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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 4 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 72 on 6/5/2026 |
| Poor Bill! All of this is really rough on him. Is it only what he senses going on with Frodo and Sam that has put him in this shape, or did something happen to him during that rescue mission that I failed to comprehend? Author Reply: As you suspected, Bill's weakness is a mixture of strain from using himself up (physically speaking) in providing a counter-pull to keep the fallen tree from rolling and crushing the trapped forester and his rescuers, and oppression leaking through to his mind and spirit through the power of the Ring which is amplifying and conveying the intensity of his hobbits' emotions. In short, he doesn't have the strength to bear up under the horror assaulting Sam (and Frodo, of course) at this time, and the connection to Mordor has hushed his Voices for the time being. Poor pony. Nevertheless, he earned the name Greatheart for a reason. And he's not alone; help is on the way. Author Reply: p.s. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! Your observations are helping me make the narrative work as intended. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 72 on 6/3/2026 |
| I get the feeling Violet is really there, even though he thinks he's dreaming it. And of course we know that what's going on with Frodo and Sam isn't a dream either. And I love the way the thought of "that marvellous valley where Merrylegs still grazes" seems to sustain him through all this. I still think it's sad that he didn't end up back in Rivendell. He would have been reunited with Sam even sooner. Author Reply: Trust your gut. It sounds spot on. If I had written LOTR, Bill probably would have gone back to Rivendell. I'm not sure why the Professor sent him back to Bree, except maybe for that phenomenon of animals (dogs, cats, horses) finding their way "home" – in my experience, horses do naturally speed up when they realize they are heading in the direction of their stables, meaning the idea of a "stable pull" is real – and the other curious behavior where equines have been known to run back into their burning stables in search of safety. But Bill's life with Ferny was so miserable! And the Professor described the pony's positive changes during his time in Rivendell... I should think Bill would naturally be drawn back to "that marvellous Valley". (That is why I had to write the sequence as his ending up in Bree almost on accident.) While I mistakenly thought the Travellers spent a month in Rivendell on their rather-leisurely-sounding return journey, when I looked it up just now, it was actually only about a fortnight. I realize their pace wasn't actually as leisurely as it seems to me, considering the distances and travel modes involved, but still. It took them so long to get back home... Thanks! | |
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 72 on 6/2/2026 |
| Oh Bill!!!!! No!!!! Don't go! 💔 Author Reply: I know exactly how you feel! (((hugs))) | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 72 on 6/2/2026 |
| O Poppet-mine! O my dearest Poppet! Wake up! Please wake up! Please don't die and leave us... In her words, I hear an echo of my Sam's voice. Master, dear master! What a connection between these two events. Wake up, Mr. Frodo, so Bill can sense Sam's joy and relief! Author Reply: Yes, wake up, Mr. Frodo! (Thanks!) I so appreciate that you are still with me, even through this angsty part of the story. (((hugs))), dear friend. | |