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| For Eyes to See as Can by Larner | 18 Review(s) |
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| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/9/2005 |
| Oh Larner! What shall I say of this? I was drawn by the title: "For Eyes to See as Can." It has a sad sort of sound, song-like if you will, seeming to speak of birth, life, and death all in a very few words. And indeed, I suppose it does. This fanfic is unlike any other I have ever read. I know I'm new and all that, but I've read far, far more than I have written, and never have I read one like this. You make it seem as though Sam--Tolkien's Sam--is speaking directly to the reader; I could almost see him writing furiously with a quill pen, feel his honest, earnest gaze fixed upon my face, though I was of course aware that I sat before a computer screen. You write as if you were Sam. Now that it is over, this story leaves the heart feeling as it does before it bursts with tears, but no tears will come for me. I think Tolkien himself would have admired this work. And now I must shake myself out of this unbearable and yet strangely pleasant melancholy, and go read the sequel! God bless you, Galadriel Author Reply: The title, of course, comes from Tolkien himself, as does that of the sequel, from the chapter detailing Frodo waking in the House of Elrond. The entire descriptive phrase Tolkien ascribes to Gandalf of Frodo becoming "as a vessel of glass filled with light as with water for eyes to see that can" caught my imagination from the first time I read it over forty years ago. I wanted to think of Sam's point of view for the whole Frodo experience, seeing the increased withdrawal from general society almost from the moment he received the Ring, the refusal to run for mayor before he left, the refusal to remain mayor after the return, the hiding of the illness as best he could, the final decision to leave Middle Earth as much for his physical health as for his sanity and his spiritual well-being.. I ramped up the angst a bit by following Lindelea's lead in ascribing a congenital heart murmur and congestive heart failure to Frodo, while making Saradoc and Esmeralda and Menagilda loving but misguided guardians who do not exactly know how to deal with the beloved young cousin they find themselves in charge of when Primula and Drogo die suddenly. I tried to stay in canon as much as possible, and have tried to correct such errors as have been caught by myself and others. I've also always felt that Sam was undervalued by Tolkien--he was educated alongside Frodo and probably in part by him--he might have kept the colloquialisms expected by his birth and family status and so on, but he would NOT be stupid or uneducated, and would, I think, constantly surprise people by his basic wisdom and knowledge. And that he would have still felt grief after Frodo's departure would be expected, I think. I wanted to give him an outlet for that grief, and for Aragorn to realize at long last just how deeply hurt Frodo felt as well as Sam by what happened to them. This was my first story I wrote and posted on the Internet. I am so pleased you enjoy it as much as you do. Thanks so much for the long review and for expressing your appreciation for it. You'll find that all my stories end up being intertwined--I tend to follow Lindelea's lead there, too. BTW, she's a super lady as well as a wonderful writer. | |
| Armariel~~~{~@ | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 12/18/2004 |
| So beautiful, the use of voice is totally amazing. What a lot of heart has been poured into this! I am in awe. Lovelovelove that bit about the water worm. So original. Please keep up the good work! cheers Armariel~~~{~@ Author Reply: I am thrilled you discovered this story, as it was the one which got me into fanfiction. I am glad you find my version of Sam's speech to be right, and am glad the caddis fly larvae also were seen as wonderful. They were always fascinating to me as a child, and I saw so many chances to use them symbolically in this story. Don't know, of course, if they live in Europe as they do in North America; but then potato and squash and many beans are also from the Americas, so decided they could do with a couple more American imports in the story. | |
| Frodo_B | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 11/16/2004 |
| This is my first review, but this story is so good I had to leave my comments. This story has made me laugh, and cry, and has affected me in ways few stories posted on this site have. Your writing captures the characters very well and the ides are well though out. I love the way you wove in elements from the movies and other fan fiction into the story yet essentially respecting book canon for the most part. The insight into Frodo's life after the quest is brilliant and you have come up with things that were in the books but that I hadn't tought of. It will make my current re-reading of the books more interesting. Thank-you. Author Reply: I am so glad this has touched so many. I hope your rereading will be fulfilling, then. | |
| Imrahoil | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 11/15/2004 |
| Finished! On the one hand that's good because it left such a contented feeling in my stomach, on the other hand what am I going to read now? But that's not your problem. About the story: you have achieved a creditable, convincing and very endearing Sam, he is luckily more complex than the Tolkien one, but all Tolkien has shown him to be is there, even the pompous and the jealous side, nice, nice, nice. I admire the way your storytelling blends with the book and the movie - is "Don't you loose him, Samwise Gamgee" anywhere in the book as well?, have to look it up, grrrrr - and I love the hommages to other fanfic authors - the Baylor's Gandalf/Pippin bit for example, fine, fine, fine. Thank you for a wonderful read. There are a few things I'd like to suggest. Could you perhaps contact me? Author Reply: Have done so private mail. And I am glad others recognize the nods I've given to our cohorts, and that they haven't been unhappy with the borrowing of their ideas and such. Author Reply: And thank you so very much on catching my mistakes. Admit I do make them. Have both stories edited on almost all sites now. Thanks so much again. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 11/14/2004 |
| That was fantastic. It has kept me gripped for hours. I love Sam's point of view and all the little observations. You have maintained his tone throughout with tremendous skill and - oh, it is just so good. I feel bad for not reviewing each chapter - but I'm afraid it would take for ever. However, I have really enjoyed reading the whole story. Thank you. Author Reply: Thank you for the review. I, too, find myself rereading it. As with Tolkien, I found it as if it had just come to me, and I just wrote down what was there already. And I love trying to see things from Sam's point of view, and filling in the gaps in this way. And don't be sad about not reviewing each chapter--would take forever. That the story spoke to you is what makes it worthwhile. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 11/12/2004 |
| Oh, ignore my question in the second paragraph. I see in the prologue where you mentioned other writers that inspired you. I wonder if you can look over the text to find the chapters where paragraphs are scrambled/repeated. Most of what you were saying can be determined from context, but I really would like to know what is said at the very end of the last chapter, where it appears a line or two may be missing right where the italics change back to plain text. Author Reply: Have had three chapters pointed out to me that were fine in review when I posted them but got mangled, and have apparently fixed them. Need to go to work, and will try the others afterwards. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 11/12/2004 |
| This is an absolutely beautiful story. It really takes that time, which Tolkien tells us so little of, and fills the bare bones with not just detail but with passion and grief and love. Every time I read about Frodo, his courage and his sacrifice, it burns and inspires. It is very well drawn here. I wonder if some of the backstory of Frodo's heart condition might have been inspired by Lindelea's story, A Small and Passing Thing? Not that your story is the same, by any means, just things like Robin being the healer attached to Mr. Freddy seemed similar. I love Sam's voice here, his wisdom and his strength are not often pointed out so clearly and lovingly. Thank you for writing this. Author Reply: It's Frodo and Sam and Aragorn and Gandalf especially that keep me coming back to the books again and again and again.... And I like being able to reveal Sam a bit more. | |
| Imrahoil | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 11/12/2004 |
| Skimming is over, had a hearty pre-sniff over chapter 27 and am now enjoying the prospect of a quiet read on the weekend. But, alas, chapter 27 is scrambled too and so are a lot of the other chapters, I think. Sorry for cramming it into the review, but I couldn't find another way to contact you. Author Reply: This has been weird, as these looked fine last night in review. Have fixed the final chapter, as well as seventeen and twenty, although it took three tries to get seventeen finally repaired. Kept putting the material after the diacritical marks at the end of the chapter. | |