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| Answering the Call by docmon | 28 Review(s) |
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| fliewatuet | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 1/17/2006 |
| Quite a different turn than the previous vignettes, but an interesting turn nonetheless (and Aragorn stayed alive in the end ;-)) It is not that much of a 'what-if' compared to the previous chapters. That one of the Fellowship almost fell prey to the Ring's lure during their journey is not so far off. Tolkien might just have skipped to tell this particular event ... Author Reply: hi fliewatuet! Yes, not so much death in this one. It does stay rather close to canon. I think you're right, Tolkien might have just skipped over this one... ;-) Actually, I find it hard to believe that during this long journey, none of the others (save Boromir) felt the effects of the Ring. They had to feel some sort of effect. Tolkien simply chose not to focus on that. He left that to us! | |
| Jay of Lasgalen | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 1/17/2006 |
| This is excellent. I've often wondered what effect the Ring would have on others, and this is exactly how I think it would seduce Legolas. Why is his father the only ruler not to have a ring of power? Why must they fight shadow and struggle alone? Why can't the Ring be used to protect his family, his people and his home? I liked Aragorn's argument about what would happen when Sauron discovered the whereabouts of the Ring, and will happen to the other elven realms when it is destroyed. Then, the strength of Mirkwood wil be their salvation. Jay Author Reply: Thank you, Jay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this. Some of this one was tough, especially towards the end, but Legolas's thoughts on the Ring came quite naturally. I think it's just how his thoughts would go, given influence by the Ring. I'm glad you appreciated Aragorn's arguments, too. It was the most logical counterargument I could see. After I wrote it, I thought, wow, that makes a lot of sense, which was a good thing. ;-) thanks again! | |
| Radbooks | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/16/2006 |
| Oh, very well done. You do a marvelous job at capturing Merry here and then Strider's hesitation about not wanting to touch the Ring himself. Then to see them all die there on the steps of the Prancing Pony, again I shudder. I'm looking forward to the next one. Author Reply: thank you, thank you, radbooks! such kind words. glad to hear i got a shudder out of you, too! ;-) | |
| fliewatuet | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/16/2006 |
| Wow, these vignettes are fantastic. Each an interesting scenario and brought to a chilling end without having to go into epic detail. I am curious by what twist of fate the other characters will come into possession of the ring and what will be the outcome. Author Reply: Thank you so much, fliewatuet! I'm so glad you're enjoying them and that I've aroused your curiosity. I really wanted to present a brief picture, just hinting at the horrid possibilities that lay beyond the story. More to come! | |
| Mysterious Jedi | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/16/2006 |
| Oh, wow. At least they realized what had taken Merry and did not just see it as flat-out betrayal. <>< Saved from sin through Christ, mj Author Reply: oh, yes! That would have been terrible if the others had reacted that way. Strider certainly understands what is happening, and probably much better than the hobbits. Now that you mention it, I didn't really consider that they wouldn't understand, and being so early in their journey, it really was a possibility I should have considered. It might have ended up being the same story, but perhaps there should have been more uncertainty among the hobbits. Thanks for giving me something to think about! | |
| Mysterious Jedi | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/15/2006 |
| As interesting as this is, I'm glad it's not the "real" story :) <>< SAved from sin through Christ, mj Author Reply: thank you for your comments, mj. If you get the opportunity to read the others, I think you'll agree that it's a good thing none of these scenarios are the 'real' story. | |
| Lamiel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/15/2006 |
| I like the way you've crafted this, the understated nature of the Ring's power. Gandalf has taken it -- from Bilbo, one assumes. The others can sense that something is different about him, and they are uneasy, but he does not become instantly and overtly evil. He is still trying to use it to do good. And yet the seeds of evil -- "he rose to his full potential" -- are there. The reader can see the darkness to come. Curious that he started by cleansing Mirkwood. The first strike against Sauron, I presume. And Aragorn is dead as a result. This series of vignettes promises to be very intriguing, but it is not going to be a happy one. Oh, and in the prologue -- the way that the Fellowship, even Merry and Pippin, are subtly avoiding Frodo is a nice touch. They can feel the Ring, and the effort of resisting it takes a toll on the bearer. It reminds me of the scene in the extended Fellowship DVD, during Aragorn's negotiations with Haldir in Lothlorien. One gets the same feeling of discomfort and uncertainty. This is a fascinating take on the great question of LOTR. "What if..." and this exploration of possibilities is all the better because it is so well written. I'm looking forward to more. Author Reply: Thank you so much, Lamiel! I'm glad you've appreciated this take on what might have happened. I do think Gandalf could have easily taken it from Frodo at some point, but it could just as well been from Bilbo. I thought I'd leave that up to the reader to decide. I did want to convey the sense of darkness and dread that I thought would come with such a prospect as Gandalf in possession of the Ring, and so I'm glad it came across. I think the cleansing of Mirkwood was as much a demonstration of his power as a first strike against Sauron. Glad to see the prologue worked for you as well, especially as I wanted it to set the mood, and I see that it did. Thank you for all your wonderful comments. I hope you enjoy the other 'takes' as well. docmon | |
| Radbooks | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/14/2006 |
| Yikes! A scary thought to have Gandalf with the ring... and now Aragorn dead and the hobbits... well, whatever Gandalf is going to do with the hobbits. It was creepy good. But why does the story say it is complete when the prologue says that you will have a story for each member of the Fellowship? Are there going to be separate stories for each one or what? Well, I'll put you on my author alert and see what happens! :) I did enjoy it even if gave me the shivers. Author Reply: Thank you Radbooks! Yes, I always thought it would be one of the worst - and scariest - possibilities if Gandalf had taken the Ring. He said nearly so himself when talking it over with Frodo. Glad that I could give you shivers! docmon Author Reply: Oh, forgot to mention - yes, 'complete' was a mistake. There's more to come! | |