Agape4Gondor
· 12 December 2008
· Chapter 8: The art of healing
Great chapter... I hate misunderstandings... but we human seem to be soooo vulnerable.
As for Fana - my heart broke for her. It is well and good to think that you will be strong and change and say phooey on your dreams.... but it is usually impossible to live that way... she will suffer much if they cannot speak with each other in a straightforward manner.
Author's reply
"I hate misunderstandings... " Ah, but I think they make for good plot devices. At least, since I'm no good at villains, they work for me.
And Fana, well, she's maybe not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's rather resilient. ;-)
Sunny
· 12 December 2008
· Chapter 8: The art of healing
_Somebody_ here needs a clue-by-four! But I hope Fana will be satisfied with the end result.
Author's reply
I promise that Deoric will very soon get a kick in the posterior, in fact in the next chapter. ;-)
Sunny
· 12 December 2008
· Chapter 9: A fear of fire
I understand that Déoric really is aiming to become the Snorre Sturlason of Rohan (though he doesn't really understand it, and perhaps never will). So let us just hope that Master Master Gléowine will let himself be persuaded to tell the stories.
Since Éomer wants this book to be made, and Déoric wants the King to have the best (not to mention that he wants this future work of his hands to be the best it can be), he has of course gone to the _very_ best source of stories that he knows. :-)
And perhaps in the future he may even become a bit like Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, who went out in the sticks to collect Norwegian folk tales and later published them :-)
Author's reply
Funny you should say that... ;-)
Linda Hoyland
· 9 December 2008
· Chapter 8: The art of healing
Poor Fana.I do hope this misunderstanding that she loves another is soon resolved.
Author's reply
Thanks for your comments. ;-) I also wish I could draw like Deoric - I wonder if that means he is a Mary Sue?
Linda Hoyland
· 9 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
I loved the scene with the little girl. I always wishes that I could draw.I Do hope Deoric is not going to lose his friend now.
Linda Hoyland
· 9 December 2008
· Chapter 6: Inky visions
What a daunting task to be required to draw Eomer!I'm glad our young artist/scribe is beginning to enjoy his new life.I think I know where drawing is going to be sent!
Dreamflower
· 8 December 2008
· Chapter 8: The art of healing
In some things, Deoric is such an idiot. *sigh*
However, I love the way he has discovered perspective: draw what you see, and not what you know. That is a perfect description of it.
And I am very glad Niarl is all right. I was quite worried about him.
Author's reply
I confess I quite liked the irony that he believes he's behaved very well. Anyway, not long now and he'll meet someone who tells it like it is.
Larner
· 8 December 2008
· Chapter 8: The art of healing
And she feels as if he snubbed her! He is SO blind to her heart. If only he had looked at her face! Foolish guy!
Author's reply
I need to be carefyul, eh. If I make him any more annoying, you'll end up hating him.
harrowcat
· 8 December 2008
· Chapter 8: The art of healing
Oh men! Sometimes you just want to shake them or even throttle them to death!
Author's reply
*Smiles innocently* And I thought I had so many positive male characters in this story!
curiouswombat
· 8 December 2008
· Chapter 8: The art of healing
Oh poor Fana particularly - I rather feel I want to take our poor young hero and give him a hard poke...
Author's reply
He will get poked, and soon, I promise...
Mysterious Jedi
· 6 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
That was a mean place to stop!
Author's reply
Sorry. I wouldn't set out to write a cliff hanger just for the sake of it, but it just fitted here.
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
Oh my gosh! You just absolutely killed me - I recognized the mother's reticence at fixing the pants... but when she sat down to begin - I just sobbed with her......................... I want to swear and rail and scream
Drat - what a hideous way for the day to end for her.... her son being a tad nasty... poor thing. And her with no one to go to for comfort... Might you give her a friend...?????
Oh - or a daughter-in-law??? :)
Author's reply
Yes, it doesn't help that he is an adolescent on top of everything else...
Thanks for all your thoughtful comments!
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
Though the peaceful joy of sharing pictures with the little girl was nice... the contrast of this statement blew me away... numb paralysis that he had felt when he saw his own leg lying on the ground
Author's reply
I've used contrast rather a lot in this story, probably from a realization that no pure happiness will be possible at this time, because everything is against the dark backdrop of the suffering the people have just been through.
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 6: Inky visions
Save a sheep! I'm rolling on the floor laughing!
Oh! I love the visit of his uncle. To win approval - and help with the ink - what a blessing. Oh drat! I was so hoping he would show his uncle the drawing of the horse.....
Poor Deoric - draw me! Simple enough request... NOT!!!
Excellent chapter - seems Deoric will be very busy for a long time...
Author's reply
Good to see that the joke amuses so many people. ;-)
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 5: Horses
I am so excited about the book - and also hoping that, one day, the dear boy might consider trying his hand at drawing those 'unlikely' horses!
*giggles* just read the ending of this chapter... I guess my hope might be fulfilled for the boy.
Author's reply
It's amazing how thrilling a book can be, isn't it?
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 4: Reminiscences
Ah ha! Needless to say, I will latch onto anything with hope in it. Perhaps Fana and the Houses for Edoras??? She seems quite able to be helpful - as she does with her family.
Well - what a great task indeed! I find it a little odd that Thengel did not bring home the idea of the written word for the people of the Mark. After all, while he was in Minas Tirith, he would have certainly spent some time with books... I'm glad that Eomer is making up for that lack!
Great chapter.
Author's reply
Aragorn says in The Two Towers, when he comes to Rohan with Legolas and Gimli, that the Rohirrim don't write books, but sing many songs. So I've taken that quite literally to mean that they are a strictly oral culture. I've assumed that they used writing only for administrative tasks.
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 3: Of quills and necklaces
There was a purpose awaiting him - well, this answers my heart-ache from the last chapter...
Oh! I'm hoping that a bed can be brought into the scribe's room so he doesn't have to climb those interminable steps......
Poor Eowyn - I have some difficulty with my hands and feel for her...
And also for the Fana... You know I do hope, now that I see her heart is pure, that her relationship with your hero might be possible...
Author's reply
"I'm hoping that a bed can be brought into the scribe's room so he doesn't have to climb those interminable steps......" Naaa, exercise it good for him. ;-)
Author Reply: And you wouldn't want to keep him away from his mother, would you?
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 2: An unexpected calling
Will we have blind carpenters and one-armed builders?” said Éomer, but when Léofred was about to reply, he continued quickly: “Very well, very well. You are right; we have a debt to them. I shuddered at this - it seems so very cold for Eomer....
My heart breaks for this lad .... seemingly innocuous talk of shoes just cuts too deep..
I don't know whether to be happy or sad over the cattle-call. Granted, these men desperately need work... but it seemed so humiliating... at least to me.
Good chapter as I sit back - close to tears at the sacrifice of these wounded...
Author's reply
I had some doubts about Eomer's comment myself. What I wanted to show is that he can be a bit rash at times, but without any ill intention. I think most the crippled man would prefer to be assigned a new job rather than just given a handout.
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 1: The Kings of the Mark return
but I didn’t actually get there and I ended up driving away the orcs from an island in the river - easy enough to know exactly WHY he didn't make it to Mordor... I wonder if he'll share it with his friend, this secret shame...
And then - you have me livid over your hero not having enough coin to buy himself an ale... what kind of government.... never mind... I won't discuss politics here... :)
Halol has claimed the better lot.......... too often is that lament heard.
The stones had soaked up the midday sun... unlike those other stones that were now cooling under their blanket of turf into the endless chill of death. *shivers*
Beautiful chapter....
Author's reply
Well, Niarl is the kind of happy-go-lucky man who'll not die with shame about this, and since he had his fair share of adventures afterwards, I don't think he'll need to. And the "government" - they just have been rather busy with lots of things and haven't got round to sorting some things out yet.
Agape4Gondor
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 0: Prologue
I've been wanting to read this for awhile, but what with the MEFA's and the RW, and my own writing - I just couldn't fit it in. That's not a good enough excuse.
I almost wept just at the sudden description of your 'hero' - a tall man... it seems hard to think of someone robust and full of life suddenly 'maimed' and, for some reason, just the fact that he was tall took my heart and squeezed it...
Words are odd and powerful things....
Author's reply
Oh, don't worry, I don't think people need even an excuse for not reading everything that's on offer - there's just far too much!
Celeritas
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
Eep! I hope that ending wasn't what I thought it was!
The conversation with the orphaned girl was sad and sweet; I'm glad he was able to give her some joy with his sketches.
I also enjoyed the scene from his mother's perspective, showing once again how all have been affected by the war. And I appreciated the realism of having a different healer show up.
Another good chapter; looking forward to more and the resolution of the apparent cliffhanger.
Author's reply
What can I say, it will all turn out well in the end. ;-)
curiouswombat
· 5 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
I have just spent my lunch hour (and some...)reading this wonderful story from the beginning and want you to know how much I am enjoying it. Thank you so much for writing.
Author's reply
Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I rather enjoyed writing it.
Larner
· 4 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
Does Ethelhelm now believe perhaps Deoric is unhappy with Fana? Deoric isn't helping himself with his attitude!
Love that he's drawing more and finding it satisfying, even if he's certain somehow that he's useless. But he's beginning to realize there are advantages and disadvantages to each disability.
Love the interaction with the little girl. But it appears his friend is now seriously injured--and just how seriously is as yet to be discerned.
Poor guy--he still has some accepting to do!
Author's reply
I confess Ethelhelm remains a bit unfathomable even to me... Who knows, he might actually find Deoric /more/ suitable now as a prospective husband for his daughter? Thanks for reviewing.
Dreamflower
· 4 December 2008
· Chapter 7: With open eyes
Oh, Deoric's having mixed success with his attempts to adjust--this is very realistic, dear, with the setbacks and improvements going back and forth, the good and bad mingled.
I quite liked his realization that the slate would be a good tool to go back to for his sketching, and his acquiescence in going to the stables in spite of his reluctance. And I loved his interaction with the little girl.
On the other hand, he is still being surly from time to time, and he keeps thinking that certain things are out of his reach (like Fana!)
And the ending of the chapter is ominous...
Author's reply
Thanks for your comments. I brought in the little girl, because I felt it was high time that Deoric was being nice to somebody. ;-)
Larner
· 1 December 2008
· Chapter 6: Inky visions
Ah, but he shall prove capable of much more than he thinks, I believe. Lovely images here as he thinks on the horse and captures it, then does a creditable picture of Eomer! Wonderful!
Author's reply
Thank you. Yes, he's turned a corner now, but he's not quite home and dry yet. ;-)