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13th Birthday  by Stefania 4 Review(s)
ireneReviewed Chapter: 2 on 3/31/2007
Nice to read you again! Promising story,I hope you won't abandon it again like 'Avoidance' (sigh). I like your clever writing very much. Thumbs up!

Author Reply: Thanks, Irene. It's good to hear from you again, too. I am about to write the finishing chapter of 13th Birthday soon as I finish this letter. It was always planned to be short, just covering a day in the lives of the Stewards' sons. And don't lose hope for Avoidance. I've got about 6 pages of a new chapter sitting around. My fanfic muse has come back, so I hope to get back to the big one shortly.

- Steff

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 2 on 3/29/2007


A fun outing for the birthday boy - I like the concept of spendthrift, generous-hearted Boromir, though it fits more, I think, with movie-Boromir than his book counterpart. I loved the part where Faramir was surprised at his voice suddenly going baritone, then it returning to the usual higher pitch. And I'm so glad Boromir bought him a fine big horse...

More soon, I hope.

Author Reply: Raksha, you said:

"spendthrift, generous-hearted Boromir, though it fits more, I think, with movie-Boromir than his book counterpart."

First of all, I welcome anyone reading this story to imagine the sons of the Steward (and the Steward himself) any way they want. My never-ending "Avoidance" story casts Jackson's actors to fill gaps in Tolkien's (and Jackson's) story. So I readily admit that my 18 year old Boromir will grow up to be Sean Bean's Boromir.I never really liked book Boromir. Movie Boromir is so much more fun.

The next chapter should end the tale with an exploration of Boromir's tavern and the appearance of the Steward, himself. (Steff does Denethor for the first time.)

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 2 on 3/29/2007
The drinking restrictions are reasonable. But Boromir intends to let Faramir see MORE of the place? Now, just how adult does he feel his brother is at thirteen?

And I can understand Denethor's concern at Boromir's profligacy.

Author Reply: Hi Larner -

All I can say is, "hee hee." I wrestled with the thought of putting drinking laws into place in Gondor. People in western civilizations two or three centuries ago had very different attitudes toward, ahem, spirits, than we do. I do know that on sailing vessels in the 18th century, the young cabin boys had as much access to the rum as the old salts. But what about Europe of 1000 AD, which I go to as a guideline for my Tolkien fanfic? I wasn't sure.

Finally I thought, it would be fun if Boromir got Faramir to violate their dad's own rules. What older sibling hasn't gotten the kid brother or sister in trouble in that way!!

- Steff

Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 2 on 3/29/2007
I like the way you portray the brother's differences in character.

Author Reply: Hey Linda -

Good to hear from you. I finally got back into writing fanfic with this story, partially because of the alphabet cue, but also because i wanted to write a story featuring the Steward's sons. I hope that 13th Birthday will ultimately show how the two 'mirs differentiate and are how they are similar. Well, we all know they look pretty similar, in both book and movieverse.

- Steff

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