Reviews (13)

Rian Steelsheen · 19 November 2010 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

Author Reply: I think Faramir's feelings for his father are very complex - and vice versa, of course. Your words - deep frustration etc. - are absolutely right, but I think there's some anger and resentment there too. Hasn't Denethor - as he himself points out later on - effectively sent Faramir to certain death without a word of thanks or affection? The Denethor fan in me suddenly decided it was disloyal not to at least try to defend him a little, so… I would say that no, Denethor hasn’t sent Faramir to certain death, that’s the movie version! :) Faramir really was the best captain to have there, perhaps the only one that could hold his troops against the Nazgûl, and they so badly needed time! It was Denethor’s decision, a hard one (he himself said you must take risks at war, and he’s right), but I would say a good one, if maybe not the best one. In the end it didn’t turn out quite alright, but really it wouldn’t have been so bad if there hadn’t been that arrow and if Faramir hadn’t been wounded. He and his dad could have led the defense together and done a far better job of it than could have Gandalf and Imrahil, they could have won an enormous amount of time. And (I suppose It’s now about personal interpretation) I really don’t think he imagined this would be their last words together. He regrets having sent him away “without thanks or affection” right after he did, or that is how I interpret his question to Gandalf. Anyway, reading about how choked, stunned, etc… he was when he saw Faramir’s body is enough for me to assume it wasn’t really in his plan. Remember how it was said his life was charmed and all? I just can imagine Denethor thought destiny couldn’t be that cruel! He had lost one son, to lose the other would have been… unimaginably hurtful to even think about it. The guy is the most unlucky one of all ME (except for Sauron). Trying to see things through his point of view, I think I can understand Denethor’s anger at Faramir, his feeling betrayed when his son kept looking at that man he despise for approval, when his son chose to pass some things under silence, or when his son condemned them all to certain death (D’s POV), etc… I find the way he is worshipping his dead boy very sad and touching, it’s human not to be able to see the faults of a departed beloved one. Well I suppose what I’m getting at is that if I’m able to feel pity and understanding at D (and I’m not at all that sort of person usually), then Faramir should be able to feel about the same way for his dad :)

Author's reply

That's a very fair answer. I tend to be too hard on Denethor because I so hate the way he treats Faramir, but yes, Denethor was under intolerable pressure. I'm sure Faramir took your view, even if he has to bite his tongue at times under D's provocation. You're right about the way Faramir looks at Gandalf, too: any parent must be angry and resentful when their child plainly holds another older person in higher esteem. I would say that was D's fault, though: a child who feels disfavoured by his own father and is constantly 'displeasing' him despite his best efforts is bound to develop a strong affection and respect for a kind, wise (if crusty) old man who teaches and encourages him. And Gandalf certainly has fatherly feelings for Faramir, strong enough to make him go to save Faramir when instead he might have saved Eowyn and Theoden. (I don't think it was G's superior wisdom that induced him to make this choice, but his kindly 'human' feelings, which are, paradoxically, what make him such a successful enemy of Sauron when all the other wizards fail.) You're absolutely right that D and F would have made a far better job of Gondor's defence. You can tell from what Bergil says that people had confidence in Denethor, and we know that they'd follow Faramir even under the shadow of the Black Wings. He'd have seen to it that nobody abandoned his post, and maybe that the bowmen accounted for enough trolls etc. to prevent the gate being broken by Grond. That's the trouble, though, isn't it? If F and D were so effective, all the credit wouldn't go to Aragorn, and that's where JRRT wanted it to go - to the frustration of us Stewardists.

Rian Steelsheen · 30 August 2010 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

For some obscure reason, I reviewed this at fanfiction.net, not here. I copied the whole thing: You know I think this is my favourite of all your fanfiction (in fact maybe my favourite fanfiction ever!). I really like your writing style. When I read a story I often like to listen to music in the same time, because I think it ads an "ambiance" to the words. But when I read your stories (or Tolkien's for example) I feel I don't need it because the ambiance is already here, and I like it. What make it magic, I think, are all the strong mental pictures your words bring to mind ("when the Captain turned to me, his face was like a mask of blood. And yet he smiled"), the wonderful sentences like 'The stars will still shine, Anborn, even if we cannot see them' (so true!), and also the references to the glorious past of Middle Earth. LotR has all of those and I think it's part of what makes it such a wonderful book. I also liked the reference to the Spartans! Another thing that I like is how, with only a little sentence, you can express feelings that would take me a whole very big paragraph to explain (I particularly like the "Now I felt more like a child whose father has abandoned it in a place of unknown danger"). And your addition to Húrin's wonderful battle cry (the best part of all the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the best battle ever written!) was great ("though we shall not live to see it"). I also enjoyed the change of point of view. It's more interesting this way, I think. And of course there is Faramir! I've read this story just after reading the Faramir's passages of TTT, and you know your character awakes the same emotions in me than Tolkien's; you are the only author I've read who always does this (to me). I don't really know if it's what he says or how he speaks or how he is described (or even how others reacts to him), but, IMHO, he feels right. I like his sense of humour, his relationship with Gandalf (as equals), and his relationship with his men. I have, however, found one thing I don't agree with! I don't think Faramir would have felt real anger at his father, rather deep frustration, disappointment, grief and pity. To me, it sounds like he is complaining to Gandalf, and I don't really like the idea of Faramir complaining to anyone about his dad. But then I'm a Denethor fan, and I think it is safe to say you're not? Differences of interpretation?

Author's reply

Thanks for (re)posting this very thoughtful review, Rian! The question you raise about Faramir's feelings for Denethor is very interesting. You're quite right that I'm not a Denethor fan, though I can feel both sympathy and admiration for him over his whole career. I just can't bear the way he lays into Faramir in that conversation in 'The Siege of Gondor'. I think Faramir's feelings for his father are very complex - and vice versa, of course. Your words - deep frustration etc. - are absolutely right, but I think there's some anger and resentment there too. Hasn't Denethor - as he himself points out later on - effectively sent Faramir to certain death without a word of thanks or affection? The only consoling words Faramir gets are from Gandalf, and Faramir doesn't answer those - I imagine because he was too choked up! In my story I do make Faramir bite off the words as soon as he's said them, knowing that Gandalf won't repeat them: it's only a moment of bitterness, not the way he's going to feel ever after. I think it was Peredhel who once described Boromir as 'the glue that holds his family together', and I think that's a wonderful way to sum up the three of them. With Boromir dead, Faramir is exposed to the full weight of his father's grief and resentment - practically blamed for being alive - and that's enough to make anyone feel sore. However, I may to some extent be judging Faramir by what I'd feel in his place, and he's a far nobler character than I am!

Agape4Gondor · 22 April 2007 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

I very much liked this whole story (like is such an ambiguous word - but love is too strong for this feeling of sadness and despair). I do not agree with you upon Denethor's part in this - but I applaud what you have written. It is beautiful and Faramir shines in the blackness.

Author's reply

\Thanks - so glad you liked it. Denethor seems to polarise opinion very strongly. It's a tribute to the complexity of the character JRRT createc that stories which take very different views of him still seem to work.

Lackwit · 7 January 2007 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

Fantastic, Nesta. Excellent pacing and imagery. Dialogue in the final chapter was spot on. Beautiful characterizations all around and your Faramir definitely showed the qualities that made his men love him. Loved the story!

Author's reply

Many thanks, Lackwit! (A most unsuitable nickname in some ways!)

Raksha The Demon · 4 January 2007 · Chapter 5: The condemned

Great metaphor of Anborn's vigil with a condemned man. Now they are all condemned, but resolving to make a good end - that's true couraged, wonderfully expressed. And a lovely bit about Faramir being the source of the light that spreads through the men.

Author's reply

It didn't strike me till fairly recently that the garrison at Osgiliath must have been feeling pretty sick, knowing their heads were on the block. Perhaps the movie brought it to my attention - one thing in its favour, if so!

Rugi · 4 January 2007 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

I absolutely loved this. You portrayed Faramir and his troops as so utterly human (sticking his head in the bucket to fight the Black Breath, joshing the troops who are afraid of the Nazgul) while at the same time showing their super-human heroism. I really liked that you SHOWED how Faramir was able to hold his men together in the face of all of the terror. His bravery/mastery is both glorious and prosaic. I also liked that it was from Gandalf's POV - you showed how he is among the men/humans but also seperated from them. I loved the moment when he supported Faramir - again it was touching but also so real and tragic. I too yearn for an Epilogue (actually, if I am honest, more story or a sequal).

Author's reply

Thanks, Rugi! I have an Epilogue - or something - in mind. As Frodo remarks, the great tales never end!

Sarabeth · 3 January 2007 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

This makes me want to cry. Beautifully written.

Author's reply

Thanks very much! Hope you didn't cry too hard. But it's nice to think of somebody shedding a tear or two for Faramir. There's so much going on in the original book that his heroism gets a bit overshadowed, I think.

AspenJules · 3 January 2007 · Chapter 1: Beyond hope

I am intrigued. I like the first person Faramir POV. Also, I like how, almost unwillingly, the encounter with Frodo left it's positive mark on Faramir. And I loved Faramir's visiion/link with Frodo and Sam, and their appearing as a spark of light getting brighter in the darkness of Mordor. Well done, and off to the next chapter!

Author's reply

Thanks, AJ! Though Faramir says he has no hope of seeing Frodo ever again, he does imagine them meeting later and exchanging their stories, so he must at least have been able to envision Frodo and Sam succeeding in their task. I imagine a close encounter with the Nazgul would just snuff out any such positive thoughts, hence Faramir's grimly hopeless frame of mind later on.

Raksha The Demon · 3 January 2007 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

I forgot to mention that I loved Faramir's ducking his head in the bucket of cold water and reprising Sam's line from TTT. Wonderful - you should do a vignette of them meeting later and talking about that.

Author's reply

That picture came into my head ages ago, but I couldn't work out where to fit it in until now. (You know how it happens!)

Raksha The Demon · 3 January 2007 · Chapter 6: 'Go tell the Spartans'

Gorgeous chapter; I love the way you portray the relationship between Gandalf-Mithrandir and the "wizard's pupil". Here, Gandalf gives Faramir the fatherly support, physically and emotionally, that Denethor refused. And we see Faramir beleaguered, gone beyond all strength but hanging on and refusing to save his own life while his men need him. The touches of grim humor, of Faramir referring to the fell beasts as 'tomcats on the roof' and the soldier's reference to not being afraid of black bogeymen since childhood, are wonderful. And the reprise of Hurin's battle-cry is wonderful. Actually, I have an unfinished story where Faramir thinks of it himself; if I ever polish it up enough to post, I hope you won't think I took the idea of connecting these two heroes in a hopeless fight from you. Any chance of an epilogue?

Author's reply

The Húrin connection is interesting. I don't know if it's me, or the Anglo-Saxon temperament, or just human nature, but I always find that the hero who is overcome while fighting gallantly against fearful odds is far more moving and interesting than the hero who overthrows his ten thousands as a matter of course. It's one of the reasons why I prefer Faramir to Aragorn. I find the description of Húrin's last stand in Sil. very moving, and I can imagine young Faramir responding the same way. Perhaps Boromir was more interested in winners? Anyway, I'd love to read your story. (Great minds think alike, as ever!)

Raksha The Demon · 3 January 2007 · Chapter 3: Beyond fear

Wonderful chapter! Terrific comparison of Mithrandir to Tulkas; I loved that part in ROTK; it is one of the few times when Mithrandir reveals Maia-power, and it is for Faramir's sake that he does it. The conclusion of this chapter is extremely moving, with Faramir, chilled from the Black Breath, weathering his father's almost equally terrible bitterness. I think it was likely that Denethor resented Faramir for being alive when Boromir was dead; though I don't think Denethor specifically wanted Faramir to die (not unless he could have had Boromir alive in his stead).

Author's reply

I wonder how much of Gandalf's real power and importance Faramir perceived, both before and after his 'rescue'. I don't think D. ever wanted Faramir dead, as such, except(as you so rightly say) that if he had to lose one son, he'd rather it was F. than B. Probably all parents, in the last ditch, would have some such preference. Deep down, after all, Denethor and Faramir love each other; it's just so horribly hard for them to show it. You explore this wonderfully well in some of your stories.

Raksha The Demon · 3 January 2007 · Chapter 2: Night without stars

There was a shadowy smile on his face now. ‘The stars will still shine, Anborn, even if we cannot see them Beautiful line; and very expressive of Faramir's tremendous inner strength - he recognizes and reveres that which will outlast him; he can still appreciate beauty, even on the edge of the end of all things - very much like Sam here.

Author's reply

It was of course inspired by that wonderful moment when Sam sees the stars and reflects that on a cosmic scale, the Shadow is only a small and passing thing. I was pleased to see that in the EE of RoTK: it's one of the comparatively few moments when the movie touches on the sublimity that the book quite often achieves. Pity it wasn't in the theatrical cut. There's also a deeply moving story of somebody after WW2 finding a cellar where Jews had been hiding from Nazis, I think in Poland. One of them had written on the wall something like 'I BELIEVE IN THE SUN EVEN WHEN IT IS NOT SHINING. I BELIEVE IN LOVE EVEN WHEN FEELING IT NOT...' There was more, but I can't remember the rest. So long as there are people capable of thinking like that, in the direst of circumstances, we don't need to despair of the human race.

Raksha The Demon · 3 January 2007 · Chapter 1: Beyond hope

Frodo and Faramir both share courage and adaptability; and, most important, the ability to strive on when things seem hopeless; I like how you drew the characters together here. And Faramir was also imaginative enough to draw a flicker of hope from Frodo's quest; and, being Faramir, he can mine a lot of inspiration from that flicker.

Author's reply

It touches on that state of being 'without hope', and yet not 'despairing', that JRR seems very interested in. Perhaps it goes back to the heroes of the old Icelandic sagas. The latter also show a tendency to rather mordant, point-of-death humour, which I think Faramir may have shared, though it doesn't come out in the book.