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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 150 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 11/23/2025 |
| So long as neither wolves nor rogue men plague Bill or Shadowfax, that's the important thing! | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 11/22/2025 |
| Yes, it will be very fitting if the wolves and the rogue Men "take care" of each other, one way or the other. One less thing for Bill and Shadowfax to worry about. Author Reply: That would be quite a satisfying solution, all told. You might even say they deserve each other. I'm happy to say that Bree is just ahead, though our intrepid travellers intend to go around rather than through the town at this point. Thanks! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 11/22/2025 |
| I enjoyed this explanation as much as Pippin! Youngest slapped my Sam on the back and joined him in laughing, such a lovely, light moment that it stays in my mind while some of the darker moments grow blessedly dim. What a sweet and healing memory. Author Reply: I have been enjoying loitering with hobbits too much, I fear. My self-indulgence has slowed down the flow of the story, so I need to set my teeth or gird my loins or whatever the proper expression is and just get on with things! But I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Bilbo's explanation, as recounted by Sam, along with Bill's pleasant memories of his hobbits. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/17/2025 |
| the Big Men have fastened more branches to me such that I resemble a walking tree more than the pony that I am. LOL, so that's why Bill doesn't seem to be present in the movie scene when the crebain fly overhead. Very clever. :) Author Reply: LOL, indeed! Looking back, I remember how that scene bothered me – Bill was there, quite prominent in the scene, and then, suddenly, he was gone. Yet none of the bushes looked big enough to hide the pony. Long before I began this story, Dana and I used to joke that Frodo jammed the Ring onto Bill's ear to "disappear" him when the crebain flew over, while laughing about Bill's delusions of grandeur (a carrot in every pocket and mountains of sugar cubes everywhere!), rather like Sam imagining himself making Mordor bloom when he was wearing It. And then, of course, being the well-grounded pony he was, he merely shook his head to clear it when Frodo found him again – for he wouldn't have been able to wander far, wearing hobbles – and reclaimed the Ring from him. It was part of our ongoing discussion of how to write a "legitimate" tenth-walker story. I remember another version we discussed was from the POV of a flea, hitching a ride on one or another of the Travellers. But that was before I started writing snippets of Bill's thoughts, which eventually expanded into his story. Thanks for reading and pausing long enough to share your thoughts! Author Reply: (I meant that Dana and I were laughing about Bill's perceptions of power with the ring on his ear, not that Frodo was laughing...) | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/17/2025 |
| I love the way "his" hobbits are always with him, in dreams or his imagination or however otherwise. And the phrase "a huddle of hobbits" fits very nicely. BTW, I don't know how I missed the previous chapter but I think I'm caught up now. Author Reply: Y'know, I'm not sure I could have written this gapfiller about Bill's journey back to Bree if it hadn't included frequent appearances by hobbits. They seem to be my motivation almost as much as Bill's. Yup, you are caught up now. If RL doesn't sandbag me again, I'll be posting a new chapter every Friday and Monday (or thereabouts) as I was before. Thanks for reading and stopping long enough to share your thoughts! I appreciate the encouragement. | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/17/2025 |
| I hope the wolves will leave Bill and Shadowfax alone, this time! I don't know that they can count on Radagast coming to their rescue a second time, and I don't want either of them sustaining serious injuries or infected wounds before they even get to Bree. Author Reply: I'm right there with you! Radagast implied other pressing obligations, so your impression about him not being available to come to their rescue sounds accurate. Hopefully you'll find reassurance in Barliman's description of Bill's appearance upon arriving in Bree: shaggy as an old dog and skinny as a rail – which (to my mind, at least) implies the pony was lean and tough but also intact. Whew. Thanks again! | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 11/17/2025 |
| I hope that Bill's old misery will leave him alone when they arrive in Bree! If they could arrive during the night, when everyone's asleep, that'll make it easier, I'm thinking. Meanwhile, at least they're sheltered from the cold wind. Author Reply: I don't think that Ferny would be able to get away with claiming Bill for his own. Too many Bree-folk saw Bill depart with the Travellers. Not to mention, Ferny would have put a spike in his own wheel, in a manner of speaking, by boasting afterward about how much Barliman had paid him "for a broken-down pony", as if Bill's old misery had outsmarted the innkeeper somehow. Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts and impressions. You've brightened my day! Author Reply: p.s. That said, your feedback has led me to add a bit to a future chapter related to the interaction between Ferny and Barliman. So thank you again! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 11/15/2025 |
| I think at him, or at my memory of him, or at my imagination of where he might be at this moment, I am coming to you, my Sam, my own! I am coming! In my imagining, my Sam's eyes are filled with tears, but his smile shines as bright as the face of the Moon breaking through the clouds above us. This is so lovely, it makes my heart sing. Author Reply: Thank you! Animals' capacity for love and loyalty sometimes takes my breath away. This afternoon, Elder Cat has been curled up on the dining room chair next to me, keeping me company while I've been reading fanfic, though he'd be much more comfortable on the couch, I should think. (((hugs))) I hope this reply finds you and yours well. | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 11/3/2025 |
| So long as the other way leads them to Bree (but not back to his old misery!), and Shadowfax is able to get Bill safely to Butterbur before he's needed by Gandalf, that's the important thing. Author Reply: I am in complete agreement with you! Especially the part about not back to his old misery! Thanks so much for your encouragement. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 11/2/2025 |
| Who was it that said "If you don't know where you're going you'll probably end up someplace else"? Might as well have been Bill or maybe one of "his" hobbits. Author Reply: LOL! Sort of like, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time", I suppose! Thanks for reading and pausing to share your thoughts. | |