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| An Autumn Fair in Halabor by Soledad | 50 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/24/2008 |
| So interesting - glass-making and craftwork is intensely fascinating. I like this family very much, and love the affection imbuing their regard for Herumor. Although all that talk about him representing the future, etc, gave me a serious case of the sniffles, thinking about the future... And buying that pendant... hmmm... Could a certain healer be in for a big surprise? *vbg* Author Reply: Oh, but that would be telling, wouldn't it? I'll have more Herumor stories coming up on the first of Advent, so keep looking out for him. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/24/2008 |
| Awesome! 'Nuf said. *g* Author Reply: Thanks. :) It was great fun to write. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/24/2008 |
| Bwahahahaha!! Oh, lovely: drunk Elves and high-paying customers. What a turn-around, Soledad! Thank goodness for those Elves that never grow up. *g* Author Reply: There is something to say for juvenile Elves, isn't there? I had great, evil fun to turn the tides against Sulain. ;) | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 11/24/2008 |
| Grrr!! Oh, Sulain needs some taking-down! What a selfish bastard - as if HE would be a great success without being handed it by his father. Scum. Did my heart ever go out to Clemow; I'll be hoping that not only will some miracle keep them afloat, but that he gains a happier wife somehow in the bargain. It's not his fault that Ladoca's father sold her off. Author Reply: One can always hope for a miracle when the Elves are in town. *g* Sulain isn't a pleasant character, that much is sure. I don't know how he turned out to be such an ***, but these characters sometimes just have their own head about themselves. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 11/24/2008 |
| OK, Mistress Isfin may be my favorite Elven character so far. I love her conversation with Folcwalda. “Only the Silvan folk feels the urge to show off their skills by riding bareback,” she replied. “We, more practical folk, prefer the good leverage and the comfort a well-made saddle can offer. I had a fit of snickering reading this, thinking of a certain scene in LotR... Author Reply: Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I just couldn't resist the jibe. *g* Isfin's character came from her name, actually. It sounds so un-Elvish (even though originally it was supposed to be the name of Aredhel, King Turgon's sister) that I felt I had to make her one tough lady.... | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 11/24/2008 |
| I really enjoyed the discussion of leatherworking and dyes, and very funny interaction between Erchin and the Elves! “Amazingly accurate,” he said, “and surely worth every single copper penny that you have asked for.” Hee hee hee! See previous chapter's comments. :) “For some people,” she declared in a strangely maternal manner, “not even thousands of years are enough to grow up.” *snerk* I would have loved to have seen Erchin's face at that statement. I like the reference to Lindir, too - I still remember him from Isabeau's CMC. It's so much fun when authors borrow each other's characters. Author Reply: Ummm... acutally, it was Isabeau who borrowed Lindir from me. I have an ungodly long WIP about him, titled "Innocence" - it can't be posted to this site, but you can find it on TFF, where the longest and unedited version is posted. His basic characteristics have been worked out in that story, which I still hope to finish one day. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 11/24/2008 |
| Oh, my! Easily my favorite chapter so far, and not only because of Gildor's glorious and radiant appearance! First, I love that Kevern is so aware of himself and who he needs to be, even if it means disappointing or frustrating those he loves. Second, I love that amidst his practical trade he has an artist's heart, and sacrificed to create something of beauty. (I felt all sorts of resonances with writers in general and fanfic writers in particular.) Third, I absolutely love Gildor's comment about "...adding three more pieces to honour your modesty. ‘Tis not a trait I find often when bargaining with mortals." It sort of touches on something I've wondered with every Elven purchase thus far: the mortals have thought that Elves don't know enough to bargain, although they haven't been exorbitantly overcharging them. But for beings as long-lived as the Elves, surely all human customs are well-known in areas that they travel in. I've been suspecting that the Elves know full well what is happening and have let it pass out of compassion, as they know that dangerous times have impacted the mortal ability to earn a living; and it's much better than revealing pity for the craftsmen's circumstances. Even so, it's wonderful to see Kevern's innate honesty so rewarded. :) Fourth, Imrahil has a shiny new toy! I hope Isabeau knows about it - first the Haradric rug for Andra and now this. (I had an immediate flashback to Isabeau's "Last Rites", when Aragorn comments on the elaborateness of Imrahil's camp setup - I could totally see this stool in amongst all the other goodies. *g*) Some great phrases at the end that I love: old and mortal with ageless and deathless And when the women of the family were content, Kevern was content, too. Just an awesome, lovely chapter! Author Reply: I must admit that "Last Rites" was something of an inspiration for using the school, although I found out about the existence of such things in some obscure article about medieval smithcraft. I don't know whether Isabeau has ever read this story, though. Kevern is a character I've grown very fond of in TSD already. It was elaborated there that he doesn't like making weapons, even though his mother blackmailed him into forging that battle axe for Súrion. I thought he's such a strong character he'd deserve his own story. And bringing back Mistress Pharin was great fun; she's based on my late grandmother, which is the reason I like writing her so much. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 11/23/2008 |
| ...and they say that those touched by Elves often have strange fates... Oh, yes, I'm very hopeful for that poor girl, too. This is a wonderfully touching chapter, Soledad. I love the outright decency of Mullion admist all his own problems, including the uncertain fate of his daughter. Life was hard for many, but not all turned miserly and mean with it. It makes quite a contrast with some of those you've described who are better off materially, but worse off in their souls. Funny how it works like that: those with little are almost always generous with it; those with much often have to have it pried out of their cold dead fingers! Author Reply: Yes it's often so, isn't it? Although even there, there are exceptions. Mullion was a character I've wanted to introduce for quite some time. I just never found the right opportunity. But then it occurred to me that the poor girl would need some clothes, and who better to provide them than the old clothes merchant? | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 11/23/2008 |
| I got a hearty chuckle out of wily and supercilious Master Suanach... and am quite delighted that he had to swallow some pride to save his own hide. Author Reply: He's a wily old bird, Master Suanach is. But even he has to make compromises from time to time. | |
| Denise | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 11/23/2008 |
| I love all these strong Old Folk women who people your Halabor stories. Strong men, too, but they would not make it without the women behind them. Wise Manissa, to lead Eudo to the right conclusion by deduction instead of outright telling him what to do. (And wise Eudo to so value her!) And ha! that the desire to talk came from the other side too! Love the deal cut: Nogga is more Eudo's "people" than the wolves of Lebennin. Argh! that this historic contract was no doubt thrown in disarray by the orc raid that demolished the town. Hopefully something continued on even past that. Mogh's observances are always refreshing and enlightening. I really like this: Dunlendings did not make friends easily but were doggedly faithful to those they had made. As well as the lovely discussion of family ties and care; these are a long-established people with deep roots and an individual culture, after all, not the near-animals some PoVs might make of them. I also like this tie: ...as they had surprisingly good relations to the bearded race, going back to the times when Thorin Oakenshield and his family had lived in exile in Dunland. Yes, not everyone would see Dunlendings as enemies, and it's cool to be reminded that we only get one perspective in LotR. :) Author Reply: As I said, I enjoyed writing the Dunlendings a great deal. They were modelled after the Welsh as portrayed in Ellis Peters' books... just a little more savage. And the fact that Thorin and Co. lived among them is canon, so I thought they couldn't be all that bad if they got along with the Dwarves so amiably. The Hanse of Lebennin is another thing I had great fun with. I've posted its history and a description of the main towns to the Otherworlds discussion board, if you're interested. | |