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| Aspects of Aragorn by Inzilbeth | 428 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Lady_Roisin | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/16/2008 |
| I thouroughly enjoyed the latest chapters. What a great story. Author Reply: I'm so pleased you are enjoying this story and thank you very much for letting me know. | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/16/2008 |
| A most perceptive vignette, and very, very faithful to book cannon as always. The conflict Aragorn must have felt between the exhilaration of finally being a man and a full fledged warrior, and the tragedy of death is perfectly illustrated here. Aragorn did not turn into the warrior he was because he gloried in violence and mayhem, but because the role was forced on him. So, I do believe he never really loved war. He fought because he had to. So, he must indeed have felt very conflicted when he first faced the reality of war and death. The way his mood swings from doubt to elation on being told about his inheritance sounds very truthful too. Author Reply: By experiencing so much in 'Great Deeds', I did give him rather a lot to cope with here, didn't I? As you so rightly say, being a warrior was something he had to do and so his first encounter with death would have troubled him greatly. I'm sure hearing of his inheritance was a shock at first, but we know that by the following evening he was singing happily under the silver birches so it didn't take him very long to come to terms with the news. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the review. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/16/2008 |
| I was really struck here by how different all this looks from a human rather than an elven perspective. Elrond was there when Isildur cut the ring from Sauron's hand. He's known every single heir. My canonical knowledge isn't good enough to say, but for all I know, it's possible he knew Barahir (thought probably not). But to Aragorn, this is ancient history. And yet there's a part of the history that matters greatly to Aragorn. On a personal level, knowing who his father was must be comforting, particularly given his misapprenhensions. But on a larger level, his identity gives him his role in life. And good for him for immediately thinking about his duty to the Dunedain. Elrond was right in judging him ready to know who he was. Author Reply: You are so right, daw. Aragorn would have learnt all about the history of his ancestors without realizing his own connection to it all. That discovery of his place in such a long line of legendary heroes must have been quite a shock in itself. No, Elrond wouldn't have known Barahir, but he did know Elendil who was himself a master of lore and, no doubt, when he arrived in M-e, he brought with him all the records and accounts of his own line of ancestors which linked him to Elros and so completed the picture. And I'm sure having a name for his own father must have been both thrilling and daunting for Estel, and ,as, you say, it gave him a role and a purpose in life. Many thanks indeed for your review. | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/15/2008 |
| I loved these glimpses of young Aragorn as warrior and Healer, his meetings with his grandfather and Halbarad.You capture well how difficult it must have been for Aragorn to get used to his own kind and to the horrors of battle. Very well written. Author Reply: Thank you so much, Linda; I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. This must have been a very exciting and yet also very scary time for young Estel that required some fast growing up on his part. | |
| elliska | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/13/2008 |
| Wow, I am really impressed at how well you captured such a broad phrase (as the one you quoted to set this scene) in one chapter. The events you chose to portray were perfect to show Estel's readiness and what he still learned. I loved the characters you chose to include and how. And the transitions between events (very hard to handle showing the passage of an entire winter in one chapter) were very smoothly done. I am only mildly a fan of Aragorn (elves are my favorite read), but I will definitely be following this story. Incredibly well done! Author Reply: Thank you so much elliska for your review. I'm so pleased you enjoyed this chapter. You are quite right, although 'Great Deeds' presents a very blank canvas, there was a lot that I felt needed to be said and it was very difficult to fit everything in. I was very afraid the whole thing would become too ungainly, so your kind words are much appreciated. And there will be a few elves popping up now and then! | |
| jgmsccc | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/10/2008 |
| I really enjoyed this. You have included so much information: history of the land and the people, the feelings of the men and the elves who knew of Aragorn and what Aragorn must be going through. I can't wait for more. Author Reply: I'm thrilled you enjoyed it and thank you for the review. As this story is complete [give or take all the frantic rewrites] I'm planning on posting a chapter every Tuesday. | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/10/2008 |
| This could easily have been just an unconnected recounting of events, but you have managed to weave in a number of interesting themes about Estel's coming fo age. His first encounter with his grandfather, with his friend to be and with death are all quite impressive. Nice touch also the Rangers' view of their future - of course they didn't know that a single decisive action would defeat Sauron. Author Reply: Thank you very much for your comments. You have brought up exactly what I was trying to do here. I was very aware when I read this chapter through again that it did require quite a bit of patience and I did consider chopping out chunks to make it more manageable. I'm so pleased you thought it worked. Maybe though, it would be fun, one day, to turn this into a multi-chapter story and flesh out properly Halbarad's teasing and Estel's first steps towards feeling more like a Man | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/9/2008 |
| I've already told you a couple of times how much I enjoyed this story, but it bears repeating. You have given us a great portrayal of how Aragorn must have felt when he first came into contact with the reality of violence and death. The reality is so different from the idealizations one makes of strife. You've also shown us how fast one has to mature when faced with the sad realities of life, as Aragorn was here. A very thoughtful piece indeed. Author Reply: Thank you so much, as always; I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sure Estel, when he was young, would have been shielded from many of the harsh realities of the life he was expected to lead and so it must have been a brutal shock when he was confronted by some of them. He did indeed have to grow up quickly. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/9/2008 |
| I like the sense of history and geography in this. You really place the story well in Tolkien's world. I'm also struck by the way that leaders in Tolkien's world were expected to lead from the front. Their job was to keep their people safe and they seldom did it by sitting at home, so Estel has to learn to do this, probably even more than most people do. Still it's hard. Author Reply: Thank you so much daw for your review. I imagine Estel learned all about Eriador and the history of his people in the school room so it must have been very exciting for him to get out there an see all those places. And you are absolutely right about leaders in Middle-earth; the significant exception being Sauron. | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/4/2008 |
| I enjoyed this gentle, sensitive tale. Gilraen's feelings and reactions seemed very convincing to me, and the whole story fits very naturally with what little Tolkien told us about this stage of Aragorn's life. Author Reply: Thank you very much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. As with so much of Aragorn's life, this is one of those stories I wish Tolkien had written. He gave us so little to go on. | |