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| Beyond Imladris by PSW | 41 Review(s) |
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| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/30/2025 |
| I found myself chuckling at the very first sentence. That pause before "smelled"! Puts the reader right into young Estel's shoes. (Is he wearing shoes? boots? Did the Man remove his footwear and leave him barefoot to make escape more difficult?) And now I'm reminded of Boz4PM's wonderful descriptions; I'm pretty sure it was in one of her stories that I first read about the difference between Elves and Men in terms of hygiene. Oh my, the lad's empathy... I can see the healer in him, even at this early stage. They're on their way to Bree...?! Is this his first introduction to a place he'll come to know so well? (My first thought at the small insects and wet, rotten smell was actually Midgewater Marshes! Sometimes, like my long-ago and far-away friend Han Solo, I amaze even myself.) Puppy love? (After all, he won't meet Arwen for another nine years or so, I think I remember?) Oh, but Kerra is a lovely character. I love her warmth and empathy. Estel is right. She deserves better treatment. And the hair tie! (Sudden dim vision of Pippin running aside and dropping an Elven brooch...) Author Reply: Thank you for your comments - so happy you’re enjoying! Aragorn has such a tremendous understanding of people - we see it often through the course of the books in little things - and I can’t help but imagine that, as you say, he must have been an awfully empathetic child even. I suspect being raised by Lord Elrond, a healer of great renown, only reinforced that. Also - it was just nice writing about such a good kid. <3 So glad you liked Kerra! I don’t actually know if he’s got puppy love going on or not. :-P Could very well be - though he’s stressed enough that it’s a bit down on his list at the moment. Still - I had to make his first interaction with a girl be a good one! | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 1/28/2025 |
| PSW! I love this chapter! Elrond polite and pleasant, always trying to do right, make peace, leave a good impression even offering to heal Ferrier. And then his very real reaction to seeing Ferrier and his anger towards him. Well written. The healer in him versus the father in him. Wonderful. (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: Thank you! Happy you're enjoying. I'm sure Elrond would be feeling all kinds of conflicting emotions in this situation ... Thx so much for all your comments! | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 1/28/2025 |
| PSW! Drat! I have to go to work and can't finish the next chapter till Lunch!! Obviously I'm enjoying this! The worry and emotion felt by all the Elves is palpable. I love your characterization of Elrond, how he eventually opened his heart to Estel. His careful control over his worry and the measured approach to his dealing with Men. Nicely drawn. Must dash to work now! (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: Thank you! I always enjoy writing Elrond, even though the idea is a bit intimidating. I'm glad he seems well done... So happy you're enjoying! | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/28/2025 |
| Indeed, a promising beginning! Glorfindel sounds like an excellent teacher. Estel does a good job of thinking through his options. The situation is not ideal, but it sounds as if he's making the best choices he can under the circumstances. (I wonder if Elrond can perceive that something is amiss?) Author Reply: I'm sure Glorfindel would be an excellent teacher - especially on a one-on-one basis. And I'm equally as certain Estel would be a good student. Not an ideal situation at all, but he will make his way through. As for Elrond ... we shall see. :-) Thx for reading! | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 1/27/2025 |
| PSW! Sorry I have not left reviews on all chapters but I have become even more engrossed as I read. I love the affection between Elrond and Estel. Truly wonderfully described! :-) So happy that they and the twins and Glofindel have been reunited. I was beginning to worry! ;-) Interesting take on how much the Dunedain know about Estel's whereabouts. I have written about Aragorn's youth as well and it is always interesting to see another vision of Aragorn's childhood! More chapters please! (of course owing to your time to re-post! :-D ) (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: They are pretty glad to be reunited too! ;-) TBH, most of the rest of this wrote itself on the fly - I did not plan out much about the Dunedain or the next few chapters ... apparently they just wanted to happen. I think it turned out pretty well, hope you enjoy the rest! | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/25/2025 |
| PSW! Yup! A lot of my details come from Internet research before I write. Archery, Chainmail that all personal experience but a lot of my horse related knowledge comes from reading Trixie Belden mystery books as a child! LOL! Love this story! So many twists and turns. The Dream/nightmare read very realistically. Well done!! ((hugs)) MM Author Reply: I loved Trixie Belden! :-D I also read those growing up… So happy you’re enjoying it, thx for your comments! | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 1/25/2025 |
| Oh my. You've set up quite a situation here, fraught with potential foreshadowing. Did the grieving father mark Estel as Elrond's son? Will he take his revenge on the Half-elven or try to use Estel as leverage in an attempt to recover his missing son? (How tragic. I can easily see how such a series of losses could break a man's mind. I suppose it's too much to hope that his son might be found alive somehow at some later point in the story?) I love the relationship you sketch here, along with Elrond's care: protective, but not smothering. Pushing the nestling to try his wings (as in fluttering to a lower branch), to learn and exercise the skills he will badly need as an adult, while cautioning him to prudence (rather than launching himself into open space). Hopefully, in picturing Estel as a fledgling hawk, I haven't mixed my metaphors too badly. Cairistiona? That could be! I will seek out those stories. Do you know if they might be archived elsewhere in addition to SoA? It would be nice to be able to restore every missing story that we can. Author Reply: Poor Master Ferrier has been through a lot, and has a long road to travel before he finds peace unfortunately. But I have hope for him. And the rest of them have quite the adventure coming, as little as they may wish it. But I can only imagine that already at this age Estel would have been taught so much—they know who he is and what will be before him, even if he doesn’t—and I am sure he was a kind child. Between the two he will be all right… One of her missing stories is on AO3, and I let her know. (It’s one of my very favorite of hers, I hope it makes it back into this site!) She said she would let the moderators know. Do you know anything about Canafinwe? The Appendices for A Long and Weary Way are not on this site - I believe they should have been, though I can’t know for sure. She stopped posting several years ago, though, and I don’t know anything about her situation… | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/24/2025 |
| PSW! I've been enthralled with the story and haven't been leaving a review on each chapter. But I love Estel playing marbles and meeting Nob! Lovely. And now Scowler...eek! (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: I'm happy you're enjoying it! I really loved the marbles scene too - it is just something normal children would do that he probably never had a chance to experience ... so I gave him that chance! :-) Thx for your comments! | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 1/23/2025 |
| I don't think I read this earlier. Before I was drawn away from fanfic due to the demands of RL (academic editing used up my eyes, and almost all my leisure reading comprised audiobooks for the duration), I tended to read hobbit-centred fanfic (though I would read any fic that included Beregond when I could find one). However, in more recent years, I've become intrigued with the Rohirrim (especially as Mirkwoodmaiden writes them), the Dwarves (as in Soledad's recent story), and more lately Faramir and Elessar. From about a decade ago, I also remember loving several stories about the life and communities of the Northern Rangers, but I haven't been able to find them again. All that to say, I'm looking forward to reading this tale. I cannot seem to get enough of Middle-earth. I don't know if that fascination will eventually extend to the characters in the Sil... I guess only time will tell. Author Reply: I can't really get enough of Middle Earth either! <3 I drift away at times, but always end up coming back... I really enjoy the Silmarillion. I find it harder to read stories about those characters though - my first love are the people inhabiting LOTR and I always end up back there. I do sometimes play around with the Numenorean timeline and characters ... but I almost consider those as belonging as much to LOTR as the SILM. Could the Northern Rangers stories be the ones by Cairistiona? She has some stories about Aragorn and some of his Rangers that I have always enjoyed. (Also, I see some of hers are missing too. Sigh ... ) Anyway ... I hope you enjoy when you get to this one! :-) | |
| Leithian | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 1/22/2025 |
| Just started reading and... oh dear, this story is wonderful. I really missed these type of stories here (young Aragorn). Reminds me of old times they were more popular. Author Reply: <3 I so enjoyed writing this story - I hope you continue to enjoy! | |