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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 334 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/19/2025 |
| A lovely way to spend the hours. Author Reply: It's always good to have a bit of rest in between the more intense parts of the journey. (As you've anticipated, there's a heavy dose of angst coming up shortly.) Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 9/19/2025 |
| Shadowfax, Bill, and Radagast's horse are all so wise, and am glad that the four were able to share this fellowship, however short a time they had together. Now Bill and Shadowfax are back, going on with their own journey--until Gandalf dies and then comes back. Fascinating. Author Reply: I'm right with you; after I had combed the text for every clue I could find and then scrutinized the Tale of Years, I found myself fascinated at how the pieces fell into place. Thanks! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 25 on 9/19/2025 |
| Cool! The three wizards within Eriador are well compared! Again, the horses and Bill have managed to see the truth beyond the appearances of Radagast and Gandalf, compared to the destructive nature of Saruman. Author Reply: Animals – at least some of them – seem to have an instinct for "good" versus "bad" people. We especially saw that talent in our Blue Heeler mix and our first Giant Schnauzer. If they acted suspicious of someone, we were wise to follow their lead. I wonder what the blue wizards were like? They don't come into this story, though. Thanks so much for reading and stopping to leave your thoughts. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 9/19/2025 |
| I love seeing Radagast here. I'm glad he was in the western area rather than near Mirkwood so he could arrive to assist Bill in time to keep him from becoming lame. Also love the memories of Pippin complaining about the thorns they'd been in earlier in the quest. He's providing a context to explain the pricking of the needle as the stitches are set. I'm glad he and Radagast are doing well together. The realization that Radagast is from the same source as Gandalf is important. I love the intelligence that Bill shows and the ability to properly evaluate those he is with. Thanks so for this. Btw, there are indeed far more hits than I'd expect to see in the short time these stories have been restored to the site. Author Reply: Thank you for answering my question. Either readership has seen a significant uptake, or something else is going on. The admin is aware of the issue now. I remember when I was much younger, I had a nightmare that involved intense abdominal pain. The pain was still there when I woke up – I had a bad stomach bug, it seemed, and my body inserted it into my dream, perhaps in an effort to alert me to the problem. Thanks so much for hitting the highlights as you saw them! I appreciate hearing your perspective and seeing the chapter through new eyes. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 9/17/2025 |
| Oh my, what's coming? Or is Shadowfax reacting to something only he can sense? Eeee, these horse-y cliffhangers! Author Reply: There's a hint in this chapter, and things will become clearer in the next chapter, due to post on Friday. Is Shadowfax reacting to something only he can sense? That is a very perceptive question! Thanks so much for reading and pausing long enough to share your thoughts. Author Reply: (Sorry about the new cliffhanger. But some resolution should come Monday, I hope.) | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 9/16/2025 |
| Oh, my! What in the name of Heaven is happening?! Does Shadowfax know something that Bill doesn't, by any chance? Do tell! Author Reply: More to come on Friday, if all goes well. Think good thoughts, if you don't mind. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/14/2025 |
| "Make haste more slowly" - A hobbity thing to say LOL And when we talk about Gandalf and hobbits, we're not sure who taught what to who. Making hay while the sun shines would certainly be an "agreeable notion" to a horse or a pony. "If the great horse cannot count the days in a month, then what hope does a pony have to do so?" I hope Bill's not getting back into the habit of thinking of himself as "less than" because he's "only a pony." I thought he got over that many chapters ago. I guess old habits die hard. Never a dull moment, indeed. And yes it's easy for hobbits, dwarves, and Wizards to fly if they have Eagles to help -- I'm supposing that's the story Shadowfax is about to tell. Although I always wondered if Radagast could do it by shapeshifting into a bird. I don't know what else Gandalf's comment about "a master of shapes and changes of hue" could mean. Author Reply: When I first thought about it, "Make haste more slowly" sounded more Entish than anything else. But I can also easily see Frodo saying it to young Merry, and Merry saying it to young Pippin when the young one is tripping all over himself in his eagerness to do whatever. I'm looking forward to the time when Bill will have as much hay as he wants, and "plenty more where that came from". Bill's thoughts about counting don't reflect feeling inferior but rather acknowledging the reality that Shadowfax, the Chief of the Mearas, can understand Men's speech better than most other equines, and he can count higher than Bill. And even Shadowfax has his limitations; as I've written him, he acknowledges that even he cannot count to 28. An early draft of the story had Radagast appearing and leaving in the form of a giant bird, but when I re-read the few mentions I could find of the wizard, it struck me that he had a horse! And so, in the revision, he's riding his horse this side of the Mountains. At least at the moment he is. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your insightful thoughts! You've made my day. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/13/2025 |
| The great horse tosses his head, whickering his amusement. It must be quite diverting to travel with them. And he will! It's fun to imagine Shadowfax's POV when Gandalf and Pippin will ride upon him to Gondor. Author Reply: I hadn't even thought of that! What a marvellous thought to contemplate! I wonder what Shadowfax would make of the following snippet of conversation? ‘But I should like to know—’ Pippin began. ‘Mercy!’ cried Gandalf. ‘If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?’ ‘The names of all the stars, and of all living things, and the whole history of Middle-earth and Over-heaven and of the Sundering Seas,’ laughed Pippin. ‘Of course! What less? But I am not in a hurry tonight.’ Thanks for reading and stopping long enough to leave such delightful food for thought! | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 9/12/2025 |
| LOL! Someone needs to tell Shadowfax about Pegasus! =) All kidding aside, I'm glad that Gandalf doesn't need Shadowfax yet. Bill is clearly in no decent shape to travel alone, and at least Shadowfax can keep his mind occupied en route, as he's doing now. Author Reply: Funnily enough, I was thinking of Pegasus at the time! (Middle-earth doesn't have any winged horses, or does it? Not that I've heard of, anyhow.) According to Tolkien's timeline, Gandalf won't need Shadowfax for quite some time yet... which means, thankfully, that Bill will have a guide and bodyguard while he's regaining his strength, just what he needs right now, along with good company and companionship. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 9/9/2025 |
| This is a delightful chapter from start to finish, but so sorry to see Radagast go. Nothing in canon about what he was doing after he met Gandalf near the Shire, so you've got a nice gap-filler there, but still with some mystery. What else was he doing after he left Bill? Maybe another story in there somewhere... I wonder if Radagast's comment is a prophecy about that time during one of the battles (Pelennor, if I remember correctly?) when Shadowfax was the only horse that didn't run away from the Nazgul? And BTW, thanks for the tip about jodancingtree. No, I hadn't read any of her(?) stuff yet, but I've got her bookmarked now and hope to do so soon. Author Reply: I was also sorry to see Radagast go... It would have been so nice to enjoy his company all the way to Bree. I should imagine that the incursion of dark things on the Northlands might keep him quite busy, being a tender of beasts as he is. The question about Radagast's comment is quite insightful. It is, in fact, a prophecy of sorts, as you guessed. I hope you enjoy Jo's stories. If I'm remembering right, a lot of my ideas about Shire customs and practices found their seeds in her descriptions in Sam's Rose, especially her depiction of the Lithedays' Fair. Her additions to my story Runaway also gave me a lot of food for thought and helped me improve my writing style. For example, Jo (like Dreamflower) excelled at including details (such as descriptions of food, smells, textures, sounds) that bring a scene to life when reading one of her chapters. | |