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| Seeds of Old Trees by Marnie | 14 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Sphinx | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 8/27/2019 |
| Loitering in this part of the world after (probably) an Age. Pun intended. This is still so wonderful and you have woven such magic around these two, who still are so much a part of my head (despite a very long hiatus). I hope you are still writing! | |
| Kalima | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/1/2005 |
I can see this story was written with love, and may we all get to go to Valinor to such joy and reunitings. Thank you for writing it. I found it all believable, and the characters true. A beautiful, beautiful story. I loved it. I'll print it out to read when I'm feeling nostalgic and romantic. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/7/2004 |
| Just out of interest - are all Galadriel's older brothers going to be sitting round the table with them come dinner-time? Because there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of this very delicate situation remaining calm. At least one of them will have to needle her into full fury. Older brothers (even ancient elven reborn ones) are never going to let an opportunity like this drop. The sisters-in-law are less likely to say anything - but the look on their faces might be even more infuriating. If they last the evening, they probably stand a pretty good chance of survival. A bit of solitude and bond renewal will do wonders. (And give the family a chance to get over their sniggers.) Author Reply: Hm, it would be fun if they were! Aegnor's still in Mandos, of course, but I thought of the rest of them as having their own houses close by, and so not being there. Just Finrod and Orodreth. And Orodreth's too quiet and too nice to do more than smile. You're making me feel sorry for Galadriel. Poor girl! The amount of teasing she's going to be coming in for. But no doubt she'll sail through it serene as a swan, leaving everyone thinking how gracious she is... Though that might be more difficult, now I come to think of it, with her own brothers :) | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/3/2004 |
| Not even if I said please? | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/3/2004 |
| Not THAT kind of visit from Finrod!!!!! A talking over old times kind of visit. Though that could happen . . . and then his sister arrived and gave him that LOOK, with her foot tapping and her arms folded until he got the general idea. I would just love to see the dancing around when Galadriel arrived back at the house with Celeborn in tow. Finarfin looking him over, inspecting him for bloodshed . . Earwen noting the bruise . . Galadriel putting up her chin and daring anyone to mention that she said she never wanted to see him again . . Celeborn treading on eggshells in an attempt to keep all these emotions relatively stable. Author Reply: LOL! They are such a fun family! And now poor Finarfin has to try to get to like him after all. But at least Celeborn will get his revenge when they go back to Doreden and Galadriel has to put up with all the smug looks, and the 'he's only got to snap his fingers and she comes running' comments from *his* friends. Oh don't! You'll have me wanting to write a sequel, and that would never do :) | |
| Fyre | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/1/2004 |
| Oh, that was lovely! I seldom read fanfic in the Lord of the Rings world, simply due to time constraints, but Redpanda recommended this and I have such a soft spot for Celeborn that I could not resist. The way you wrote the Elves and the image of Valinor that you presented it absolutely beautiful and Celeborn's initial reaction is perfect. more than perfect. I had never even considered this angle, but it is perfect, as is Galadriel's behaviour. I do believe I will be looking for more of your work when I have time :) Author Reply: Many thanks for the review, Fyre! I'm flattered that you'd make a special effort to read my stuff and glad that it didn't disappoint. You must be a person of good taste to like Celeborn - we are a small but select elite ;) Valinor was never one of my favourite places in Tolkien, but I think that like Celeborn, I've got reconciled to it now. It makes a difference, to me, thinking of it as a new beginning rather than the end. Anyway, thanks again, and I hope you like the rest of my stuff if you get round to reading it :) Marnie :-) | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/1/2004 |
| 'As for talking, I suspect there'll be several hours more talking - with Finarfin and Earwen et al - before they have to face the question of whether he's still going to be sleeping in the guest bedroom or not.' - If he is, I'll bet I know who else will arrive there! (And I don't mean Finrod.) 'I do have an idea for a happy ending for Elmo. Fingers crossed, that might be a sequel.' Yes, please. (And Oak and Willow, too.) I have now read this several times and it gets better with each reading. I won't go through it, but I'll just point out one or two of my favourite bits - 'Long he had lain dormant in the dark earth, drenched with cold rain, but the sun had returned and brought forth life.' - So Lord of the Trees. Beautiful image. 'She was well aware that he followed her now. Her mind refused to contemplate the black pit of rejection if he had not.' - All that saying she didn't need him - I'm glad he didn't take her at her first word. 'a dark yew hedge, where grounded raindrops glimmered golden among the fleshy, coral berries.' Nothing to do with C or G, but such a gorgeously expressed image. - All the storm/tempest/sea compared to his harbour/solid images - I loved them. 'that empathy and kindness in her which had saved her from becoming another Feanor.' - Interesting idea that these qualities countered her less attractive arrogance and hunger for power. What would she have been like, how would she have ended up without Celeborn? 'If you feel it worth the fact that he will remind you of it until the end of time.' - He will, too! I love Celeborn's concession to Celebrimbor's genius, as a gesture because he has regained Galadriel. - The significance of the absence of Nenya. And I loved, simply LOVED the mallorn seeds. They were absolutely perfect and led so well to the optimism of the ending. Have you realised yet that I really enjoyed this story? And its ending? And its reviews? Author Reply: Wow! Bodkin! I'm starting to realise that you must have quite liked this story! I'm sure you're right about the spare bedroom thing - and no, *not* Finrod, this isn't *that* kind of story ;) If he had decided to take her at her word and not go to her, I'm sure she would have gone to him *eventually*, but then there would have had to have been much more violence and recrimination before they worked it out. The idea that it's Galadriel's empathy and ability to believe the best of others which saved her from becoming like Feanor is based on what Tolkien says about her in 'The History of Galadriel and Celeborn' - about how she saw deeply into the characters of others but judged them with goodwill. Who knows what she learned from Celeborn, but she's the only one of her family to have survived past the First Age, and the only one who can be said to have 'gone native', and that almost certainly had something to do with him. I'm also pretty sure she would have taken the Ring, if she hadn't already had to listen to him nag her about what a mistake it was taking Nenya for an Age of the world ;) I put the mallorn seeds in because of what Haldir said to the Fellowship about 'it would be a poor life in a land where no mallorn grows, but if there are Mallorn trees beyond the Sea, none have reported it.' I felt it couldn't really be a happy ending for him and all the other Galadhrim unless the mallorns got introduced. It also seemed nicely symbolic of C+G's relationship starting again from the seeds of what they had had in the past. So I'm glad they worked for you. Fabulous comments, btw! It makes it all worth while for me. Thanks again. | |
| Belle Bayard | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/1/2004 |
| Wonderful conclusion to this story, Marnie! Truly hope we get to see them again in a future story. As usual, you have done a lovely job of showing us Elves as imperfect, yet incredibly fascinating creatures. And yes, we do miss them very much. Belle Author Reply: Thanks, Belle! I had, this morning, an idea for a rather strange story where Celeborn finally finds his grandfather. So that may be coming up soonish. But I really ought to try to do some more Oak and Willow first. Glad you enjoyed it :) | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 9/30/2004 |
| Lovely finish, Marnie. I'm so glad that Galadriel let her anger go. I liked the seeds. I see where the title comes from and the suggestion of things beyond trees. Author Reply: Thanks, Daw! As you can tell, I had the ending in mind from the beginning - hence the title. And in fact the title comes from the end of Battle of the Golden Wood where - just before he and Galadriel part - Celeborn says that the Doom of Mandos isn't a curse at all but the way the world works; you pick the seeds up, take them somewhere else and plant anew. Even there he wasn't really just talking about seeds either. So, much kudos and worship to you for spotting the theme! | |
| Sulriel | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 9/30/2004 |
| Wonderful. Also, an aside from the main plot line. - I'm always tickled (and amazed) at the understanding and depth of characterization you have of the differences between the races of Elves. The line about the garden being groomed to look wild is so deliciously Noldorian, I've been giggling about it all day. I love how such a simple statement so completely defines one of the elements of 'feyness' of the Noldor. Author Reply: Thanks, Sulriel! I reckoned that as the Noldor were both obsessive artists and rather inclined to conquer and control they would prefer even their wilderness to be crafted to perfection :) The Silmarillion does that 'the Noldor were greater of mind and body, and more intelligent, and more inclined to arts and crafts and lore and battle and magic and... but the Sindar were good at singing' thing. So it's interesting to wonder why they're simply not noticing any Sindar achievements at all. Maybe Sindar culture was less inclined to put a big imprint on the land, and more involved in just appreciating it for what it was? Either way the divisions seem to be so very important in the Silm that you'd hope they were noticable in other ways than the participants just trying to kill each other ;) | |