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The River by Indigo Bunting	22 Review(s)
Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/23/2006
Oh brilliant. This had me gripped - I couldn't bother with anything else until I had read it twice. I am so pleased to see that both Legolas and Sam seem to be recovering - although I doubt anything will be as easy as all that! Boromir and his cloak made a lovely touch - and I'm so pleased that Merry and Pippin - and Gandalf - admitted to hearing the siren song of the Ring. Knowing what the dratted thing is doing will strengthen the hobbits considerably. Now - fingers crossed they have enough time to recover before the nasty men arrive. Author Reply: Hooray! I haven’t lost Bodkin! I always look forward to reading your reviews – so insightful. I’m happy to hear that you liked the bit with Boromir and his cloak. The poor guy gets a bum rap, I think. I do like the idea of him as an essentially good man who yearns to save his people. Sadly, the Ring can use even the noblest of intentions to evil ends. And you’re so right about Merry and Pippin needing to know what that Ring is trying to do! How much easier it would be for the Ring to work on their minds if, out of shame, they kept silent and tried to fight alone. Dratted thing, indeed.

Dairwendan	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/21/2006
Of course I'm still reading! I LOVE this fic! It's great that Legolas' first thought was of Sam, and I LOVED Boromir offerring his cloak. Everyone's getting to know each other so much better! Thanks! Author Reply: Thanks, Dairwendan! I’m glad I haven’t lost everybody. I was afraid I might since it had been so long, but there was nothing to be done about it. The chapter wasn’t finished until it was finished. I’m so pleased that you liked Boromir’s actions. That was one of my favorite moments in the chapter, too. There’s nothing like a little danger to make everyone pull together.

child of the stars	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/21/2006
yeah!!!! oh... YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy you told me where this was cause I had TOTALLY forgoten about this site! Awesome chapter, update soon! xxxCoTSxxx Author Reply: Heh – I’m guessing that you’re DarkStar, going incognito (sort of). I’m not sure what was going on at ff.net but it seems to have been fixed. Glad you liked the chapter! I’ll try and make the next update come a little quicker.

Althea	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/21/2006
I am so happy to see that you've updated this story. This chapter is certainly worth the wait. It's nice to have the fellowship reunited and pulling together to help Sam and Legolas. Merry's vivid memory of resuscitating Sam was very moving. Thank heavens he knew what to do, kept his head, and got Pippin to breathe for Sam. Aragorn's snappishness as a reult of his concern for Legolas and the resulting silence from the others as he worked made the scene very realistic. This was Merry's chapter to shine as he put his own reluctance aside to help Aragorn. I loved how Boromir offered his cloak and how Gimli did not pry into Merry and Pippin's conversation with Gandalf. I rejoiced in the relief that came to Pippin and Merry after confessing to one another about hearing the ring. I'm glad that Gandalf overheard them and was able to offer more assurances. Amid the comforting aspects of the chapter, though, there is still darkness. Aside from the temptations of the ring, the company is beginning to learn how abused Legolas and Sam were at the hands of their captors. There is the uncertainty of whether or not the bad men will attack. Then there is the question of how much power the sorcerer really has, and finally there is Gimli's question about how much Sam actually revealed to the sorcerer. On top of that, we are still worrying about Sam's and Legolas's recoveries. Thank you for the reassurances that this story will continue. It is one of my all-time favorites. I eagerly look forward to more. Author Reply: Hello, Althea! It’s great to be back, and it’s great to hear from you again! I’m pleased that you liked the chapter. I must confess to some uncertainty as to how it would be received, which is usually the case when a chapter isn’t born smoothly. This one had its parts chopped up and moved around a few times before I was satisfied with it, so it’s been Frankenstein-ish in my eyes. Merry was a little tough to nail, but once I got a handle on him I did enjoy writing him. I thought that Aragorn might have logically chosen him as a helper. Pippin probably doesn’t seem steady enough, Frodo wants to be at Sam’s side, Gimli doesn’t like Legolas, Boromir’s already worn out, and Gandalf… well, it just didn’t seem right to have Gandalf playing assistant surgeon. :) It was interesting for me to explore Merry’s backstory a bit, too, and to think about how he might have learned what he knew. Hooray! You’ve singled out the individual reactions of all the members of the Fellowship! This story is really about Sam more than anything else, but I’ve done my best to make everyone visible and real. My favorite stories are those where all the members of the company are interacting with one another. Everyone is under pressure in this particular situation, and they’re all going to react to it in different ways. Yep, there’s still some danger ahead, but everyone’s together again, and no one’s bit the dust thus far. Garan may be determined not to let this one get away, but the Fellowship will be just as determined to thwart him. I’ll do my best to write effectively, but whatever happens, I’ll get this story finished one way or another. I've got to, if it's one of someone's all-time favorites. :)

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/20/2006
What a wonderful update, and well worth the wait! Merry's remembrances of Sam's revival was nearly heartbreaking and his conversation with Pippin about the Ring was insightful. I often wondered why the Professor never made mention of the others hearing the Ring's call and this fills that gap beautifully. I'm very pleased to hear that this will be finished with time. Too often, I start reading a story that never sees a conclusion. I'll eagerly await the next chapter, however long that may be in the coming. Author Reply: Hello, GamgeeFest! Nice to see you here again. I’m glad you liked Merry’s chapter. I wasn’t quite sure how it would be received, but people seem to have enjoyed it. I always feel more certain about the chapters that just roll off of my fingers than the ones that drag out over months at a time. I’m hoping that the next chapter comes more easily than this one did. After how long it took to get it posted, I thought I had better announce my intention to finish the story, and I’m glad I did. More than one person seems to think I’d up and died. I’ve been frustrated by some of my favorite stories being abandoned, but I can understand how it happens. Sometimes the inspiration or the desire to write simply goes away. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be my problem. :)

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/20/2006
Oh! I was so excited to see this update! And Merry's POV, as well! You say you had trouble finding his voice, but I think you did splendidly!! This was a wonderfully exciting chapter, even though all they were doing was basically staying around the camp tending the wounded: you brought suspense in through Merry's worry over his temptation by the Ring, and by his memories of trying to revive Sam! The exchanges of various members of the Company are very well done--all of them interacting with one another. In so many fics, the Fellowship seem to be divided up into little cliques--Frodo and Sam; Merry, Pippin and Boromir; Legolas and Gimli; Aragorn and Gandalf--but that could not have been at all feasible for them travelling together as they were. I liked the way Boromir does what he can to make Legolas comfortable, that Merry and Gimli share the knowledge that Strider is both weary and worried, Gandalf's watching over them all. You shake up the cliches very well with this story! Merry's memories of helping Sam were intense, and very much what I would expect. I like the way he simply knew what to do and how to do it and did it. So very Brandybuck! Now...back to waiting for another update... I'm really worrying about what the Ruffians are going to do...I am quite certain they haven't given up yet... Author Reply: Ahoy, Dreamflower! (Sorry, just saw the new Pirates movie and had a great time, the length notwithstanding.) Good to hear that you liked the last chapter! This story has worked out in such a way that I’ve been able to put something dramatic in just about every chapter. I’m not sure how all of the last chapters are going to fall out – some slowdown is inevitable at this point – but I’ll try to make them all interesting. Your mention of the various members of the Fellowship interacting with each other was absolutely thrilling. I’m so glad that you saw fit to comment on it! I agree with you in thinking that everyone in the Fellowship ought to be interacting with each other. In this story, when various members of the company are having a discussion, anyone and everyone may butt in unless the original speakers take the trouble to make things private. I enjoyed having Pippin, Gandalf, Gimli and Boromir do just that when Merry and Aragorn were talking. After all, Sam’s and Legolas’ health impacts them all. I don’t like reading “group” conversations where particular members of the Fellowship are almost entirely left out. Poor Gimli; he’s almost always the first to go, isn’t he? :)

Calenlass Greeleaf	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/20/2006
I was wondering when you might update.....:-) This is a really good story involving the whole fellowship and not just one or 2 people. Can't wait til the next chapter! Author Reply: Thanks, Calenlass! Forgive me, but I can’t recall if you’ve reviewed before. Either way, thanks for taking the time to do so! I’m glad you’re enjoying the story. I’m sorry the updates are coming a little slower, but I’m working as steadily as I can. I’ve already made some decent progress on Pippin’s chapter (he’s next).

Gemini Elf	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/20/2006
I'm so glad you are continuing with this story, because I love it! I thought you had given up! Keep going! Can't wait for the next indstalment! Author Reply: Thanks, Gemini! No, I haven’t given up, and I won’t. Things got a little tough for a while. The usual excuses apply, namely that life got pretty busy. Work is a lot busier than it was when I started this story, and that seems to affect things. It’s amazing how a lack of time to write can slow everything down. I mean, when I have to put the story aside for a while, I’ve got to get back in the right frame of mind when I pick it up again and reread a lot of stuff to find the right mood and tone and all that. Continuity is a good thing.

RonaLena	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/20/2006
Finally, another great chapter. I am not grousing that it took so long, I am just delighted it is really arrived. A chapter certainly worth waiting for. The Merry angst was wonderfully done. You are an author to be commended simply because you leave no one out from a deeper examination as the story progresses. It is a refreshing change to have the story not just concentrate on one or two characters, with the rest as just filler. You give depth and personality to everyone, and I loved it. Bravo! Now please do keep writing. I love this story! Author Reply: Thanks, Rona! It’s nice to see you here again. I’m glad that you liked Merry’s chapter. It’s been fun – and educational – to write this story through so many different points of view. Everyone in the Fellowship is strained by these events in some way, and it ought to affect them all differently. I came up with the idea of having Merry be the one to revive Sam a long time ago. After all, he grew up near a river and we know that he doesn’t have Sam’s fear of them. But what would it be like to actually have to save a friend from death like that? It must be terrifying – really terrifying to know that you’re holding the life of someone dear to you in your hands. I witnessed a member of my own family trying to save a friend from choking, and it was awful. … And on that happy note, I’ll keep on writing, and I hope that you keep on reading!

Fire	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 6/20/2006
Great to have you back and writing :) This chapter is great, I loved seeing things from Merry's perspective. He was so scared he was the weak link in the Fellowship because of the ring talking in his head, but if not for him then Sam would not have been there. Strider beeing so scared of seeing Legolas like that is quite normal, nobody like to see a good friend in a state like that. I do agree that the tale of Sam and Legolas will indeed go down in the annals of both their people (and ours ;) ) Author Reply: Hola, Fire! You’re dead on about the irony of Merry worrying over being a weak link after he had just saved Sam’s life. It’s got to be good for him to know that he’s not alone, though – that the Ring will try any and all paths to get back to Sauron. I’m glad you enjoyed the chapter and that you’re still reading!

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