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| The Prisoner and The Hobbit by Dreamflower | 41 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Sunny | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 1/31/2012 |
| I really like this story. Actually, I really like the Pandėverse stories in general, and this interpretation of Sauron. He is such an _interesting_ character! Not a comfortable or entirely pleasant one, but definitely fascinating, and with a charm that is quite his own. The Pandėvere stories are definitely well written, and given that the setting isn't quite the standard medieval milieu (imagine that - adding _science_ and _technological thinking_ to Tolkien's Middle earth!) the "modern" elements are grafted onto the world with great skill. Which make the stories well worth reading. I wonder a bit about Sauron's tablet - is there by any chance a small picture of an apple with a bit bitten off on the backside? In any case, I rather enjoy seeing Sauron reading e-books - I really like e-books myself! ;-) Author Reply: Well, I haven't had a look at his device, but it would not surprise me in the least. There is clearly some "timey-wimey" stuff going on with that. But if the Valar haven't even told Gandalf/Olorin, they SURE haven't told me! This story is very slightly AU for my Bilbo, obviously, because we are dwelling firmly in the Pandeverse here, while in my own universe, the hobbits live in a more conventional Arda. So I'm trying to fit my Bilbo into her universe while still keeping him in the same character as he is in "mine". I try to change as little as possible, so therefore elements of "my" universe do creep in, such as Adamanta, from "Ancestress". It's a fun challenge and a part of what is making this collaboration so exciting. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/31/2012 |
| Aha! You managed to make this a recipe fic, Dreamflower! Heh! Bilbo is so much a Hobbit ever, and who would have ever imagined him sharing recipes with someone like Sauron? And they are sharing so much more of their former lives now. The description of his willingness to destroy those he'd known as children is indeed chilling, and I appreciate just how disturbing Bilbo would find this. Author Reply: *giggle* Give me any excuse for one, and I will make recipe!fic, LOL! Sauron is gradually revealing what he considers the worst of the worst to this new acquaintance, unburdening himself of much that he's not even telling Gandalf/Olorin. And Bilbo has to figure out how to respond to these dreadful revelations. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 1/31/2012 |
| An interesting interchange, and particularly the idea that Sauron had a true sister. And love the idea that Pippin was the spitting image of the Old Took! Author Reply: Yes. I don't know if you are familiar with Pandemonium's universe-- she takes a slightly more (to use Tolkien's old-fashioned term) scientifiction approach to Arda, and a somewhat less esoteric take on the origins of the Maia. I've always thought that it might have been Pippin's resemblance to his old friend that gave Gandalf such a special fondness for Pippin. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 1/30/2012 |
| This discussion on the Rings of Power is fascinating, from the common symbology associated with rings in general to the motives for him working on rings specifically intended for use on Elves, Men, and Dwarves. Love the questions and answers regarding Hobbits and why Hobbits were particularly protected from the influence of such things as the One Ring, and the experience with time seeming to speed up as we age (certainly I've noted the apparent swifter experience of the passage of time as I've aged and have thought of how that phenomenon occurs just as Sauron explains it in his letter). And I love, love, love Bilbo's description of how it is that Hobbit nature is antithetical to tyrancy for the most part. As for Bilbo's feelings of discomfort engendered by what he read and his specific responses to the various offending questions or comments--I felt it was indeed most likely and appropriate for Bilbo to respond as he did. As for the references to your other works--I smiled as I caught and identified them! Great! Author Reply: Thanks! Both Sauron and Bilbo are going to experience some discomfort with this correspondence-- their natures are so different, and there is such a difficult history between them, that it is like walking on eggshells, especially at this early stage. And I've always thought the Ring misjudged hobbits because it simply could not understand their lack of interest in gaining power (as you may recall from my essay on the subject). | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 1/30/2012 |
| I love the correspondence already! Dear, dear Bilbo! Author Reply: Bilbo is truly a dear old soul! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/30/2012 |
| Fascinating! Author Reply: Thanks! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/30/2012 |
| Definitely a--different--partnership! Heh! Author Reply: It's most certainly "different". | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 1/30/2012 |
| It's my first real chance to read this, what with all of the stresses I've been through in recent months. Am interested to see what the two of you have made of the unusual correspondence! The idea of it for some reason brings to mind "The Screwtape Letters," one of my favorites of the Master's friend's writings. Author Reply: It's been years since I read "Screwtape". I certainly hope you enjoy this little experiment! | |
| pandemonium_213 | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 11/29/2011 |
| Thanks so much, Shemyaza and Alei, and my apologies for the belated response. My appreciation is no less sincere! Re: Shemyaza. On Sauron's redemption, say rather "rehabilitation." I don't think redemption is a possibility here, at least how I define the word. Bilbo is certainly a good, if altogether unexpected, influence. Re: Alei. Yep, Sauron's contempt for Gollum (as well as for the Witch-king) is an example of his highly compartmentalized thinking, which comes in handy to justify his actions. I expect examples of similar approaches can be found in our primary world, and not always for the "bad guys." And this... "And I'm curious- what type of creatures are the Maia (or atleast, Sauron and his sister) in Pandeverse? I read Light Over the Mountain on SWG, but I'm still a bit confused. How related/similar to the Valar are they (genetically or otherwise... if we can even talk genetically about partially physical/incorporeal beings...)?" Heh. Oh, this is a subject for a huge, goofy and scientifictitious discourse on my part so I'll spare you that, so for now I'll just say that the Valar and the Maiar of the Pandė!verse, although lumped into the category of Ainur generally, are distinct from one another and even have different origins. I extrapolated this bit (uh, extrapolated a lot) from Tolkien's notes on the root word *phan* in Parma Eldalmaberon 17. JRRT described the Valar as beings of light, when not in corporeal form, but the Maiar can be detected by their fragrance (as opposed to light). To me (a life scientist), that screams different species! Or in this case, different genera (VERY different genera), but with the common feature of a high degree of intelligence and self-awareness...like the Eruhini a.k.a. humans. I have a draft in progress on iLugburz that alludes to the Valar's original forms, which I'm sure will cause some eyebrows to be raised. :^D There's quite a bit more, but at the risk of a) being too pedantic and b) spoilers, I'll stop there. I'd be delighted to elaborate by email: docbushwell@gmail.com Thanks again, both of you! | |
| pandemonium_213 | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/29/2011 |
| Thanks, mews and Aiwen, for having a read and the compliments. Very much appreciated! I have no idea why Sauron is so entranced with golf and fly casting for that matter. It's certainly not self-insertion! | |