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| The River by Indigo Bunting | 317 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Antane | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 12/20/2009 |
| Greetings, I've been enjoying your story as part of the MEFA's and this is as far as I've gotten so far and in case I can't finish in time, I just wanted you to know that I love Sam with Legolas and I especially love in this chapter that the first thing that Sam asks about is his Mr. Frodo. :) Namarie, God bless, Antane :) | |
| shadowolf | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 3/28/2009 |
| I am sort of new here. Your story is amazing. Although I haven't finished the entire thing just yet, I am getting ready to go to the store so I don't want to forget to review. I really love Legolas and you portrayed him and the other characters extremely well. Also, your descriptions and dialogue made it seem as if I truly was there! Keep up all the great work! Author Reply: Thank you, Shadowolf, and welcome! If you are new to this site then you are in for a treat. There are lots of fun stories around here. I'm so glad to hear that you've enjoyed reading the story. I certainly enjoyed writing it, and hearing other people say that they took pleasure in the work is very gratifying. I have always liked the books and the characters so much, and I always wished Tolkien had written more about the Fellowship together. One day the threads of a plot just started arranging themselves in my head, and I figured I'd try and see if I could actually write something. I have a few other half-formed ideas, too, so we'll see if I ever get another story down. Thanks again for reading, and also for the review. It's been a long time since anyone left a note for this piece. | |
| nancylea57 | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/17/2008 |
| are you aware that you have sam ask for his stockings and pants? | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/1/2007 |
| I've been away, so this was a true delight to come home to see this story all wrapped up! It was an excellent choice to end this in Frodo's POV--he's the Ringbearer, and the reason for the Fellowship existing. I think you captured very well the sorts of thoughts he'd be having, blaming himself, of course, for the difficulties of his friends, and yet also keeping in mind the importance of his Quest. Some of the things I loved-- The confrontation between Legolas and Gimli, and the first tentative beginnings of the friendship they would one day share. Sam finding comfort in cooking the breakfast, and Pippin's handy excuse for helping to make sure none of it was wasted, LOL! Merry's reaction to hearing the name that the Men had called Sam--yes, that was very much a "Merryish" reaction--very quick to bristle at the though of slight to a friend! The description of Legolas and Sam as they saw Brund's body: Though they appeared to be wholly focused on Brund, they were obviously aware of each other at the same time. Legolas’ hand was resting on Sam’s shoulder – rather protectively, in Frodo’s opinion – and Sam’s hand eventually reached up to give Legolas’ fingers a pat, as though he thought the Elf needed comforting. I could so easily picture that! While I'm sorry to see this wonderful story come to an end, it was a very appropriate ending. And I do hope that soon we *will* see another from you! I would love, personally, to see a brief glimpse of Legolas' and Gimli's conversation. It would also be interesting to see a story of Legolas and Sam post-Quest. Thank you for sharing "The River" with us! It will long remain near the top of my favorite Fellowship stories! | |
| Lamiel | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 9/29/2007 |
| And so we come to the end at last. Sigh. I knew it was coming, and I've enjoyed every moment of this chapter, but I am sad to know that I will have no more updates to this story to look forward to. There are some excellent works of fanfiction out there, but none are more engaging or entertaining than this. Frodo's POV is an interesting one to close the story -- it certainly gives an unexpected insight into this separation that has developed between him and Sam as a result of the events in this tale, and further, between him and the other Hobbits as a result of the Ring. That's a very interesting and insightful idea. Of course Frodo's insight comes with the limitation that we don't see Sam's thoughts as he gazed on Brund, or Legolas' as he made that first, intensely difficult step toward reconciliation with Gimli. But I think we can guess what was going on in their minds just the same. I loved Gimli's comment, by the way, "If that isn't just like an Elf!" And it's perfect that they would be so prickly even as they're trying to be polite to each other. So Brund drowned in the river, did he? H'm. I confess that I would have liked to see him taken down in some dramatic fashion, preferably by Legolas and Sam, but in some ways this ending is more realistic for him. That is one of the things I have admired most in your telling of this tale: you are willing to sacrifice moments of glory or hero-worship for your favorite characters in favor of being faithful to the realism and limitations of POV of the story. Which is not to say you don't do justice to the characters' abilities when the time is right for it -- I will have fond memories of Legolas' climb up that cliff, and the fight with the trees, and Sam's stabbing the villain, for a long time to come. But there's an old saying among writers, "Kill your darlings." You put the integrity of the story first, every time. I can't tell you how much I admire you for that. This is a rich, satisfying, hair-raising friendship and adventure story. Now that it is complete I plan on going back and re-reading it from the beginning, and enjoying every word. I hope that we will see you again with more stories in the future. | |
| Nightwing | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 9/29/2007 |
| Good to be back in Frodo's POV, and to follow his thoughts as he thinks on his changing relationship with his hobbit friends. The burden of the Ring is causing the distance between them to grow, and they all can feel it. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I just loved this sentence: "It didn't take long for the pointed glances to become a full-fledged staring match". I could imagine the scene so easily that I just fell over laughing. And Gandalf's "unconcealed curiosity" set me off too. Once again, I have to say that I just love the Fellowship. What an unlikely bunch of misfits. There is so much fun to be had with them. It must have taken all of Legolas' strength to finally approach Gimli with something vaguely resembled an apology. What he faced was every bit as daunting as Sam's need to confess his moment of weakness to Frodo. Perhaps even more difficult - an elf, apologise to a dwarf? It might have been the first time in the history of Middle-earth! It would have been easier to just bury it, but the elf is just one of several Fellowship members who has had to swallow his pride, or his fear, and speak honestly, even at the risk of being mocked and rejected. And then Gimli had to pursue the elf and do the same. Our friends have all grown and learned from their increasing ability to communicate openly and deeply with each other. That said, I do confess to being a bit disappointed that we did not get to overhear the conversation between the elf and the dwarf. I had been anticipating it, because I thought you were leading to it. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to watch such a personal encounter. But I did get a bang out of the way Legolas and Gimli acted when they returned, stiff, blank-faced and offering nothing to the others. They may have gotten a few issues resolved, but they are not friends yet. That comes later, in Lothlorien. Well, I'm glad that Brund fell over in the dark and bonked his head. Now the Fellowship doesn't have to worry about this guy. I liked the way Legolas and Sam gravitated toward each other as they looked upon the body. Sam is "real friends" with an elf now, and that is something special indeed. And so we have finally reached the end of a great adventure. This story has been an utter pleasure to read from start to finish, and I have enjoyed every word. It has truly been a favorite of mine, and I hope, if the muses inspire you, that you will take up your pen again someday. Nightwing | |
| Nightwing | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 9/29/2007 |
| Good Lord, have I fallen behind on my reviewing obligations! And look, you've finished this story! I am delighted and sad at the same time. Well, I must do my duty and send in proper reviews for these final two installments. My husband and daughter are off on an overnight camping trip, and the computer is all mine tonight. A rarity, I assure you, and I am such a geek that instead of going out tonight, I'm staying home to take care of all the reviews that I owe people. So here we are at chapter 17, and it is chock full of the usual goodies I come to expect of an Indigo Bunting update - nice observations of the different members of the Fellowship, and nice details of the little ways in which they take care of each other. Poor Sam, dreading the moment of his confession. The most horrible time truly is before one takes the plunge. The dread, the worry, the waiting is usually far more unhappy than the actual experience of doing it. But it is still so hard to finally take that first step, to utter the first word. Sam's observation that "nothing heightened one's awareness like impending doom" is a very smart one. Happily, Legolas sees the hobbit's need for privacy. I thought this was a wonderful conversation between elf and hobbit. I was amused by Sam's annoyance when Legolas did not respond as he had wanted him to - with anger and reproach. And Sam was surprised to learn that Legolas had his own doubts about his performance during their ordeal. Glad that they could set each other straight on a few things. Legolas' desire to properly thank Sam for saving him from torture at the hands of the men was very heartfelt. And it is just like Sam to not want to be raised up. Lovely too, Sam's realization that he knew he might be killed during the journey, but had never really acknowledged that he may also have to do some killing as well. A hard thing for a peaceful hobbit to resolve, even if there was no other choice and the foe did require killing in order to save a friend. I liked how Sam's actions in saving Legolas came to be compared to the Fellowship's (well, mostly Gandalf's) decision to hold back and not help the elf and the hobbit as they were fighting for their lives. And, very movingly, Frodo tells Sam that he is more important than the Ring, and that he will never wish for Sam to be gone. Of course, my mind instantly jumped to that terrible moment in the movie, when Frodo does reject Sam, and the faithful friend breaks down in tears. I felt saddened by Frodo's confidence, knowing that though these two hobbits have already been through so much, their friendship will endure far worse before their task is ended. The ending of this chapter was very sweet - the smile shared between Sam and Legolas, and the elf singing to the group as they rested after dinner. Sigh, I just love the Fellowship. | |
| galimeril | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 9/26/2007 |
| I can't believe this is the end. I started this on ff.net and followed it here for the last few chapters, and now it's all done! I can't thank you enough for the beautiful work of art you have produced, and I want you to know that you have a real gift for bringing others pleasure. I really will miss this, but I look forward to anything else you might bring to life! galimeril ;D Author Reply: Yes, 'tis the end. I'm happy it's over and sad at the same time; it's been wonderful to write this, but the ending I've been planning on has come at long last, so I do feel that it's time to move on to something else. Thank you for letting me know how much you liked the story! I do hope to write more; a couple of ideas are starting to gel into something resembling a plot. :) | |
| Yanic | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 9/24/2007 |
| Absolutely fabulous! A joy to read and sad to see it end. This may be my favorite line in all fandom regarding the relationship between Legolas and Gimli: "They fight like two cats in a barrel. Wet cats.” What a fantastic image! Really enjoyed this story, can we hope for more from you? Author Reply: Thanks, Yanic! Your kind words really made my day, and I'm very happy to hear that you've enjoyed the story. You know, I think it is true that Legolas and Gimli fight like wet cats in a barrel... but we didn't get too much of that imagery in this story. Legolas was gone too quickly to allow for many views of his relationship with Gimli before the flood, and after, Gimli was too honorable to start it up again. As for more stories, yes, I do hope to write more. I've got a couple of ideas that I'm starting to flesh out. It might be a while before I start posting, though. I've been considering waiting until a whole story is done. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 9/24/2007 |
| I finished this last night but the ISP went wonky so I didn't get to comment. This has been a wonderful adventure, and well, well worth the reading. The story was well crafted, the adventures all too likely given the circumstances and people involved, and the reactions of all to the situation very believable. Love Frodo's appreciation for Sam's changed perceptions, and the protectiveness Sam and Legolas share, AND the growing positive interaction between Legolas and Gimli as they grow more appreciative of one another. I do hope you write another tale soon. Author Reply: So glad to hear that you've enjoyed the story in whole, Larner. I've had a wonderful time writing it. The Fellowship together is just great - I can't seem to get enough of it - and it's so interesting to examine the dynamics of the group. With nine people, many of them very different, there's plenty to explore. I've always found Legolas' and Gimli's (eventual) friendship to be heartwarming, and though it's not stated quite as explicitly, I imagine that all the surviving members of the Fellowship would have formed close bonds through their shared experiences. It's such an uplifting thought, you know? | |