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The Way Home by Lindelea	4 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 32 on 10/25/2025
I, too, recall that bit from The Hobbit, and laughed to see it echoed here. And the advice is also reminiscent of Gandalf admonishing Frodo that ours is to decide what we will do within the time that is given to us. Lovely to see Radagast and Gandalf are both honest Istari cast from the same mold.

Lady Forlong	Reviewed Chapter: 32 on 10/14/2025
So Radagast didn't send the Eagle -- he was the Eagle. I'm surprised I didn't see that coming in the last chapter. As I recall, in "The Hobbit," when the Dwarves asked Gandalf, "Where have you been?" he said "looking ahead." Then when they asked him what brought him back, he said, "Looking behind." LOL I love the way you put that in. And Radagast seems to know that his "cousin" is not going to stay dead. I hope the "Voices" will come back when Gandalf comes back. It was only 3 days that he was on the mountain after he killed the balrog, if I remember correctly. Hurry back, Gandalf! Lots of people (and at least one horse and one pony) need you. Author Reply: So Radagast didn't send* the Eagle -- he was the Eagle.* Yes! I was afraid I was being too subtle or taking too much for granted, and people wouldn't realise that Radagast was the Eagle! I even asked one of my beta readers if I should be more explicit, like having Bill observe his transformation between "man" form and "bird" form, when I was finalizing the chapter. I admit to having missed subtle clues in reading other fanfic authors' works... I love connecting Radagast to The Hobbit for some reason. (Is it because the character, in Peter Jackson's works, only appears in The Hobbit film(s) and not in the LOTR film trilogy? I haven't a clue. Ironically, Radagast scores a passing mention in The Hobbit book, constituting mere hearsay, when Gandalf says to Beorn, "Perhaps you have heard of my good cousin Radagast who lives near the Southern borders of Mirkwood?" Whereas he appears and has an actual conversation with Gandalf in Tolkien's LOTR.) Just a quick note: according to the Tale of Years, Gandalf "passes away" on January 25 and "returns to life" on February 15. (The details Tolkien provided in his "extra" materials were incredibly helpful in writing this gapfiller!) So our intrepid equines will have some days of travel without the help and support of the Voices. Luckily, as Radagast noted, it's a straight shot to Bree by way of the Road. Radagast can also see into their hearts, and he knows they are capable – even if they don't know it right now. Author Reply: p.s. One of the "fun facts" I stumbled across while reading up on Radagast and Yavanna was the following (on the Tolkien Gateway website): In the Song of the Ainur Yavanna sung of branches of great trees that would receive the rain of Manwë and Ulmo, and some trees sang to Ilúvatar. This is said to be the conception of the Shepherds of the Trees. Her thought also met with Manwë's, setting the arrival of the Great Eagles. Thus, having Radagast take the form of a Great Eagle and then finding out later that Yavanna had a part in setting the arrival of the Great Eagles in Middle-earth quite tickled my fancy!

KathyG	Reviewed Chapter: 32 on 10/13/2025
So, it was Radagast who sent the Eagle to save them! Nice. I'm so glad that Bill and Shadowfax get to see him again, though Shadowfax has yet to take any notice of him! I hope Radagast can comfort Bill in his grief. Author Reply: Forgive me for geeking out in this review reply. I got rather caught up in looking into the differences between the various Istari and, before I knew it, I had practically gathered enough information for an essay. Of course, Dreamflower's essays stand head-and-shoulders above my musings... I get distracted too easily, making it difficult to organise my thoughts into a coherent narrative. So, it was Radagast who sent the Eagle to save them! The chapter could be read that way. However, my intent was actually to explore Tolkien's description of Radagast as a "master of shapes" by implying that he was the flying creature resembling a "shaggy brown sheepdog with the power of flight" that appeared to be an Eagle. I would also imagine that Radagast could make the Eagle's talons longer and sharper than usual to suit his purpose in this incident... Yikes. I would not want to be one of those bandits. The chapter originally showed the wizard's transformation from giant bird to his man-form after the battle, but that scene didn't make the final cut. Radagast (as I've envisioned him) is a wonder. Each of the wizards seems to have been sent to fill a different role. Specifically, Radagast was associated with the Vala Yavanna, who loved plants and had planted the seeds for plants in Arda, according to the Tolkien Gateway website, which also speculates about the blue wizards' connection to the Valar in this way: Manwë summons a council of the Valar. They decide to send emissaries to Middle-earth. Oromë chooses to send Alatar, and Alatar brings along his friend Pallando. Thus, Radagast reflects Yavanna's love of growing things, along with her healing and protective characteristics. Saruman was associated with Aulë, who (again according to the Tolkien Gateway website) delighted in all works and crafts all of which he was master, from small works of skin to the forging of all lands and mountains and basins of the sea. He made the rocks, the gems and all minerals. He enjoyed devising and making new things, and being praised. In addition, he was husband to Yavanna. (I find this latter fact intriguing; specifically, Saruman's "sponsor" was Yavanna's husband, while Radagast's "sponsor" was Yavanna. Could Saruman's scorn for Radagast reflect something like sibling rivalry, I wonder?) Interestingly, the Tolkien Gateway website also notes the following connection: Several Maiar are associated with Aulë: Mairon, before being corrupted by Melkor and becoming Sauron; and Curumo, who later went to Middle-earth as an Istar to combat the darkness, only to be swayed by the willpower of Sauron. Aulë seems to have had some unusually bad luck involving the Maiar associated with him... In closing, Radagast seems much less complex than Gandalf in Tolkien's scheme of things. According to a web search, Gandalf, originally known as Olórin, served Manwë, Varda, Irmo, and Nienna. While he was a Maia in the service of the Valar, he was particularly known for his association with the gardens of Irmo (Lórien) and for learning pity and patience from Nienna. Manwë, the chief of the Valar, chose him to be sent to Middle-earth as one of the Istari (Wizards). (Caution: I have not confirmed this information about Gandalf by cross-checking this claim against JRRT's writings. Since it is an AI-generated summary, apparently drawing from a post on Quora, it may have flaws. Nevertheless, comparing even Tolkien's brief portrayal of Radagast with that of Gandalf supports the idea that Gandalf has more "depth" due to his connection to multiple Valar. I'm not arguing that Radagast is "less", only that he is "different" and has a different focus than Gandalf based on Valar sponsorship.)

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 32 on 10/13/2025
I toss my head, I whicker and snort, I rub my face on my Friend's arm, nibble at his sleeve and revel in the sound of his laughter. That's so lovely! Author Reply: Thank you! I must admit, a lot of the writing in this part of Bill's journey has constituted "comfort food" for me. I am deeply missing our dogs and young Ollie-cat lately. While the resident cats still compete for the privilege of napping on my lap, none of them is really "huggable" like Ollie and both of the Giant Schnauzers were. There really isn't much more to go (in terms of the number of chapters) before the best reunion of all reunions (from Bill's perspective, at least)!

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