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| Fear No Darkness by Thundera Tiger | 30 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| TithenFeredir | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 3/24/2005 |
| Oh, man. Your description of the continued battle with all the strategy involved was remarkable. You must have studied something of warfare. The fight between the Mouth of Sauron and Thranduil was excellent. The ending of this chapter was the most chilling part, with the Mouth of Sauron laughing as he died and then the darkness boiling up into that smoke. I wonder now if something also changed with Merry and Legolas at that moment. Hopefully Haldir and Orophin have already gotten them out of the cave by then so that the smoke can't smother them there. This story just keeps getting more and more exciting! ~TF Author Reply: Well, "studied" is much too strong a term. I've read a lot about battles and strategies, but I'm by no means an expert. Far from it, actually, and I'm always extremely nervous when I have to lay out battle particulars. Fortunately I've never been caught TOO far off base, so I'll take that as an encouraging sign. Glad you liked the part with Thranduil! It was one of the hardest things to write, but I felt the poor guy needed to let off some steam. | |
| adn_heming | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/5/2005 |
| Eiyo, Thundera! :) A bit late with the review but, I hope, not too late. Just...wow. The long-awaited rescue was not what I expected and well worth the wait. Yes, we knew it'd be tough road ahead for Legolas and Merry, even after the rescue. But for Thranduil to have finally avenged his son and then to find out this may not have been the best thing for him after all...*shivers* And to think that Thranduil already sensed that something was horribly, deperately *wrong.* This has always been a mark of your writing, but it's *brilliant* how you describe tactics, hand to hand combat, how you marry the *style* of combat with the personality of the character you write. And yes, this is long winded way of saying how much I loved Thranduil's fight with the Mouth of Sauron. =) Author Reply: Nope, not late at all! Many thanks for the comments on tactics. That's the part that gave me the most trouble in this chapter, and I'm still not entirely satisfied. But I've been working on it so much that I've become too close to it and can't see exactly what could be improved anymore. So I'm very relieved to hear that others think it works. Yay! Cheers for Thranduil! He's a fun elf to write. | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/5/2005 |
| This was a great chapter overall, but what really blew me out of my seat was Thranduil - he was incredible in his relentless, purposeful determination and his ageless mastery of the art of war. Some touches I loved: his fondness for the sword; especially in fulfilling his desire to be "personal and direct." I loved his dispassionate assessment of the field of battle and his "sifting" of the chaos of battle, and then the power and speed of his movements once he decided to act. Breathtaking action and lovely imagery. I was cheering when he abandoned his fruitless search for Elrohir and focused his sights on Aragorn instead. And what a brilliant pair (in the conventional, not fan fic sense) those two are! Opportunities to see Thranduil and Aragorn side-by-side in battle are certainly rare, and I was thrilled by the unexpected combination. Wonderful chapter; I'm so glad you updated. Author Reply: Yay Thranduil! I had great fun with him this chapter, though at times I wondered if I'd gone a little overboard. He does have the bulk of the chapter to himself. Even Aragorn is somewhat of a limited presence, though I tried to give him something of a personality. Anyway, I'm very glad you enjoyed Thranduil's big break, as it were. He's been begging me to let him loose for much of the story, so I figured this was a good chance to do so. | |
| Estel_Mi_Olor | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/5/2005 |
| *Stares wide eyed at computer screen* "Wow". ... ... I am completely flabbergasted. I didn't think Thranduil would actually find him and kill him. Well done! His death seems rather...inevitable but also damaging. That's rather annoying. Sorry for the defense... Ok I will stop babbling now. Excellent job! The attack was very well done! You clearly related positions and tactics-which usually seem very confusing to me. I especially liked Thranduil's plan, and Aragorn's involvement. I suspected from the beginning that despite any rescue, Legolas and Merry would not be alright. Especially if any cure died with the Mouth of Sauron. I have faith in Celeborn though. But Oh! Poor Celeborn Contingent! They aren't going to find anybody! That's rather worrisome... As you can tell, I am still dumbfounded by the turbulent events in this chapter, and you magnificent story telling technique-and am therefore not coherent. I hope you update soon! Thanks again! Author Reply: Glad the action was easy to follow. I wonder if I went a little overboard with the descriptions, but at least too many people weren't confused. I'll count that as success. As for Ted's death being inevitable...you're not wrong. He had some plans of his own in the works, and there was a reason he opened himself up to the possibility of death. Which we'll get to later. Many thanks for the review! | |
| Marnie | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/4/2005 |
| Oh no! Gah! I thought the rescue would be a case for general rejoicing, and instead it looks like a big mistake. I really don't like the sound of this black ooze around them, or the fact that no one can see what they're doing, or the MoS's moment of triumph (that's the worst of all.) I'm so glad that you don't go down the road of Aragorn being an honourless murderer of heralds (however evil). Your Aragorn is much more recognisable as Aragorn than PJs ever was. I know other people have said this, but your battle scenes really are spectacular! You capture not only the intimate details but also the overall scale and scheming. I am glad that Thranduil got to avenge his son, even if it turned out to be a big mistake. But I'm biting my nails and bewailing the fact that there's been a rescue and yet nothing is looking any better! Aargh! Have pity on a poor reader's nerves (not to mention that I'm worried about where Celeborn might be) and update again soon! :) Author Reply: Oh hey there! I just sent you off an email, actually. And then I wandered back to my inbox and found the review. Very cool. I feel as though we're reaching across the bounds of cyberspace, connecting through binary code and...yeah. I'll shut up now. Aragorn's herald murder...ARGH! I'll save the ranting for the LJ, but that...really got to me. Don't worry too much about Celeborn. He's fine. In a relative sense. His group is actually better off than most of the gang is. Or will be. Huge thanks on the battle scene. It's what held this chapter back, and it's something I'm still nervous about. So your comments mean a lot! | |
| Alisha B | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/4/2005 |
| A truly amazing battle scene!! I'm nearly at a loss for words! Everything flowed so well, and I was able to follow everything fairly easily. I've noticed in your other works that you write incredible battle scenes, and I have no trouble putting myself right in with it! I can't really say much more other then your writing style and skill takes my breath away. *bows low* Author Reply: Glad you liked the battle. That was the major hold up to this fic's appearance. Well, that and I was sick. And I'm still not entirely satisfied with the battle, because it relies on a LOT of description. But it's tough to get away from that when working with this many factors. I'm still tinkering with it a bit, actually, so maybe I'll find that happy medium. Thank you for the review! | |
| Rochwen | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/3/2005 |
| Miss Tiger, Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Loved the Orophin and Haldir, loved the Thranduil, loved the Mouth of Sauron's last moments. You've perfectly captured the spirit of Thranduil and all the elves of Mirkwood. I've never seen such a fine example. Still very anxious about Merry and Legolas. Keep writing, Your Humble Servant, Rochwen Author Reply: Glad you liked this chapter! I'm glad you like the Mirkwood elves. They've always impressed me as a ruthlessly practical bunch, actually, who aren't afraid to shy away from risks or to bend the rules when need demands it. Kind of like the Rohirrim, actually, but with more practice, experience, and probably a bit more prudence, too. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/3/2005 |
| So they've been found but they don't look to be in good shape. We'll see. I'm still suspicious that this is a trap. And I don't like all this "thank you for letting me teach him" stuff. I like Thranduil's feeling that the sword is a personal weapon. I can see him preferring that. I also like the sense you give of how experienced he is. Author Reply: Well, it's a trap, but probably not in the sense that most people define traps. It's a bit more subtle. The ease of Haldir and Orophin getting into the caves is related to the fact that Mr. Mouth was up there in the line of fire, and it was all planned. Celeborn will figure out how it relates in a bit, but until then, feel free to speculate. Glad you liked Thranduil and his sword. I was taking a risk there, but it was one I had taken before and people seemed to be okay with it. But if Thranduil was to have a Noldor trait, I would think it'd be a fondness for the sword. I think it suits him as a weapon. | |
| Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/3/2005 | |
| I can't even TELL you how excited I get about Thundera Tiger updates, especially when the update is to FND, my favorite story! Really, I don't know what can be said about the excellence and excitement of this story that hasn't already been said, other than I'm excited that Merry and Legolas have finally been rescued!!! Merreh Author Reply: Yay for rescues! Most were excited about that. And MANY thanks for the compliments. That's really very kind of you to say, and my ego is now floating around the attic somewhere. Good thing I had it ego-proofed or it'd be on its way to Jupiter... | |
| fadagaski | Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 2/3/2005 |
| I reread the last chapter earlier, and very glad I did too, because I knew what was going on! Cannot WAIT to find out how this sudden change in the plans will affect Celeborn's Grand Design (C). Can I just ask, do you draw your battle plans beforehand? You're so good with compass directions, but it goes completely over my head. Love the action sequences, also. So much detail, so you can really visualise just how Thranduil kicked the crap out of Mr Mouth. Author Reply: Draw the battle plans? Not exactly, but I do carefully outline where everybody is and when they're there. Then I visualize them on a compass oriented field and let them go at it. It's kind of fun actually. The tricky part is getting what goes on in my head onto paper. Or the computer, in this case. I can see it, but describing it without belaboring the point is a challenge. | |