News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Branwyn's Baubles by Branwyn | 93 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| mirthor | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 3/30/2005 |
| Almost a blast from the past, it's so rare we get drabbles about the wights. Whatever happened to them after the hobbits ran into them? I'm guessing they didn't disappear after the war, but didn't they serve the witch-king? Author Reply: I believe that the dead warriors in the barrows were killed by the men of Angmar, but I am not sure if the witch-king ensorcelled the wights or not. Tolkien says that, after the mounds were raised, men still lived nearby for a time and grazed their sheep on the grassy slopes. Later, the lands became desolate, and something caused evil to stir within the barrows but Tolkien doesn't give the exact cause. Thanks for your kind review! | |
| mirthor | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/30/2005 |
| Intriguing theory & one to be explored through a fic, don't you think? I never bought that whole pining for the sea bit. Author Reply: There may be a full-length story hiding in there! I always thought that the explanation of Finduilas' death was vague and unconvincing, especially since Denethor was supposed to have loved her very dearly and she had two young sons at her side. So I went with chronic arsenic poisoning. It seems likely that Sauron and Saruman would send agents and spies to infiltrate the Citadel, using any means available to strike at the Steward. I am glad that you liked this, and thanks for writing! | |
| mirthor | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 3/30/2005 |
| And he probably dreamed a prophecy of what he'd do when he became Prince there, no? I can see this as a lazy day when he was a teen, or a stopover on the way to MT with his men. I'll bet relaxation wasn't a luxury he got very often. | |
| annmarwalk | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/30/2005 |
| A whole frightening tale in 100 words. I love the images of the (blue?) iris waving in the garden, and the Fin's bluish fingernails, and the starry mantle. And her brittle hair - what an amazing detail! Author Reply: Yes, I was thinking of blue irises of the tall, "bearded" German type. And the brittle hair is a common symptom of slow poisoning with arsenic. The Enemy thought to strike directly at Denethor's heart... Thanks for writing! | |
| annmarwalk | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/30/2005 |
| Oh, yes. I remember being told what was or wasn't appropriate behavior for "those days". Girls nowadays don't know how lucky they have it, if only because the perceptions of weakness and illness are gone. (Don't I sound like a cackling old biddie?) | |
| annmarwalk | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 3/30/2005 |
| Thought provoking, but an excellent portrait of Grima green with envy. Unfortunately, very topical, too - how many young men seek to build their self-esteem through malicious craft, or violence? :( | |
| annmarwalk | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 3/30/2005 |
| Ooh, I like the visual contrast of the dark hair and blood-red flowers. Poor Faramir! That nice, mindless work, fresh air, and (maybe) sunshine did him a world of good. | |
| annmarwalk | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 3/30/2005 |
| Oh, I remember this! I read it and despaired of writing anything as lovely. All those flowering trees, and dreams of Ithilien, past and future. | |
| mirthor | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 3/29/2005 |
| This represents well what Faramir probably went through for months or years after the war - running into reminders of Boromir everywhere he turned, making his home a living Hell. Another reason his title to Ithilien was a fitting gift. Author Reply: Thank you for your kind reviews! It is hard to imagine him staying in the Citadel. Too many ghosts--his father and brother would be constantly before him. The violent and shameful circumstances leading to their deaths would make it all the more difficult to bear. | |
| mirthor | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 3/29/2005 |
| Cheerful, no - but thought-provoking indeed: I can imagine Fin having all the time in the world to discover that place where she could hear the sea - with her husband assumably rarely having time for her, though probably not by his own will. I can also see her taking the boys there & they themselves going there every year after her death to cut their own holly. Author Reply: I imagined that at her childhood home in Dol Amroth, people would go together to gather holly in the woods. It would be a noisy,laughing party. Far away in the stone city, the only holly she can find is growing back behind the tombs. Still, she wants to continue the tradition, for herself and for her family. And you are right, an early draft of this drabble did have the boys with her when she went to cut the evergreens. :-) Thanks so much for writing! | |