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| Western Dawn by Thundera Tiger | 16 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/19/2005 |
| Oh poor, poor Legolas. To give rejoice in and give thanks for the precious treasure of hearts given and friendships forged is a wonderful thing but to live knowing that all these must end and that change is so invevitable can be agony indeed. I am glad that you wrote this in the present tense as to live in the present is the only option if such a one as Legolas is not to fall into despair and fade. Great writing. Author Reply: The idea behind the present tense was to convey that this is...well, a moment. Something immediate and inescapable, which theoretically leads to the assumption that Legolas faces this every day in much the same manner. But you're right in that this is also how Legolas needs to leave once he's gathered his strength. If he allows himself to turn either to the past or to the future, it becomes too much. Good observation, and thank you for the review! | |
| Frodo3791 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/18/2005 |
| Great imagery, first off. I marvel at your writing ability. Also, I'm not a big fan of present tense, but you really made it work for this. It was short but beautiful and tragic. Legolas continues to push the sea longing away, but somewhere he knows that he can't do it forever... I really liked how you used the surroundings to add to the bitterness and almost hopelessness of what Legolas is facing with his sea longing. I read very little fanfiction anymore, but I am always overjoyed when you write something because you really add another layer to Tolkien's world... and you're just really bloody talented. Thanks for the little one shot here. -Micah Author Reply: Glad the present tense worked. I'm terrified of it, personally, because while it has the potential to be powerful, it also has the potential to feel incredibly wrong. I'm very relieved that you think it worked for this. As for the surroundings, I think that toward the end, almost everything started to remind Legolas of what he'd already given up and also of what he'd lose once he gave everything up. So even the dawn became this bittersweet beacon that he couldn't quite escape. Many thanks for both the review and the compliments. I'm flattered that you're still reading. That makes my day, and you've given me a rather heady ego boost. Thank you for that as well, though if you'd like to loan me a ladder, I think I should try to corral that floating ego of mine... | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/18/2005 |
| Magnificent! It captures so perfectly Legolas's dilemma--he has granted his love and friendship to mortals, and will carry his grief for them all down through time. Yet still he will seek the strength to remain with them as long as they remain in Middle-earth... Author Reply: ...And thus he draws from the mortals both hope and despair. I really like that paradox, actually. It's one of the things that fascinates me about Legolas. Well, Legolas and Gimli both, actually. They're such a contrary pair in so many ways. Many thanks for the review! | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/18/2005 |
| What a lovely description of a sunrise. I think the only one I've seen to compare would be by Laura Ingalls Wilder. And the western dawn seems a very appropriate metaphor for an Elf whose life has been made all crookedy by the people he's met and the trials he's endured during the War. None of the Fellowship escaped the War unscarred, and I think that Legolas's scars were mostly psychological, but they were still scars. Author Reply: Yes, and it's my opinion that psychological scars can be the most dangerous kind in the long run. Especially if they're untreatable, which seems to be the case here. Glad you liked the description of sunrise. I wanted to give Legolas something nice to look at after creating such a gloomy picture, so it relieves me to know that it came off well. Thank you! | |
| LOTR lover | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/18/2005 |
| Amazing! A *short* story by Thundera Tiger! ;) A beautiful and bittersweet one, too. Your description of sunlight touching the mountaintops and flowing down to light the city and the fields is gorgeous, and both poetic and realistic at once. I love seeing the mist over a river at sunrise. Poor Legolas! Hope and sorrow inextricably linked, an ongoing future filled with thoughts of the past. The lot of the Elves. Perhaps Men are fortunate after all. Author Reply: Oh come now, I've written short stories before. :) Anyway, I'm very glad you liked the imagery. I had a bear of time making it sound the way I wanted to, and even in the final draft, I wondered if it was perhaps a bit too much. But then again, this is Legolas. He's going to veer a bit more toward the poetic than other characters might. And in the end, I think you're right. Men are probably much more fortunate. | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/18/2005 |
| Wow. I'm kind of shell-shocked, like I've been beaten senseless with a priceless Ming vase. I don't think I've ever read such a beautiful description of agony before. Author Reply: A priceless Ming vase!? I'd never beat anyone senseless with one of those! Imagine, using a priceless Ming vase as a blunt instrument... ;) Ming vases aside, I thank you very much for the sentiment, and I'm glad you caught the agony in the story. I was worried about that. Thanks again! | |