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| Somewhere I Have Never Traveled by Fiondil | 20 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Ellie | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/25/2007 |
| Exquisite. Beautiful, sad and hopeful and with wise hobbits to boot! Well done. *sniff sniff* well done Author Reply: Thanks Ellie, glad you liked the story. | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/24/2007 |
| A unique and refreshing view of Arwen's departure.I liked the idea that Eowyn would stay to meet her. Author Reply: Thanks Linda. Glad you liked the story. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/24/2007 |
| I am so pleased that Eowyn chose to wait for Arwen! She needed someone to offer her encouragement at this point - and also someone to remind her what she gained in her choice as well as what she lost. And I am particularly delighted that Namo was able to offer comfort and reassurance to Elrond and Celebrian. So - Frodo and Sam are still on their way, are they? And it would be very interesting to see what will become of Gimli ... Author Reply: When I thought about Arwen coming to Mandos, I suddenly realized that the one person no one had mentioned among those waiting for Aragorn was Éowyn and then I realized they must all believe she had continued on, when in fact, she was waiting elsewhere, not for a king, but for a queen. When I knew that, I knew how else the story would go. Námo might be the Doomsman of Arda, the Guardian of the Dead, and the Ordainer of Fates, yet he is also a Healer of Fëar and Comforter to those who mourn. Most of the Eldar call him Mandos, the Dread Imprisoner, while some call him Námo, the Judge. Few, if any, call him Tiutalero, the Comforter, yet it is this role that Námo loves best of all those that are his to play. Frodo and Sam have had a lovely time convincing the Lord Of Mandos to let them stick around until all their mortal friends are safely in Eru's hands. And Námo, softy that he is, has had a lovely time letting them. LOL | |
| nautika | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/22/2007 |
| I wasnt too sure about the start of this story. First, there was no Aragorn, Faramir or Boromir. Second, I just wasnt sure about the way Arwen was portrayed. Then you hooked me and made me cry! Thank you for sharing. Author Reply: You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to hook you long enough to finish reading the story and that you liked it enough to even cry. That means a lot to me as a writer. Most writers tend to portray Arwen as someone without any character flaws, but what's the fun of that? We all have them. That's what makes us interesting as people (as long as the flaws aren't destructive in nature). So I wanted to show that Arwen had her "dark" side as we all do. Thanks for reviewing. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/22/2007 |
| And so, for her to find her love again she had to accept that her choice was no more laudable than that of any other woman who chose the right love for the right reasons, only after which she received the laud she'd desired, but now for the proper reasons (and I trust the common women who made the right choices received similar praise from Lord and Lady themselves!). Excellent. And Frodo and Sam may remain as long as they wheedle Namo properly to see the last of their mortal fellowship find his reward, may they? Very nice. And love the promised fireworks and the ee cummings poem. Author Reply: Yes, exactly! As Éowyn reminds Arwen, her own choices were no less laudable for all that she was but a mortal woman whose destiny may not have been as great as Arwen's but was no less important to Eru. And you caught that about Frodo and Sam bargaining with Námo, did you? LOL I imagine, though, that for all his protestations to the contrary, the Lord of Mandos quite enjoys letting the Ringbearers wheedle him and will be sorry to see them finally on their way. Thanks for reviewing, Larner. I'm glad you enjoyed this story. | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/20/2007 |
| Loved this Fiondil. I especially liked the way that you threw in the unexpected, like having it be Eowyn meeting Arwen and putting her, admittedly momentous, choice well and truly into perspective! Author Reply: Thanks harrowcat. I'm glad you liked my little "surprise" with Éowyn. *grin* And yes, as momentous as Arwen's choice was, it was simply a choice, like all choices in life and no one really knows how important or unimportant any particular choice might be. As Námo says, only Eru truly knows. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/20/2007 |
| This is just stunning, and very lovely. (I'm especially delighted that the hobbits are still so very hobbity, even with Lord Namo.) Thank you for a beautiful story. Author Reply: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. And hobbits are hobbits wherever they find themselves, especially someone like Sam. | |
| SurgicalSteel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/20/2007 |
| This was lovely on many levels - Eowyn waiting for Arwen was lovely, the comparison to Luthien (someone we don't normally see portrayed as having a temper) was lovely. And the notion that Arwen's choice - although difficult - may not have been any more heroic than any other diffcult choice was quite nice, as well. Author Reply: You managed to cover almost all the bases. LOL More than comparing Arwen to Lúthien (in a negative light) I wanted to show that Arwen herself wasn't always the calm, cool and collect elleth that many writers portray her as always being. I also wanted to explore the idea that, on one level, every choice we make in life is an heroic choice because we make our choices out of ignorance of what will happen. Our choices in life are always made in estel-hope that they are the right choices; thus Námo's admonishment to Arwen to trust in Eru's love for us no matter what choices we make. And Éowyn was the natural choice for the one person (other than her husband) who would wait for her. | |
| MithLuin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/20/2007 |
| Very nicely done! Poor Arwen, wanting a fanfare, and then getting more of one than she ever expected... I very much liked that her brothers were with her at the end - it seems so forlorn to have her dying alone in Lothlorien. And it was so nice of Eowyn to wait for her *grin* I thank you for writing this one, and I won't demand that you give us Frodo and Sam (since we've already seen them interacting with Namo). Author Reply: I'm glad you like this... and glad you're not demanding more! LOL The scene with Frodo and Sam came to me after much of Arwen's story had already been written, so I knew that this was a sort of coda to all the other "Mortals in Mandos" stories that I'd written previously. Since Gimli does not go to Mandos, his story needn't be told here. | |
| Rhyselle | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/20/2007 |
| Just wanted to say that this was a beautiful as it could possibly be. The thought of Eowyn being there to await Arwen was so sweet and compassionate--bringing out the side of the White Lady of Rohan that a lot of fanfic writers often elide when they write about the shieldmaiden. I like it that Arwen was angry--and proud--she is often written as so perfect that I can't stand it. This was a lovely difference. And it was so good to see Frodo and Sam again. I do hope that your muse will tell you the story of Gimli's farewell eventually. "She never liked my roses either." LOL! What a great line! The tying of the past to the present in Arwen's similiarities to her ancestress was another thing that caught my attention. Namo and Eowyn... I like to think about the conversations they must have had from time to time as Eowyn waited for Arwen. Again, a masterpiece that makes me smile and think at the same time. Thank you! Author Reply: You're welcome. I'm glad you liked this. When I stopped to think about all those from the War of the Ring who had shown up in Mandos waiting for Aragorn, I realized I'd completely forgotten about Éowyn. I think I was "made" to forget by the Powers, because as soon as I remembered her I knew who would be waiting for Arwen. Thus, this stoy. And of course, I just had to bring in Frodo and Sam. Námo's self-deprecation can be very funny indeed, which just goes to show that he's not as forbidding as everyone makes him out to be (at least, not to me). Thanks for the review. | |