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| The Circle by The Karenator | 16 Review(s) |
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| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/1/2006 |
| What a wonderfully spooky tale! I like first of all that you've caught Meckinock's Halbarad so well. His thoughts and dialogue are hilarious. His pride in his son more than evident (you come through yourself there as the parent of two fine young men). Elrohir is grand too - I like that he immediately believes Hurin. And Hurin is a believable dreamer. How hard it must have been to take sons so young on such work. The little girl's 'tomorrow' is just full of possible meanings, isn't it? Innocence returned? Come back tomorrow for more? I wish Elrohir had been with him... love to know what the half-elf would have seen! A delightful birthday present. I think the ranger should have more of them. Author Reply: Thanks, Nilmandra. I've always wanted to write a ghost story, but one wouldn't gel. It took Hurin to see a spook for me to get inspired. I'm really relieved that you felt I captured Meckinock's Halbarad. Hers is so good, I could eat him with a spoon. She's created such a wonderful character. My version of Meckinock's version--is your head spinning yet?--of Halbarad was that Hurin put him a little off balance simply by his dreamy nature. Halbarad loved and adored the kid, but didn't quite relate to him as well as he the bull-headed older children. Part of the lack of understanding on Halbarad's part was probably because Hurin's the youngest and it's harder to see the 'baby' grown up. But Hurin is a terrific character. I wish I could take credit for his creation, but I'll happily settle for borrowing him for a story. I join you in Elrohir adoration. I liked that he immediately believed Hurin too. Halbarad 'wanted' to believe the kid, but since Hurin was prone to fantasy, he had a little more trouble. And of course, Elrohir seized the moment to tease Halbarad too by dragging him off into the woods on a ghost hunt. 'Tomorrow'...lots of possibilities. Innocence returned? I like that. Thanks again, Nilmandra. OH! And the houseless elves idea belongs to you for suggesting that as a possible use for my ghostwatching. | |
| Mum's the Word | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/1/2006 |
| What an excellent story! Your Rangers and Elf are very well portrayed. I especially liked the realistic picture of how tired and achy they'd be after a day of battle and mop-up. Most of all I appreciate Hurin's insight here: "I suppose there are things in life that might not appear fair, but I don’t think that what we do is unmerited. I don’t think it’s ever wrong to do the right thing, and it is the right thing to help people who need it. Knowing that, it’s not really a sacrifice. We choose to do it and what we give, we give freely." A fitting tribute not only to Meckinock (Happy Birthday!) but also to our modern-day Rangers (God bless 'em). And no wonder Halbarad's heart swelled with pride. Thank you for this wonderful story. The title applies to the cycles of life as well as the faerie ring. Well done! Blessings and brownies, Mum Author Reply: Thank you, Mum. I'm so pleased you enjoyed the story. I've certainly enjoyed Meckinock's birthday bash. It took me a while, but I got to write a story! Reading the other ones she received was way too much fun. I'm relieved that Hurin's insight came across okay. I kept wanting to tweak it, to make him 'sound' older, but my aim was for him to express himself like a teenager. Simple and perhaps a little rough around the edges, but with a valid point from his perspective. When Halbarad stumbled into the circle, I knew that was the title. I laughed though and wondered if everyone would be humming 'The Circle of Life' from the 'Lion King' when they read it. But I wanted Halbarad to come full circle in seeing his son growing up. Thanks again for the review. It's a pleasure to hear from you. | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/1/2006 |
| Oh, Karen! I'm so excited I can hardly see straight. I have to leave for work, and I don't want to spoil this by skimming it, so I'm printing it to take it with me. Hope I have the discipline not to read it on the expressway...Thank you so much! I'll be back later with a proper review. | |
| Jay of Lasgalen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/1/2006 |
| What a lovely tale. I like young Hurin, so imaginative and dreamy, and Halbarad's pride in him. I like Elrohir (of course!) and his easy elationship with Halbarad and the rangers. It's unusual to see him without Elladan, and I was wondering where he was. Most of all, I like the atmosphere of mystery you create. I'm glad Halbarad finally saw the ghost children - and if they're giggling, they're not sad about their deaths or being ghosts. Jay Author Reply: Thanks, Jay. I fell in love with Hurin the first moment I read about him in Meckinock's story. He's such a delightful young man, and I could be wrong, but I think he's a bit different than his father and older brother. Halbarad and Alagos seem rather down to earth and not given to fantasy. Hurin makes up for what they lack in imagination. Geez, I adore the kid. Elrohir's a cool guy, isn't he? He does fit in well with the rangers. I assumed that the twins aren't always together even though they probably would have spent most of their time in one another's company. I suppose it's nice for twins to have time when they're only one person and not a pair. So I left Elladan off...somewhere, doing something on his own. But I imagine Glorfindel back at Imladris patting his foot in wait for Elrohir to show back up and complete the pair. I had to let Halbarad come full circle by seeing a ghost. Children, I suppose, will be children even when they're dropping in from another realm. I think the little girl was happy to reveal something important to Halbarad too. Halbarad's just not sure what that 'something' was. :>) Thank you, Jay. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story. The ranger, Meckinock, should have birthdays more often. I had a grand time writing this story. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/1/2006 |
| Oh, this was fantastic! To see the ghosts of tomorrow would be a wonder indeed, and particularly after the grimness of the day past. Love seeing Halbarad and his son, knowing that he knew the fulfillment of parenthood before he left to follow his cousin and then not return north again. Author Reply: Thank you, Larner. The little girl had the look of the Dunedain about her, didn't she? Maybe she'll be around some time in the future, or maybe she's the past, the present, and the future. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. But yes, she was a ghost of tomorrow. I wanted Halbarad to be firmly rooted in the present while the past and the future took place around him. He went from seeing his son as a boy to seeing him as a young man. He loved his son, but I think he had occasion to be rather exasperated with him in the past and probably many more times after this trip. He came to appreciate Hurin's dreamer qualities. Love seeing Halbarad and his son, knowing that he knew the fulfillment of parenthood before he left to follow his cousin and then not return north again. Oh, gosh, I don't even want to think about that. I can't stand the thought of Halbarad not returning. Even if it's only in my dream, Halbarad did get to see his children grow into honorable Dunedain. Thanks again for the review. I'm so pleased you liked it. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/1/2006 |
| 'Tomorrow'?? Now that is tantalising! And leaves the reader longing for more. Such an enjoyable story. I just love the combination - Halbarad and a young fluffy-chinned Hurin, Brandol, Elrohir ... what more could you want? A bit of orc-slaying, the inclusion of innocently-giggly child ghosts in white, and mud and badly-fed rangers contemplating their lot in life. I loved it, Karen. I had begun to forget how much I missed your writing, but this has reminded me. More please! Soon. Perhaps Meckinock would agree to have two birthdays a year, like the Queen, if that's what it takes. Now, I'm off to read it again. Author Reply: The little girl's reply when asked who she was is a little mysterious. I have several ideas about what she meant, but I'm not sure they're right. I know, I wrote the story, but really, that's what she said. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've been so busy with RL I've hardly had time to do much more than yawn and complain. I had such a good time writing this. You see...I discovered these ghostcams on the Internet, and I was intrigued by the ghost stories. I'll pop in for a couple of minutes every now and then and watch them. One I've watched is Ordsall Hall in Salford. Beautiful old place. Anyway, I've always wanted to write a ghost story, but nothing ever clicked, and I kept trying to figure out what I was going to do with my ghostwatching experience. Since my family now thinks I'm certifiable, I had to do something with it. I also fell in love with Hurin when Meckinock first described him. Then, he told me about seeing a ghost. The two ideas came together and Halbarad was mortified. I think the ranger should have more birthdays too. Her presents have been gifts to us all. Thank you again. | |