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A Place for Gandalf by Dreamflower	75 Review(s)
Endaewen	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/8/2006
This is a beautiful story. Author Reply: Why, thank you!

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/8/2006
Oh, I love this! Little Merry is so adorable, and I love your Saradoc and Esmeralda too-such wonderful parents! How thoughtful of Bilbo to fix up a room just for Gandalf. Yes, that would be greatly appreciated by the "Grey Pilgrim." And you do Frodo flawlessly here. I've seen him portrayed as being very weak and too vulnerable to have survived what he did. But you write him true to canon: the vulnerability is there, and still manages to get to my heart, but that's not all we see--there's also the caring, the joy in him, the brightness of soul, if you will. I don't know how to put it into words. I'm looking forward to reading "A Conspiracy of Hobbits" next. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: I'm glad you enjoyed this--it's one of my own favorites, and the first time I wrote young!Frodo and wee!Merry. I had a very good time fixing up Gandalf's room as well. I do appreciate that you like my portrayal of Frodo. I see him as anything but weak, ever. Vulnerable emotionally, yes, because of his great heart, and post-Quest, he gradually deteriorated physically. But he was never weak--he was made of stern stuff, the best genes of the Baggins, Brandybucks and Tooks mixed in him to create the perfect Fallohide. And I know exactly what you mean, and you put it into words very well. I like to portray him as mature and competent and capable and himself protective of his younger companions. It seems ironic to me that it is so very often certain authors who claim that Frodo is their favorite hobbit who are the worst offenders in making him weak and sickly and altogether dependent on others to get anything done--and I don't just mean post-Quest, for which there is some justification--I mean a Frodo who doesn't seem to know his head from a hole in the ground unless Sam, his cousins or Aragorn is there to tell him--and it's a miracle their version of Frodo ever gets to Mt. Doom. I always think that it comes from these writers wanting to coddle him and tend to him and baby him that makes them do him this injustice.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/13/2005
sigh Now that was a fine story. It truly enriches the information given to us by Tolkien about how Bilbo had adopted Frodo. I am with Esme on this one - it was indeed good to see the S.-B.'s get their comeuppence. I daresay that most, if not all of the guests agreed. What a fine way to end the story, with Gandalf's fireworks! Author Reply: There are a lot of really good stories about the subject. This is just my take on it, because a remark Frodo made in Moria seemed to indicate he had met Balin. And I had long wanted to write about how Bilbo came to build Gandalf's room, so they rather came together. But some other great stories about it are Primsong's "Nothing of Note", Obelia Medusa's "Adrift" and Inkling's "The Terror of Buckland". I think the main things that make mine different are that Drogo left a will. (Why doesn't anyone else seem to think that was likely?) That Frodo had wealth of his own, and that Merry, Gandalf and Balin were all visiting Bag End at the time. I felt Esme deserved to be the one to deliver the "good news" to Lobelia, LOL! After all, she never did get to see Frodo's handiwork on Lotho's nose! And I couldn't have Gandalf there at a celebration without providing fireworks!

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/13/2005
"That's all right! After I got over being boggled, it gave me quite a laugh. It's always flattering to be taken for younger than one is, but I wonder what I could have said to make you think that?" First, to answer your question: "I confess myself to being about the same age in human terms as Frodo, and going with a cousin of my own to a nearby building site, where we used the dirt and scrap lumber to build our own little town." You see, before that reply, I had indeed thought you to be much older, more like my own age of forty-one in human years. Your writing skills and understanding are more advanced and mature than I would think for a twenty year old, with few exceptions. But as Frodo is but twenty in this story, I took your comment to mean that you were as well. It was quite shocking to discover (incorrectly) that you were but half the age I had thought. Thank you for setting me straight, as it makes much more sense. Now for your review "proper" (which now makes me laugh and think of Frodo's order to Sam in your "A New Reckoning" any time I hear that word, thank you very much): A tweenaged Frodo is a delight to read, full of embarassment when he is the centre of attention amongst adults, yet still able to hold his own and do himself credit. You know, I had imagined that the talk would have been the other way around - that people would say that Frodo was the fortune-hunter because he would thus stand to inherit Bag End and all of Bilbo's remaining hidden treasure from his adventure, yet it makes sense that Frodo would have money of his own from his parents. How wise of Bilbo to let Frodo have some pocket money each year so he learns fiscal responsibility. As for Merry and hobbits in general not liking heights but Frodo's not minding them and even climbing trees (and Pippin later on) and Brandybucks being the rare exceptions that like to swim, are these your own creations or do they stem from canon? I do remember that in the books, Sam is afraid of the water. I well recall seeing Frodo in a tree in the movie version of FotR, but do not recollect anything on this subject in the books. If these are your own additions, I quite like them, as they help to round out the characters more. With Bilbo adding that contingency clause in his will, does that mean he was thinking of one day leaving all the way back then? It was quite fortuitous that he adopted Frodo when he did, otherwise he may well have gone with Balin to the mines of Moria. Were that there was a way we could stop Balin from going. It is a fine reference to future events, as is the sweet scene of Merry and Sam pretending to fight goblins. Author Reply: Ah, I see. My fault for careless wording. First of all, I meant that I was an adolescent, as Frodo is in this story--I was about 13 at the time, which is the equivalent of a hobbit at 20. I forget that not everyone has that little converter in their head all the time the way I do! And of course, it was lo, those many years ago, clearly! But still, a lesson to me to be more clear in what I write! Well, the S.B.'s would have loved to have started gossip of that nature, saying that Frodo was a fortune hunter, but letting it be known Frodo had his own inheritance would nip that in the bud. (I can just see Lobelia trying to say something along those lines, and then the person she's speaking to saying "Why that can't be right! The lad has a fortune in his own right!" Which of course would tick Lobelia off even more.) I have read a number of fics where Frodo is depicted as penniless, but I simply don't buy that. Primula was the daughter of the Master of Buckland, and Drogo was a Baggins, whom I have always had the impression were very well off as a family, and not just Bilbo. The part with Frodo and Pippin liking to climb trees, and Merry's fear of heights, well, the fear of heights for hobbits in general is stated in canon. The idea that Tooks would not mind climbing as much is "fanon" instead, and I believe has its roots in an excellent story by Baylor, called "The Care and Feeding of Hobbits". I think perhaps it may have had its inspiration in Bilbo's climbing the tree in Mirkwood. I've expanded a bit on it, by making Brandybucks swimmers as well as boaters (for Brandybucks boating is canon) since I think a people who spent a good deal of time in boats would also learn to swim. I don't think that Bilbo was consciously thinking of leaving again, but I do believe it was always in the back of his mind. The clause would seem reasonable to anyone who knew all the difficulties Bilbo had when he returned from his first journey. I am glad you got the foreshadowing of Balin, for I've always been fascinated with the AU possibilities of Bilbo there with the Ring. And you are the first to note the subtle foreshadowing of Merry and Sam at play.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/13/2005
My mistake about your age. Had I read your biography at the top of your page, I would have seen that I had misinterpreted one of your earlier replies to one of my reviews. You still have a rather special gift with the written word, however. Author Reply: That's all right! After I got over being boggled, it gave me quite a laugh. It's always flattering to be taken for younger than one is, but I wonder what I could have said to make you think that? One of the amazing things about online relationships: the erroneous mental pictures we have of our correspondants.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/13/2005
This was a brief but beautifully poignant chapter. "There were moments, too, when Frodo could tell they were both leaving something out--they would look each other in the eye, and seem to skip forward in the story, as though by agreement certain things should not be said." Unfortunately, Frodo will become all too familiar with giving and receiving that type of look and skipping of parts of a story of adventures. As he felt the familiar swell of the dark sorrow beginning to surge, the door cracked open. A tiny form padded over and clambered into Frodo’s bed. Merry placed his hand on Frodo’s cheek and brushed away the tear. “I love you, Frodo,” he whispered. “I love you too, my Merry,” and the darkness rolled back. sigh This brief scene, with no explanation, perfectly captures the special relationship that Merry has with Frodo. Just, sigh. "In a time long past, in the West, he had been reluctant to take up his task. And it had so far been a long and thankless one, with no end in sight. But it had been worth it all just to have known the friendship of hobbits." I like this part - it is one of the few times we get to explore how Gandalf felt about his task. It could not have been easy to leave his home and go amongst strangers who knew not how much good he really was doing for them. I imagine that Aragorn feels much the same way. Are you really only about twenty? To be able to write this well at such a young age is a special gift. Author Reply: I'm so glad you picked out some of my own favorite bits to quote back at me. This little chapter is one of my favorites anyway. I had not intended it at first--but somehow, I thought the eventful day needed a bit of rounding off. And I was quite pleased with how it came out. TWENTY? excuse mewipes eyes* Thank you. I needed that. Seriously, whatever gave you that idea? I'm an old lady!

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 10/13/2005
It's Gandalf! I look forward to reading what he has to say. You do well to capture that special perceptiveness that Frodo seems to have of people and the future - the way he and Gandalf immediately recognise that they will be one of each other's greatest friends. Shades of things to come. I'm so glad that Frodo was happy that he would be living at Bag End with Bilbo. I don't think it is solely to escape the Brandywine and the hussle and bustle of Brandy Hall, but also because of his love and fondness for Bilbo. It does give me pause, however, that even though he thought of how he would miss his Merry, he did not have any similar thoughts of how he would miss Uncle Sara and Aunt Esme, who not only have been raising him, but have treated him like a son. I'm sure he will miss them, but perhaps it was just that his immediate thought was to the one he would miss most, his Merry-lad who had been his saviour all these years. Do you honestly worry that you do not provide enough description in your writing? If so, then you are as much of a needless worry-wart as Merry! Your writing is so vivid with details and vibrant imagery that I can easily picture many lines and even scenes in my head, which makes it quite tempting to break out my sketch book and pencils. Rest assured, your descriptions are spot on. I wouldn't change a thing. "If Frodo did get sad, what would he do without his Merry to say he loved him?" Forget about Merry wanting to cry, this line makes me want to cry! Author Reply: I do think that there would have been a special spark of recognition between them. Yes, his thought did of course fly first to Merry. And he will miss not only Saradoc and Esmeralda, but his Uncle Rory and Aunt Menegilda, and many of his other Brandybuck relations. Still, in some ways, though Frodo dearly loved Sara and Esme, he never quite lost his awareness that they were not his beloved parents. In some ways, they were part of the reminders he needed to escape from. And part of it also is his age: as he enters adolescence he is less likely to be thinking first of his parent-figures and more of his friends. Bilbo, at this point in his life is still more a friend than a parent, although that's about to change. Well, I do try to be descriptive, but I suppose it's just that it does not seem to live up to many writers whom I admire--especially JRRT himself. I just sometimes feel my prose lacks an emotional edge. I'm glad that you like it though. herehave a virtual hankie*

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 10/13/2005
You know, I like the way the box for leaving a review opens in a separate window as opposed to ezboard - it makes it much easier to refer back to a chapter or to copy a line for inclusion in a review, such as my two favourite lines from this chapter: “Well,” said Saradoc, “I am Merry’s father, and I am not at all averse to a little pot stirring.” Esmeralda stood up, Merry in her arms. “Frodo, just how ‘splendid’ was that bloody nose? I should like to have seen that.” It's so good to see the way Saradoc will stand up for his son and the way Esmerelda has a Tookish sense of humour! Merry is quite fortunate to have such splendid parents. It is interesting to note that although Frodo did not exhibit signs of melancholy while at Bag End before Bilbo gave him the ring, he did exhibit them after he was in possession of it when the ring was trying to gain possession of him and afterward. The ring must have tapped into his deep-seeded sense of melancholy and made him feel as alone as when he had first lost his parents and to such an extent that his one refuge, Bag End, no longer worked as a place to escape his sadness enough to continue living in the Shire, especially now that Sam, Merry, and Pippin now had their own nightmares to deal with and might even be a reminder of what had happened (not that he needed any such reminder). Lotho really is a git, thinking he would be able to get away with lying to his parents about what really happened. And Otho is quite shrewd in his assessments and handling of matters. I am glad the frequent long visits are being set up between Frodo and Merry. They are closer than many brothers and need each other. Author Reply: You know, it took me the longest time to figure out I could do that. I'd hit the wrong button, my review would vanish, and I did not realize it had simply shrunk and I could get it back. I got quite frustrated until I figured it out quite by accident one day. I used to be amazed at people quoting--from memory I thought, LOL! My Merry does have splendid parents. Yes, the Ring did use that melancholy against him; during the Quest, while he still had his task before him, and people to protect, and no sense of "failure", it could gain no purchase--because his love was stronger than his sorrow. But afterwards, even though destroyed, it ate away at those defences he had built. And Bag End at that point provided another reminder of his so-called failure--it was where Lotho had ruled as "Chief" and Sharkey had made his headquarters. Well, yes, Lotho is a git, and a twit, and a bully and a jerk and a wretch and a villain and erm...I'm running out of polite words here. Otho was shrewd, and had more patience and ability to dissemble than his wife and son. Lobelia was too single-minded. Her obsession with Bag End overcame her intelligence. And Lotho had inherited only the worst characteristics of both his parents. I can't imagine they would not have visited frequently, and it's all there between the lines in canon. How else would he have known those so much younger than he so well otherwise? But also, I set the frequent visits up for my own convenience. Buckland and Tookland, in spite of what some fics would have one believe, are not just a hop,skip and a jump away. If I wanted to have Merry, and later Pippin, in my pre-Quest stories, then there had to be a reason for their presence in Bag End. By the time Bilbo leaves the rhythm is well established: Spring in Bag End for all of them. Then Pippin visits Merry at Brandy Hall until the Lithedays, and Merry finishes the Summer with Pippin in Tookland, before they go to Bag End for the Birthday, then Frodo visits Merry at Brandy Hall in the Fall for a few weeks, and then both he and Bilbo visit again at Yule. After Bilbo leaves there are occasional changes in this schedule, but it still holds in its general outline. It's why almost all my pre-Quest fluff is set in the Spring. Of course, there are the occasional exceptions for special events, but that's the general outline of things.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 10/13/2005
Three cheers for Frodo! This scene really shows how protective both Frodo and Merry are of each other, albeit for different reasons. While Frodo protects Merry because he is younger and also just because he is his Merry-lad, Merry protects Frodo not only because he is his Frodo-lad but because he had assigned himself the responsibility of watching out for Frodo since he first felt Frodo's special sadness and need. I wonder though if Frodo would still have punched Lotho had this occurred during the Scourging of the Shire after the Quest, when Frodo wanted nothing but peaceful solutions and was more apt to pity, forgive, and use words as his weapon. Of course it is still his Merry (who by then was more than able to take care of himself), but would Frodo do to Lotho what he had not done to Gollum or Saruman (Sharkey)? At any rate, I really liked when Frodo told Lotho that he would not touch his cousin again. It much reminded me of in the movie when Frodo told Gollum that he would lead them to the Black Gate and I imagine the same icy blue glare as then. Lotho never did have any brains, did he? Not too bright to pick on a Brandybuck, let alone the grandson of the Master. It's a pity some people never learn their lesson. Author Reply: Yes, you have caught it exactly. Merry, I think, was Frodo's born defender. That's a good question. Really, Frodo at this stage of his life and Frodo post-Quest are almost two different creatures, at least in regards to something like this--even later, he thought Bilbo should have killed Gollum. And during the Scouring, he felt pity for Lotho and that he needed rescuing. And you have of course, the fact that even if he'd survived the coming of Sharkey, there is no way in Middle-earth Lotho would have lifted a hand to a hobbit as fromidable as Merry had become then. But I think Frodo would have defended Merry in a different way. I think any effort to lay hands on one of Frodo's loved ones at that point in time would have died a-borning at a stare from Frodo. By that time he was one of the Wise, and it would have been like trying to resist a stare from Gandalf, Elrond, Galadrial or Celeborn. But giving his erstwhile S.B. cousin a bloody nose then, i will agree would be highly unlikely. Yes, Frodo was just as fierce in defense of those he loved, and could be ruthless when he needed to be. I think of that bit where Sam is surprised at Frodo's ruthlessness towards Gollum in the matter of the Ring, thinking Frodo's kindness was such that he must be a bit blinded to the malice of others. No, not really. And what brains he did have were constantly falling out due to his big mouth.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/12/2005
"Merry could not sit still for worrying." He'd better get used to worrying since he tends to do a lot of it! lol! I'm glad the bed arrived before Gandalf did so he can enjoy a full-sized bed. He will be so surprised by the room and the bed! So now Frodo and Merry know that there are some nice Men in the world. I wonder if they meet any more before they go on the Quest. Author Reply: Yes, here we see an early indication of another of his character traits, LOL! I think you will be pleased with Gandalf's reaction. Yes, this is their first exposure to Men, and it's a positive one. And in my Shire, actually, they do meet at least one more, in about twenty-six years, in "Life of a Bard".

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