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| The Tenth Walker by Lindelea | 840 Review(s) |
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| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 121 on 5/10/2025 |
| Excellent description of the battle with the wolves. Love the continuing evolution of Merry's descriptive renaming! And love that Pippin continues to be aware of the needs of Sam and Bill for protection during the whole process. Author Reply: I have to say, I skimmed over the "wolf battle" in my past readings, or at least I hurried through reading that passage. To write from Bill's perspective, I had to slow way down and read carefully, trying to note every detail as well as keep track where each character was throughout. Thanks so much for the praise! I'm glad the description works. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 120 on 5/10/2025 |
| How apt the chapter title! The description of Pippin's retreat into terror is well crafted, and the acceptance of the others without discussion that Frodo's comfort of his youngest present cousin is best for both of them until the young Took reawakens and takes his own responsibility for protecting the Ringbearer back is so admirable. Bill's own determination to defend the party in spite of tether and hobbles is wonderful, as is his realization he must wait until he is certain he won't accidently injure his companions in defense of himself or the others. Well written! Author Reply: Your review brings me relief; I wasn't sure if Pippin would be believable, but his suddenly becoming overwhelmed and paralyzed by fear made sense to me in terms of his youth and relatively sheltered life in the Shire before setting out to accompany Frodo (despite all the fanfic out there just dripping with angst and such, my own included). Not knowing what to expect makes it worse, for he cannot even plan or strategize at all because he can't imagine surviving the attack. (Do you think he does better when the Orcs attack in Moria simply because he has experienced this battle and now knows more about fighting back-to-back and that, small as he is, he can make a difference with his sharp blade by applying the skills and lessons Boromir taught him along the way? Somehow, his change in attitude reminds me of something I heard someone say recently: 'Don't let the fear stop you; let it get behind you and push you forward.') As I have said elsewhere, Bill is both a wise pony, and he has grown wiser along the way. I think he might even be able to hold his own with Bill Ferny by the time he reaches Bree once more. Thanks! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 119 on 5/10/2025 |
| I love that Pippin's continued bravery in spite of his impetuous nature is so recognized by Bill. Author Reply: Bill appreciates his hobbits and each one's individual qualities and strengths. I'm not sure that the loyal pony would recognize weaknesses as weaknesses, either. He might just see them as personality quirks. Thanks! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 118 on 5/10/2025 |
| Am catching up belatedly. I am again facing the vagaries of clients' choices and not enough income, and wish people would simply make up their minds and keep them made up for a change! Bless Bill for his awareness of his own inadequacies in appreciating the conversations around him. Love his awareness of Frodo's uncertainties and choice for the night's rest. To have such a wise pony is a blessing for all of them! Author Reply: And I am answering reviews belatedly. I don't know if you'll get the chance to read these replies, but I do so appreciate your pausing long enough to share your thoughts. Reviews are so motivating and encouraging! I hope life has improved for you since you wrote this review. It never seems to rain but that it pours... and I'm sure the saying became a cliche because it's so often and so unfortunately true! It has been fun (even diverting) to travel in my imagination with Bill and watch him gain in experience and wisdom while remaining delightfully oblivious in areas where a pony wouldn't be expected to understand the ins and outs of how "the other half" (meaning two-footed creatures) live and think. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. I hope life lightens up. In any event, I need to go back and read your older stories, especially the ones I missed when I was away from fanfic because of the demands of needing more income! While my work was absorbing, and I learned a lot, I also missed the fanfic community very much. (So I guess another kindness I must thank you for has to do with your visits, which kept me loosely connected with the phenomenon of fanfic while I had to be away. Not to mention, it's always good to see you!) | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 128 on 4/17/2025 |
| I'm glad you're planning a part 2. You can't leave him there! Author Reply: Thank you! Part 2 was promised for April, and I've managed to make it work. So far. (Think good thoughts, if you wouldn't mind.) I agree! I can't bear the thought of Bill lost and alone in the howling wilderness! Thank goodness JRRT wrote a better ending for him than that! | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 84 on 4/17/2025 |
| [Would we have done better with the Dwarf leading?] That is indeed an interesting question. But on the whole I think not - Gimli would have taken then into Moria, too. They should really have listened to Boromir. Author Reply: Was it that Boromir wanted to go through Rohan? I can't quite remember at the moment. We are so spoiled with our instant communications these days. It's hard to imagine a time when news travelled slowly – if it travelled at all! They couldn't know if the Rohirrim had fallen – and, actually, if the Company had passed through Rohan while Saruman still controlled Théoden, things might have gone very badly. After all, Théoden was not released from Saruman's spell until after Gandalf had died and been sent back, long after the decision to climb Caradhras or pass through Moria was made. And ultimately, listening to Boromir would have led to disaster, for he wanted the Ring to go to Minas Tirith. (I still think Gandalf ought to have whistled up Gwaihir, long before the Dark Lord mounted the Nazgûl on winged steeds, and simply sent the Ring to Mt Doom via airmail. But then the story would have been a whole lot shorter, and we wouldn't have all this glorious fanfic to read!) | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 4/17/2025 |
| Oh dear, that song is going to stick in everyone's brain for days now! Author Reply: ...at least I haven't stumbled across a Shire version of "This is the Song that Never Ends..." LOL! (Of course, if there were such a thing, trust Pippin to know it. Or even to make it up himself!) | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 4/17/2025 |
| [‘We started out on one of the longest, darkest nights of the year,’] The LOTR timeline is a puzzle, isn't it? Why did Gandalf tell Frodo to wait till September? Why did they tarry so long in Rivendell - checking the surroundings for nazgul hardly justifies the delay. And then a month's holiday in Lothlorien! Do yuo think Tolkien had some scheme in mind where the times of year are symbolic? Because if Frodo had set out as soon as Gandalf told him about the Ring, the quest could have been sompleted by midsummer! Author Reply: I'm not sure Gandalf told Frodo to wait till September? If I'm remembering right, he said to leave no later than September, and Frodo was the one who kept procrastinating until he'd run out of days on the calendar. But I am badly in need of a nap, so speculation is rather beyond me at the moment. I'm not sure about symbolic times of year, except that I seem to remember hearing at one time that he set the date for the destruction of the Ring (or was it the Battle of the Pelannor?) to coincide with some particular time frame from history or mythology or something like that. But with this groggy brain, I can't seem to dredge up any more details than that. Might he have had some underlying motive for having them set out on December 25? I have no idea. I only know that March was significant somehow, even though I don't remember why. Contrariwise, in my "Ferdi and Farry Go to Gondor" story, I have allowed myself some leeway in terms of timing, and so the New Company set off from Bree in midsummer and are likely to come to Caradhras well before autumn arrives, seemingly an ideal time for traversing mountain paths. I'm sure young Faramir would have liked to follow the same timeline as the original Fellowship in his quest for authenticity, but thankfully, the adults in the room put their collective feet down and set a different schedule than the one he proposed. I am definitely rambling now, so I'm going to leave off answering reviews (or even reading fanfic and then writing reviews), and take a nap. Cheers! | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 81 on 4/17/2025 |
| I like your weather descriptions! On a recent reread of LOTR I noticed how Tolkien isn't using pathetic fallacy, but is describing weather as the random natural phenomenon it really is. When it's rainy or stormy, it doesn't mean anything, it's just that sometimes it rains! I think this makes the world more convincing, and your weather does the same. Author Reply: I have to say that Tolkien's descriptions of weather, for the most part, seem familiar, especially since we have gone camping in miserable rain as often as in pleasant weather. Weather happens, so to speak. Recently, however, I did read (or maybe I heard a recorded interview?) that one of the scenes he wrote about travelling in the mountains (I don't remember if it was in The Hobbit or LOTR) was based on his own experience of (I think) thunder and falling rocks and such while travelling through mountainous country. So in that case, the unnatural weather he described (wasn't there something in The Hobbit about giants battling? and Caradhras had something about fell voices on the air, I think) was taken from reality. | |
| Virtuella | Reviewed Chapter: 80 on 4/17/2025 |
| Poor Boromir; he gets a bad rep because of one moment of weakness, but on the whole, he is a very sensible and perceptive man. Gandalf made a some foolish decisions on the quest, most of which Boromir opposed. I'm glad you are showing him here to be so pragmatic and considerate. Author Reply: JRRT called Boromir a noble Man, if I'm remembering right. I wonder if Faramir was able to resist the call of the Ring in part because Boromir was their father's favourite? Did the stress of growing up with that knowledge somehow harden the younger brother? (By "harden", I'm talking about refining like steel under the force of forge and hammer.) Thanks! I have a great deal of respect for Boromir, in part because of some solidly-written fanfic I remember reading. | |