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| The King's Commission by Larner | 429 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 2/20/2008 |
| I liked the glimpse of Aragorn's ranger days,It was so sad Halbarad died. I loved the idea of using the bull to protect the property! Author Reply: I agree about how sad it is that Halbarad died. One reason I love Surgical Steel's and Radbook's stories in which he didn't (or even when he did)! | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 2/20/2008 |
| I like your speculations who Aragorn's kinsmen might have been. How things must have changed in the early years of his reign! Author Reply: I'm glad you like the idea of Aragorn having such kinsmen. They've been the unthanked warriors and guardians of the ruins of the Northern Kingdom, and suddenly they're the King's kindred and cousins to various degrees. It must have been surprising and rather heady to find that they finally are being recognized for who and what they are--the purer descendants of the Line of Kings, and the remnants of the northern Dunedain. Thanks so much for letting me you've looked at this long-missing chapter! How I managed to either leave it out or delete it I have no idea! | |
| Soledad | Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 2/15/2008 |
| Hi Larner, I finally got around to read this one - it's quite marvellous. I like your main character a great deal, and I love what you've done with the various cultures of Rhun, Harad and so on. I was glad to recognize several oringinal characters from your other stories. Your private little corner of the Ardaverse is a lovely one indeed. Author Reply: Thanks so much, Soledad. Ruvemir grew on me throughout the writing of this story. He appears also in "Lesser Ring" and "The Ties of Family," and will soon appear in another short story, I hope. Someone loved how his work appeared in "Reconciliation" and wants a tale on the Storyteller statue, so am working on that at the moment. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 2/10/2008 |
| How wonderful to see this chapter! It's nice to be reminded of one of my favorite fics! And now Gilifleg has a proper introduction! I remember being quite puzzled about that "mystery man" the first time through! I think I may need to re-read The King's Commission very soon! Author Reply: Good heavens--I never expected this "lost" chapter to find a review! But I'm glad it did, Dreamflower, and that you're one of those to do so. As I said before, I'm seeing a good deal of editing done; and to realize I'd not posted this chapter was such a shock! Now you know "the rest of the story" behind Gilfileg son of Gilthor. Glad you found time to read it! Thanks! | |
| Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 5/6/2007 | |
| Wow! Truly epic! Now that I see the questions that yuo've asked yourself, I understand where you got your inspiration for this tale. (Novel?) I admire your dedication in writing such a long story- thank you for sharing your amazing work. Author Reply: Oh, I have written a couple true novels--this and "The Acceptable Sacrifice"--indeed, "The Ties of Family" and "Lesser Rings" also are decent novel length as well, I think. Most of mine tend to get a bit wordy, I fear. And thank you for reading this and obviously enjoying it. Ever since the day Ruvemir crawled out of the space where the drawer is missing in my waterbed pedastal, he's continued a part of my view of post-LOTR Middle Earth. | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 9/23/2006 |
| I'm rereading and noticing yet more connections this time, such as Gimli's comment that if a Hobbit ever made it to far Harad, it would be a Took. Sure enough! :) I recall being a little bit mystified, maybe, the first time, at your cooking techniques which Mirel learned from their cook-and now I live by them, as it were. :) I find reading this very inspirational as I'm beginning to shape a new sculpture of my own, a baby this time. God bless, Galadriel P.S. I promise I won't pile up reviews or chatter as I did before! :) Author Reply: Rereading, are you? And nice to see you're seeing more connections. I'd based that quote of Gimli's on the story "Peregrin" by Thomas Fairbairn (I think--it's been a while!) in which Pippin does go to Far Harad and meets a number of different folk, including a Jewish type tribe with whom he spends time, and he sees one of the Silmarils and helps stop another Istar gone mad/bad, and has a wonderful vision of Frodo healed. And now rehab has given you more skills, eh? Excellent! | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 999999 on 3/28/2006 |
| Yes, I've devoured the rest of this story. It just so happened that I was fortunate enough to wake up this morning with the really bad cold everyone has around here lately, and so got to finish this today. I meant to stop and review chapters I liked several times, but when I enjoy something, I read really fast. Now. I don't know how you do it, but it seems you can write a story about anything you like--let it be as thrilling and full of happiness as you please--and I can still be crying at the end...and it's always the very last chapter that does it, except for "For Eyes..." in which it's the last several chapters. I also admire the way you wrote Ruvemir's good-bye to Aragorn. "I won't be leaving on my feet this time." That cuts to the heart, and I was just about to protest, "No! Why does he have to die?" But there is a peacefulness about that scene that stopped me short before I'd finished the thought. He'd led a full life, after all, filled to overflowing with love and blessings, and in the end the physical difficulties he had such a hard time dealing with at times didn't keep him from anything good or worth having. I think that's how it is with a lot of so-called disabilities; I've heard, more times than I care to count, one or another of my relatives or maybe family friends, saying (generally indirectly) that I miss a great deal of joy because I don't see this and that. I don't think so. Oh yes, there are times when I'd like to see what something looks like, for writing purposes usually, but that's what the imagination is for. And there are times when I'm thankful to be blind. And as to what you said about acceptance, sometimes we whom some seem to see as so different have a hard time being accepted, so of course it's natural that we should accept one another, no matter what our differences. Now I'm going to try to backtrack here. That was a very, very clever plan to catch Landrion, very clever indeed! It was almost amusing, and would have been if not for what came after. He might have deserved it, but I don't like the thought of anyone, no matter how vile, being tortured to death, and I don't even want to think about how it was done. Ivarnon really must have been drunk, and rather ill-natured, to try something like that. I'm so glad Liana found happiness at last with one who accepted both her and Angara. And of course the romances springing up everywhere were most delightful. :) Wonderful to see poor Mirieth healing, and Ruvemir helping her and of course all the apprentices. I think maybe Mirieth, once her health was recovered, would make an excellent foster-mother, and she needs it. But speaking of those connected with Varondil, I must say I don't think he received enough of a punishment, and it's unfair to those in the Houses of Healing as well. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near him! :( But I can see Aragorn's reasoning too and can hear him say, "Perhaps he can find some measure of healing, in time, through helping in the healing of others." Ever the compassionate one, when it's most difficult to show compassion. It was wonderful to see the change in Celebgil as the story progressed, and seeing him at the end with his own shop and profession really brings it home just what he was saved from. Oh, and Pippin's pranks were funny. The house was really cute, and the study transformed into a stall was hilarious! I can just see that young pony, unfastening the gate, walking right up to the door of Brandy Hall, and just striding right in when it was opened. :) And Elanor's fancy about her Uncle Frodo was very, very sweet and would have delighted him, I think. Of course I enjoyed the full description of the memorial, too. An excellent design, and very detailed. But I must say :), if you want to do a model, you do have a task before you. Still, if/when you decide to try, I wish you luck. To see Frodo laughing over what he was told by Gandalf in the last chapter was wonderful, though it still saddens me that he faded so that he rarely spoke. And the description of the mantle was beautiful. A wonderful story as always, and a perfect ending. I've really enjoyed this, meeting these intriguing original characters and revisiting the familiar and already-beloved ones, and following them and especially Ruvemir, on a kind of quest of their own. God bless, Galadriel P.S. You know, it's wonderful to know I'm not the only one that has trouble with spelling, even if Thoronduil or whatever really is inexcusable! :) Author Reply: I was very surprised to see how far you came today, and am flattered you enjoyed it so. I truly like Ruvemir--have ever since he crept out from under my bed to introduce himself to me. It's been quite a relationship, and it must be very similar to what Tolkien felt when he suddenly found Boromir's brother stepping out of Ithilien to enter his story. He wrote to his son how this character had pushed his way into the story, and that he found he liked him immensely, and I find myself the same way with Ruvemir. Tolkien admitted his own story was focused on our relationship with death, and that Frodo and Sam certainly should have died there on Mount Doom. But for the one who formulated "the Gift of Iluvatar" I feel he must have been more comfortable with death than he perhaps realized directly; and so I prefer to see my characters fairly happy when their times come. Certainly in "Light on the Way" Aragorn isn't particularly worried about what he'll find on the other side, he's quite happy about it, and grieves only for the way it will tear at his beloved Arwen. And in "The Choice of Healing" when you read it you will find Frodo and Sam accepting the Gift very gently and with humorous anticipation. Ruvemir has had a good life, and he's not only not afraid of dying, I suspect he's looking forward to standing in the Presence and thanking Eru for the chance to do what he's done. And the chance to see Frodo himself must have been too good to miss in his eyes. I felt I was quite ruthless enough with Landrion that I could allow Varondil a good long time to appreciate what he'd done. Landrion knew what would happen if he ever got caught and must have known the chances were strong he would get caught one day; for Varondil, I doubt seriously he ever thought anyone in authority would catch on. And handling bedpans I hope will help him indeed to build character. So glad you appreciated Pippin's new level of practical jokes--jokes intended to delight as much as to bewilder, I think. And I do think Cyclamen and Elanor would have fun figuring out how Uncle Frodo manages from day to day in the miniature Hobbit house in the garden. Anyway, whatever you decide to read next, enjoy it. | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 67 on 3/28/2006 |
| I've read so much that I'm going to have to mention the earliest events only briefly--but I couldn't stop! Now if I can just remember everything... The wedding was beautiful, just what I would have wished for Ruvemir. And it's good to see the children happy with their foster parents, and Lorieth seeming to treat Ririon as her elder brother. Poor little thing, I can understand why. I'd be terrified. That was quite a clever trick to send the Runim with Ruvemir's party and make it seem casual--well done on both sides, too. That Mistress Narieth is quite a character. Goodness! :) But she obviously has a good heart, in spite of being decidedly unladylike. The last farewell between Ruvemir and Ririon was very touching. I'd thought that his and Pando's absence would leave a gap, as it were, but there's not time for it to sink in that they're not there before everything picks up again...and doesn't slow down for a little while. The account of the assault was thrilling (from the POV of the reader), and Rupter makes quite an efficient guard. A guard bull--who would have thought? :) I can't believe the intricacy of that conspiracy! So Varondil was involved in that, and that's how he got all those apprentices! A rogue if ever there was one, and that Landrion is appalling! And now I finally come to what's utmost in my mind now: Oh, those poor, poor boys! Reading of those unfortunate souls who had destroyed themselves in their desperation, and of Varondil's poor wife, trying to grow a child in her garden, and of her natural child, I was surprised to find myself wiping my eyes--it's so heartbreaking! That poor kid, only eight when the man who ought to have been his father but acted anything but, began abusing him in a way that no living creature should be abused, and to suffer so that he would take his own life at twelve...I've heard horror stories before, not unlike that, but never, never that horrible. Strange, though, that Varondil arouses different feelings than the one he reminds me of--Angrapain. I must confess that with that one I would have gladly ordered his execution myself, and I was angry with Aragorn for letting him off easy at first; I longed to get my hands on him myself. But Varondil--I wouldn't come within a hundred miles of him. But they're not really that different: both had a powerful lust for immorality, both had a strong desire for power and/or wealth. I suppose that what makes Varondil in a sense more bearable is that he didn't display his disgusting nature to all and sundry, and that Angrapain seems to have been naturally ill-humoured and really hard-headed, to put it mildly. But I can't pity either of them, much as I know they ought to be pitied, caught in such wretchedness. I only hope that all those poor enslaved apprentices escape their so-called master's torment. I'm rather confused about the doll, though. What exactly happened there--how did that work? Or do I want to know? I find myself interested in this Lianna (forgot to look at spelling again--sorry if it isn't right) and her little daughter. I don't want this story to end, but at the same time I can't wait now to finish this...so that I can start another. :) God bless, Galadriel | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 3/27/2006 |
| LOL! What! "A Bicycle Built for Two?" That is just hilarious! And kind of scary. :) You can do "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the Braille-and-speak by going into the speech parameter, getting the pitch to a certain level, and then going up and down between three settings that sound for all the world like the notes for that song in F-sharp major, if I remember rightly. But A Bicycle Built for Two? What did that, and how did that work? Oh my goodness, that is so funny. I have a friend who enjoys making Jaws do very, very strange and creepy things, and he'd love that. :) | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 3/26/2006 |
| Death by impalement! Oh, how horrible! Even if they do deserve it--and they certainly do. To come in and try such a trick at that time, just when it would be best for things to be peaceful! And to intend to make it look as if the Gondorians did it! What baseness! Still...*shudders* I pity them for the death they must face. So delightful to see the birth of Melian! And it's wonderful, also, to see the Haradrim and the people of Run have made peace with Gondor. The gift from Harad was very thoughtful. It's too bad Celebgil is still unwilling to tell Ruvemir the whole story. Surely Aragorn would take steps to see that Varondil was dealt with properly--it isn't the first time, after all--and Celebgil would have no more to fear from him. But something like that--at which I am only guessing and am still not sure I want to know in full--can't be easy to tell. Poor boy. No, I imagine anger, stone, and carving tools would be a very unwise mix. "The crafting trance..." I like that! It's delightful, isn't it? I'm not to the point where I can get lost in sculpting, but when the "writing fit" takes me, I can be at it for hours and not notice the passage of time, not grow hungry or tired, be unable to sleep at night for wanting to still be at whatever I'm working on, and basically neglect everything. And no touch on the shoulder brings me out. :) I enjoyed the dinner as well, and like Ifram very much. I can see how he and Ruvemir would get along well. As to screen-readers and such, I use Jaws (which, at the moment, is being a real pill, but I love it anyway :)) and pretty much always have. I figured you'd probably had some interesting experiences with various speech synthesizers along the way, but some of them still surprise me--and I still manage to get into funny or frustrating little predicaments. Like the time I got Jaws stuck speaking French! LOL! I'm serious! (The latest, I believe, is 7.01, but I'm sticking to 7.0 for now, as I'm not anxious to do the updating thing again--had some trouble with Freedom Scientific last time.) And when I was in elementary school, when Braille-and-speaks had just really gotten big (at my school, any way--I guess it was in 96/97) it was the favourite amusement when we VI kids had time together and were kind of bored to see who could make their Braille-and-speak say the most interesting thing. :) I liked to think I finally won because I figured out how to get mine, supposedly, to "sing" Mary Had a Little Lamb. LOL! You really can do that, funny and crazy as it sounds. But now I really am fighting with Jaws...again, and the computer has formed an alliance with it, and they're determined to defeat me. :) I declare, technology has personality of its own--especially Freedom Scientific's products! But then, that's what makes thing interesting... God bless, Galadriel P.S. Please pardon errors--I'm not able to correct them right now. Something is not working right and I'm going to have to shut everything down before I can do anything properly. Author Reply: The punishments in many lands were particularly cruel, and still are in some. That Aragorn would insist that the deaths be done swiftly and as cleanly as possible would fit with both his upbringing, his personal inclination, and most importantly with having the King's Gift as I've envisioned it. Once you read "Lesser Ring" you'll get more of the backstory on why those from Harad are being so decent right now. Had a good deal of fun writing that story, by the way. I've gotten "in the zone" in writing, drawing, acting, and crocheting, so I know how surprising it can be to realize how long you've been at something and didn't even realize it. I've also heard friends who were more deeply in to the arts tell me the same, and how deeply they find themselves immersed from time to time. And I'm glad you like Ifram, the dinner, and the birth of Princess Melian. Tony became interested in computers in the early eighties, so we've been through all KINDS of synthesizers and screen review programs--one of the first was written specifically for Tony, in fact, the K-Talker program for the Kaypro CP/M operating system computers--the precursor to MS-DOS. Computers, screen readers, synthesizers, operating systems--I've seen LOTS, believe me. We played with Artic, WindowEyes, and Jaws all three when Windows was finally perfected, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. And one of the first things anyone did with a speech synthesizer was to get it to sing "A Bicycle Built for Two." And you've heard nothing till your computer sings "Moonlight in Vermont" to you. | |