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| Beyond The Dimrill Gate by Jay of Lasgalen | 20 Review(s) |
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| elliska | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/7/2006 |
| OH, this is going to be a good one, Jay. I am really looking forward to seeing what you make of that first quote, because it has always piqued my curiosity. And this is a great beginning. All the characters are great and the setting is already spooky. I'm going to love it. Author Reply: Tolkien didn't tell us anything about either event, did he? That gives me a free rein to be as dramatic and creative as I like ;>) Thanks for the review - the next chapter's just been posted! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2006 |
| Great deeds, indeed. You can tell young Aragorn is still very young, can't you? Just bound and determined to show off his knowledge and his skills! The twins are managing to keep him and Arwen apart, though - for a little bit longer, anyway. They are doing a good job of looking after their little brother and taking him round to meet all the right people. Very wise of them to whistle up a Lorien patrol - even if they did disturb one of the local birds! Mind you, they are still heading straight for something that will be like the Battle of Waterloo - a close-run thing. Looking forward to more. Author Reply: To elves, a man of twenty must seem very young indeed, and it's reflected in the way they treat Estel. They don't mean to, it just happens. They know, though, that he is one of the Dunedain, and will spend a great deal of time wandering in the wild - so they teach him the tricks of survival. Those tricks will come in handy rather sooner than any of them think. | |
| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/2/2006 |
| I like that they could sense something wrong in the mountain, and it does make you wonder what. The dwarves had left in what, 2800? and we don't know much of what happens again until the time of the war of the ring. Even at the end of the war of the Dwarves and Orcs, Durin's Bane was so named. I wonder if the dwarves even knew what Durin's Bane was? Anyway, it is fascinating to think of what Aragorn was doing in Moria - that is a great gap to fill. I like the idea that he was not alone. You have Aragorn meeting Thengel too - are you going to use that sometime later, when Aragorn becomes Thorongil and serves Thengel? I would think a stranger from the north would be memorable. Author Reply: I've had to think carefully about how much I can let them discover in Moria - in LOTR, Aragorn had never seen a Balrog before, and Gandalf and Celeborn didn't seem to know it was there. So, no Balrog in this story - just something very nasty lurking in the depths. I like all the things Tolkien suggests but never tells us - it's what makes fanfic so appealing. We know Aragorn went to Moria once - why? And why not with the twins? Aragorn is not a character I write very much (apart from a few early stories) so I haven't decided if he'll return as Thorongil. I prefer elves! | |
| Guardian Angel of Wolves | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/2/2006 |
| Great start; I can't wait to read what trouble Estel and the twins will get into *this* time. :) Author Reply: Lots of trouble - this will be very angsty. What do you expect from those two quotes? | |
| hanci | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/2/2006 |
| This will be great! I liked the way Elladan examines his feelings and compares with Elrohir. And seeking out a patrol, that was really wise/responsible - whatever. Yes, you would want someone like that to teach you. Estel reciting all the names was funny, I could almost see his face... (I also liked the real owl and Elrohir stopping Orophin...) Author Reply: Thank you! Elladan trusts his feelings - and his twin's. They both know there is something very wrong here, and that someone has to investigate. They find out what they can, tell Orophin to warn Galadriel - and set off to slay Balrogs themselves. They wouldn't make someone else do it for them. Aragorn in LOTR knows so much - but he had to learn it from someone in the first place, so why not his brothers? I think elven patrols using bird calls to signal to each other is logical (but not original - I know several other writers have used the idea before me.) | |
| Fire | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/2/2006 |
| Great idea to use those two quotations for a story. The tension you're building here is almost palpable, they know there's something wrong in Moria especially after meeting Orophin, but they still want to go and see just what it is they feel. Somehow the twins ands Estel just keep forgetting that they are very good at atracting trouble, and now they decided to walk straight into it. It's amazing, will they ever learn?? I know I'm gonna enjoy this one, so please update fast. Author Reply: Well, Tolkien never told us anything about those times, so there was nothing that said I <>couldn't combine them. I'm not trying to write the twins as irresponsible thrill-seekers here - they're experienced warriors, and need to investigate danger that could threaten Lorien or Imladris. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far - I'll update as fast as I can, but time to write is not always easy to find! | |
| Lianna | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/2/2006 |
| I don't think I've ever seen anyone write a story before about Aragorn's previous visit to Moria. What a good idea! Elrond and Glorfindel are probably going to be very angry about the fact that they went into Moria with just the three of them. But at least they had the sense to tell Orophin where they were going. I suppose that counts for something. Author Reply: Tolkien never gave us a hint what had happened then, or what 'great deeds' Aragorn did with the twins. I don't think the twins are being irresponsible here - they're warriors, and it's their job to protect the lands. They couldn't ignore what was going on, but tried to find out as much as they could first. Sneaking into Moria would be a lot more difficult with an army! | |
| Vendetta | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/1/2006 |
| This first word that popped into my head was Scary. I love the way you're building up the tension in everyone and all around general suspense. It left me irritated wanting more right away. I never imagined what Estel's reaction would be the first time seeing a Balrog or Elladan and Elrohir's. It also left me wondering what Glorfindel's reaction is going to be once he hears about this. I can't wait for more! Author Reply: Scary is good - it's what I'm trying to achieve here. It will hopefully get scarier as they find some of the things causing the unease. They won't be able to discover it's a Balrog, though - at the time of LOTR, Celeborn, Gandalf and Aragorn knew there was something evil in Moria, but not what it was. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/1/2006 |
| You know, the dwarves were really inconsiderate not to tell people they'd roused the balrog. Sometimes you have to think Thranduil was right about them. You do a nice job of motivating that trip through Moria, and you introduce it in a spooky way. I look forward to more. Author Reply: I don't think the dwarves knew what they had awoken. The ones who found it didn't live to tell the tale, and the rest just knew there was something nasty in the | |
| nessa | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/1/2006 |
| I can't wait to see what sort of trouble the boys are going to find in Moria. I'm sure there will be much evil and danger and pain. Great start. Author Reply: Well, Aragorn doesn't have very happy memories of the place, does he? Oh, yes - lots of angst ahead! | |