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| No Better Name by Cairistiona | 187 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Vilwarin | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/21/2011 |
| Now *that's* what happened to Gilraen's old pot! I was already wondering what had become of it. ;) It's interesting to see poor Aragorn being condemned to silence - not that he ever was a chetterbox. But it makes for a very different reading and for me intensifies the feeling that Bowen is in charge here. Bowen. That brave man who has a heart of gold himself probably is the only one in all of Bree-land to ever get the opportunity to get a look at the man behind Strider (which will most likely go down into family history). Author Reply: Yes, mystery solved about Gilraen's missing soup kettle! *g* Bowen is definitely in charge now, which makes for an interesting way to write Aragorn, as he's usually the one calling the shots. But with no voice and almost no energy, he's at Bowen's mercy. And you make an excellent point about Bowen likely being the only Breelander to really get a good look at Strider the Man. Butterbur can claim to be acquainted with him but I think his own prejudices against Rangers likely keep him from ever seeing Strider for who he really is (and I imagine Strider didn't do anything to change that, to be honest, as it worked for him as far as keeping away from Sauron's notice). It's just good for Strider that Bowen does have that heart of gold! Thanks for the review! | |
| Mirach | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/21/2011 |
| Great chapter! It looks like a challenge, to write Aragorn losing his voice, and a very interesting one - writing the inverbal communication. You managed to do it wonderfully, during the enire chapter I had the image of strider before my eyes, and saw every his nod and grimace. Even without words, he can be expressive =) I love when you make the characters stumble over the truth about Aragorn by pure chance, and dismiss it like a fancy. The references about roots, king and eagle were very nice! And Narsil as a soup pot, lol! Author Reply: Thanks, Mirach! It was a bit of a challenge to write Strider engaging in dialogue without his actually speaking a word. I think in my case, it helped that I've done a lot of study of how to write dialogue and how important silence actually is in writing believable dialogue, which is something I read in one of my writing how-to books. In this case, it definitely helped to know how to express emotion through... or despite... silence! And yes, Narsil disguised as a soup pot! Perish the thought! LOL Glad you enjoyed the chapter. | |
| curiouswombat | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/20/2011 |
| Feral is a good word for the way the Rangers must have been perceived by the Breelanders. And I love the idea of Aragorn playing charades, even though I sympathise with him for the sore throat. Author Reply: Thanks, curiouswombat... I've had to do that charade game because of a sore throat myself and it's never very fun, is it! | |
| Estelcontar | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/20/2011 |
| Strider might have said nothing, but he was very eloquent and looked very sweet speaking just by gestures. LOL I'm glad to see that he and Bowen are now getting on like a house on fire. It was very perspicacious of Bowen to notice that under that feral exterior there lurked a heart of gold. I absolutely loved the bits featuring Arwen's tunic, and how you made her very present even though she is not in the story. I also loved the image of Strider "granting pardon to a misbehaving commoner". It's so easy to imagine this delightful scene. And Strider's mother old soup pot is a great find. I imagine they are the shards of Narsil. I'm most definitely in love with this tale Author Reply: Thank you, Estelcontar! :) Yes, those are the shards of Narsil clanking at the bottom of his pack, but better for him to let Bowen imagine it's a soup pot. I'm glad this scene was easy to picture... I had such a clear picture of it in my own mind that it's good to know that translated into the same for the reader. And gold stars to you for using "perspicacious" in a review! *g* | |
| Fantasia | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/20/2011 |
| Bowen is really a treasure. They should make him an honorable member of the Rangers. His house can be their post in Bree! Poor Strider, he must be very sick if he agreed to go to Bowen's house without protest. It broke my heart to read him so forlorn, so lost and vulnerable. Good that he found Bowen, there are good people in the world and for once, Strider found one. I can't wait for see his wife, I'm sure that she is all kindness; I can't picture a man like him married to a harpy. I suppose that Arwen made his shirt. And I suppose that he was looking for his ring and not for his mother's pot. Or it was his mother's pot? Looking forward for the other ones to join. Bowen will have two sick Rangers at home. And three low spirit Rangers as well. A lot of work! Author Reply: Thank you, Fantasia! Yes, Arwen made the shirt, and as for the clanking in the bottom of his pack--no, not his mother's cookpot nor the Ring of Barahir but a certain broken sword. But shhhh... don't tell anyone! *g* Bowen doesn't seem to be the sort to marry a harpy, does he? Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts and for your kind comments! | |
| Elentarri | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/20/2011 |
| Your beautifully written chapters are just way too short. They are over so quickly. :) Strider at a loss for words - that's funny. I'm glad he didn't put up much of a fuss. The bit about the roots and Aragorn being feral is very nicely written. What amazes me is your original characters that manage to fit in so nicely that they feel canonical - Bowen prattles almost like a hobbit :) Can't wait for the next chapter on Friday. Author Reply: Thank you, Elentarri! That's very nice of you to say about my OC's. Bowen is a bit hobbit-like. I think that there's really not much different about farmers, be they Hobbit or Man. Even the farmers in real life that live in my area, who've descended for the most part from immigrants from rural England and Ireland and have kept a lot of those ways to this day, tend to be that same sort of chatty, friendly sort. Tolkien knew his rural folk! It is rather rare for Strider to be at a loss, and I have a feeling there were all kinds of words he might have said had he not lost his voice to this illness. *g* Thanks for the nice words! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/20/2011 |
| He had no idea where Rangers came from, but Strider left him feeling that he had blown into the Prancing Pony like a dazed bird stranded by a storm. Not just any bird, mind you, but a wounded eagle, fierce and independent and a little bit frightening. Even in need of care, he had a wild and wandering air about him that couldn’t be ignored What a marvelous and insightful description. How I love this story! Author Reply: Thank you, shirebound! So glad you liked that passage--I think it's one of my favorites in the entire story, if I can say that without sounding too puffed up! It's just so fascinating to look at the Rangers through the eyes of an ordinary Breelander, and Strider especially. I imagine he was really quite an impressive and scary figure, probably considered by most of those folks as best viewed from a distance. | |
| Suzelle | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/19/2011 |
| Aaaah, Cairistiona...it kills me to wait to read these chapters only after I've finished my schoolwork, but they do make such fabulous rewards!! I *loved* loved loved this...I love that we are getting a chapter from Halbarad's POV, and the interactions between him and Denlad were wonderful. And bright side for waiting this long, now I only have to wait one day for the next update! *g* Author Reply: Thank you! I'm very happy to have provided you with a reward for your hard labors. *g* And I'm also very happy you liked this one... I just can't stay away from Halbarad and Denlad for very long, seems like. They'll have a big part in this. :) And yes, new chapter goes up today, just as soon as I zip over there and hit "publish". Thanks for the review! | |
| Vilwarin | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/19/2011 |
| Ouch, ouch, ouch. Poor Halbarad. And the cold and wet certainly don't help the injury. Good that he has such a reasonable young man with him. ;) Author Reply: Halbard isn't always the most reasonable sort, is he. Too much like Aragorn himself at times, I fear! | |
| Layne | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/19/2011 |
| That stubborn Ranger!! Thank goodness that Bowen was even more stubborn than him ( and brave, too! ) :) Author Reply: Hee! Yes, Bowen was brave to take on caring for such a wild-looking stranger, wasn't he! I wonder if I'd be that brave... Hope you enjoy the entire tale! | |