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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 208 Review(s) |
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| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 2/22/2026 |
| I love his new vision of Gandalf, and how he thinks at first that now he's going to have to think of a new name for him. I'd never noticed that "Gandalf the White" didn't wear a hat. And I also love the way many of them had this hope that no matter what happened, things would come out right in the end. I'm glad the pony caught that vision as well. Author Reply: When JRRT describes Gandalf the White, he leaves off any mention of a hat or hood. The films apparently interpreted this as meaning "no hat". When writing Bill's description of Gandalf in this chapter, I closed my eyes and remembered Ian McKellen's portrayal, and it felt right somehow. Bill's inner Voices are heavily Gandalfian in nature. I don't know if the wizard is actually speaking to the pony at any point (especially considering all the things that must be keeping him busy at any one time), or if he imparted some essence of himself in giving Bill the words of guard and guiding. There are arguments for both sides. For example, Frodo heard Gandalf shout, "Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring!" on the summit of Amon Hen, which suggests that Gandalf might have spoken to Bill, mind to mind. Alternatively, the wizard's essence within Bill might have grown and changed when he was sent back, conveying a clearer vision of the Song and the Plan (and Planner) that Bill admits is beyond his understanding even as it makes him ultimately hopeful, no matter what the outcome may be. Sorry, I'm rambling. I need to wander off in search of some protein. Or water. Or something. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to share your thoughts! I do appreciate it. | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 2/20/2026 |
| I hope Bob will be all right! If anyone has to die, it should be the Ruffians. Bill has learned so much on his journey! Did he become a equine Istar in the process? =) LOL! Author Reply: LOL! He's not exactly a wizard among equines, though he has been heavily influenced by Elves and Wizards! Thanks. I appreciate hearing your thoughts. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 2/20/2026 |
| d it seems to me that I hear the deep, rich tones of both wizards of my acquaintance blending together with them, sounding in harmony, almost as if we are all parts of a great Song. That's so lovely. Bill has indeed grown an incredible and admirable amount, like all the rest of his Fellowship has... or will. Author Reply: It makes sense to me that he would have grown, especially when I think of how the Professor described him in Rivendell, and the way Gandalf spoke directly to him before the Doors of Moria and called him a "wise beast". I hope his growing ability to perceive light and darkness (that is, spiritual, not physical in this context) is believable, too. He has been keeping awesome company over the last few months...! Thanks! | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 2/15/2026 |
| "He'll give you no trouble" indeed! Famous last words. Author Reply: Definitely famous last words. Thanks! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 2/13/2026 |
| 'No Rangers! Where are they?' he demands. Then he shakes his head. 'Never there when you really need them...' It's a shame that Rangers are missed when they're not around but practically shunned when they are. *sigh* You fill the gap-story of this Battle so beautifully. Author Reply: It really is a shame. I'm with you in thinking that Rangers should get more credit. Maybe they will after the King returns? I'm glad the description of the battle for Bree worked. It was a challenge to manage to keep track of so many people (and horses and ponies – and dogs, though they haven't been mentioned yet) doing combat in poorly lighted conditions, with one group having planned and coordinated their attack and bent on destruction and looting, and the other group defending their homes and families though unarmed and taken by surprise! (I was tempted to write that the townspeople threw taters, which I think would have a hard impact when thrown, but I settled for "vegetables" instead, which includes rotten tomatoes. Would the people of Bree have had tomatoes in the wintertime, I wonder? And now I want to think that Barliman has a hothouse, either as a part of the rather sprawling inn with its two wings "running back on land partly cut out of the lower slopes of the hill" and courtyard and included stables, or maybe he might have a glass-enclosed structure as part of a large garden plot away from the bulk of houses in the middle of town but still on protected land within the hedge and dike. After all, the Pony is known for its fine table! Now that I think of it, I'm leaning towards the latter idea, if only because the Bree-folk stopped the ruffians from overrunning the whole town and maybe smashing up people's back-gardens and such.) Thanks for listening! I so love to contemplate the workings of various parts of Middle-earth, and I know that you also delight in details, so you won't mind my rambling too much. *hugs* | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 2/13/2026 |
| Whoa! What a battle that was. Thank goodness neither Ferny nor any of the ruffians were able to capture any of the horses or ponies. I hope Butterbur and Bob are all right! Author Reply: Luckily, I can lean on canon in revealing Butterbur's and Bob's fate. Whew, I have to admit that's a relief. Horses can be remarkably resistant if they don't want to be captured, as the ruffians found out! I'm sure they would have put any captured horses or ponies to ill use, which makes me doubly glad for Bill's insight and leadership in this chapter and the previous one. Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts! I really appreciate it. | |
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/10/2026 |
| Yay!!! I just knew you must have read lots of horse books as a child. Your writing of Bill feels so wonderfully reminiscent of those wonderful tales. I read every single book our library had about horses, and the librarian would always shake her head whenever I came to ask if there were new ones, almost before I’d spoken. She knew what I was about. I think they may have even gotten some new ones just because I was asking about them so often. I have quite an extensive collection of books, mostly horse ones as well and I was a wee bit worried mine might disappear while I’m overseas, but fortunately I know my Mom will take care of them for me! (She has some of those childhood treasures too) I am so sorry about what happened to yours! What a tragedy!!! And the figurines too?? So sad!!! I also have a bit of a collection and it would break my heart if they were given away to my cousins (and inevitably be broken) without my consent!!! I will definitely be looking for a copy of Bitz!! I’ve somehow never heard of it or read it. I can’t wait! Thank you for the recommendation. Ohhhhh!! I really hope it a reunion between Bill and his mother fits in!!! That would be so amazing. I was always so sad, in all the Black Beauty style books I’ve read, I don’t believe a single one has had a real reunion between the ‘Black Beauty’ figure and his/her mother at the end/after their adventures, and I would dearly love to see that interaction. Only if it fits in though!!! Author Reply: Oh, I think you'll love Blitz! Here's some information to help you find it. Blitz, by Hetty Burlingame Beatty Paperback ISBN: 0590014609, ISBN13: 9780590014601 Hardcover ISBN: B0006AWXDG, ISBN13: 9781111435615 e-Book ISBN13: 978-1789125887 The e-book ISBN is for Amazon's Kindle version, available for 99 cents. I was pleased to see that the Kindle version retains the illustrations I remember from childhood. You can currently find used paper copies on offer for less than $10, but since it's an older book, there may not be many available at that price. Here's how it begins, just to give you a taste of good things to come: THEY FOUND HIM ASLEEP beside his mother the morning after he was born, and they named him Blitz because of the zigzag white marking that ran like lightning down his little nose. The early sunshine was pouring down on the green hillside, and the brook in the valley was singing its spring song as it raced along. (The tone sort of reminds me of Black Beauty's "The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.") Then follows the description of Johnny and his father coming to see the new foal, Johnny's father praising Blitz's dam, and little Blitz waking up in the middle of it all and having his first encounter with humans. All charmingly written. So life began for Blitz on a sunny hillside in the spring, and it began with kindness from the start... And, of course, it goes on from there. (And you're welcome!) | |
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 52 on 2/10/2026 |
| Wow!!!! What a lovely interaction with the stable hand. He really reminds me of Joe Greene. It was so heartwarming! I loved the descriptions of the stabling! Well done! Even before I read the note at the end I could really tell you’d done your research! I am more reminded of Black Beauty than ever, in all the best ways. What a rude awakening indeed!!! I know Bill must manage to escape them, since Sam is reunited with him eventually, but Oh! The suspense!!! I can’t wait to see how he gets out of this. He is indeed a wiser pony than he was at the start of this crazy adventure; I have confidence in dear Bill! Kudos!!! Author Reply: I really ought to revisit Black Beauty. I don't remember exactly who Joe Greene is. Was he the boy who almost killed Black Beauty by giving him cold water and no rug after the horse's long, hard effort? (Was it to fetch the doctor for the Mistress? I can't quite remember.) They gave him a second chance, and he made good. Or was that someone else? (And I think Joe Greene might have been different between the book and the film – and the television series? But I'm not sure of that, either. All that aside, I definitely have been wanting to revisit the movie since finding out that Sean Bean played a part in it! I just haven't got around to it, and now with the Olympics on every night, there goes my "extra" time.) When you said "managed to escape them", I actually thought about Bill possibly being captured and stolen and then breaking free and running back to the town, but I ended up going with the draft as written because the battle for Bree was about as much stress as my nerves could take this week. Hopefully, since I spared my nervous system the extra aggravation, I'll be able to finish the next chapter of When Winter Fell and post it tomorrow. (It is also quite stressful, which is why I'm budgeting my quantities of angst at the moment.) But you have good instincts for drama and tension in storytelling, I think. :) Thanks! | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 52 on 2/9/2026 |
| Ferny is not getting Bill back! He's not the same pony he was when the hobbits first got him, and the men are about to find that out. Author Reply: The ruffians are in for something of a surprise, I'd say. They're used to horses that have been trained to obey Men's orders, for starters. They have no idea what they're getting into now. Thanks! | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 52 on 2/9/2026 |
| Ooh! Cliffhanger. Somehow, I don't think Ferny's ruffians are going to win this one... Author Reply: I think, to use a hobbity food metaphor, Ferny's ruffians have quite possibly bitten off more than they can chew this time. Thanks! | |