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In the Mind's Eye  by shirebound 21 Review(s)
Gentle HobbitReviewed Chapter: 9 on 5/10/2012
And thus is the power of the Maia revealed!

Wow. "Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightning!" As irreverent as that quotation might be, it is what's running through my mind after that chapter. And after the tension of the confrontation, the sound of the birds beginning their song once more was so reassuring! Thank you for including that detail.

Author Reply: Thank you for letting me know which details are memorable for you. I really appreciate that.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/19/2012
Very exciting chapter. I sometimes wish that Tolkien had written more 'magic' things for Gandalf to do instead of making him allow events to occur. This was excellent.

Author Reply: Thank you. And I agree! Except for fireworks, the hobbits really didn't see Gandalf do much 'magic' until well into LOTR.

Baggins BabeReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/23/2012
That was amazing, Shirebound. Gandalf is an incredible actor - he almost convinced me! Loved the way he convinced the entity to leave and then Elrod and Glorfindel (my favourite Elf!) rushed in to help. Poor Aragorn - hope the fever doesn't last long.

Hobbit practicality - you have to love it! And how remiss, to alllow the teapot to cool!

Author Reply: Good old Glorfindel. It's nice that we can give him a larger role in the Great Tale than he might have had otherwise. And three cheers for hobbits! I suspect that when the Fellowship left Rivendell, the Elves missed their cheerful voices and light-hearted talk. Thank you so much for reading, BB. (And I still re-read *your* heart-warming stories all the time!)

lbiloverReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/23/2012
Phew! That was intense!! What a risk they took, but thankfully it paid off. Arrogance was always the downfall of Sauron and his minions. I love that the chapter ends on a bit of hobbity practicality and humor. It was needed after what happened!!

Author Reply: Thank goodness for hobbits and their gift of lightening the mood of any situation. It was intense for me, too! Whew, glad that part is over with. :)

Lily BagginsReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/22/2012
Oh, that was absolutely chilling! VERY well done. I loved every aspect of it... especially the birds falling silent outside. That was creepy, I must say---but very realistic. I've noticed that happening here when a hurricane is out in the Gulf, lol---it's a bad portent.

I enjoyed the entire "speech" in the entity's mind, and of course seeing Gandalf and Elrond work together with Narya and Vilya, and of course, Glorfindel could probably frighten Sauron away when he's at his full power. Loved that!

And I see that the entity wanted Aragorn to feel one last bit of suffering---oh, what a nasty thing it was! And how gullible, luckily. But of course I'll not complain about a fever, not one bit. Fever is always good, in my book!

Looking forward to the next chapter!



Author Reply: Thanks, Lily. Glorfindel never got to 'show off' much in the book, but I'm sure he would have been a welcome aid in this situation.

The fever is a gift the entity left for *you*, my friend. It's so thoughtful! :)

LayneReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/21/2012
A thrilling and suspenseful update, Janet, especially the part when Gandalf was impersonating Sauron. My heart was in my throat, thinking that at any moment, the entity was going to realize that that wasn't its master. I'm glad that went well, but omg, Aragorn!!!!

Author Reply: I'm glad you found this thrilling and suspenseful. The Achilles heel of the dark forces is their arrogance; of course they could never be tricked by 'lesser beings'!

lavendertookReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/21/2012
I almost feel bad for the tricked bit o Nazgul. But yay they got it! That was an impressive light and wind display.

Author Reply: Those Nazgul need to learn to ask permission (nicely) before they invade someone's mind, or risk getting booted out by wizards. :)

SiiwReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/21/2012
This chapter gave me some very powerful mental images. I didn't know you could write something as chilling as this, and you have done it extremely well. It must have been a very mentally tough task for Gandalf to impersonate his fellow Maia who turned evil! *shivers*

Author Reply: Thank you, I appreciate that. This was a very challenging chapter to write. Gandalf did a wonderful job, and now definitely needs a strengthening nap and a few cups of tea. :)

AntaneReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/21/2012
Oh, my dear, what a wonderful chapter! I was hoping you would have another one before my Lenten fast from hobbity fic starts and here you are, just under the wire. :) *hugs* I might read some on Sundays since they are exempt but I am glad you did not leave me hanging off another cliff. Very dramatic and so neat to see Gandalf as he truly was there in the beginning and well done that he was able to fake out the entity so well about Baggins being a better host and all that. I even felt a bit sorry for the entity right before it was destroyed and realized it had been duped but it's gone and good riddance. Love what Frodo said that Sam would not allow anything bad to enter and of course the hobbity love here.

Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

Author Reply: Thank you, Antane! Glad I got this posted in time for you to read.

Yay for hobbits. How we do love them. :)

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/21/2012
Wow! Gandalf is great!
Not only power but also quick thinking was needed here and Gandalf excelled in both. Still, it was very, very dangerous for Frodo! I'm glad he wasn't harmed.

Now we (only?) have the "parting gift" to deal with. I hope Elrond and Glorfindel know how to do that.

Author Reply: Gandalf rocks! What an awesome wizard.

Ohhh, that nasty little bit of Nazgul... couldn't resist one last bit of naughtiness.

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