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| The Shadow in the Past by Itarille | 23 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/5/2025 |
| “He thought of his father, who had somehow deemed Faramir’s life so precious that he had lost his will to live upon seeing Faramir at death’s door.” “And if I may add, Faramir, though he loved Boromir greatly, it was not with Boromir that he wished to meet death side by side.” True…rather with Faramir, and near Finduilas’s remains… “the list of their family’s heirlooms, he found written ‘For Faramir, to be given in celebration of his wedding, or upon my passing.’ A shield and a long bow bestowed upon Steward Húrin by King Minardil, and a sword which had belonged to Steward Cirion. Then there were the jewels. Only a few were given to him, but what a few. Finduilas’ betrothal ring, and her set of tiara, necklace and ring, crafted following an ancient picture of the Nauglamir. As for the library, Denethor had left almost all to him, save for some books and tomes which Denethor insisted every Steward must read and master. The letters exchanged between Denethor and Finduilas, and some of Finduilas’ paintings and needlework.” Hum ho! wonderful—the weapons especially! Will he use the Steward books, or give them to Aragorn? “Tomorrow he would seek Lady Éowyn and told her that he loved her. It mattered not whether she returned his love (though he rather thought she did), for he would be content loving her from afar.” awwwww. Author Reply: Faramir will keep all the books, I imagined. The last line is my favourite :) | |
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/5/2025 |
| Wow! The emotions are strong here! Well done! Author Reply: Thank you for reading this far! | |
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 11/5/2025 |
| Oh oh! I do not think Aragorn would give Denethor permission to use the stone, at least not while Sauron has the Ithil stone. Maybe it is a mercy Finduilas isn’t here (and Elfhild, Théodwyn and Éomund, too for that matter) Author Reply: Ah, it's a good point. Aragorn (or any wise king) would discourage the use of a palantir while Sauron has the Ithil stone. | |
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/5/2025 |
| Faramir and Denethor hug! Their relationship is still good enough for the moment. Author Reply: There must be hugs over the years... Thank you for leaving a review! | |
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/5/2025 |
| “Which son? The question came to Denethor’s mind, but he did not say it, for does it matter which of your sons was doomed to fall in battle? “ Good question, and interesting it was Faramir, not Boromir. But I guess Finduilas did always like Faramir better. Author Reply: I imagined Finduilas herself was not sure whether her vision showed Boromir or Faramir. Thank you for reading and reviewing! | |
| PSW | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 1/19/2025 |
| This was a lovely, insightful story. The relationship between Denathor and Faramir reads absolutely true to me - a real exploration into both minds, being fair to each and offering each his rightful place. I don’t often read stories about the relationship between these two, but I’m so glad I read this one. Thx so much for sharing. (Also, what a fun link for Elizabeth I’s letters! I have a friend who will absolutely love it…) Author Reply: Thank you! Denethor and Faramir fascinated me, but I know my take on their relationship is not the popular /conventional one. I'm glad the story resonates with you. Yes, the Queen's letters are precious gems. I'm quite impressed by her writing-- quite elegant and erudite. I've never come across any private letters written that way. | |
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/22/2024 |
| The letter is written with so much love and is so touching. Lovely end to a very thought-provoking, well described and wonderful story! It is a rare look into Finduilas and her family and i believe you capture each character's voices very well. Author Reply: Thank you so much for leaving a review! | |
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/22/2024 |
| Lovely description of how Faramir might've found Denethor's ashes. It is written with care and wit and i really enjoy your attention to details. Standing alone in the quiet place, Faramir could well imagine his father’s last moments. The thought that nothing else mattered, the conviction that darkness had won and day would not come again, the crackling of firewood, the smell of burning flesh, the unbearable heat—but how could he say unbearable? Someone had borne it. It is painful to imagine but I think you wrote this very well. The last part of Faramir having discovered Denethor leaving him heirlooms is a good ending and i especially liked the part that Denethor thinks Faramir will eventually wed. Author Reply: Thank you! Since there was rain, which would have entered the building and eventually quenched the fire (the dome / roof was damaged), it is possible that the body was not fully cremated. The remains could be even more disturbing than what I've described, but I intentionally avoided making it too gory. I would assume Hurin took care of any particularly gruesome details. | |
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/22/2024 |
| What a heartbreaking chapter. Really good insight into Denethor's thoughts. I have a question that occurred just reading this. Would it be possible that the Palantir had influenced Denenthor's last military decisions? Since Sauron had grasped into Denethor's mind, was it in Denethor's right mind to make his last decisions? This son, too, had loved him greatly, Denethor thought, and he felt the invisible knife that had stabbed his heart at Finduilas’ death plunge deeper into his being. wow how powerfully heart-breaking. :( Lovely writing. Author Reply: By "last military decisions", do you mean Denethor's decision to defend the border (Osgiliath)? If yes, I would say he was in his right mind when he made that decision. Bitter, anxious about the impending attack, grieving, yes. But in his right mind. I wrote something about this, which will be Chapter 4 of the story "The Eve of May". I will post it next week. If you have time, read it and let me know what you think :) I think Denethor only "lost his wisdom" after he saw Faramir near death. He then used the Palantir again, and it was only then that Sauron "tricked" him into thinking that the black ships are the enemy's fleet. Thank you for leaving a review and a question! | |
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 11/22/2024 |
| It's nice to see moments where Faramir and Denethor showed care for each other. I know some authors paint the picture that Denethor did not care for his second son but i think it is more fanon than actual canon . Denethor may have preferred Boromir (though i'm not sure if this is explicitly mentioned, maybe in his Tolkien's Letters?) but didn't mean he didn't care for Faramir. I really liked these conversations in this chapter. Author Reply: If I remember correctly, in the book, when Gandalf told Pippin about Denethor, he mentioned "Boromir, whom he loved best". And in the Appendix (about the Stewards), it iwas mentioned that Denethor loved Finduilas above any other, save his eldest son. My understanding is Denethor loved both his sons, but he did favour Boromir above Faramir. Thank you for reading and leaving a review! It made me happy to have chance to talk about them. | |