Reviews (56)

Tripsy · 30 January 2026 · Chapter 12: A Son of Gondor (Part 2)

Really expressive work belongs in comic format. Paid artist, connect with me! Discord: tripsydraws

periantari · 16 March 2025 · Chapter 3: Some Were Pleased, Some Less So

It's a talented writer to get so many voices right - from the dialogue in the beginning with Faramir's cousins talking about the princedom to Lord Hador to the hobbity dialogue (which is my favorite). It was a very good chapter. Thanks for the glimpses of everyone who is effected by Aragorn's decision.

Periantari · 16 March 2025 · Chapter 2: Ithilien

This is a key conversation that I imagine the king and steward would be having . Indeed there were a lot of responsibilities that Faramir had to shoulder ! I liked the slight tension in the beginning about him being prince .

PSW · 16 March 2025 · Chapter 12: A Son of Gondor (Part 2)

A lovely ending to a really wonderful story. I very much enjoyed getting to know Dirhael better in these last chapters, and seeing his growing respect for and friendship with Faramir (and by extension Gondor). You handled well the concerns and awkward beginnings that might exist between the northern and southern kingdoms. I also loved the donut shop! What a fun look into a piece of Minas Tirith’s culture. Thx so much as always for writing!

Lindelea · 15 March 2025 · Chapter 12: A Son of Gondor (Part 2)

You're very welcome! I'm glad the reviews have been encouraging. (For my part, I find that reading reviews often feeds the fires of creativity; if it works the same way for you, I will be delighted at the idea of reading further stories of yours!) Donuts are a wonderful but necessarily rare treat. They taste heavenly but make me feel physically awful. Therefore, I most often enjoy them vicariously, seeing and smelling them and telling people who are eating them to have one for me, too! (Oddly enough, I could eat almost anything when we recently visited the UK – except raw tomatoes, for some reason – without triggering an autoimmune flare. Much of the food in the US is not safe for me to eat, and I have to be very careful or it makes me miserably sick and leaves me in pain for days. Such is life. I don't know if it might be the pesticides that are banned in Europe, or perhaps the GMOs? I avoid any foods labeled "GMO" here, but I wonder just how "natural" and safe even organic foods are in the US. We are talking about what we'd need to do to move to the UK... it's almost overwhelming to contemplate, but my partner thinks it would be worth it just so I could eat anything I wanted again. But it would also mean leaving our adult children behind. I don't want to think about that. Sorry if this is TMI.)

Lindelea · 13 March 2025 · Chapter 12: A Son of Gondor (Part 2)

I'm very glad to see this chapter today. I was feeling very low when I brought up the laptop, but reading this final chapter has been heartening. Oh! Now I want donuts! (I will have to enjoy them vicariously. I hope at least one of your characters sinks their teeth into one and the text describes the flavors and textures and smells and all that.) "This is part of the work." I'm not at all surprised. Now I want to see the crooked house, too! Imagining a city tour conducted by the Steward is an intriguing thought. “I have to go now. I must uphold my renown against the ants, after all” and Nothing in the City seemed to escape the Steward’s notice. Not to mention his skill and diplomacy in reconciling the builders to accepting Dwarvish aid. And not his fault, but his responsibility. It is no wonder that those of the City, especially his Men, love and revere him and would follow him to Hell and back (in a manner of speaking). I love your characterization of Faramir; have I mentioned that before? I lost track of the basket of fried bread; where did it end up? (Did I miss something in reading? It happens more often than I'd like it to.) Oh yes. Invite Gimli to that meeting. And your description of the building process is fascinating. I appreciate your description of the lessons Faramir has been learning from the Northerners. The renderings of Annúminas are a thoughtful gift. In my own imaginings of the restoration of the Northern kingdom, I have seen part of the old ruins left as a warning and a lesson and a monument to the folly of Men (sort of along the lines of the Gedächtniskirche in Berlin), another part restored, and much new construction, culminating in "New Annúminas". This has been an absorbing, encouraging, wonderful treat! I'm sorry to see it end but remain hopeful that more ideas will tug at your sleeve and ask to be written down and shared.

shirebound · 13 March 2025 · Chapter 12: A Son of Gondor (Part 2)

I enjoyed this story so much, and this is a lovely ending. Such a bond has now been formed between north and south! Dirhael relished the familiar taste: nothing fancy, only homely comfort. This makes me hungry. :) Thank you for sharing this wonderful tale.

Erulissé · 13 March 2025 · Chapter 12: A Son of Gondor (Part 2)

Wow. I could not have imagined a better ending myself if I had tried! That was an awesome finish!!! I loved it. It was wonderful to have this view of their friendship growing. Good for Dirhael, if he could help Faramir see that he needn't always make do and be content. And of course Faramir would be up late into the night to gain a glimpse of the Northern Kingdom in its heyday, especially to gift to a friend. Thank you so much! That was amazing. Slán go fóil!

Erulissé · 6 March 2025 · Chapter 11: A Son of Gondor (Part 1)

I love this story. It all feels so right! I was so excited to see Dirhael and Faramir make it up and the beginning to what could be an amazing friendship! Dirhael is correct, the more you know about him, the harder it is to dislike Faramir. I feel as if I know Dirhael already, even though I don't know that much about him. I love the interaction with prickly old Lord Hador. He is quite a character! He certainly has some cheek. Thank you for the encouragement! I am so excited to see it published and finally get to hold a physical copy of all that hard work. It's been a long time in the making.

UTfrog · 4 March 2025 · Chapter 11: A Son of Gondor (Part 1)

Still loving this story. Thank you

Lindelea · 4 March 2025 · Chapter 11: A Son of Gondor (Part 1)

(or perhaps the Steward is not the messenger but simply making condolence visits? Even so, it speaks to his conscience, empathy, and sense of duty to his people)

Lindelea · 4 March 2025 · Chapter 11: A Son of Gondor (Part 1)

Oh! That wonderful smell of art supplies! You capture the store, as seen through Dirhael's perspective, very effectively. I am guessing that the blacksmith is dead, and that is why no one is working at the eleventh hour, and the Steward has just brought the news to his son (or maybe apprentice, but the depth of anger and despair speaks of a son hearing of his father). O man o man, you don't know with what anticipation I was watching to see how Faramir would deal with Lord Hador's cutting (or trying to cut) Dirhael... thus they may claim the closest kinship to the men of the North... Beautifully done! Incredible diplomacy. And this gave me shivers (in a good way): “What I heard gave me hope that even if Minas Tirith should fall, and we were reduced to exile, it would not be the end of Gondor. You endured, and kept doing your duty—if you could do it, so must we.” "another son who had lost his father" – Oh, you've reduced me to tears now. While I'm also remembering that Faramir is yet another son who has lost his father, and in the same war... Faramir is not making it easy for Dirhael to maintain his grudge or keep his distance, is he? To quote from the classic Casablanca, in the scene where two men walk away into the fog: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Very well done. I am liking Faramir (and Dirhael) more and more (though it doesn't seem possible).

shirebound · 4 March 2025 · Chapter 11: A Son of Gondor (Part 1)

You endured, and kept doing your duty—if you could do it, so must we. I like that. :)

Robbie · 4 March 2025 · Chapter 11: A Son of Gondor (Part 1)

I love this story! i'm a great Faramir fan, and treasure stories describing him as a new steward. I especially like the way you describe him, letting us see all those traits we love, but not exaggerating and heaping feats, but telling gently, hinting and often through the eyes of others. I always look forward to the new chapters of this story. I also found I not just like to see the others from the fellowship interact with Faramir, but for the developments with Dirhael, and am even becoming in Dirhael, himself, a bit. (A lot of OCs don't get that far with me.) I also read your other stories, and (begging your pardon for saying as I shouldn't, as Sam would say, and for lacking in the right words to say this better) wanted to tell you I like them, too, and in my opinion your writing style has improved over time and wanted to let you know.Thank you for sharing!

PSW · 2 March 2025 · Chapter 10: The City of Kings

I read this in a hurry when it came out because I was excited to see it, then went back and reread it but forgot I hadn't already left you a comment. Then when I realized it took me a bit to get back to it. But I have a moment now ... :-) Very nicely done! I enjoyed the detail of them sitting on the floor for their conversation - that seemed like a good move on Aragorn's part, a reassurance that not only did he remember who they are but that he is not now suddenly different because he is a king. The conversation was straightforward and didn't pull punches, which I suspect you're right that they prefer - he is indeed not a lesser man speaking to lesser men. And the conversation with Dirhael was well done separately, both to reassure and speak facts. It's good that Dirhael chose to return to the north - I doubt he would have been happy in Gondor for any length of time. Very interesting and insightful take on this situation! (And I'm happy to note that it doesn't line up exactly with my own ideas so mine will be different enough to be worthwhile.) Looking forward to more of this story.

Erulissé · 1 March 2025 · Chapter 10: The City of Kings

Ahhhhaaa!!! That makes sense. I had been looking for a button that doesn’t exist. 😅 I am not an author on SoA (yet), but my best friend and I are in the process of publishing her/our first novel. I am not the best at coming up with original ideas, but she’s an absolute genius in that department. I am better at the editing and sprucing up parts of writing than she is though, so we make up for each other’s deficits quite well. She came up with the entire story line and it is very much her story, but I would say I probably did close 20% of the writing as well. I am definitely more the editor when it comes with to the story. We are getting reviews from beta readers now, and it’s been so cool to get feedback from people reading this story that we’ve been keeping secret for almost 3 years now. It’s so exciting to actually be finishing a big story like this and be so close to the publishing time. We have started other books in the past, but this is the first time we have finished a story, and our first publishing experience. I am hoping to become an author on SoA soon, I have several story ideas but real life has been keeping me from sitting down and typing. Hopefully before the end of the year? We shall see.

Lindelea · 27 February 2025 · Chapter 10: The City of Kings

I forgot to mention in my previous review that I loved the way you described the Rohirrim and Dirhael's perceptions of them. I remember the time when I felt more comfortable sitting on the floor... It's a bit hard to get up from the floor these days, so I don't sit there very often anymore. Nice detail, though. A pause followed as the men of the North, long accustomed to standing alone against the pressing foe, took a moment to comprehend friendship, alliance, and sundered kinship. This is definitely a shift in perspective and may take some time to get used to.

Lindelea · 27 February 2025 · Chapter 10: The City of Kings

“I do the very task before me. Take the first step, and accept that I am not all-knowing.” I've heard this expressed as "Do the next thing." I'm glad for the talk between uncle and nephew, and Dirhael's change in attitude, seeing the White City with new eyes. As one with an artist's bent, he's probably a keen observer of detail if his vision is not clouded by emotion and even prejudice. Wonderful! (By the way, in answer to your question, I still have to be careful of my eyes these days, but at least I'm not staring at a laptop screen 8 or more hours a day anymore. My eyes tire fairly easily, but luckily when I can't manage the focus I need to read, I can still write because I learned to touch-type decades ago. I've done a lot of writing without looking, over time, LOL. I post chapters when I'm fresh so that before I post a chapter, I can read it over (and then I read it over again after posting because there are invariably typos I've missed. Such is life!).

Lindelea · 27 February 2025 · Chapter 9: In a Distant Land

I re-read this chapter and had a couple more thoughts. (I must have skimmed it the first time... I remembered the second half clearly but not the first half. Perhaps my eye fell upon mention of hobbits and pulled my attention away from the weapons practice. Quite possible.) I understand and appreciate Dirhael's joy in archery practice. It can resemble a sort of meditation. I'm sorry to see his mistrust continuing (and jealousy?). But he reveals his perceptiveness and honesty here: A thought struck Dirhael. During their stay in Cormallen, the Ithilien Rangers had spoken reverently of their Captain, who had led them safely home from perilous ventures; who had guarded their backs as they retreated from Osgiliath, pursued by the Winged Terror; and who would not slay even an Orc needlessly, and never gladly. So the Steward was that Captain? He seemed indeed one whom Aragorn would trust and favour. If only he can connect the dots a little further... that the Steward is one that Dirhael can also trust and favour.

shirebound · 26 February 2025 · Chapter 10: The City of Kings

Dirhael had never considered the possibility of Aragorn feeling uncertain. “What do you do when you feel adrift, Uncle?” Aragorn shrugged. “I do the very task before me. Take the first step, and accept that I am not all-knowing.” This is wonderful, as is this entire chapter.

UTfrog · 26 February 2025 · Chapter 10: The City of Kings

Lovely. So looking forward to more of this enchanting story. Thank you.

Erulissé · 26 February 2025 · Chapter 10: The City of Kings

That was a beautiful chapter. Wow. I have no other words, other than wow. I don’t know how to reply to replies (as it were) here, but I’ll reply now to what you wrote earlier. I found your work late last week and I have thoroughly enjoyed every single story I have read!!! It may take a while, but I hopefully will leave a message on all of them eventually! I know how encouraging it is for me when I hear from readers, so we’ll see what happens. 😅 I love your portrayal of Faramir, and I think your description of him and his character is absolutely spot on. I love your writings and I am so grateful that you have shared them with us! I hope to be reading and rereading for many years in the future… Slán go fóill!

Lindelea · 23 February 2025 · Chapter 8: A Son of the North

In response to your comment about posting stories and seeming busy (and the cat), they are all rather tied together. I retired a few months ago from a job that demanded intense concentration and was associated with eyestrain to the point that I had to resort to audiobooks for all my leisure reading. That job derailed me from fanfic reading for more than a decade. Before that time, I was in the habit of posting one to three chapters a day when the ideas flowed quickly, and then going long stretches between postings when they didn't flow at all. When I wasn't writing, I was often thinking about characters and outlining story ideas – and always reading: fanfic, science fiction, and fantasy for the most part. Because the Shire was my "happy place", I consistently set aside a couple hours a day to write about hobbits and/or research technical aspects that contributed to writing stronger stories. But real-life demands required me to go back to work when our youngest started high school. My skills fit the requirements needed for academic editing. I learned so much from editing theses and dissertations over the years! But I really missed the community and creativity of the people who, like me, enjoy LOTR fanfiction, and so when I retired, I returned to SoA. A lot of the people I knew years ago are no longer here (for various reasons), but I still find a lot of comfort and satisfaction in Tolkien's creation. I'm so glad that people are still writing (and reading) and are happy to discuss ideas and concepts and applications of Tolkien's works. Middle-earth remains a refuge of sorts for me. In a sense, I'm making up for lost time by reading and posting all the fanfic I didn't have time (or eye-power) for over the past decade-and-a-half. Also, when I retired, I went from 8- to 14-hour days of editing, often 7 days a week, to... having a lot of "free" time on my hands. So nowadays I have the luxury of spending 6 hours at the keyboard and still having time to do other things that I need or want to do. And then... on February 4, our youngest cat died unexpectedly (shockingly so, to be honest, probably of congenital heart failure) just short of his third birthday. Part of working through the grief has been to spend more time writing and reading fanfic and less time on cooking, cleaning, hobbies, that sort of thing, as a healthy response. One might call it a self-soothing coping mechanism. It has helped. For the last few days, I've been cutting back a bit and finding a healthier balance. But I still haven't found a better alternative for filling those "extra" 6 hours a day, so I'll most likely keep writing fanfic to tune up my writing skills, with an eye to eventually getting back to an original writing project that's been in the works a long time. (Along with reading fanfic, of course.) All that said, I must also add this... I immensely enjoy reading your stories and hope to see more! It's been wonderful to see new chapters being posted to various stories here on SoA, even as I'm exploring all the fanfic I've missed over the last couple decades.

shirebound · 22 February 2025 · Chapter 9: In a Distant Land

To answer your question, for additional stories about the northern Rangers I also wrote "Guarding the Shire" a (one-chapter story), and "Force of Nature" and "The Rings of Evendim" (in particular chapter 11). You can delete this 'review'!

UTfrog · 20 February 2025 · Chapter 9: In a Distant Land

Excellent. I am really enjoying your work.