Sam's tribute to Strider is well deserved. My heart breaks, right along with Sams that Frodo cannot see how strong and lovable he really is.
Author's reply
Hantanyel, my dear harrowcat for all these very kind reviews! That Newman hymn was interesting - surprised and pleased that this manuscript inspired you to think of it! :) And thanks for that anti-angst Merry fic - will have to check that out when I am angst-ed out again.
Namarie, God bless, Melinyel, Antane :)
Larner
· 7 October 2006
· Chapter 15: Wounds
Well, well written, and fully poignant. Frodo feeling all is his fault, Sam glad Frodo wasn't worse hurt.
Author's reply
Hantanyel, my dear Larner for all these reviews - I am so glad you are enjoying!
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Armariel
· 7 October 2006
· Chapter 14: Light in Darkness
Wow, I've fallen behind...got some catching up to do! Keep going, keep going...
~~~{~@
harrowcat
· 7 October 2006
· Chapter 14: Light in Darkness
Ooh those creepy Riders do give me the shivers.!.!.!
Queen Galadriel
· 6 October 2006
· Chapter 14: Light in Darkness
Oo, very well done, Antane, all of it! First, this:
I rue the day Bilbo ever found the Ring. How many, many times I have wished he hadn’t, that I hadn’t been chosen, that I was too weak to pass the Test.
But there was nothing for it, as you would say, dearest Sam. Gandalf, the Lady, Lord Elrond, Faramir, they all feared to take the Ring because they knew
they would fail. If those stronger and wiser than I feared it, how could they trust me? Why did they trust me? I looked back along the Road and I hated
it. I hated that it was leading back home and I was being led in the opposite direction. Not even the thought of seeing Bilbo comforted me. I wanted to
be home, safe and had never heard of the Ring. But wishes are meaningless things. I had to go away. I had to leave. You had to come. And I wouldn’t have
wished this terrible blackness on anyone else. It had to be me. I had been chosen. But why, why?
(Wait, I thought Frodo didn't know where Bilbo was?) Anyway, I notice that too often in fanfic, particularly when it comes to angst, Frodo is represented as the flawless, tragic hero who spent himself entirely without a thought for himself. He did spend himself, and he was a hero indeed, the greatest in Middle-earth. But no one, absolutely no one could do what he did and never ask why or wish it were otherwise and that it hadn't had to be him. I love how you made that point.
Then I was gone. I saw them then as they were really were. I entered their pale, nightmare world. I saw light in their terrible darkness, but it was not
the light that saved. I saw their crowns and helms and swords, mounted on skulls and held by skeletal arms and hands. They were nothing and everything.
The tallest pierced me and it was like ice. They wanted me for their own. I don’t know that they didn’t have me in the end.
*shivers* Ooooo! You convey the chilly, creepy feeling very, very well with your descriptions!
God bless,
Galadriel
Author's reply
What a review, ammelda, hantanyel! Sorry it took so long to reply to this one, but as far as not knowing about where Bilbo was, maybe I let slip a little movie-verse in there when Gandalf tells Frodo that Bilbo's gone to stay with the Elves, but I figure that since book-Frodo knew about the surprise at the party (where movie-Frodo didn't) that he would know or at least guess that where Bilbo went due to their mutual love of Elves. And I think I read somewhere that seeing or the hope of seeing Bilbo was partly Frodo's motivation to leave.
Namarie, God bless, Melinyel, Antane :)
Queen Galadriel
· 6 October 2006
· Chapter 13: Thinning
Oh, this makes me shiver, wondering what will lie ahead. Of course I have a general idea, but who knows what's hidden in the pages of this long-lost manuscript. :)
God bless,
Galadriel
Queen Galadriel
· 6 October 2006
· Chapter 12: On the Road
Man, it's not fair! How that dratted, confounded Ring just keeps guilt-tripping poor Frodo, I mean. Of course part of it is that he was a responsible Hobbit from the first; the Ring just took that admirable trait and twisted it into something almost horrible. *sigh* Talk about angst.
I had hoped
it would be in the Shire, but it is along another Road and this one I must travel alone, but for Ring-bearers’ before me.
Wow, that line is so beautiful and sad. "Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before. They are calling from across the distant shore."
God bless,
Galadriel
Larner
· 5 October 2006
· Chapter 13: Thinning
Frodo is thinning, but not truly becoming less, but instead more as time goes by, although he doesn't yet recognize that fact.
harrowcat
· 5 October 2006
· Chapter 13: Thinning
What Sam says here reminds me of a hymn by John Henry Newman.
Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.
I fear that I could wax very lyrical indeed about the similarities between Frodo's (& Sam's) journeys, as inspired by yours and Galadriel's and others and this hymn.
Larner
· 4 October 2006
· Chapter 12: On the Road
And that day will come.
Larner
· 4 October 2006
· Chapter 11: Doors That Shut Out the Night but Not the Dark
Yes, our beloved, Elven Hobbit indeed. And always the two of them see the same situation from opposite sides--Frodo seeing his own blame, Sam seeing the courage displayed and the Ring's own responsibility for the situation in question.
Larner
· 4 October 2006
· Chapter 10: Betrayal and Redemption
It is how we react to the thoughts of betrayal that indicate our true motivations, and how we react to the outcomes of our actions.
He won in spite of the temptation the Ring tried to put into his heart, and Sam still remembers the joy of that day.
harrowcat
· 4 October 2006
· Chapter 12: On the Road
I have always loved the comments about shortcuts. When Strider makes his you begin to get a real sense of his competence in the wild. Just don't look at me for a sense of direction. Give me a map and compass and you can trust me totally!
Did you read 'a prank war' (I think it was called)? Merry finds a map with an alternate route around the marshes marked on it! He decides to get his own back on Strider in Rivendell and mayhem ensues. A definite antidote to angst! To my shame I can't remember who wrote it but now I've got to go and find it!
Your writing is also meminding me of the poem called Footsteps. I don't know if you know it. There have been moments when Sam has not been able to walk at Frodo's side and there is about to come the longest stretch of all. But Frodo is never alone. It is in those moments when he feels most alone that the Creator, ising the arms of Sam carries him.
Author's reply
I have basically no sense of direction. I've gotten lost five minutes away from home and more than once too! I can eventually find my way (after asking St. Anthony usually to help out) but don't ever tell me 'it's south of such and such a street' because I have no clue what south of that means! I have indeed heard of Footprints and agree with you totally on that. Indeed Sam is not the only one who carried Frodo up that mountain. I haven't read that story but I think I've heard of it - is it on this site? It sounds fun.
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Queen Galadriel
· 1 October 2006
· Chapter 11: Doors That Shut Out the Night but Not the Dark
Ah yes, the darkness makes the joy more precious. Oo, scary nightmares. What awful twists!
God bless,
Galadriel
harrowcat
· 1 October 2006
· Chapter 11: Doors That Shut Out the Night but Not the Dark
Yes, all joy is to be recognised and treasured. When it comes rarely it is all the more precious and can carry you through dark times.
Meeting Strider is one of my favourite parts of the book.
Armariel
· 30 September 2006
· Chapter 11: Doors That Shut Out the Night but Not the Dark
That was a cute scene with the song; wish they had put it in the movie!
Nice job overall of getting into Frodo's head. Sam's too.
~~~{~@
Author's reply
It would have been cute, wouldn't it! Glad you enjoyed! :)
Namarie, God bless, Antane
Armariel
· 30 September 2006
· Chapter 10: Betrayal and Redemption
I'm thinking Frodo feels him very near at all times. True friends are never parted in spirit.
~~~{~@
harrowcat
· 30 September 2006
· Chapter 10: Betrayal and Redemption
Yes, when one is so chronically depressed even our victories seem like actual failure. But at least Frodo is still able to see the difference between his own will and the Ring. While he can do that his light will still shine
Queen Galadriel
· 29 September 2006
· Chapter 10: Betrayal and Redemption
Oh, poor Frodo, to still carry the grief of that horrible time with him. One of the greatest hurts the Ring did to him was sharpening his sense of guilt, which needed no sharpening-was strong enough already.
Sam's part of this one is beautiful. I'd quote, but I'd end up quoting the whole thing. :)
God bless,
Galadriel
Queen Galadriel
· 29 September 2006
· Chapter 9: Foggy Night
Ooo! A cliff-hanger! Well...almost anyway. :) That the Ring drew the Barrow-wight is a chilling thought.
God bless,
Galadriel
harrowcat
· 29 September 2006
· Chapter 9: Foggy Night
but evocotive Antane. Frodo's feeling of frantic helplessness is terrible. They all need rescue but his thoughts are for the companions he has drawn into danger. A foggy night in more ways than just the physical.
BTW, I think that you need to fix this sentence...
We were fine until we overslept and woke in that terrible came and the barrow-wight trapped us.
Larner
· 28 September 2006
· Chapter 9: Foggy Night
Yes, the Ring ever drew evil will to it. Alas that they had to experience that.
Queen Galadriel
· 28 September 2006
· Chapter 8: A Respite
I just love the exploration of these moments. I'm glad, too, that they got that extra day! And I agree with them both, it would have been better for them if the Ring had never reappeared. But then we would have had no tale, and the Shire and Middle-earth would be a very different place.
God bless,
Galadriel
harrowcat
· 28 September 2006
· Chapter 8: A Respite
It is one of the hardest things to look back and wish things could have been different at certain times of our lives. It is even harder to be living through such a time and not be able to do much else than endure. To have the support of lovings friends at such times is one of the greatest gifts the Creator can give us at such times. Some friends remain closely entwined in our hearts even when distance and time separates us.
Funnily enough I was working with a group enquiring about becoming Catholics on Faith and Journey just last night!
Lovely Antane.
Larner
· 27 September 2006
· Chapter 8: A Respite
With all the if-onlies on earth, none can be answered here. Each must now find his own way to healing.
I love the both of them.