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| Elf, Interrupted: Book Two: Glorfindel's Quest by Fiondil | 18 Review(s) |
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| Naine | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| Thanks for feeding an addict. Still enjoying immensly. "I attacked a balrog, what else would you expect from me?" and "I didn’t feel this bad when I died." is the Glorfi we all love. And Finrod and Beleg, in particular, will envy him new scars. Orome is naturally correct, Glorfindel needs to learn not to rely on the Valar and Mair for help. He'll be a little less reckless the next time, hopefully. I suppose that the stories exchange had helped Glorfindel to better undestand Maiar and Valar, so he was willing to drop the subject of Tuor and Idril. And I loved the stories Glorfi told about Gondolin. The part how Turgon “encouraged” him and his friend to start up with their pranks again, especially. One can only wonder about the future relations between Glorfindel and his king - with Glorfindel having few thousands years to mature and getting much more "older" than Turgon. I'm beginning to like Lisselindë. Help! Author Reply: Hi Naine. You're welcome, I think. *grin* Anyway, I suspect you're right that Finrod and Beleg and Sador are all going to be jealous of Glorfi's new scars and the tales he will have to tell of his various 'kills'. I think the story sharing has helped Glorfindel get a better perspective of the role of the Valar and the Maiar and their relationship with the Elves, so he was more willing to drop the subject of Tuor and Idril whereas earlier he might have resented not being told. Perhaps when I have finished telling this tale, I will be able to tell the tale of Glorfindel's return to Aman and meeting Turgon again and what comes of it. And I *want* you to like Lisselindë. *lol* She's really not a Maia once you get to know her. Thanks for your review. I appreciate you letting me know how much you are enjoying this tale. | |
| Agape4Gondor | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| Beautiful chapter - and I was pleasantly surprised to find it here. Though Glorfindel suffered greatly, he took it all in stride - a very good indicator IMHO of his maturation. I loved the tale of Gondolin. It is not an easy history to read, but well worth every moment - every struggle. Again - lovely chapter... Author Reply: Hi, Agape. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. Yes, Glorfindel is slowly but surely maturing, and being a warrior and no doubt having been injured in earlier circumstances, he knows there's not much he can do about it but accept the situation gracefully and allow the healing. The Tale of Gondolin is indeed very difficult story to read, and very tragic, but it's one of the more fascinating (to me) stories in the entire Legendarium. I always thought it interesting that the very first story Tolkien wrote about the Elves and Middle-earth was the Fall of Gondolin. Thanks for your review. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave one. | |
| 6336 | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| P.S. Liked Turgon's comment about his family being the death of him, I wonder if he realised how profetic(can't spell, only had one cuppa) it was!? Lynda Author Reply: prophetic.... and certainly Glorfindel felt it was considering how he clammed up after mentioning it. I'm not sure if Turgon ever realized even at the end that it was his own nephew who betrayed him, but if he did, it must have devastated him. | |
| 6336 | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| Oh, so good to see that Glorfindel did not make it back to Mandos the hard way! Orome is correct though, Glorfindel needs to learn not to rely on the Valar and Mair for help, they won't be there when he goes back to Ennor, he will have to rely on himself and others. Just when did the Valar decide to send him back, was it their idea or Atar's and was Glorfindel the intended 'victim' or was he just in the right place at the right time? I can understand why they would not want to send Finderato, he is too well known but Glorfindel, while an heroic figure is still used to serving in ways other than Finderato is. Lissalinde is right, any way he can increase his awareness of his surroundings be it good or evil is an adavantge. Hope Glorfindel/Maya can survive the upgrade in training! Looking forward to the next chapter and the Royal Progress! More please, Lynda Author Reply: Sending Glorfindel back to Mandos would have been counterproductive. *lol* Hopefully, he'll be a little less reckless the next time. He's not going to have Maiar and Valar coming to his rescue when he gets to Middle-earth, although he doesn't know that yet. As Oromë tells the Maiar, the decision to send Glorfindel back was made almost as soon as he died. It's one reason he underwent Judgment sooner than Námo would have preferred. And, as you point out, Glorfindel is more used to be in a position of service than Finrod who is more used to giving orders than taking them. We'll see in the next chapter how well Glorfindel does with the new training regime. Thanks for your review, Lynda. I really appreciate it. | |
| Kaylee | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| Oh, meldonya! What a thrilling tale! *grin* I especially liked the stories Glorfi told about Gondolin, and the questions to the Maiar about going with Glorfi, and the Valar making plans to send Glorfi back to Endore, and...well, everything! Although I felt very bad for poor Glorfi being so hurt, but, I guess once you've faced a valarauco...*wry grin* I'm glad Orome had the sense NOT to send Glorfi back to Namo! Can't wait to see what'll happen to our favourite elfling in a week! *grin* Tye-melin, Kaylee! Author Reply: Hi, Kaylee. I'm glad you enjoyed this, especially the stories Glorfindel told of Gondolin. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it. Happy Easter! | |
| Sunny | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| "I attacked a balrog, what else would you expect from me?" and "I didn’t feel this bad when I died." Yes, that is the Glorfindel we all know and love, all right. ;-) And the fact that Glorfindel is still alive, makes it a lovely day, even though the Maiar are changing the dressings on his wounds. (I loved that little exchange, too!) I suppose that when Glorfindel gets together with his gwedyr, there will be a certain amount of bragging. (Of course there will! They are after all male, and this sort of thing makes for excellent bra… ah, _story_ material when the wounds are all healed and there is a bit of distance to the whole event.) So I wonder if Finrod and Beleg, in particular, will get envious at the great time Glorfindel is having and want to get in on the fun as well. So Turgon couldn’t keep the fertile minds of Glorfindel and Ecthelion from hatching plans for jests even when he sent them to separate outposts? *chortles* Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. What _did_ surprise me, a little, was how he, ah, “encouraged” them to start up again. Though I don’t suppose he expected Idril and Tuor to help out. (Is there any chance of seeing one of those jests? Perhaps as a story in your Tapestry series?) Námo – the strategist of the Valar? *lifts eyebrow at author.* You know, that more or less makes sense. Lets see … Varda, Ulmo, Aulë and Yavanna are chief scientists/engineers in their various fields. Nessa and Vána – you have shown them as assisting Yavanna with bioscience experiments, and it sort of fits with Tolkien's descriptions of them, too. Oromë does scouting, and I suppose he would also gather intelligence. Vairë is the historian, and it wouldn’t be too unreasonable to extend that to collating and analyzing itelligence – which would make her the Valar’s intelligence officer, or something of the sort. Estë, Nienna and Irmo are well established as healers. And Tulkas would make sense as a tactician. Manwë would be the general who kept his eyes on the big picture. Not that the Valar wouldn’t help each other as needed. And I suppose one of the Valier _could_ have been a Valarin version of Honor Harrington, but for some reason I think it is unlikely… ;-) Author Reply: Only former warriors of Beleriand, like Finrod and Beleg, would think Glorfindel was having a great time being chewed up by bear-like wargs. *LOL!* I don't know if we'll see a story about Glorfindel in Gondolin in my Tapestry series, but I wouldn't count it out, either. The Muse tends to be sneaky that way. *grin* As for Námo being the strategist among the Valar... if you recall from "Wars of the Valar" he and Oromë were often plotting the counterattacks against Melkor. The descriptions you give for the various Valar in their 'military roles' make them sound like a celestial version of the A-Team. I can just hear Manwë (sans cigar) saying, "I just love it when a plan comes together." *LOL!* Thanks for your review, Sunny. I enjoyed it very much. | |
| Rhyselle | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| Poor Glorfindel. Thank goodness he's an Elf--a Mortal would probably have succumbed to the shock of the injury (not to mention, probably couldn't have reacted fast enough not to be munched outright in the first place). I wonder who, specifically, inspired the Maiar to decide to hold their powers down to Glorfindel's level. *grin* We all know that Eru draws with crooked lines... although Orome's "Nor were you meant to" gives us a hint as well, I suppose. I still would not have wanted to be facing Lord Namo at that moment, though, when Nyereser told him what they'd done. I love how Glorfindel is still irrepressible, despite the gravity of his wounds. "I killed a Balrog... what else would you expect from me?" This made me laugh and set me off coughing again, but it was worth it. :) I really liked the conversation where Orome asked the three Maiar which of them would go to Endor with Glorfindel. It feels like there's all sorts of levels here, and I found myself intrigued by Orome's response to Nyereser's thought that it would be Finrod who would be sent back to ME--not the words themselves but by how he said them. There seems to be a wealth of history behind why the moment anyone even comes close to suggesting that Finrod return to ME that the Valar seem to squelch the audible speculation fast. (Having been re-reading about the rebellion of Feanor in the SIL this past week, it occurs to me that Finrod is, quite possibly one of the most charismatic of the royal Eldar currently alive. It is quite likely in my mind, that Feanor's ability to sway people with words and fire them to action--whether right or wrong--might not have been a gift that was solely his own. Finrod seems to have something of this ability as well--although he, obviously, is not using it the way his Half-Uncle did.) Ah, well, I'm sure we'll find out in time--and to the Valar, all times are soon. *Grin* Ah, even in a lean-to miles away from "civilization", being ill and injured still means being woken up far too many times for the patient's preference (I never understood why in hospital they wake you up to give you a sleeping pill...). I do love Grumpy!Glorfindel... when I'm ill, I'm grumpy in the mornings, too, but I do tend not to swear. Lisselinde is coming right along here, isn't she, from when she was first told off to learn from Glorfindel. At one point in the story, I would have adamantly said that I would not have wanted to interact with her at all, but she's growing and changing, just as Glorfindel is, and I really like that a lot. Silly me saw the line about them having fed Glorfindel beef broth for 4 days and my first thought was "I didn't realize that there were cows in the forest". Then I had a *headdesk* moment as I reminded myself that they were Maia, and the beef for the broth could have come from practically anywhere. *grin* Although considering that Nyereser and Tiutalion went hunting, my initial thought was that the broth would have likely been venison or rabbit. That's what happens when a reader makes an assumption. I like how Lisselinde is teaching Glorfindel how to further refine his senses. He will most certainly put this to good use in Middle Earth. I do wonder whether a Once-Born elf would be able to lean this as well, or if the change in the level upon which the Reborn fea operates is the reason that Glorfindel is so darn good at this? Food for thought. If the latter, I can't wait to see what Beleg can do if he gets this kind of training on top of his own natural talent and learned skills. (Considering Orome's interest in him, I wouldn't be surprised to find him getting this training one day.) I think that my very favorite part of this chapter is Glorfindel talking to the Maiar about his friendship with Ecthelion and their jokes and jests together and with Tuor and Idris. The bit about Turgon inviting them to return to their pranks was really touching to me. I thought it was very mature of Glorfindel not to badger the Maiar for more answers about where Tuor and Idril were. A year ago, he wouldn't have let it drop. The reassurance that they were well was enough. (Although now it has me thinking about all the possible things that could fall under the definition of "well". *grin*) I really am getting more and more intrigued about the proposed Progress to Tol Eressea. There are all kinds of threads tied up in this, and all I can think of is that Arafinwe going there is going to be like adding a spoonful of baking soda to a cup of vinegar. It's going to get messy one way or another when things blow up. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens! A wonderful chapter, dear friend, and, as you can see, it triggered one of my "is it longer than the chapter?" reviews. But you gave me a lot to think about and I like it when that happens. Happy Easter! Author Reply: Hi Rhyselle. I think the entire Finwë clan had the ability to persuade others, either for good or for ill. Remember how Caranthir and Curufin turned the people of Nargothrond from their own king? Obviously, Finrod inherited the talent. We know that the Noldor were the wordsmiths of the Elves, so it's not surprising that someone like Finrod would be trained in oration and persuasion. And he is very charistmatic, as you say. I doubt the Valar want him running around loose in Middle-earth anymore. Sending Glorfindel is a calculated risk and we know from history that his mission was ony partially successful, which is why the five Istari were sent later. As for the broth... well, I'm sure that Glorfindel had other kinds of broth besides beef, but with the blood loss the Maiar probably felt he needed the extra iron so added beef to the venison and rabbit broths. In his half-awake state, Glorfindel probably only recognized the taste of the beef and nothing else. I'm sure a Once-born could achieve the same level of expertise as Glorfindel though I think also that being Reborn, Glorfindel probably has an edge. A Once-born would probably have to really work at it, but it would be doable. I think someone like Beleg, once he gets his bearings, would be quite formidable after receiving training by the Maiar. While the Progress to Tol Eressëa is still some chapters away, I will be referring to it more and more as time goes on. Your description of baking soda and vinegar is very apt. I very much doubt this trip will go smoothly. *grin* Thank you for such a wonderfully long review. You know how much I enjoy them. *grin* Happy Easter to you as well! | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 53 on 4/12/2009 |
| Poor Glorfindel, he must be hurting quite bad. But of course he will be okay again soon - I doubt Námo would want to have him anywhere near his Halls again ;) Oh, that was why the Maiar didn't sense the attack earlier than Glorfindel did? I have to admit that I find it somehow touching that they wanted to be on the same level as he was. Even if I'm not so happy about the outcome. But maybe then they will appreciate him (and the other Elves) more, particularly Lisselindë. The ellon smiled weakly. "I attacked a balrog," he said in a hoarse whisper, his voice laced with pain. "What else would you expect from me?" How true! Námo can't in earnest expect Glorfindel to just stand by and watch the Maiar fighting, can he? Glorfindel is no court scribe, but a consummate warrior, after all. Hm ... Oromë had an interesting way to explain to the Maiar why Glorfindel needs to take care of himself and his security. Though I doubt Glorfindel would expect them to play babysitter in Endórë, too; he should know that he has to survive on his own there. Loved the banter between the Maiar. I really like these three - yes, I'm even beginning to like Lisselindë! And I would like to be a fly in a tree while these four are sitting together around the fire talking; these nights must be great! I can see that Glorfindel and Ecthelion made sure that Turgon didn't get bored in his isolated city ;) Well, that would be intriguing, Glorfindel learning to fight more on Maiar level than his own! And I'm sure the four other Maiar will have fun with that, too. Plus, I have to admit, I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of Arafinwë going to Tol Eressëa, either, and I would feel better if a thusly trained Glorfindel would accompany him. On the other hand, I had always looked forward to learn how things will be going on there. More interesting plot to look forward to *rubs hands in anticipation* Frohe Ostern! :) Author Reply: Glorfindel is nothing if not the consummate warrior, so they shouldn't expect anything less than that from him in any situation. I'm glad you're beginning to like Lisselindë. She's not really a bad sort, just misguided. Between her fellow Maiar and Glorfindel, though, she's slowly coming around. I think Glorfindel's enhanced fighting skills are going to be need sooner rather than later myself. I'm glad you're looking forward to the royal progress through Tol Eressëa. I doubt it will go as smoothly as everyone hopes and there will be one or two surprises along the way as well. Thanks for reviewing, Kitty. I hope you have a 'Frohe Ostern' too. *grin* | |