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| Cities and Wilderness by Larner | 8 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/6/2025 |
| Wow. Spring not happening in the Western lands puts a new perspective on "In Western Lands" | |
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 8/6/2025 |
| Awwww how old are E & E? Will the boys tell their mothers now? My favorite part however, was all the Boromir. | |
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/6/2025 |
| This was the second time I have read this chapter, and I like it. One other thing I wanted to mention was that the sentence about them fighting for 10 years sounds like the Iliad. Do you know it was 10 years for sure? | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/5/2025 |
| My first thought as I began reading was, "Clever hobbits!" I loved Robin's stealth, and the special "knock" that identified himself to his mother, and the improvised "lock" on the door. Wonderful details! You've put some thought into the details of Lotho's (and his Men's) activities as "Chief". I hadn't thought about such restrictions as "one boiler for laundry" or "one bucket per well", but they make perfect sense, along with stealing the lamps, lamp oil, and candlesticks and even limiting bedsheets indiscriminately. We already knew about the restrictions on firewood, but you've fleshed out the depredations of the ruffians marvellously in this short descriptive passage. The details about Otho's death and Lotho's drunkenness enrich the background quite effectively. This story provides a wonderful gapfiller into how twelve Shirriffs swelled into "troops", as well as how Robin ended up in Frogmorton when Sam had known him in Hobbiton. Alas, poor Robin. And you have the same idea as I've had Shirriffs couldn't quit in Lotho's day, though they could be sacked. (And if Lotho found cause to sack them, they likely faced the Lockholes... or worse.) Interesting, that it's such a late spring. Bulbs aren't blooming yet... which raises the speculation that, had the Dark Lord won, he might have imposed Narnia-like "always Winter but never Christmas" sort of conditions on Middle-earth, only much darker, of course. Just in case the reader's too thick (or too groggy, perhaps) to pick up on the details, Robin helpfully supplies the date. Again, the details are so well done! They draw one ever deeper into Robin's skin until the moment the reader knows exactly what is happening/has just happened in a faraway land, many leagues to the south. Another incredible use of detail is the birds the absence of other birds besides crows, the crows' rejoicing as if they, too had felt oppressed and were not merely the tools of the oppressor, and then the return of the missing birds on the winds of change and renewal. On a personal note, my heart always lifts to hear the geese honking overhead in springtime. (More so in the past, when I lived along the fly-way and the geese flew south in the autumn and returned in the spring. Here where we've settled, the geese stay year-round, so we may hear the honking of a flock at any time of year, really.) And then the clouds, changing from murky brown to a riot of natural colour and the "honest touch" of "a silver curtain of rain", along with the "sparkling jewels" left behind when the rain ends and the sun comes out. Nicely done. Hed be like the goldcrests a lovely thought, even though it will still be half a year before the Travellers return and restore the Shire to the Shire-folk. The "cheer up" reminds me of my mom, who always said the robins in the trees surrounding our house were greeting the world with their "Cheerio! Cheerio!" | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 8/2/2025 |
| I thought I'd already left a review of this chapter, but I probably started to type a review and then got interrupted, and it never got posted. This is a thoughtful gap-filler that plausibly explains how Frodo and Sam had new clothing to change into after the celebration at Cormallen. (Children certainly grow fast! I learned as a young mum to sew a size or two bigger than the current size of the child I was sewing for so that they wouldn't grow out of it before it was finished...) | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 8/2/2025 |
| Somehow I suspected from the first that an owl was involved, LOL! What a lovely glimpse into Boromir and Faramir's childhood! I also loved Faramir telling his King, "You're going to have to experience it for yourself," more or less. Owls are fascinating creatures, with feathers that are designed for silent flight. The original stealth aircraft! It makes sense that their sons would be close friends and co-conspirators. Author Reply: My other mystery story. it was fun imagining that generations of princes of the realm struggled to solve the same mystery. | |
| Fimbrethil | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/29/2025 |
| Oh oh! I think I read about those needles once before! Legolas and Aragorn going to the Dead Marshes and mourning...well, saying it is done. Nice touch. Is there more to this story? Oh Faramir... PS: I have to say, this is the first time I have typed a review on a laptop and it is very nice. Author Reply: I believe that the origin of these special needles was posted in Neath Anor, Ithil, and Gil. One came to Arwen, one to Primula Brandybuck Baggins, and these to a tailor from Dol Amroth. I suspect Gimli was confused at first at his friend's decision to return to the battlefield, but that he was certain Legolas did rightly once he understood the purpose. As for Aragorn, I suspect he anticipated what Legolas might do. Am glad you too appreciate your laptop. I've been using them for years. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/27/2025 |
| Once again, I am struck by the details that bring the scene to life: the swiveling of Arod's ears, the "distant shimmer of reflected light" that denotes the Dead Marshes. I seem to remember that Oropher lost at least one-third of his forces, is that right? Or was it more? And I wonder if the ghostly bodies that seem to lie in the fetid pools will finally sink out of sight and find rest? That would seem a fitting outcome after the defeat and banishment of the Dark Lord. Legolas's acknowledgement (commemoration? remembrance?) of those who died in that earlier battle, including his grandfather and the High King, was touching, and I find the ending of this small glimpse into the aftermath of the recent battle somehow hopeful. Well done! I'm glad you're restoring these stories! Author Reply: I can't remember how many Elves from the ancient Green Wood died there, only that it was a formidable number, what with Oropher anticipating the signal to attack as he did. I have always believed that Legolas would want to assure the fallen that all was at last finished and they could now leave their graves to go on to the realm of Mandos. Am not restoring them precisely in the order originally written. Am starting with those first written in 2010 and going on from there, in alphabetical order according to title. Hope this is enough to get on with. | |