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Dreamflower's Mathoms I  by Dreamflower 9 Review(s)
Queen GaladrielReviewed Chapter: 20 on 12/18/2005
Wow! Sam's character is so well done here, Dreamflower! An interesting little episode, and a good lesson for Aragorn. :-) God bless,
Galadriel

Author Reply: Thank you. At this point, Aragorn is just beginning to know these hobbits a little bit, and Sam of course, is still getting to know him. It's a start.*grin*

GryffinjackReviewed Chapter: 20 on 11/11/2005
You are quite adept at mirroring Tolkien in the voice you give to Sam, and to all of the hobbits for that matter. Reading your Sam, it's just like the way he speaks and thinks in the book.

So here we have the first instance where Strider learns the value of the hobbits. I should think that after having watched and studied them for so long with his fellow rangers that he would have gained some appreciation for them over time. It's interesting that through most of the story, he thinks of them not by name, but as "the hobbits" or "the youngest" or "his older cousins," showing how little he has bonded with them up until that point in time.

The same could be true of Sam, who has not yet learnt to trust Strider despite the assurances in Gandalf's letter.

But here we see one instance where they have found a common bond - their knowledge of plants. And another bond is formed when Strider keeps Sam's secret about getting lost.

Merry and Frodo are also in character, both fretting over why Sam is taking so long and over Pippin's health. For in your stories, Strider is quite right that Pippin at this point does have weak lungs and has been very sickly as a child, which not only makes it all the more amazing that he has been included on the Quest, but makes the situation all the more dangerous now with Pippin being sick out in the wilderness with days of long, hard walking ahead of him before they reach Rivendell and with those Black Riders still after them. Precisely how many ulcers does Merry have now?

Author Reply: I'm glad you like my Sam voice. I try very hard to mimic the speech patterns of the books for him.

Strider's watched the Shire for years, from the outside. He knows some hobbits from Bree, and he knows Bilbo. But he's never really had any call to do more with them than observe from the outside, so at this point in time he does not have the same perspective. This is the first time he's had call to get to *know* hobbits, and it's early days yet. He's not bonded with them much so far, but he is beginning to like them. He is still underestimating them however, never having had occasion yet to see hobbits "in a pinch", which is when they are at their best. But that time is coming.

And Sam, in spite of Gandalf's letter, is still seeing a scruffy stranger, who has been pushing them hard.

So this is the beginning of his learning more about them.

I am glad you also like the way Merry and Frodo are reacting.
Poor Merry; you are right--it is amazing he didn't develop ulcers. Perhaps that's a bunny for Anso...

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 20 on 4/20/2005
Nice to see Sam leading the way in the Hobbits proving themselves.

Author Reply: Well, the hobbits did not exactly make the best first impression on Strider, but Sam's sturdy practicality would have gone a long way towards helping on that score.

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 20 on 3/7/2005
Nice little story! I like the subtle shift in attitudes in both Strider (hobbits aren't up to the task) and Sam (hard to trust this grubby Man).

Author Reply: Thank you! I thought of this as a little "getting to know you" story. At this point, all Sam has seen is this--as you said, grubby--Man who is pushing them rather hard, and not yet shown any reason to be trusted. And all Strider has seen so far are these small people who did not appear to be taking their task as seriously as he thought they should. It's just a little thing, but now Aragorn has seen Sam has a capable side, and Sam has seen Strider did not betray him as being lost.

GlassadarReviewed Chapter: 20 on 3/7/2005
Your story is realy good! I love the part where Sam gets lost, and Strider (Aragorn) finds him, while Sam helps Strider find what he needs.

Author Reply: I'm glad you like it. Just a little give and take between Sam and Strider, who don't really know one another well yet.

Hai TookReviewed Chapter: 20 on 2/17/2005
Dear Sam, to get lost and then not want anyone to know he had really gotten lost. Very good of Strider to cover for him. At least they found a few things to dose Pippin with! It certainly would be a bad thing to fall ill on such a trek. Thanks for the story!

Author Reply: I'm glad you liked it. Yes, Sam would have been a bit embarassed; it was nice of Strider not to give him away, but after all Sam did help him find the herbs he needed.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 20 on 2/8/2005
Poor Sam. I love that Aragorn doesn't give him away to the others and simply makes out as if he needed Sam's help. A great story!

Author Reply: I think he realized how embarassed Sam would have been. And of course, he told only the strictest truth, if you examine his statement. He just left out one little detail.8-)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 20 on 2/8/2005
If only Sam knew how useful he was going to become! Good thing Strider found him before he got back to camp.

Author Reply: Yes it is; if he had had to go *back* out into the night to search for Sam, he would have been in Sam's words "mightily put out". As it was, Sam had a chance to redeem himself with his helpfulness, before there was any reason for Strider to get annoyed.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 20 on 2/8/2005
Gardeners are very useful - especially when they're called Sam Gamgee. I'm glad Aragorn didn't let on that Sam had become mislaid - it would have destroyed his mystique.

Poor Pippin - far too sickly for this kind of adventure. And too young. Perhaps he should have been tied up in a sack and sent home. Or maybe not.

Author Reply: Yes, it was nice of Aragorn to not tell, wasn't it? And he's just beginning to learn about hobbits.

Oh, yes, definitely too sickly and too young, LOL! As if either of those things would ever keep our irrepressible Took down. Aragorn's only been in their company a few days, and they admittedly didn't make a real good first impression on him. (talking out of turn, dancing and singing on tables, putting It on in public, taking walks in strange towns at night...) It wasn't until after Weathertop that he began to truly realize how "tough in the fibre" hobbits really are.

But I could see that he would have appreciated Sam's expert help finding the herbs he needed, enough not to embarass him in front of the other hobbits.

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