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Eucatastrophe  by Dreamflower 15 Review(s)
PSWReviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/16/2016
This was just perfect! *sigh* If only....

Thanks for writing!

harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/13/2016
It took me a long time to appreciate AU stories and even now I only really like those that stick close to canon, like yours. I love it when authors find those ''what if?' Moments and exploit them so well. Thank you for many an enjoyable hour spent in your universe.

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/18/2012
I just wanted you to know that I still read these lovely stories, I still enjoy them immensely, and I'm so happy you wrote them.

Author Reply: Oh thank you, dear! It pleases me immensely to think that these stories make you happy! ((hugs))

Ainu LaireReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/14/2009
While I know why Tolkien made the decisions he did... the age of Men coming, yada yada... this is still so much more delightful. The ending of the story is so sad at times, with all the elves leaving, and Frodo not being able to stay, that I sometimes wish that this were canon.

Lovely little piece about such wonderful what ifs :)

Author Reply: Well, it's delightful to us, at any rate, and it is a lot of fun being able to "indulge" the characters. I have a good deal of fun playing in this particular "what if" universe.

This one was meant to be a one shot, but I now have several other "Eucatastrophe-verse" ficlets, and one multi-chapter...

nancylea57Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/9/2008
there was this fluff alert out and now i need to continue following the road ever on. besides i think gamgee fest is starting to feel stalked.

Author Reply: Yes, I am enjoying Shirebound's vault of fluff past!

addie71Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/9/2008
Now that's how it should have ended!

Author Reply: I am not sure about "should have". One of JRRT's themes was sacrifice, and of course the ending he gave us reflected it perfectly.

On the other hand, I think that the characters involved might have liked *this* one a lot more!

Szepilona10Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/8/2008
I loved it! You should write more of this story!

~Szepilona10~

Author Reply: Actually, I have. I wrote quite a few more stories set in the Eucatastrophe AU, but they are not in chronological order.

If you look in Alternative Universes in "Dreamflower's Chronology" you will find more of them.

http://www.storiesofarda.com/texteditor/chapterpreview.asp?sid=4879&CID=19674

Queen GaladrielReviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/5/2006
You know, I can't believe this, but I do like Tolkien's ending--it is enduring because of its bittersweetness. But I do love these AUs, and hope to do one of my own someday. I love seeing Frodo as Uncle Frodo, and even though he still becomes ill, it sounds as if he's slowly but surely getting better. What I'd like to know, though, is did he just naturally heal, or did he have to be set on the path of healing? Sorry, I love angst. :) The prologue was very interesting, and now I can't wait to read the others!
God bless,
Galadriel

Author Reply: Oh, I love JRRT's ending--it is that self-same bittersweet ending that lifts LotR up out of the category of extraordinarily well-written adventure-fantasy and places it squarely into the category of enduring classic and great literature.

That said, however, it is nice for those of us who already know that, to be able to experiment with an ending much less bitter, and an easier pill to swallow. We know we have the real thing to fall back on so to speak, so our constructs do not have to be great or enduring, merely satisfying.

In the Eucatastrophe-verse, Frodo is enabled to heal because of three things. After you've read the others you might guess what those three things are--if not, I shall tell you then, so as not to spoil things. But to answer the question more succinctly, he is set upon the path.

InklingReviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/5/2005
Am slowly making my way through my bookmarked list, where this story has lived for a LONG time! The title caught my eye as I’ve always loved the idea of eucatastrophe, and the way Tolkien described it in his essay and letters…rending the fabric of story to allow a glimpse of the Truth.

What a lovely idea to apply the concept to the Three Rings! Interesting, though, that even in this glimpse of eucatastrophe Frodo still gets sick, and remains without a family of his own. Ah well, I suppose that might have been rending the fabric a bit too much…

I know there’s a part II, so will have to hunt that down next.


Author Reply: Yes, Part 2 is actually a pre-quel, in the sense that it takes place earlier in the timeline, but reading this one first is important to understanding *why* the Three still work. In the second one, another slight alteration, also involving Saruman, shows why the Shire did not have to be scoured quite so hard.

I'm glad you noticed that I tried to keep it as close to the original as I could while yet having *major* changes in the ultimate outcome. JRRT's idea of the reason Frodo left was that each subsequent anniversary illness was worse than the last, instead of better. As far as family goes, I think that he would have been perfectly happy as "Uncle Frodo" to the Gamgee brood. He was, after all, a committed bachelor before he ever left on the Quest, and while that *might* have been Ring influence to a certain extent, I think it also spoke to a certain state of mind, as well.

I thank you for the review! It's always nice to see a review for something that has languished for a little while!

AuntiemeeshReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/11/2004
I had to hunt this out and read it before going on the second chapter of Eucatastrophe II. I love the happy ending you've created for Frodo and for all of Middle-earth. :)

Author Reply: This first little story just came to me one night when I had just about had it with some fics that just made Frodo so *pitiful*! I mean I like a bit of angst as much as the next person, but there is such a thing as going overboard. So I kind of went in the opposite direction! LOL!

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