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| The River by Indigo Bunting | 19 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| I think Legolas made a rather grave mistake in talking to the Men to begin with -- they now know far more than they ought to know about the Elf and the hobbit, starting with the fact that the hobbit is a hobbit. But aside from that tactical bobble, Legolas acquitted himself rather well here. He's smart enough to know when he's beaten. It seems to me that, even though Sam is his charge and the one used to ensure his good behavior, Sam will also provide much-needed psychological support. He's already started, what with praising Legolas's hauling-people-up-cliffs skills. They'll be good for each other, especially under these new, trying circumstances. Author Reply: Legolas’ impression was that Garan already knew that there was a hobbit behind him – a denizen of the Shire, and nothing else (not a dwarf and not a child of any race). What I had meant to convey was that Legolas was right; perhaps I didn’t do that very well! The idea was that if the reader believes that Legolas’ reading of the situation was correct, then he/she now knows that Garan and his band of Men are exactly what Sam and Legolas feared. They were looking for hobbits at the very least, and perhaps the entire Fellowship, and if they were looking for hobbits, then they must have been sent by someone. (At this point in the story I don’t think I’ve given much indication of how many people the expected to find; this is something that Legolas has not been able to divine thus far.) Legolas told Garan outright that there was a hobbit behind him because Garan already knew there was a hobbit there; he thought that lying would only have worsened his troubles. He was trying to delay the onset of a fight that was probably inevitable unless he had left his defensible spot of his own volition (surrendered). When Garan acted surprised to learn that the person behind Legolas was a hobbit, he was faking it, and when Legolas told Garan that hobbits come from the Shire, he was telling Garan that he knew that Garan knew where hobbits are from. (I hope that sentence made some sort of sense!) It wasn’t necessary for Legolas to goad Garan, and it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but he was letting Garan get under his skin a bit. I’m glad you continue to like Sam and Legolas together. Sam will definitely provide psychological support; that’s what he does so well for Frodo. Legolas does think that it is his responsibility to protect Sam, and that will make it tougher for him to find some way to escape. He won’t want to risk another head-on assault if it means that Sam could get his throat cut. | |
| SurgicalSteel | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| Happened across your story thanks to recs from Dreamflower and Grey Wonderer over on LiveJournal. Really great story! The scenario seems extremely plausible, and you've done a great job conveying both Legolas' and Sam's emotions. I look forward to seeing more! Author Reply: Welcome, SurgicalSteel, and thanks for leaving a review! I’m not a livejournaler myself, but I nosed around until I found said journals. I’m very pleased – and honored – that people are enjoying the story enough to recommend it. It’s a bit nervewracking, putting your work out in front of the whole world to be weighed and measured. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it develops. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| Very tense chapter. You did such a nice job of showing it all -- the waiting, the verbal jousting, the fight, the haul up the cliff. We get a real sense of these men and what they're like. Author Reply: Thank you, daw! If you thought it was tense, then that’s good – exactly what I was going for. It wasn’t just tense, either – it was looooong. It’s very close to 10,000 words by itself. Giving the Men some personality was both interesting and challenging. These seven chapters have been written for a while, obviously; else how could I post them so quickly? But the story did stall out while I figured the specifics on the Men – how many there were, their goals, their names, their attitudes, their leader, etc. It was a long way from my original idea of a party of “bad news Men” to an actual set of characters. Thank goodness that’s all behind me. | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| Wow! What a chapter. I could see every move and very nearly smell these men myself. Am just loving the developing friendship between these two. Author Reply: Thanks, harrowcat! I’m excited that you thought the chapter warranted a “wow”. The more I write Sam and Legolas together, the more satisfying they are. | |
| TithenFeredir | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| This chapter was a pleasure to read, it was so well thought out and executed, though I can't say that it was a comfortable journey to take. Legolas' battle with the men, his fears and second-guessing of his strategy, the terrible free climb up the cliff and the exhausting chore of hauling the men up were painful to read. I loved the way you had Legolas stay in the shelter of the crevice and play that verbal cat-and-mouse with Garan as he measured his and Sam's chances of survival or escape. This is a top-notch adventure story in my opinion. You have pushed the danger, the angst and the characters'physical stress far enough to make the story a real nail-biter, but you never cross the line into gratuitous character torment. It all seems very realistic. Well done! ~TF Author Reply: I think I’m finally getting the hang of your name: Feredir and not Federir. I’m very pleased that you continue to approve of things. Legolas did the best he could with the knowledge that he had, and yet it turns out that it might have been better if he had made another decision entirely. That’s one of the difficulties of being in a leadership position; you won’t always make the right choice even when you do your best. No gratuitous character torment!!! I’m so glad you mentioned this. Sam and Legolas can expect some ill treatment now, but I will never, ever make it gratuitous. Legolas is right to want to get away – the Men don’t have the compunctions that I have against how far they will go to get what they want – but I’m not going to let something really horrible happen to either Legolas or Sam. I don’t think I’m giving away the farm by saying so, either; I don’t know whether the story itself has made it obvious or not, but I’m not interested in pain for pain’s sake. If I had something awful happen to Sam and Legolas (like torture), then the point of this story would have utterly changed from what it actually is. This is not a story about how Sam and Legolas undergo great physical suffering and how they survive/cope with the mental scars afterwards. Sure, there’s survival, and some coping, but not with torture. Ick. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| This story just continues to get better and better! Of course, it was inevitable that the Men take them. But you made the whole thing seem so plausible; and I loved the way you showed Legolas' fierce concern for Sam--not only because of the Fellowship or his promise, but because of their friendship as well. That little moment at the end, with Sam taking Legolas' hand in his was just beautiful. Author Reply: I was very concerned that some readers would see “Elf worship” in this chapter (as I have heard it aptly called). If you think everything was plausible, then that makes me feel much better. I did the best that I could to do keep everything realistic. My feeling is that Legolas can perform some seriously wicked feats when he’s pressed. If I recall correctly, Tolkien himself objected to Legolas being viewed as somehow effeminate, and he made a point of calling attention to the many abilities of the Elves, including great strength. I think the fact that this chapter was seen through Legolas’ eyes helped keep the romantic factor down (and by romantic, I don’t mean love – I mean overwrought and impractical). Legolas himself doesn’t see anything exceptional in what he does; he knows better than anyone else in the group what he is and is not capable of. Awe is left to Sam, who is so generous with his friendship and praise, and to the Men, who can only marvel at how much farther Legolas can stretch himself than they can. Legolas most certainly sees himself as Sam’s protector, at least in their present situation. (My apologies if I’ve said this before; I think that eventually my review responses will be crisscrossing all over themselves.) The interesting thing is that Sam sees himself as Legolas’ protector, after a fashion. Legolas is beginning to see this even if he doesn’t fully understand it. And I’m glad you liked the ending. A lot of people saw fit to comment on it, which is nice. Author Reply: Edited to Add: Word on the street is that you recommended this story on your livejournal. Thank you so much! The response to this story (and this chapter) has been incredible; you're only making it that much more wonderful. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| So beautifully written! Now, if only that fire is being seen further down the gorge.... Author Reply: Thank you, Larner! I am so glad that you continue to like the writing. And if I may say so, you don’t miss a thing. You’re right about Garan not being very cautious, but I’m not going to get back to the POV of the rest of the Fellowship quite yet. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| Very thrilling! Oh, I can't wait for the rescue (or escape) or whatever brings the Fellowship together again. Author Reply: Thanks, shirebound! You seem to have a good idea of how this story is going to go. I can’t wait, either. | |
| FallenEagle | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/2/2005 |
| Oh I do love Leggie angst, and I love this fic, PLEASE update. Is Sam going to suffer int he next chapie? Please update. (There's a silenteagle?) Author Reply: Your first question seems a little ambiguous, but I think you’re asking because you’re concerned for Sam and not because you want bad things to happen to him. :-) Rest assured that none of the characters are going to suffer for the sake of suffering. I know I’ve mentioned this in a response to a previous review, but I have read some stories that ‘border on masochism’ as I call it, and that isn’t my cup of tea. I’m with Gimli when he says that he does not take pleasure in the meaningless suffering of others. The Men will certainly not be kind to either Sam or Legolas, but I’m not going to have them drag out the rack, either. I’ll update as soon as I can! And as for who SilentEagle is, I’ve got no idea, just that he or she was thoughtful enough to leave a review for one of the chapters. | |