Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

In the Hands of the Enemy by meckinock	46 Review(s)
Saber	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 12/3/2003
First off let me just say that I love this story to bits!!! OMG it's SO good! You have admirable skill as a writer and I salute you for it and for your convincing OCs. I was also thrilled that you included Halbarad so deeply. He's such an intriguing character but alas he is so often overlooked. Might I shamelessly beg for a sequel? PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE????? hopeful smile Pretty please? Author Reply: Saber, Thank you so much for reading the story and for being so incredibly kind in your comments. Writing the story was great fun in itself, and it's more rewarding than I ever could have imagined to have readers tell me that they loved it. I feel enormously privileged to have been able to bring you even a small amount of enjoyment. Halbarad is great, isn't he? I found that I loved working with him because Professor Tolkien gave us just enough information about him to make him extremely intriguing, as you said, but left a lot of room for my own (possibly somewhat irreverent)interpretation, as well. Please, you really mustn't beg (although it's lovely of you to offer to) - I promise on Halbarad's horse that I will do a sequel - but unfortunately I don't have much of it worked out yet, and I absolutely could never attempt the "post as you go" route, so I don't anticipate being ready to post anything until at least the end of January. I'm sorry, I wish I were faster!

Alawa	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/23/2003
Hi meckinock. I enjoyed this so much! It’s gripping, tragic, funny, moving, thoughtful and the all round characterisation is just outstanding. It’s well paced and plotted and very cleverly slotted into the setting and timeline. The action and locations jump off the page and the dialogue is brilliant. It’s a real pleasure to read a story that deals with some of Tolkien’s most serious themes with such an entertaining hand. Thanks for a great read. Alawa Author Reply: Hi, Alawa, I still have no idea what happened. I just started out writing this simple little adventure story and, well, it kind of got out of hand. First time I got near one of Professor Tolkien's most serious themes (don't remember which one) I realized that it was actually quite, um... serious. So I believe I panicked and threw in some humor. Yikes. From then on it was like making chili without a recipe; could have actually (and some people may still believe so) ended up quite a mess. I'm so glad you let me know that you enjoyed the story. "A great read" is the most welcome feedback this writer could ever hope for. meckinock

Windfola	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/20/2003
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The complexity of the plot had me gripped and the descriptive details were terrific. Your orginal characters were very believable and I liked the 'unseen evil' of the hand behind the kidnappers. Your characterisation of Gndalf was particularly engaging. The only aspect that I had reservations about (and they were only small reservations) was whether Aragorn would have been quite so affected by the deaths of others by this stage in his life, having already seen sixty odd years of soldiering and warfare. But you could equally argue that he was suffering from emotional burnout! But the whole thing carried me along and left me hanging on to find out what would happen next. Author Reply: Hi, Windfola, Thanks so much. The complexity of the plot had me terrified and I have no idea how the pieces didn't end up scattered all over Arda! I also thought a lot about Aragorn's reaction to Baranuir's death, and wondered if it might seem overdone for a guy who's seen so much death already. I guess I figured in the the kid's tender age and innocence and Aragorn's feelings of guilt. I think the clincher for me was the kid begging Aragorn not to let him die. And the burnout factor is definitely there. Poor Aragorn just dropped in to pick up some badly-needed supplies, after all, and didn't expect to end up leading an orc-hunt!

The Karenator	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/19/2003
The neon lights flashing outside Srider's room in downtown Bree sputtered and hissed like two rangy tomcats debating squatter rights of a run down fence. The ranger knew he was still alive since a corpse didn't have dreams that looked like Andy Warhol paintings...not to mention that he felt more stoved up than Abraham Lincoln's hat. Seeing old Gandalf was as welcome a sight as a rest area in South Gondor. The old wizard whipped out of his pocket a few yellow stained vials with the overdone flair of Houdini pulling two jaundiced rabbits from his magic hat and held them up for the ranger to see. The ranger might have been foggier than San Francisco at daybreak, but he knew something had scrambled his head lighter than his granny's biscuits and these vile vials were as guilty as the cable company was of overcharging. It wasn't just a bad business practice that had the ranger feeling so guilty, himself, that he would have turned himself into himself, but the bad vibes stuck in his gut like imitation crab turned sour. The Rolly kid had been perp and victim and he had dropped the ball on getting the kid into rehab and a solo spot with the Riders of Rohan Boys' Choir. While Gandalf wasn't exactly without sympathy for the ruined singing career of the kid, he rarely saw any future in manufactured boy bands and figured the kid would never have been able to get N'Sync with the stress of seeing Britney Spears kiss Madonna. Since nobody knew who was pulling the strings of the kid's career moves and when Gandalf found out from Strider that the kid had been stalking him, he figured it best that the kid ended up in dinner theater. Unfortunately, Strider didn't feel any better about the whole affair than if the kid had hit the big time and ended up porking out on fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. But a kid that James Dean-ed was only one check on the list of Strider's worries. He felt about as successful as the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. He hadn't been this much of a looser since he tried to kiss Halbarad's sister and she had cleaned the bats out of his belfry with a right upper cut. When Johnny Halbarad had put a spit shine on the streets of Bree by polishing off a gaggle of riffraff that was as much of a challenge to him and his rangers as beating Girl Scouts in a three legged foot race, he looked up his battered buddy, but not before squirreling all Gandalf's leftovers off his plate and finding out that Gandalf was playing Hooked on Phonics for the Hobbit. Being a friend as faithful as Lassie, Halbarad rolled over to keep an eye on Strider so that Gandalf could get some shut eye the wizard needed more than Howdy Doody needed braces. He found Strider looking as cleaned up as a bridegroom after a bachelor's party that ended up in a street brawl, but still sporting enough black and blue to look like a Cajun dish with a side of Roquefort. Halbarad always took his jobs as seriously as a laying hen took breakfast and he gave a info-mercial demonstration of how to take the Midol left by the midwife. It didn't come as a complete surprise when his knee stopped cramping and he knocked out like a rotten tooth hitting a fist. By morning, things were looking better than a two for one special at IHOP. Everybody had finally gotten enough z-time to be able to string words in recognizable grunts and Strider was clearing up faster than a teenager on Acne Statin. But his hand was still as broken up as Al Gore was about Florida and Gandalf didn't think that even the king's men could put Humpy Dumpy together again. There was no more choice about what to do than the networks had in booting bad sitcoms; Strider would have to hightail it home and let his old man take a gander at a hand that looked as messed up as J.Lo's closet. Gandalf knew Strider would be about as happy about that as he would be about finding he was one number off winning the pot in Powerball. But the wizard let the ranger rename everyone with as many names as a Chicago phonebook, making the disgruntled ranger as happy as a hooker on holiday. But it was Tillfield who tagged Halbarad with a new handle that fit about as well as high heels on a pigeon toed troll. Despite it all, Halbarad was as gracious as a debutante in a juke joint, but inside he was holding off a bout of crapulence that turned his stomach as sour as wet socks left for a week in his pack. Bob Pearblossom. Not in this lifetime. I just hate that this story has come to an end, but you wrapped everything up just beautifully. There was a good balance of serious reflection along with good humor and even some words to the wise. You did such a fine job with characterizations in this tale. All your characters were well rounded and just came alive. I don't think I will ever see Halbarad except the way you portrayed him. He was such a wonderul character. In the end I felt sorrier for Rolly than I ever imagined I would. I just knew he was rotten from the beginning and prepared myself to gleefully see him taken out, but dadgumit, I got all compassionate for the poor guy. Tillfield was an absolute delight. And Bob Pearblossom! I love it! Halbarad will never live that down....at least, not as long Aragorn draws breath. I've already told you, but it bears repeating...your dialogue was superb! It moved quickly, flowed smoothly and read like people actually talking. You worked hard on this and it shows. Writing is never easy, even with a great deal of talent and you certainly have the talent, but the special touches that come from putting such thought and care into the construction of the characters and the story really makes a difference. You did good! I'm looking forward to the sequel. I can't wait to see what happens in Rivendell and what sort of mischief Dudo gets into. I think Gandalf is right...Elrond needs a little shaking up every age or two. Good show meckinock....good show! And most all...thank you for allowing me to have so much fun with your story. I've really worked my brain overtime to come up with silly run-on sentences full of ridiculous comparisons. I think it's time for Raymond Chandler's dog to take a nap. He's yapped just about enough. Thanks again for such a wonderful story. It was such a terrific gift to us all. Karen Author Reply: Oh, Karen, The only thing keeping me from complete despair at this parting is knowing that I can still pick up your reviews over at "The Revenge of the Wood Elf". I also hope you can manage to get your Frodo piece out while you're on...ahem, vacation. Your comments are enormously gracious, as always, and extremely welcome, but this experience has left me a bit confused, though. I did work hard on the story (witness my house which is on the verge of being condemned, and let's not even get into the aftermath of my inattention at the office), but it was the nagging, boring,infuriating little details that seemed to require all the work. Good stuff just pops in from the planet Zupo when you're in the shower! You continue to amaze me with these parodies, and the ones you're doing for Orophin's Dottir are just as original and hysterical, albeit in a completely different style. I am simply in awe, and you have done wonders for keeping me sane over the past four weeks. Give Ray's dog a Milk Bone for me. meckinock

Eledhwen	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/19/2003
Spluttering Bob Pearblossom! For Halbarad! Lovely. I really enjoyed this story. It was beautifully written, exciting, and plausible. That last chapter had some wonderfully lyrical passages on destiny. I do love a good Aragorn, and your fabulous Halbarad made it extra good. Dudo was sweet. I'd like to see him arriving at Rivendell - please? Author Reply: Thank you so much. Writing the story has been a joy, and lovely reviews such as yours an unexpected bonus. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I do plan on a sequel covering our heroes' arrival in Rivendell, but it may take a bit of time to put together.

fliewatuet	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/19/2003
The only complain I have about your story is that it was over too soon! Other than that, I loved every single chapter and I will re-read it more than once. Though I am not that delighted that the story is finished, I am quite glad that Aragorn got some rest after all (though Gandalf will have to drag him to Rivendell to truly heal). The interaction of the characters was wonderful, no matter whether Halbarad and Gandalf, Gandalf and Aragorn or Aragorn and Halbarad were talking to each other. They behaved just the way I always thought they would. And some more reasons for Aragorn pushing himself so hard were given in the end. No wonder he became a bit lost in his self-doubts (one of my pet-peeves with movie-Aragorn, by the way). Though I can well imagine that his destiny is quite a burden to bear, I always thought that by the time of the War of the Ring he had come to accept it. But in the context of your story, after a vain hunt for Gollum, the passage of the Misty Mountains in winter, witnessing first an attack upon his own people and then Baranuir's death, and finally being tricked and betrayed by a child, his doubts are more than justified. And Tillfield (or Dudo) became an honourable ranger in the end. He really deserved it (though I still have to figure out whether Halbarad deserves his Bree-name or not;-)). Did I already mention that I loved your story? Thanks for writing and sharing it, fliewatuet P.S> You won't believe it, but I actually continued writing Chapter 8 of 'Doomed to Live' today. Maybe I'll manage to get that chapter posted before the end of the year ... Author Reply: Thanks so much for continuing to review so kindly. The support has been fabulously helpful to me in my occasional moments of insecurity. Part of the reason I chose this period to write about was because I thought that the years preceding the Ring War would have been the most difficult period in Aragorn's life. A warrior is energized by the ability to act. It is waiting helplessly for a battle to begin that is torture (especially if all the while you wait, you are kept even from the comfort of your heart's desire). I think that the advent of the Ring War would actually have come as a relief to him. If it must happen, then bring it on... Bring your next chapter on...

grumpy	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/19/2003
Wow, that was the best ending ever, this whole story has been. I stayed up late last night to read it, was going to save it for today but could not wait, like a hersey bar to a suger junkie, could not put it down. So the ranger finally gets to sleep in a bed, while Halbarad is off doing what he likes best, bashing heads. I loved the part when Halbarad drinks Aragorn's medicine, and it sends him off to dreamland. What is Gandalf going to do with two miscreant schoolboys! Sequel, Sequel, Sequel, Please oh please let there be a sequel! You can watch your EE DVD (i still have to buy mine, stupid work, plus why does Traverse City have to be so far away) anyways after you have had a good time with the dvd, please start to write more, I really need my dose of your storytelling, Bring on more adventures of Aragorn of the many names and Halbarad with his new Bree name. Author Reply: Oh, Grumpy, what a wonderful thing to say. I don't think I've ever kept anyone up past 10PM before. You've got the payoff so right - Aragorn gets that room with a view (wonder if Butterbur gave him a refund on the one he didn't use before) and Halbarad gets to release some pent-up aggession. And then there's the unexpected nap. Poor Gandalf; between those two and Tillfield, he's got his hands full. Believe it or not, I do not have the EE yet! I got too busy and haven't picked it up. Plus I understand there's a LOT of Ents. A LOT. Hmmm... You're a gem, thanks again for the support. meckinock

Nightsky	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/19/2003
What an excellent story! The ambiguity of Rolly was beautifully done; you kept me wondering whether he would be the hero or the villain until he declared himself near the end. And the parallels between Rolly and Dudo, and beween Rolly and Aragorn are intriguing. But the best part for me was Halbarad. We don't see enough of Halbarad in fanfiction, and your characterization of him was wonderful. And I loved seeing Gandalf through his eyes. I'm really curious about what's going to happen in Rivendell, though. Aragorn's been thoroughly hurt -- now it's time to see him healed. And to see where his relationship with his foster father is going to end up. Author Reply: Thank you so much; Rolly was supposed to be the essence of ambiguity right up to the end -I really wanted it to be believable that he could have gone either way, right up to the last moment. I suppose I'm lucky that Professor Tolkien did not flesh out Halbarad's character that much in ROTK so I had a bit more latitude for self-expression, but his loyalty to Aragorn was apparent even in his minimal exposure in canon. Aragorn's relationship with Elrond- that's tricky. I want to be careful not to portray it as broken; but I see it as very, very strained. I can't imagine how it would not be. What a tragic situation. I don't know what's going to happen in Rivendell, either!

Port	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/19/2003
Hi there! I just finished reading the story, and wow! I haven't read such a layered and wonderful piece in a long time. From the summary, to tell the truth, I wasn't expecting depth. More like another simple adventure story with maybe some angst. Luckily, I tried it out anyway. I'm so impressed. You had kept many balls in the air, so to speak, without dropping any. Aragorn's sense of disappointment and despair, his and Halbarad's conflict, the secret of the Shire, Dudo's struggle, the exterior plot of the kidnapping and rescue, Rolly, Aragorn's conflict concerning Elrond, the botched orc hunt and the young ranger's death, and more. When put like that, it seems so ambitious, yet you handled it all with calm finesse and perfect timing. I liked the parallels drawn. You contrasted Rolly and Dudo (I like his name, which sounds like the Spanish word for "doubt") so nicely. And then at the end you drew a line from them to the slain ranger boy by giving Dudo his name! It was so poetic, allowing Aragorn and Halbarad to partly come to terms with his loss and their own mistakes and grief. At the same time, it was an outer sign of Dudo's new understanding of himself and the world around him. So there's a lot happening beneath the surface, but it wouldn't have been the same without the characterization and the humour, which often went hand in hand. That's clearest in the case of Halbarad. For instance, his admiration of Aragorn's beheading stroke and the interplay between him and Dudo; they went a long way to making him an individual--one with a perverse sense of humour, a strong sense of right and wrong (he actually followed Aragorn to Bree in order to apologize; shows a lot of integrity), and a keen competence in everything that he does. My hat's off also to your Gandalf, who was at once mysterious and affable, fallable and wise. I could actually go through each character (Tolkien's and your own) and say how they're each completely distinguishable from each other and a dynamic personality, but that would take all night. I found myself laughing so often, especially at the end, with the naming ceremony. But the interrogation scene, with Gandalf listening at the door, Butterbur's brief appearance--and the revelation that Dudo could have spilled quicker if only given some food! That's gonna stay with me for a while. Thanks for that. Also, Aragorn's little statement, "Told you I smelled orcs," was a nice touch. Same with Halbarad's suspicions of where Aragorn got his oversized shirt. Ack, there's too many funny parts. I'll have to reread it sometime, cuz it's a fun read. What else? The understanding built between Rolly and Aragorn during their journey I thought was poignant and sensitive. It was also a little messed up, if you think about it. (I wonder what the Middle Earth equivalent of the Stockholm Syndrome would be called. Maybe the Rolly Syndrome?) They came to admire and respect each other even as they struggled to thwart each other. I imagine writing a relationship so complex would be difficult. You make it look easy. Also, I wanted to commend your handling of the rescue. You understated Halbarad's immense relief using only a few lines of dialogue. You had Halbarad "whisper" his glib response to Aragorn's question, "not trusting his voice." That said it all. Their interaction in the final chapter was great to read and tie up their loose ends, but I feel that small exchange made the latter more meaningful. It also made the rescue itself more satisfying, less anti-climactic. Finally, I wrote before that the mysterious bad guy seemed to lack personality and seemed pretty standard. Well, I stand corrected, having realized that he was, in fact, Rolly. Your references to his slight figure and smooth-skinned hands were pretty sneaky, all right. Nice job. At the same time, though, it seems to me that Rolly in those opening chapters spoke and behaved as more than a 14-year-old child. In truth, he does so throughout, but never with quite the same exalted way of speaking. He reads elvish, he mixes potions, he concocts complex plans, he throws his weight around with a man decades older than he, he cleans out Bree of all criminal competition--and he knows Gandalf and speaks of him with something akin to jealousy. This, I would say, is a kid who belongs in the honor's level courses at his high school. Are you planning to write another story where this is developed? Indeed, it seemed the only weak point that Rolly went unexplained. The mystery nags at me. In all, a great read. I hope to read more from you, and I hope you don't mind the long reviews. Thanks for the fun! Author Reply: I tell you, I'm so tired of juggling that my arms ache! The depth thing was intended to be a sneak attack - if it didn't work I hoped to distract everyone with the simple adventure story. But if we all had fun then we can sleep well tonight. I'm so glad you wrote back and told me what you thought after you found out that the evil villain was Rolly. Now you know why I was so cagey. You've caught me out on the variance in the tone of his language, I'm afraid. I think that was a continuity problem more than anything; when he's with Aragorn he's obviously trying to act the part of a dumb little urchin, but I admit I probably went overboard in Chapters 1 and 2 trying to make him sound like something other than a 14-year-old (didn't want readers figuring out who it was the instant they saw him again), and then by the time I wrote the later chapters I was getting so accustomed to him that I that let him slip into a bit more colloquial tone than we had seen early on with Teburic. You score. I do think that a kid raised by Saruman would have a certain preternatural maturity and would have absorbed a lot of his master's bizarre attitudes, esp. toward Gandalf, though. And Saruman probably would have singled him out in the first place because he showed some unusual intellectual promise. But thanks for the compliment -"sneaky" - that's delightful! Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a good way to explain Rolly too much more without revealing (to Gandalf, et al) how he became Rolly, which of course would violate canon. You can write reviews as long as you want -I consider it an enormous compliment that you would give my story as much thought as you have. I welcome any additional thoughts you might have.

Caroline	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/19/2003
I'm so sad to see this end 1 It has really brightened my days since I found it and I have now idea how to fill the empty space its' absense is going to leave me with. I can nly hope you will write a sequel, I am afraid that I am desperate for a continuation involving Aragorn's return to Rivendell. You have a fine sense of humour and I am sure you caould more than do a meeting between dudo and Elrond justice :) This was a wonderful chapter once morethough and brought all of the loose ends together very nicely. I lov Halbarads' bree name! I think that his and Gandalf's characterizations ave been the best things about this story. I adore Aragorn, don't het me wrong he is my overall favourite character, but you have "created" a fantastic character for HAlbarad and got Gandalf spot on and that I think is a difficult thing to do, though you make it seem so easy. Hope we hear more from you soon Author Reply: That is the nicest thing to say. I'm...overwhelmed, really. I do plan on a sequel, but I'm not sure where it's going yet, so it will take a while to put it together. Halbarad is so great, I think, because he is free to be his essential Halbarad; in contrast with Aragorn who has so many expectations weighing him down. I find the whole concept of Gandalf wonderful; I wish I had one myself. Thank you for the enormously generous feedback.

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page

Return to Chapter List