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| Okay, NOW Panic! by Boz4PM | 633 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/15/2005 |
| I can't imagine what a big project it would be to equip a large group for two months on the road. Penny is in an interesting situation. She's there for the end of the Age of Elves. Imladris will be there for a while yet, but not for long. And it seems as if she's moving from the question of how to adjust to this new place and toward the one of her future. She's over the short term stuff. But is she to be in ME forever? And if so, where and how is she to live? | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/15/2005 |
| It'll be great to see the road to Minas Tirith through Penny's eyes. And I'll bet she will find three weeks in the saddle hard! The summing up of the Events is very well done - and from an interesting perspective. I liked the post-war party - and Lindir dragging Penny onto the dance floor. This should be a fascinating journey! | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/15/2005 |
| p.s. It is my understanding that "hamstringing" is not aimed at the artery so much as the tendon behind the leg, between hip and next joint down (in a man, the knee, in a horse, I think it's called the hock but my horse terminology is a little rusty). Cut that tendon and your horse is crippled. When an athlete pulls a hamstring it means a long and painful recovery, from what I hear. I read in an amazing book by Col. S. P. Meek (Frog, the Story of a Horse) about a machete-wielding madman in the Panama jungle who was hamstringing horses to get his jollies. The book was based on the Colonel's remembrances of serving in the Canal Zone at the beginning of the 1900s, I think, and the hamstringing was taken from a real incident, if I remember correctly. To catch the madman, the hero wrapped heavy chain around the rear legs of his horse and used his horse as bait. The madman struck, but only did surface damage. Whew. So yes, hamstringing is an effective battle technique when fighting cavalry... (but I shudder to think of it) | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/15/2005 |
| Ah. Wonderfully done. Vivid imagery, believable action. I could clearly visualise the scenes you painted. Halbarad's death was as noble as the man deserved, if there was no other choice. (And of course, it being written, there wasn't.) From our studies of the Middle Ages (we have just finished, and are going on to the Renaissance, as a matter of fact), we've learned that the men in warrior cultures did not fear death the way we do now. Thus, Halbarad's peace at the end certainly rang true to historical detail. But I still wish it were not so... Looking forward to more, and to seeing how Halbarad's sons honour his last request. I find myself hoping that at the end of this story, Penny will *not* pop back into the modern world... funny, eh? | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/14/2005 |
| Ah yes, one chapter every day is perfect! Thank you! How awful for Penny to be at Imladris and not to know if it would going to be attacked, although she knows so much other things! But it’s true, as far as I know it is another gap in the story Tolkien left for his readers to fill out. (Of course, that’s mostly an advantage because we can write and read so many fanfics about these gaps!) Surely Tolkien would’ve told us of a big battle in or around Imladris, but it is likely there were some skirmishes in proportion to the great battles not important enough to mention. So Penny finally learned her first elven dance? No chance against a determined Lindir! Truly, I love the both of them together, their gentle teasing is so much fun! | |
| TithenFeredir | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/14/2005 |
| I'm not sure I agree with you that Erestor would have told Penny that there was no right or wrong way to deal with the prospect of Halbarad's demise. It seems a rather modern way to look at it. On the other hand his acceptance of the natural order as established by Eru did seem plausible. The quiet tension in Imladris was a nice touch, as was the one fatal casualty being someone Penny knew but was not overly close to. I really liked the way you indicated the end of the war indirectly as well as Penny's reaction to it. It was fun to read about all those famous elves partying with everyone else. Too bad Lindir didn't get Penny sauced up enough to sing! ~TF Author Reply: I'm not sure I agree with you that Erestor would have told Penny that there was no right or wrong way to deal with the prospect of Halbarad's demise. Interesting. :) I was thinking in terms of several factors: - firstly, that elves are notoriously non-committal and getting a straight answer even over the most momentous things can be difficult at times (witness Gildor and Frodo, let alone Galadriel and Frodo). - secondly, that while he knows how he or other elves may deal with it, she is both human and unused to having foreknowledge, thus their method is not exactly comparable. I would also imagine that such specific and certain foreknowledge (that Halbarad WILL die, not perhaps or maybe or possibly) is unusual if not unheard of amongst most mortals - thus there is little or no precendent as to how she should cope. - thirdly, the elves are so used to it that they are stoical - hence the reference to the natural order and Eru's Will: in that sense he is telling her how to deal with it, or how he deals with it at any rate. It's similar to Arwen's song to her near the end of Don't Panic - it's something all elves have to learn to accept as the way of things, and so will Penny. And as for Penny/Lindir antics, singing and 'sauce' - there's plenty more where that came from, trust me. *lol* | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/14/2005 |
| Gah! Curse the grammar-gremlin that grins upon my shoulder! I am in the middle of the battle, fully sucked in, hearing the sounds, seeing the sights, even smelling the... Well, anyhow, please accept this small token from the little beast that will not be still. "Do this for Aragorn... for you* father.” I'll be back later to give proper feedback, I hope! Author Reply: Don't apologise! And thank you. Just goes to show, even with me and three betas (and umpteen readers) things STILL slip past. I hate proofreading typescript - I always miss stuff. If I write in longhand, it's no problem, though. *heads off to edit* | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/14/2005 |
| This is a plausible account of what happened in Imladris while things were popping in the south. And I think it's a good thing Penny learned to dance here. She's on her way to a wedding! | |
| TithenFeredir | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/13/2005 |
| Mmmm, a fitting, though tragic end for Halbarad to have his sons around him and to make his wishes known in the end. I thought it was sadly realistic to make mention that not everyone who fell could be helped due to the great number, and that many would die out there during the night without ever having been found or tended at all. I also liked the details of battle that you included like the Dunedain gathering around whoever bore the standard. It was a very important focal point for the forces on either side. ~TF Author Reply: Thank you - I am glad the details stood out for you. I am a stickler for details so it's nice to know when they are picked up on. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/13/2005 |
| I did recognize the Owen quote. I did my doctorate on the English novel but I did occasionally come face to face with a poem. Author Reply: *lol* Though, that said I could have got away with much of my undergrad Eng Lit degree with little or no poetry - other than the first year thesis which was a choice between Tennyson & Browning or Eliot & Yeats. I was merely trying to explain the specific resonance that phrase has for me - I always think of that poem first since it's one of my favourites. :-) | |