A Longer Road by Shireling
Coriel · 27 October 2003 · Chapter 9: Duties and Contentment
An endearing glimpse of Aragorn the unwilling statesman. :) Sacrifices must be made by all. "And Gimli is still choking on his beer." Haha! A great story overall ~ *They're calling me for dinner!*
Author's reply
Coriel, Thank you for wading through to the end and taking the time to review. Acceptance and contentment- it is good to know that they could all find that in the end. Helen
Coriel · 27 October 2003 · Chapter 8: A Road Well Travelled
What a perfectly wonderful chapter! As someone generally Elf-inclinded, this one was more up my alley, and it was great to see Legolas again as he won over a few more hobbit friends. He's just a sweetheart by nature. :) Thanks again ~ it was really nice!
Coriel · 27 October 2003 · Chapter 7: Companions along the Road
Oh boy! Add two more classics to the scene! A reunion of old friends seems just what Sam needs at this point. I kept meaning to write a Legolas&Gimli in the Shire, but never got around to it. So thank you for doing so!
Coriel · 20 October 2003 · Chapter 5: In The Company of Friends
Well I certainly hope Merry can do something about this. Sam really needs to get his act together!
Coriel · 17 October 2003 · Chapter 2: To The End Of Your Road
How refreshing is selflessness! You see so very little of it today . . .
Coriel · 15 October 2003 · Chapter 0: On the road again
That would be hard for hobbits to understand, particularly Sam. But such is life, as several others have learned already. Poor guys!
Author's reply
Coriel, Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. Please let me know what you think! Helen
daw the minstrel · 13 October 2003 · Chapter 9: Duties and Contentment
This was a moving picture of people after the adventures are over and daily life has to be lived with all its duties. Rewards and joys too, of course, but also a sense of loss for what they all had before they went through the fire together. I've always thought that LOTR had a melancholy tone to it overall, that there wasn't really a happy ending as we usually think of one. This tale caught that mixture of sadness and satisfaction nicely. Well done.
Author's reply
Thank you, Yes, just about everbody had to lose something or someone in the struggle for victory. I feel quite lost now that this story has come to an end! Many thanks. Helen
Lady Rheena · 10 September 2003 · Chapter 7: Companions along the Road
Very nice! Post-rings stories are hard to come by, and this is a particularly good one. You seem to have the characters very on-canon. Most impressive, and a nice flowing prose style. Nice work, Helen! ~ Lady Rheena ~ Elen sila lumenn omentilmo...
Author's reply
Lady Rheena, Many thanks for your kind and encouraging comments. I'm really pleased to know that I have 'captured' the spirit of the characters and that they ring true. Updates may be a little slow (2 or 3 more chapters to go) as the deadline for my Uni dissertation is looming- real life does get in the way sometimes!!! Best wishes Helen/shireling
daw the minstrel · 7 September 2003 · Chapter 7: Companions along the Road
Wonderful picture of the recovery from mourning and the rebuilding of a fragile relationship. Poor Sam. He never meant to go adventuring at all!
Author's reply
Daw, Thank you for taking time to review. I really appreciate your comments. Sam is so often overlooked as a character in his own right and not just an appendix to Frodo. He played a crucial role snd suffered for it. Frodo leaving must have broken his heart!! Helen/shireling
Kit5 · 6 September 2003 · Chapter 6: To Catch Me If I Fall
That was the best "post-Grey Havens Sam" fic I have ever read. I can see this happening, that Sam's anguish extends to and wounds Rosie, and I think she carried the thought with her all her life that Frodo left because of her (he didn't, but I can see how she would think that.) Very, very wonderful story.
Author's reply
Kit, Many thanks for your kind words and encouragement. The story isn't finished yet but I am working on it!!maybe 2 or 3 more chapters. This story has been buzzing in my head since I first read LOTR, long before I came across fanfiction. Sam has always tugged at my heart and I have found this a very emotional story to write. Helen/shireling
Grand Theft Author Otaku · 1 September 2003 · Chapter 6: To Catch Me If I Fall
Oh poor Sam, I really felt so sorry for him. That was beautiful Shireling, very emotive. I choked up reading the last chapter :, - } Author Reply: Greetings from a fellow Hobbit lover. Thank you for taking the time to review. Sam has always been a favorite of mine-I love his simplicity and his devotion. I have a couple more chapters planned for this story but at the moment they are resisting all efforts to flow towards a happy/hopeful conclusion!!! Helen/shireling