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| No Greater Love Part One: The Reckoning by MJ | 14 Review(s) |
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| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 9/17/2013 |
| What a beautifully crafted story. I'm finding it very inspiring. You've been going through difficult times, and I truly hope that many of the clouds are lifting. Author Reply: Thank you kindly for your praise and your concern. These last few years have indeed been dark and difficult, but those clouds are beginning to lift, thank heavens. Some days are still a struggle, but I'm hopeful that the good days will soon outnumber the bad. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/17/2013 |
| “It was wise to keep the knowledge hidden, for if this had been known from the beginning, Melkor surely would have attempted to corrupt or harm him, to the great sorrow of many. As the youngest of us, with no acknowledged relation to any and of a humble demeanor, Melkor would have deemed him to be of no consequence." How fascinating! I've greatly enjoyed the unfolding of this secret. And the idea of Varda looking forward to spending time with Frodo and Bilbo makes my heart happy. Author Reply: Again, my thanks. I've seen depictions of Varda that paint her as cold and distant, but somehow, I couldn't imagine it. After all, the Ainur came into this world for the love of it, and Eru's Children, and these two are so easy to love! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2013 |
| I expected no personal gain or reward for my work, but I thank You for the experience, Father, and the gift of understanding. I took on the onus out of love for Your Children, nothing more. I know what I have achieved. I have not always done the best thing, nor the right thing. I have made mistakes, and I have failed to do things I set out to do, but never did I willfully do wrong. I have done the best I was able, always, and that is all that You have ever asked of us. That's lovely. It's possible to be truly humble, yet totally aware of the worth of one's being, and one's achievements. Author Reply: And would that such a balance was easier to achieve in our real mortal lives! Perhaps this is part of why the Ainur fascinate me so, since it's just such things I struggle with every day. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/17/2013 |
| I marvel at how intricately and lovingly you've imagined the sights, sounds, and residents of Aman. And, being a great lover of hobbits, I appreciate the gentle, loving, humorous, yet respectful way Frodo and Bilbo are treated, the peaceful life they've found in the West, and the many folk who are pleased to call them friends. I'm slowly reading and enjoying your tale, and find myself captivated by new and creative ideas such as... a bier of white and silver and gold had been set between the remains of the Trees, upon which the mortal shell that had been Olórin's burden during his labors in Middle-earth's Third Age had been laid to rest after he had been permitted to release it and resume his natural life as a Maia. The body did not decay, and it had been placed there both to honor the Istar's achievement, and to remind those who had never tasted mortal life of the sacrifices that had been made to free all of Arda from the evils of Sauron. Author Reply: Thank you very much! While I unabashedly admit that my favorite of Tolkien's characters has long been Gandalf in all his manifestations, I have always had a soft spot for Frodo and many of the other hobbits. More of them will be seen in Part Two, so worry not! | |