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Tangled Web  by daw the minstrel 30 Review(s)
PSWReviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/31/2016
*sigh* I remember this one...I spent half the time laughing and half the time feeling bad for Legolas that he was so worried about Hobbit the Dwarf child. It is sweet, though... :-)

Author Reply: I laughed too. There's something just inherently ridiculous about how earnest he is. He's a good guy.

DotReviewed Chapter: 7 on 5/14/2005
There should be a button for replying to replies... Although, then your reviewers would never stop talking.

Anyway, thank you so much. Sad to say, that was really confusing me!

He needed a break from command? Yes, that's it! He was tired of the responsibility

Sounds good to me! It's either that or the appearance of elflings...;-) No need for an explanation, though - I highly doubt anyone else is crazy enough to spend two days wondering if she's got her elves mixed up :-)



Author Reply: Always a pleasure to hear from you, Dot.

DotReviewed Chapter: 7 on 5/14/2005
May I ask a question please? I was re-reading this on and off yesterday and something puzzled me. I always find it really hard to keep track of which warriors are in what patrols and who the captain is, and I was wondering... is Elorfin a member of the Home Guard here just as an ordinary warrior or did I miss something? Because isn't he the same person who's captain of the Northern Border Patrol in 'A Creature of Fire'? I wouldn't normally ask but am getting even more confused trying to figure it out.

I swear I'm not being annoying on purpose. Someday I'll have to write it all out for myself because my poor brain can't keep track of people. Feel free to delete this from your reviews if you want.

Author Reply: Hm. Apparently he is. Now how do I explain that? He needed a break from command? Yes, that's it! He was tired of the responsibility. :-)

Tapetum LucidumReviewed Chapter: 7 on 6/17/2004
I got a cable modem installed today!!! Yay!!! They finally ran it through our neighborhood. All of the buttons on ff.net actually work now. How weird is that?

I kept cracking up every time I heard the elves use Hobbit for a name. I don't know why it seemed so funny but it did. It is good to see our young lieutenant using his warrior's skills appropriately. Annael is exceptionally good at woodcraft. The spiders' nest they found sounded huge. The speed with which it was built must have been frightening. Good job coordinating their attack. I like how the elves are so puzzled about the actions of the dwarves while it is clear to those of us who have read the dwarven perspective. Good job looking at it in new light. Legolas' concern for Hobbit is heartwarming.

Eilian is in his favorite spot - killing orcs. He is so good at, no wonder he loves it. I am sure it is very rewarding. I like how he is working so hard to protect the council. They are not exactly defenseless but it would be an embarrassment to have something happen to them. His reaction to the fall of the dark tower was great! He didn't know exactly what was going on but he knew it was big. Poor Gelmir! - at least he will be in the best hands possible.

So where did Sauron scurry off to. Nowhere good I am sure. Having Ithilden in command must have made Eilian's job easier. There is no one he trusts more, except maybe his Adar. If Celuwen is as feisty in bed as she is in the Great Hall Eilian's bed is indeed exciting.




Author Reply: I LOVE having a cable modem. It's so fast you just can't believe it. Congratulations!

I have to admit, I giggled every time I typed "Hobbit." There is something funny about it. There's something funny about the whole notion of Hobbit the Dwarf Child with the Negligent Parents actually. Legolas is just so sincere about it.

The expulsion of Sauron from Dol Guldur was one of the things I was worried about writing because I'm very practical and describing magic is a real challenge. Fortunately, I was in Eilian's head and he was busy and didn't see what the White Council was doing so I didn't have to be too explicit! I figure Eilian and Ithilden are probably very attuned to one another in a battle situation. They'd have an instinctive feel for one another that would help a lot.

Sauron went to Mordor. Nowhere good at all.

White WolfReviewed Chapter: 7 on 6/17/2004
I find it interesting how well Thranduil can so completely separate the king from the father, when dealing with his family. He's an impressive character.

At last, Sauron is gone from Dol Guldur. Too bad the joy won't last. But for now, the elves of Mirkwood can enjoy it.

Author Reply: Thranduil IS impressive. I think it must be hard to separate those roles completely though. Surely Thranduil always sees Legolas as his son, even when is trying to be king.

It is nice that Tolkien gave the Wood-elves this little window of better times. Poor things.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 7 on 6/17/2004
Just thinking - clever reference by the spider to the fact that he could see the elves, thus intimating that he couldn't see Hobbit. Very subtle.

Author Reply: Thank you, Bodkin. I'm a little worried that I'm being too obscure for the folks who haven't read The Hobbit. But they can find things out just when the Elves do, so I guess that's OK too.

erunyauveReviewed Chapter: 7 on 6/17/2004
I love Legolas' perspective on Bilbo's rescue of the dwarves - it's really well thought out and logical considering what he doesn't know about Bilbo. Your spiders, are, as ever, creepy - I loved the spider's comment that it could see the 'stingers' the elves wielded. And your description of Sauron's flight is just perfect - the tension leading up to it resolves palpably despite the worry about Gelmir.

Author Reply: Thank you, Erunyauve. This story is fun to write. I keep rereading The Hobbit, trying to see what it must have looked like to the Elves, and Tolkien really tells us very little about what they know or don't know. Bilbo sees things and tells them in one way, but sometimes I'm not even sure how reliable that is. In one place, for instance, he says there were at least fifty spiders and in another he says hundreds. Is that last number a result of his fear? I don't know. Anyway

The Dol Guldur part is easier in a way. Tolkien tells us next to nothing so I can make it all up. ;-)

Estel_Mi_OlorReviewed Chapter: 7 on 6/16/2004
Wow, Daw, what a chapter! That was amazingly exciting! Poor Hobbit! I was very worried about the little Dwarf; it wasn't their fault that Tonduil decided to have in his wedding in that convenient little clearing and that Thranduil messed with their minds. At least Hobbit found his mother. But wow! I never appreciated the spider increase until now. That's a lot of spiders, moving fast, if there had been a colony established so shortly after the area was checked. That's not good. Cheers for the Spider Resistance!

The Orc attack was very exciting. But poor Gelmir! I was so worried he might die! But then, you wouldn't kill of Gelmir! At least Elrond is there to fix him up. I don't know enough ME history to understand exactly what happened at Dol Guldor. It was Sauron that was in the Tower, but he gave up, and disappeared? Wait a minute, this is the year Bilbo found the Ring? So that was where Sauron's attention was turned perhaps. He senses the One Ring. Obviously, I have no idea what I'm talking about, so feel free to correct me.

Well, success was well deserved, and it applauded. Eilian's comment about wanting excitement of a different sort was funny. He should let Celuwen know...

Keep writing Daw! I can't wait for an interesting conclusion! (And yes, I have finally mastered the concept of the 'paragraph'!)

Author Reply: You're absolutley right, Estel! I think Sauron senses the One Ring which Bilbo was wearing at the time of the attack on Dol Guldur. Mind you, that explanation is mine, not Tolkien's. He just tells us the two things happened at around the same time. I'm the one who thinks that Bilbo's wearing the ring may have led Sauron to give up on finding the ring along the Anduin and so he left.

Now, about Hobbit. He's not really a dwarf child, Estel. He's really Bilbo. But Legolas doesn't know that. He thinks this little guy is a dwarf. He's never seen a hobbit before.

LeraReviewed Chapter: 7 on 6/16/2004
This is so exciting. I'm absolutely loving this story! What a hilarious touch to have Legolas looking for "Hobbit." And yet it's perfectly in line with his character that he'd look for a lost child.

I thought what you showed of the magic of the white counsel was perfect, coming at it from Eilien's point of view.

Sorry my reviews haven't been very consistant. But I always read the new chapters and am enjoying this very, very much.

Author Reply: I feel bad laughing at poor earnest Legolas, who would never let a child go unprotected. And yet, it makes laugh every time I have to type "Hobbit" as if it were a name.

I'm glad you liked the magic. I chickened out of showing it directly. I just couldn't imagine how to do it. This story has lots of magic actually, much more than I usually write.

Thanks for the review, Lera. I'm always happy to hear from you but I understand that you have a life too!

The KarenatorReviewed Chapter: 7 on 6/16/2004
Hi daw,

I'm back. Late is better than never, I suppose. But I will return to the home of my woodland kin this weekend. Ah, the song of the trees....

Anyway, enough mooning over fir and hemlock....

I'm still so impressed by how well you've woven this tale from the Elves' point of view. It's difficult, I think, to separate what we already know from what it must have been like from the view of a group who have no idea what is going on. Giving the 'child' the name Hobbit is such a wonderful stroke. Your take is so original and utterly fun! I know I keep telling you what a good job you've done with this material, but I just can't get over how much detail and originality you've given to the tale.

The spiders are properly disgusting. What a difficult menace to have to fight. I keep wanting to pull out a can of Black Flag Spider Killer. I swear by it at the mountain house. I asked them to stay out...it was a fair warning, I thought! But to have to battle giant spiders that eat every living thing is just too horrifying for me (and Daeron) to even contemplate. You've made them truly creepy. And the Dwarves have now taken refuge in the king's 'safe' area. Even if they are trespassing, I doubt even Thranduil would want them to become spider snacks. And I have loved how the Elves think these Dwarves are such bad parents for letting little 'Hobbit' roam about so freely.

Gelmir! You wouldn't, would you? With Elrond to look after him, I'm SURE he'll be fine. I can't imagine how Ithilden and Eilian must feel knowing that Sauron is gone. They must have a sense of the forest inherited from Thranduil that the others don't have. I imagine they really did feel a weight lifted from them. Like Eilian, I wondered what Thranduil must have sensed at the time Sauron fled. Now, what exactly is worrying the good gray wizard? Just the resistance Sauron offered and then the suddenness of the departure? Interesting. I feel like I've missed something in the HOME....which would not be unusual. There's so much to remember, and I'm low on memory. :>)

I looking forward to what happens next. Carry on. Karen

Author Reply: I hope you're having a good time in the mountains. It sounds wonderful!

One of the things I've found from reviewers is that those who haven't read The Hobbit react very much like the Elves do. They can't understand what's going on! I feel bad. I should be able to help them more.

And I keep giggling myself every time I write about Hobbit the Dwarf-child with the negligent parents. LOL. When I planned this, I somehow didn't realize how bizarre it would be.

It is pretty amazing that Sauron left. Of course, he also left some bad stuff behind but things were better for the Elves for 10 years or so, says Tolkien.

You're find on HoME, I'm sure. What I want you to associate with Sauron's flight is what's happening at home with the Dwarves and particularly with Hobbit. Think about it, Karen. What did Bilbo do to get away from the spiders? What was Sauron looking for? If Thranduil sensed Sauron's departure, what did Sauron sense? ;-)

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