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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 4 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 33 on 10/25/2025 |
| Bronwe athan Harthad is good enough advice to the Lord of Horses. Be like that humble Hobbit who even now is moving closer and closer to his fate, one even he dreads--perhaps more than they can appreciate. The happy Hobbit who threw himself into Gandalf's arms, threw his friend into Rosie's arms during the dance, who was obviously admired by the girls as he showed off his own dance moves--is being scoured away, leaving only the discerning, responsible individual he is at his core, terrified but determined to keep his word. Love Bill's advice--Foot by foot by foot by foot.... | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 33 on 10/22/2025 |
| foot by foot by foot by foot -- of course. A horse has 4 of them ;) You were right -- I looked it up. It was almost a month from the time Gandalf fell off the bridge to the time Gwaihir picked him up off the mountain. What confused me was that it was three days that he was on the mountain alive but out of it, after he returned. I seem to remember him saying something about "three lonely days," but now I can't find it. So the fight and whatever time he spent on the "other side" took longer, and that's what would have mattered to the horses. BTW, I always thought that Whoever sent him back should have at least had the decency to fix his body or make him a new one. I like the way you weave the quotes into your stories, especially the ones in this chapter. And I continue to love the way you describe Radagast. There wasn't enough of him in the books and there was too much of him in the movies, but that wouldn't have been the case if they hadn't made him so kooky. I like your version better. I always thought of him as a sort of St. Francis figure. And I might have said all this before, so forgive me if I did. Author Reply: Yes! Exactly. Merrylegs adopted the hobbity expression to accommodate four-footed creatures. Writing one of these gapfillers to fit seamlessly with the original narrative always enhances my appreciation for the intricacies of the original text. So many details, and really remarkably consistent overall considering the numerous plot threads, characters, and settings. Before I started outlining this Part 2, I had no idea that Gandalf's "fall" and battle with the Balrog lasted ten days! And that he was dead for twice that long before returning to life, according to the Tale of Years. (The brilliant part of those extended time frames was that I was able to include Shadowfax into this story and still have plenty of time for him to travel from Bree to Rohan to reunite with new-and-improved Gandalf as the main story continued on its merry way.) St. Francis! I love that comparison. Though I hadn't thought of it in those terms before you mentioned it, I do believe I might have been influenced by old memories of Francis-centered stories when I was writing about Radagast in the draft of the story (heard at "Blessings of the Animals" celebrations over the years at our old Episcopal church). Thanks! | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 33 on 10/19/2025 |
| I'm glad that Radagast is there for Shadowfax, especially. Because, among other things, Bill still needs him. I suspect Radagast knows that. Author Reply: Radagast *is* a wizard, after all, and it seems reasonable that a wizard ought to be wise, so... I would tend to agree with you here. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! I do appreciate it! (I'm looking forward to getting back to reading your story soon... I just have a few more chapters in the Farry-and-Ferdi-go-to-Gondor draft to finalize before I can do so since the hobbits are in the middle of retracing the journey of the Fellowship.) | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 33 on 10/19/2025 |
| What an utterly lovely chapter, one of my favorites of all! Begin again... Those words speak to my heart. Sometimes "endurance beyond hope" is all we have when what's needed is to take... one more step. Beautiful, my friend. This chapter is poetry. Author Reply: I'm so glad! Thank you, dear friend, for your heartening response. "Begin again." Such a simple phrase, and yet not as easy as it may sound, not at all. (((hugs to you and yours))) | |