| Michelle | 05/06/09 12:41 am | 15: Chapter 14 - Ill News | Signed |
Ah, elves! Could it be that Aragorn is trying to convince his brothers that he's fine??! Surely they won't believe him...
Author's Response: Yes, the three-Elf cavalry has arrived! Now if they can overcome Aragorn's stubbornness... because yeah, he's not fine, at all. Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/06/09 12:26 am | 14: Chapter 13 - Repercussions | Signed |
Mhm, wasn't Aragorn complaining not too long ago about always making the wrong decisions lately? I hope he remembers that before acts out of false bravery here *shakes ranger*.
Author's Response: LOL... yes, Aragorn really is behaving in a way that makes you want to shake him, isn't he? Definitely not over the Black Breath and not thinking as clearly as he ought. And his sense of responsibility, which is usually a strength, seems to be tripping him up now. Not in a good place, mentally, our Ranger, is he? Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/05/09 11:51 pm | 12: Chapter 11 - To Make Right Again | Signed |
A wonderful chapter! It would have been so easy to leave that out of the story and concentrate on the Nazgûl problem. But this chapter enhances the story a lot. It shows us that for Aragorn his men aren't only cannon fodder (as if we didn't know that *g*), but it also shows us where these men are coming from. And since it's so rare to see strong female characters in LOTR fanfic (why, oh why???), I'm always happy when an author decides to write a strong female OC.
Author's Response: Ooh, thank you! I'm glad you like Neala! I'm a little skittish about female characters, partly because of the risk of being too Mary Sue, but also because, well, I just am better at writing male characters because I find them more interesting, as a whole. But Neala demanded to be included in this story, so what could I do?? LOL And yes, my Rangers aren't cannon fodder... they're an important part of Aragorn's life and times. I like to think that if Tolkien had written more about Aragorn than he did, he might have come up with a lot of very interesting and important companions to Aragorn and that's what I'm trying to do with "my" Rangers. I'm very relieved that they're being well received. Whew. :) Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/05/09 10:55 pm | 9: Chapter 8 - Flight | Signed |
Oh wow, what a chapter! Okay, this is "only" chapter 9, but somehow I'm under the impression it can't get any angstier than this. Though, I'm pretty sure you'll prove me wrong, because as we've already established: You're evil! My personal highlight in this chapter (aside from all the perfect Aragorn angst, of course): rambling!Halbarad. That was quite a treat:)
Author's Response: Thank you, Michelle! I'm so happy that the highlight for you here was Halbarad's ramble... I really felt that was a moment where his fear and love for Aragorn and stress over the entire situation was stripped bare. I'm all for stoicism but sometimes there's no holding back the rawness of the moment, and poor Halbarad... I think he wanted to be strong and stoic but he was pretty well shattered by that point. And yes... I'm evil. There's more angst to come. Lots more. heh heh heh. Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/05/09 12:25 am | 7: Chapter 6 - unexpected | Signed |
Ha, what a surprise! I had seriously not expected *that*. Finally, there's a spark of hope, if only briefly! You know, Aragorn and his chosen men (your words *g*) remind me a lot of a certain Richard Sharpe and his chosen men. Did you take some cues from Bernard Cornwall?
Author's Response: Hmm, Cornwell... would I find inspiration from Mr. Sharpe? Hmmm... *whistling innocently* Actually, yes, I did get the idea of Aragorn having a band of close "officers" of sorts from Cornwell, who in his turn got it from the British military, of course. I don't see the Dunedain as being so highly organized as the British military, but the idea is there nonetheless of Aragorn having a close-knit group of the most highly skilled Rangers that stayed with him when he wasn't off in the wilds by himself. Sort of a pre-fellowship fellowship? *grin* And I am glad I surprised you... I really couldn't bring myself to kill off Bilfen and Kenevir, so yes, a bit of better news for our poor Rangers. Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/05/09 12:03 am | 6: Chapter 5 - To Save One Soul | Signed |
Is it your plan to make me depressed? You really want to convince Aragorn that there is no hope or silver lining, don't you? Nothing is going as it should for them and I fear things won't look up any time soon:(
Author's Response: hee hee! Nope, not depressed but just very concerned and empathetic for our poor Rangers and especially Aragorn. :) And of course to underscore just how evil things were and how hard a road Aragorn had to travel. Things definitely are getting bleak, aren't they. Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/04/09 11:49 pm | 5: Chapter 4 - Bracken's Ferry | Signed |
You're quite evil - all this foreshadowing and those feelings of dread. And it seems you also have a knack for introducing character and then killing them off. That's not nice, you know! Now, let's see whether the person still alive can shed some light onto these strange goings on.
Author's Response: Bwa ha ha! I *am* evil. *grin* At least in that I like to weave a complex story, and often that means, alas, killing off a character or two. You're really flying through this story, I must say! Enjoy, and thanks for the comments along the way. :) |
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| Michelle | 05/04/09 11:32 pm | 4: Chapter 3 - Healing Balm | Signed |
ROFTL. I love the dynamics between Aragorn and Halbarad. Okay, scratch that - I mean the dynamics between all the men. Seems Aragorn was right in his assumption that they planned this little mutiny for his own good. Of course, it must feel to him like its undermining his authority, but it's like they say in the commercial: A friend who'll tell you you're acting stupid? Priceless!
Author's Response: LOL ... so true! And ARagorn is acting stupid there, isn't he? Halbarad is definitely the one that can get away with a little insubordination in the name of straightening out Aragorn's wooly-brained actions, but the other men are nearly as able, even if they have to do it with a bit more discretion (aka, hiding behind Halbarad!). These men are tight-knit, Aragorn's best, and they have a little more leeway with their leader than most others would. Glad you liked the dynamics here... that's at the heart of this story, the relationships between the characters. I'm glad it's working for you. Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/04/09 11:00 pm | 2: Chapter 1 - Foreboding | Signed |
You're not giving your poor readers (or characters) a chance to settle comfortably in the story, huh? That's quite a way to start your tale - and it sets the tone quite convincingly. It all looks quite desperate at the moment and I suppose you'll only make it worse for them in the near future! The first paragraph was amazing, by the way. Going from the peaceful description of the landscape straight to the battle was a clever idea!
Author's Response: Thanks, Michelle! No, I don't give the readers nor the characters much chance for a peaceful start, do I? LOL I like to dive straight into the action when possible. It was fun to play off the peaceful surroundings against the ugly evil of the orcs... I imagine quite often the events taking place were quite a contrast to the beauty of Arda (well, except in Mordor, of course). And yes, um, without actually giving out any spoilers, things do get worse, by and by. Thanks for the review! |
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| Michelle | 05/04/09 10:50 pm | 1: Prologue | Signed |
Ha, here I am, throwing myself into the story:) I really like how you start with a letter (I love epistolary novels) and manage to put quite a bit of exposition into it - only to have Aragorn trash the letter in the end (which, in turn, gives us some "exposition" for Aragorn's state of mind.
Author's Response: Yay! Hope you find the waters fun. *grin* I'm glad you liked the way the story starts... I had to get quite a lot of information about the OC rangers in as interesting a way as I could, and I thought it fun to do it via a letter (even if Aragorn does end up trashing it!). Aragorn's state of mind isn't too good, is it? Plenty of angst ahead! Thanks for the review! |
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| Mirach | 05/04/09 02:30 pm | 13: Chapter 12 - Time | Signed |
Again, your characters are beautifully complex, this was a very nice chapter!
Author's Response: Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying this... I know I'm enjoying getting a review each chapter! :) |
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| Mirach | 05/04/09 01:04 pm | 12: Chapter 11 - To Make Right Again | Signed |
I cried at the beginning of this chapter, and laughed at the end. Your writing is very realistic in conveying emotions, and in the small details that make the story more rich.
Author's Response: Thank you! It's always gratifying to hear from a read that I made them laugh or cry, and that this made you do both is doubly encouraging! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and this chapter touched you. Thanks for the review! |
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| Mirach | 05/04/09 12:29 pm | 11: Chapter 10 - Respite | Signed |
That was really a surprise to find out whom the farm belongs to!
Author's Response: Hee hee! I was a bit sneaky about it, wasn't I, only hinting way back at the prologue that Mallor was from the area around the Hoarwell. :) Thanks for the review! |
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| Mirach | 04/30/09 01:20 pm | 10: Chapter 9 - Putting Together the Pieces | Signed |
*sigh* Blaming himself again?
Author's Response: Yep, afraid so. You know Aragorn... conscientious to a fault! :) Thanks for the review! |
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| Mirach | 04/30/09 12:57 pm | 9: Chapter 8 - Flight | Signed |
This chapter deserves a standing ovation! I love dream sequences, and Aragorn't nightmare was just perfect, creepy and cold, and Halbarad's care... *melting* :) "all evil, bad weather, bad manners, and spoiled vegetables" and "all those fancy names you haul around"... lol, where would be Aragorn without him? I just noticed that you repeat one paragraph twice, I don't know if it's intentional. The one beginning "He wanted to scream his anguish..."
Author's Response: Thanks, Mirach! So glad you're enjoying Halbarad's TLC of Aragorn... I do think Aragorn could have no more devoted caretaker than Halbarad. And ack, thank you for pointing out that gaff. I rewrote that section about a hundred times before getting it the way I wanted and yet I still left a gaff in there. I've fixed it now. Thanks for the review and the sharp eye. :) |
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