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| The Tide of Times by daw the minstrel | 247 Review(s) |
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| LozzaBabachoo | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/19/2020 |
| Hello! This my first review. I am not sure anyone comes back to read them, but speaking as a youbg lady who find the J.R.R.Toilken's literary works to be fascinating, when I came across your writings and the many stories you have written because of inspiration from LOTR, I was truly enamoured and impressed by their quality. You are a wonderful story teller! You have brought to life, for me, the people of the Woodland Realm in a way I hadn't connected with before and made for some cosy evening readings. This is written in the early 2020's, and writing on a possibly archived website, but I loved the writings so much I was compelled to compliment the author. Thank You! Author Reply: Hi, Lozza-- SoA automatically sends me a notice when someone leaves a review, and believe me, I always come and read it! Thank you so much for your kind words. I spent a long time writing about Thranduil's boys. I love my characters quite shamelessly, and I appreciate it no end when someone else does too. I'm writing my own stuff now, but I will never, ever regret the time I spent on LOTR fanfic. It was one of the great pleasures of my life. daw | |
| PSW | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/26/2016 |
| Yay, Beliond! :-) But wow, I'd forgotten...Legolas really really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut... :-P Author Reply: I'm trying to decide if you mean overexplaining while dumping his girlfriend or snapping at Beliond and then demanding an explanation from Ithilden. I suspect the latter, though the former must have been painful too! Yes, this is Legolas's intro to his bodyguard. It will take some time to work out that relationship! | |
| Eirinn Leigh | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/22/2016 |
| Have you done any quest-tics from the pov of Legolas' family? Seeing how hard it is for them to allow each other into danger I can only imagine his brothers' and father's reactions to the news that Legolas - whom they probably only reluctantly allowed to travel to Imladris without them in the first place - had volunteered for an unnamed quest through dangerous territory with a ridiculously small number of people... and then spent the better part of a year nearly completely out of contact with them. I cannot believe that you killed Annael's father! Was this some kind of plot connivance - oh I need a way to split Legolas and Annael up - or what? I am actually angry with you! (although I will try to refrain from throwing tomatoes :j ) Author Reply: I've sometimes thought it would be really interesting to write a fic about the quest in which I alternated between what's going on with Legolas and what's going on in Mirkwood. IMHO, during the Battle Under the Trees, Thranduil and his people were driven back to their very door step. I think Sauron's forces probably burned large pieces of the forest. So there'd be plenty of action for all of Legolas's family in addition to their worry over him. And of course, he apparently sense that they were in trouble because he says that thing about how war had come upon his people. The problem is it would take me months to write that, and at the moment, I'm struggling to meet deadlines for my original fic. Hm. Why did I decide to kill Annael's father? I think because the story was about coming of age and I wanted Annael to come of age with a vengeance. I love his whole family, and I felt guilty about killing Siondil, but it seemed the right thing to do. Sorry! :-) daw | |
| Asms2 | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/13/2016 |
| Wow this story was awesome!! Thranduil being away in the beginning was a unique dynamic as Ithilden had to hold down the fort by himself. The fire fighting was neat to read about, and oh gosh I just love Anneal! He felt so bad that his tree chopping caused a chain reaction that injured Legolas. It was really sweet how he got Legolas' pack and asked Eilian if he could go and see him. My heart broke when Siondel died! I was like NO!! Not Siondel. He was such a good father. And a rock of wisdom/experience. Poor Anneal! What a shock and tragedy that must have been. There were a lot of interesting layers in this story. The family dynamics are always so fun to read about especially in the face of stress or injuries. LOVE IT!! Author Reply: I like Annael a lot too, though he stays a minor character. I like his whole family actually. Legolas was lucky to have this normal, supportive household to go to when he needed it. After I wrote this story, there were plenty of times when I felt guilty about killing Siondel. But I wrote these stories out of order, so if I could always jump back in time and resurrect him. I have to confess though that every once in a while, I got an urge to kill a character, and following through was always sort of thrilling. Once I'd done it, readers no longer felt that a non-canon character was safe, and it made them nervous, which, from a writer's point of view, is a good thing! Thanks for the review. daw | |
| endorearwen | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 9/6/2013 |
| Excellent story conveying the weight of loss and change, Daw! I think you’ve done a marvelous job in this one of reminding us how fleeting happiness actually is. It was quite a journey, constantly moving from catastrophe to catastrophe! The entire plot was brilliantly executed and every scene was gripping in its own way. I think I felt the most sympathy for Anneal and Thranduil - they lost the most in my mind. Though, I must admit, I do have my concerns about Eilian. The loss of Celuwen has definitely taken the heart from him. Could it be that it is time for him to leave the Southern Patrol behind for good so he might enjoy other pleasures in life?... The most poignant scene in my mind was the bathing at the end of the coming-of-age vigil. The manner in which you had Legolas explain the significance of what his father and brother were doing brought tears to my eyes! It was the worst moment in the whole story for me because that was really when Thranduil ‘lost’ his elfling. Absolutely beautifully done! I loved the way you mixed Thranduil’s memories into the ceremony as it played out. It was nice to see a reference to Turgon at this pivotal moment for both father and son. It was, perhaps, more meaningful because it was Thranduil who reminded us of the special bond the three boys shared in childhood - despite his personal objections to the friendship that meant so much to Legolas. Undoubtedly, Turgon’s influence has marked the character Legolas now takes with him into adulthood. Strangely, I also liked that there was no female involved in the ceremony. Legolas had never known what it was to have one in his early life and it felt right that only the men who had reared him were the ones who had earned the privilege of ushering him onward into adulthood. It must be a wonderful feeling, Daw, to write something that is both insightful and that truly touches a reader’s core! Well done! :-) Author Reply: Endorearwen, your consistently kind and insightful reviews make me light up the minute I see them in my email. You know you don't have to do this, but I appreciate them no end. For the longest time, I felt terrible over killing Siondel. I liked him in himself as a character, and I liked him as Annael's father. And of course, Annael is really young to suffer this loss. I thought it was the right thing to do, but I felt bad anyway. It was also interesting to send Thranduil out of his own realm and see him be thrown a little off balance. Not too much. He's pretty self contained and doesn't care a whole lot about making friends except as his realm needs them. Gotta love the Woodland king. He kept his realm intact even without a ring of power. I think this story was the first time I ever wrote from Celuwen's point of view. It's always exciting and a little intimidating to enter the head of a new character. And Eilian is pretty wiped out by events. Of course, he's also the kind of guy who doesn't break off a battle until his hair is nearly on fire. Poor Ithilden. They all drive him crazy. I think he needs your comfort. :-) | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/11/2005 |
| Legolas had his day and finally found out where he would be stationed, but he dosen't like his keeper. Eilian is sick with shadow, he is stubron and wasn't going to mention it to his brother or father... Author Reply: I liked being able to finish the story with a party where everyone was around, even if Eilian is unhappy. Poor guy. | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/11/2005 |
| Legolas is going to the eastern patrol not as he was hoping but not the Home Guard... Author Reply: Yes, it's a good compromise for everyone, I think. | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/11/2005 |
| Legolas should watch it...Storming into Ithilden office and demanding things isn't wise. It seems he is assigned a bodyguard as well, and one who is experienced too... Author Reply: Ithilden doesn't take well to back talk, and Legolas was dishing it out. Ithilden is Legolas's commanding officer, and Legolas better get used to it. | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 10/11/2005 |
| Legolaa is a good friend to Annael and stood by him at the funeral, even being carried outside. But going for a ride with his foot still in a splint, his father coming in at that moment, he wasn't happy... Author Reply: Legolas was good for as long as he could stand to be good. :-) | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 10/11/2005 |
| Kinda sad...Siondel was a good father and his death was a hard blow... Annael was heartbroken but Legolas was there by his side. Eilian tryed to convience Celuwen to stay but even as they love each other she will not bond with him. A hard choice that is for them... Author Reply: I still feel terrible about killing Siondel. Bodkin just posted a story on this site in which she borrowed my characters (with my permission) and wrote about them all being reunited in Valinor. Thank Eru, Siondel was there. | |