Tree Women aren't simply very long-lived, like the Ents in Fangorn, but they've actually planted a colony of sorts and are thriving and growing. Oooo! "pale caterpillars": I'm guessing silkworms? Oh, the Tree Women have Trockenbeernauslese and Eiswein!!! Of course they do. I remember the taste, like golden sunshine. Someone told me that the best of it stayed in Germany and was not exported to the US, so I never bothered to buy it after we left Europe. Wish we were still there, these days. Aha! And the Tree Women (like my Eagles) differentiate between speaking folk and the other kind. (My Eagles are allowed to swoop up Orcs and "drop them on the rocks to break them" but are not allowed to eat them. They probably wouldn't be good to eat, anyhow.) โIf youโve treated them well,โ she said, โthey must love you and they will follow you.โ Why do I suspect the horses won't follow them? our palace. As Buggs Bunny would say, "The noive!" I wonder if Tilar overestimated the support she'd get from others? The Krandi don't even have folding chairs? They sound unprepared for the marching life. "did not quite look right" Hmmm. But "shall we shoot it?" had me laughing, it sounded so much like the little boys I've known. I have to say, if you hadn't mentioned the Krรข being honorable and not evil, I'd be worried about the eight of them coming in out of the dark to meet in the tent. (Shades of Hemry's Dauntless, where the Syndics appear to slaughter all the Alliance leaders who come to parley...) Hahahahaha! Was Dorwinian Wine involved, I wonder? โIโm in a mood to die.โ โExcellent.โ Sledgehammer! Good name (even if it's not the name). My hobbits have a similar name: Weed Killer (Or "keed willer" if you already happen to have imbibed one over your limit.) Really gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "slaying the enemy"! ("killing your enemy with kindness", maybe?) Okay, I was kind of wary of these elves when Jarin encountered them (if I'm remembering right), but now I'm starting to like them. (Do I have to spell everything out to you? Sheesh, this turned out to be a long review. Apologies if you find such annoying. (I adore long reviews, for my part [especially on one of my own chapters, LOL], but I realize not everyone loves discussing Tolkien's creation as much as I do.) | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 3/17/2025 |
So little lies make a rider heavier. No wonder the palantรญr was so difficult to transport! The people on the ships sound reluctant and misinformed. Has it ever occurred to them that their truth might have been twisted? Pallando's strategy sounds interesting. It obviously assumes the Krรข are not evil. The commander definitely sounds confused: he certainly also hadnโt expected this, whatever it was. They certainly were not prepared to meet a Hwenti onslaught. Party hearty? Make merry, not war? (I wonder what the Hwenti would think of being described as "the cavalry coming over the hill"?) Author Reply: Well, the Hwenti are unpredictable, but they do follow their own agenda, which is benign enough. [ It obviously assumes the Krรข are not evil.] For my taste, Tolkien is too ready to call entire nations, even entire species evil. I realise this kind of goes with the genre, but it still irks me. So no, they are not evil. Nor are they misinformed. Naรฏve, might be a better word. And things look quite different from their perspective. | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 3/11/2025 |
I was going to just read and then try to gather my thoughts, but this was too good to pass up: They had chosen this out-of-the-way spot so that half Levare wouldnโt congregate around them and offer advice. It's so true!!! (I also love the description of the frosted landscape.) (I have to say, I had thought I was seeing some hints in earlier chapters, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions... I am so unfamiliar with Dwarves, I don't know how to "read" them yet. I can't tell when they're joking or serious or just being Dwarves!) Love the magnificent mustache. I wonder if he'd ever shave it off for any reason, and if his wife might not recognize him at first sight before he spoke and she recognized his voice? (Happened to me with one of my close relations after she dyed her hair a dramatically different color. LOL!) Awww. His wife made him put on mittens. I love how protective people are of him. "Don't tell Majani." (snork) I'm with Diri. I'm all for clandestine departures when on secret missions. I worry about the Enemy finding out... For some reason, "bail them out" struck me as jumping out of an airplane with a parachute rather than bailing out a leaky rowboat, and I had the sudden idle vision of a dragon-rider wearing a parachute pack. My brain does odd things now and then... And now, the procession with all the dragons and their riders has me thinking of All the Weyrs of Pern and the grand scheme to use the dragons, working together, to alter the orbit of the Red Star... The breath-taking processional is almost worth the risk of compromise. Almost. Waiting with bated breath to see Pallando's plan play out... | |
Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 3/8/2025 |
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ, ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ข๐ณ?โ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ข๐ณ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ข๐ธ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ. โ๐โ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข ๐ง๐ข๐ท๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ, ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ,โ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ช๐ฅ. โ๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ? ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ธ ๐๐ข๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฉ ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ด ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ. ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ต. ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐รป๐ป ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ.โ Oh no! โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด,โ ๐ด๐ข๐ช๐ฅ ๐๐ป๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ข, โ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ.โ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ญ๐ข๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ณรข. โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ถ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ.โ Hamujil is so brave to accept and I really hope he doesn't regret it... Let's hope that Ezen Kemra is a man of his word. The last part of the chapter, though, was pure gold. And somehow, that unnamed Hwenti elf has all the grace of a High-Elf. Take care Author Reply: Yes, Tilar is the traitor, though I tried to make readers think it was Miriel. ;-) Initially, I had intended for the plan to work out, but then it seemed to me that was too easy and it would be better if Hamujil had to put his life on the line after all. Oh dear, I didn't mean for the Hwenti man to come across like a high elf, he was supposed to be good-natured but flippant and condescending. I'm going to have to take a look at that. | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 3/8/2025 |
Tiny crumbs of snow fell down in swift, straight lines around her like so many shooting stars. Nice. I've experienced such snow, as well as giant flakes floating down in eerie silence. The casual greetings immediately followed by the fervent embrace was sweet. Hmmm. "loyalties tested" and "one passenger" sounds... troubling, somehow. Hamรปjil's humility shows his quality, I think (rather like Sam's description of Faramir); he seems to elicit respect and honour from almost all those around him, if I'm reading the scene correctly. Why else indeed. Um. Is this supposed to make me uneasy? So the chain is made from priceless mithril? (Is the flute, too? Probably not, considering how rare the metal is.) Sigh. I used to spend many happy hours in the corner of one coffee house or another. (Long-handled coffee pot. Like Turkish coffee? I may be remembering wrong.) Oh dear. The gossip is distressing. And, of course, it brings the plan to the attention of malevolent ears, I should think. A strong light source. Hmmm. Something comes to mind... Author Reply: I only meant Jarin can take either Hamujil or Diri. Do you feel I have overly idealised Hamujil? [Why else indeed. Um. Is this supposed to make me uneasy?] No, not uneasy. I have been wondering - there is something going on in the background, which my beta picked up straight away some chapters back, though I tried to make it subtle. Seems that so far I have managed to sneak it past your sharp eyes! ;-) Why else would Diri have come to Levare? Just the chain! Yes, I was thinking of Turkish coffee pots. Turkish, along with Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Persian, is one of the cultures I have blended for the Kuzar culture. Thanks for you comments; it's so nice toengage with a reader about the story! | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 3/4/2025 |
So the traitor was in the room with us last night. That's a really distressing thought. Oh my. She pulled out the big guns, it sounds like. The nuclear option? Jarin's back! (And I think I may have an idea of what Diri's suggesting...) Author Reply: Yes, I want the reader to be a little creeped out by that! ;-) | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 2/24/2025 |
Thank you for explaining about the white peacock! That helps. Now I don't have to go back and read earlier chapters but can press on and go forward... Poor Margig, I was wondering how he was coping with his daughter's prolonged absence. I like that he goes ahead and makes the festive cakes, remembering Jarin as he works. Hmmm. Wan is wary of elves, is he? Uh-oh. Elves. Most of these elves seem rather silly โ which could be dangerous. I'm glad that Lossรซ seems friendly. Let's hope it lasts. After they meet the one who chides the "children" for always wanting to save their lands, I feel sorry for these elves. What makes them different? indeed! But I have to wonder if the Hwenti would actually be able to defend themselves if a battle arose. They seem awfully jaded and hollow. Is this what fading looks like? Miriel sounds wiser than Tilar. I love the description of the winter solstice celebration. But oh no! Vani's statue is smashed and the darkness cannot be dissipated, it seems! Author Reply: I think these elves, lacking purpose and guidance, would go a little insane over the millennia. "Rudderless" is the word I have in mind. | |
Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 2/22/2025 |
O good, you're adding to the story! I know that feeling of looking in the same places three and four times all too well. Not for young princes, though, just for things I mislay absent-mindedly. However, this doesn't look like a case of absent-mindedness. I suppose they might be able to find the palantรญr to find him. But maybe not. She held her lantern high โ it made no difference to the search but it just seemed the thing to do. One of those unconscious gestures that you don't think about as you're doing it (but adds an extra note of reality to the scene). Oh! Is the peacock that hasn't settled yet and is thus sounding a piercing call unsettled because the boy is there? (I'm confused. He ran away and hid in the aviary and fell asleep?) I got lost at the mention of "Vani" and the pale shape. (Mentioned earlier in the story, perhaps? I may have to go back and look.) Interesting invention. I find myself wondering if it might be used to confuse/deceive an enemy force (peacefully and non-violently)? The seekers' methodology is fascinating. The administration of the poison is subtle and fiendishly clever and, thus, quite disturbing. Diri's comment about the dragons is interesting, considering his invention. Hmmm. I wonder what will happen in the morning... Author Reply: Vani is an albino peacock who lives in the palace gardens. He is mentioned a few times earlier in the tory, and Hamujil gives Majani a porcellain figurine of him in the chapter "Lanterns". You are supposed to be confused; I wanted to leave it ambivalent what actually happened. Thanks for commenting! | |