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Light on the Way  by Larner 61 Review(s)
grumpyReviewed Chapter: 9 on 12/2/2004
what a great couple of chapters, Arwin's leavetaking of her sons and daughters, and of the city. I also love her teaching of the boy in Cerin Amroth. Aragorn hovering arround waiting for her. The whole chapter was beautiful.

Author Reply: I'm glad you found it moving. Thanks.

ImrahoilReviewed Chapter: 10 on 12/2/2004
My oh my, you ARE busy. For a change I'm bawling into my tea cup if you want to know. The rather heavy stile you're using here suits the situation perfectly, like it very much. But the counting of the chapters is off. Another chapter coming today?

Author Reply: I fixed the chapter numbering. I'll set it right, then use the down scroll on my mouse without realizing the cursor is still in the chapter area, and I change it unwittingly. Thanks for the review, and hope I didn't cause your coffee the other night or last night's tea to become too weak.

Am not sure when another chapter will come.

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 9 on 12/2/2004
This story is getting a bit too sad for me. Of course Arwen died; but I don't recall JRRT implying that all traces of the Elves' existence would fade so soon from Middle-earth, down to the elanor and niphredil. Sigh.

The writing, as always, is excellent. I'm just not ready for Middle-earth to lose the elanor for which Sam's daughter was named, nor the niphredil. There should be some remnant of the Elves that endures longer, other than Eldarion's genes.

ImrahoilReviewed Chapter: 9 on 12/2/2004
And so it came to pass that Imrahoil tried to sniff quietly into her coffee mug. The dying flowers are a beautiful idea.

Author Reply: The dying of the niphredil and elanor flowers was Tolkien's own idea, which caused me a lot of concern as I'd had Hobbits spreading them all over the place. How do I reconcile the flowers growing at Bag End and in Minas Anor with the dying of the flowers in Lorien? And this was what came out. From the story of Aragorn and Arwen in the Appendices: "There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea."

I think this passage also led to the feeling of lack of awareness of the people of Minas Anor for the Queen once Aragorn was dead, and the forgetting or ignorance of her Elven heritage, and is why I wrote it as I did.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/1/2004
I'm glad Arwen knew about the grandchildren (and named them) even if she won't be around to see them. Good think Elladan and Elrohir turned up to follow her - just to see that she is safe through her last days. I hope they then take ship so they can comfort / be comforted by Elrond and Celebrian.

ImrahoilReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/1/2004
Not so very rummy (whatever that is). I had skipped the part about "you who were named for my father", once again loosing points for not reading properly - by the way, whoever named the horse gets 1 point in the Tolkien geek test -, so I had no problem at all with all those Elroses popping up like snowdrops. Sorry about your back, I hope it will be better soon.

ImrahoilReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/1/2004
Tadaa, redemption, redemption. Have a closer look at the last sentence, please.

Author Reply: I was rummy, wasn't I? Wrote Elros every time I meant Elrond. I think I need some sleep, if my body will accept it. Hate it when my back goes out and I can't sleep.

grumpyReviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/30/2004
Such a great chapter, this story is so good. I love it that the Warden was so concerned for Arwin. Actually I love the whole thing, from the Warden not really knowing that Arwin was a elf, to the conversations between the warden and Eldarion, and between him and his mother. That Aragorn has Arwin's light, that he will be looking for her. Looking forward to more, now where did I put my kleenexs, i need them.

Author Reply: Hope you don't need too many tissues. ;->

ImrahoilReviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/30/2004
A very satisfying read. I'm now hoarding hankies for the next chapter, hopefully I'm going to be alone when it's uploaded. But something bothers me since chapter 4, why do you describe Merry's and Pippin's and later on Sam's spirit as tall? Why not bright, luminous, clear, ...? It somehow doesn't feel right to describe their greatness in terms of height. Just interested in your point of view, so don't get mad. And it's your fault anyway, you're too patient with people meddling with your stories and so it gets on and on and on.

Author Reply: Why should I be angry? The question of why they should be tall is a valid one. I suspect that Aragorn, were he to measure himself against them, would find he was just as tall.

Height seems to have been important to Tolkien as a sign of leadership and greatness. Someone figured out Elendil the Tall was indeed a giant among men, being somewhere in the area of eight feet tall, which would be not far short of three meters. Aragorn was also quite tall, as was Boromir, whose shoulders were also described frequently in terms of their breadth as well.

We are looking both at the idea of true shapes and of personal perceptions and conceptions of greatness. No, the Hobbits don't have to be tall; but they have crossed the River, and their true natures are being revealed--not cute little halflings, but spiritual Lords, particularly Frodo, Sam, and Bilbo. And I'm again inspired by C.S. Lewis's _The Great Divorce_, particularly the final imagery of the great Lords and Ladies playing their cosmic game. And at the same time they are now revealed in their greatness, greatness greater than the Elves, mind you, I still envision them all enjoying a nice picnic at the edge of the River and Merry and Frodo having to fish Pippin out of it.

Hai TookReviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/30/2004
In a way it was considerate of the Warden to ask after Arwen but what a shock to him, if truly not many believed in Arwen's heritage. Perhaps it was alwo good for Eldarion to speak to him.

I must say this was very lovely and made me think "Elves love but once in their lives, lord Warden. Their love is intended to last to the end of Arda, so they give their hearts fully, fully to the ones they love." It gives some more depth to Arwen's sacrafice and the love that she shared with Aragorn. I certainly hope she can find her way back to him!

Author Reply: It is also important to remember that the people of Gondor had had no dealings with Elves for many generations until Aragorn took the throne. The knowledge of the nature of Elves would have been far less in the Southern Kingdom than in the Northern Kingdom, where Elrond's and Gildor's folks as well as those of Thranduil had more frequent interactions with non-Elves.

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