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| At Hope's Edge by Cairistiona | 352 Review(s) |
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| Speedy Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 12/21/2008 |
| Ohhhhh, Aragorn, so very eloquent in his letter-writing! What sorrows is he holding back, though? Time for me to click the "next" button... Author Reply: Oooh, thank you for hitting the "next" button ... and for leaving the review. Hopefully you'll find the story compelling enough to keep hitting that "next" button. Thanks! | |
| Szepilona10 | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/21/2008 |
| Honestly Aragron, it wouldn't hurt to be a little less stuborn(sp?) at times! Great chapter! Update soon please! God Bless! ~Szepilona10~ Author Reply: I've tried to talk to him about that stubbornness, but he stubbornly insists on being stubborn. What can you do??? *grin* Thanks for the review and glad you're still hanging in there! | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/21/2008 |
| Another great chapter. I really, really enjoyed the way Halbarad's love of Aragorn comes through here. You manage to characterize him well in this chapter as a loyal, intelligent and caring friend, who, like Aragorn, also has a dry sense of humour. No wonder he understands Aragorn so well. I can feel your Halbarad also has an enourmous zest for life. Anyway, he comes across as a very real person. The dialogues between him and Aragorn are wonderfully revealing: they show how well they know each other, and how their personalities match each other too. I like the way you build up Aragorn's growing despondency and the nameless fear all the rangers feel is threatening them. I'm sure this is a foreshadowing for an encounter with WIKI, or, what is worse with WIKI and the other nameless wraiths. The piece about the slightly over ripe sausage is wonderfully real. Author Reply: Thank you for your kind words, Estelcontar! I'm glad you liked this chapter--I do think that Halbarad and Aragorn were kindred spirits in many ways, and yes, Halbarad definitely enjoys life. :) Glad you liked all aspects of this (even the past-its-prime sausage) and thank you again for the review! | |
| RS | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/16/2008 |
| The scene with Aragorn kicking the Orc was such a powerful scene. You've transcended such anger and despair that it was gutwrenching. It was kind of scary. The death of Mallor got to me, especially after Aragorn's memories of him. "For a moment, Aragorn was sure he would fall into the black chasm that suddenly seemed to yawn before him" A very memorable and effective line. You weren't kidding when you said this story explored tragedy and grief...and I can't wait for the next posting. Author Reply: Thank you for such a lovely review, RS! And yes, I really wasn't kidding about the whole tragedy and grief bit ... I think Tolkien gave so many clues that Aragorn had really been through some soul-shattering times, and yet he was so strong by the time of the trilogy, I thought I just had to explore the things that might have happened to forge him into the man he is in FOTR and beyond. I'm glad that you found this chapter so vivid ... I do try my best to transport the reader completely into the character's world, to feel what the character is feeling, and it's gratifying to hear when I have. And yes, next post will hopefully be up Sunday or Monday, as time permits. Holidays coming up next week but I'll do my best to keep posting chapters in a timely manner. Thank you again for your review! | |
| Silivren Tinu | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/16/2008 |
| Poor Mallor. *sigh* This must be a really hard blow for Aragorn, and all of them. Mallor still had so much of his life in front of him, and now it's been cut short so cruelly. I don't like what's going on with Aragorn at the moment - he seems to be drifting further into some kind of internal darkness from day to day. It must have been so very difficult to hold on to hope for all those years, and support others while he probably would have needed some comfort and support himself. To be a leader is definitely a very lonely job. I'm already looking forward to the next chapter! :) Author Reply: Thanks for your review! Mallor's death is definitely a hard blow, and one on top of the hard blows he already endured over the summer... poor Aragorn's really having a time of it, isn't he? Thanks again for your review! | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/15/2008 |
| This is just heartrending. I see my guess was all too correct. You are a wonderful storyteller. I felt I was by aragorn's side at that battle! Author Reply: Thank you, Linda! Yes, you were right... poor Mallor died, as one of my reviewers aptly put it, a "hero among heroes". I'm glad you found the entire chapter vivid and touching as well. Thanks again for reviewing! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/15/2008 |
| Ah--the grief of such losses, and us knowing one day it will be Halbarad he finds upon the battlefield afterward. But the youth died a hero among heroes. Poignant. Author Reply: Thank you, Larner ... glad you found it moving. And yes, there is that added sorrow on our end, knowing what happens to Halbarad. I think if I could change one thing in Tolkien, that would be it--I'd prefer Halbarad lived. Ah well. That's far down the road and beyond the scope of my story, so we'll save that sorrow for another time. Thanks again! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/15/2008 |
| Excellent characterisation of Aragorn here; the war-weary leader, sorrowing for the youngest of their company, having to put his sorrow aside and lead his men. And very good battle-sequences, too. I think it would always sadden a leader to lose so young and promising a warrior. Author Reply: Many thanks, Raksha! I'm glad you liked this... it can be hard to write a strong man sorrowing, but I think Tolkien drew that so well himself that I'm only sort of "coloring in" the lines he drew so well. And war-weary is the exact description of Aragorn at this time, I would think. It's been a long, dark time of fighting with no end easily in sight. Thanks again for leaving a review! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 12/15/2008 |
| Being Heir of Isildur and Chieftain of the Dunedain is certainly no picnic in the late Third Age, is it?! But it's good that Aragorn is thinking like a king. Author Reply: No, it's definitely not a picnic, and probably far worse than any of us can picture or even that I've written, I imagine. I do think, though, that Aragorn's days as Chieftain really honed him for the long struggle to attain the throne, and even as Chieftain he was always looking toward the future, or trying to, even when the path became too dim to see. And that is the heart of the struggle in this story. Hope you continue reading and thank you for the review! | |
| inzilbeth | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/14/2008 |
| We can only guess at how dreadful is the aftermath of battle, but it seems very realistically portrayed in this chapter, as is Aragorn's crashing despair at the lost of yet another of his men. The foreshadowing of worse to come is also most skilfully woven into the plot. Great stuff. Author Reply: Thank you, Inzilbeth! And as you say, losing yet another man after the hard losses of the summer, especially such a young one... he would very much feel crashing despair. Thanks again for your review! | |