| Michelle | 11/16/11 12:44 am | 21: A Long-expected Party | Signed |
Hehe, a great ending! I *loved* this story - so much angst and hurt/comfort. How could I not like that?
I particularly like that this was a 4th Age story. Somehow, you don't see those too often - or maye I'm just looking in the wrong places. 4th Age gives you a whole range of character that you can't play with in the usual Aragorn-is-somewhere-around-30 setting, so that's always fun to see. Eldarion, for instance, was a great addition: Way too smart for his age, but he saved the day multiple times. Well, he's Aragorn's son, so I guess it's in his genes:)
What I also liked were the numerous flashbacks. Often enough, they take the momentum out of the story, but that didn't happen here. They always added some worthwile character interaction to the scene. So I liked:)
(And I still hate Dolen. He didn't manage to redeem himself in my eyes.)
Author's Response: Thank you so much for all your reviews, Michelle! I love writing 4th age stories mainly because of Eldarion. Some of the traditional younger Aragorn characters are missing - Halbarad, Elrond, Gandalf, Elladan and Elrohir (although they occasionally can appear in 4th age stories). But at the same time we get new characters, such as Gimli, Faramir, Eowyn. And, of course, Eldarion. And having Aragorn as a king open many doors to new possibilities even if I think I prefer him as a ranger. When I think about it, in most of my 4th age stories he abandons his kingly duties to do rangery stuff :)
As for Dolen, opinions of him were very divided. Some readers hated him with a passion, but others sympathized with him and begged me not to kill him. At the end I decided that his death would be unnecessary; at least he saw the error in his ways.
Thanks again for reading and reviewing! |
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| Michelle | 11/14/11 01:14 am | 13: You Cannot Pass! | Signed |
Did anyone ever tell you that you write very evil cliffies? And what a pity that Eldarion couldn't save the day this time. I think he's the not so secret hero of this story: At least he's the one with the best ideas. Love that boy:)
And now, make this better for Aragorn!
Author's Response: Well, yes, most reviewers tell me that actually, but I enjoy hearing it every time :) Eldarion is most definitely the hero here - he is the one who persuaded Dolen to follow Gimli's plan, he is the one who lures Sbatha out, he is the one who physically killed the dragon, and now he tried to do some Hands of the King magic, unfortunatelly not too successfully. But from now on the story belongs to Legolas and Aragorn. |
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| Michelle | 11/13/11 12:36 am | 10: The Two Ways to Kill an Elf | Signed |
If it weren't for all the angst, this *could* actually be funny: Legolas, Aragorn, Dolen (but he hardly counts), Gimli and now Arwen basically outwitted by a dragon. Seems those creatures are smarter that you usually give them credit for:) But I'm sure our heroes will have another few aces up their sleeves. At least I desperately hope they do!
Author's Response: Oh yes, they still have a few aces hidden up their sleeves. Or one particular ace to be precise :) |
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| Michelle | 11/11/11 12:29 am | 8: Beware the Dead Dragon | Signed |
Apparently, there are many "only" ways to kill a dragon. Unfortunately, none is working so far:( I think they need a Terminator or at least some explosives. Also, a wizard might come in handy. Pity that they have neither a Terminator, a bomb or a wizard.
And I was right! Gimli is the most level-headed so far. He'll save the day, I'm sure! And I hope he'll axe Dolen sometime soon. That man is digging his own grave without even realizing it. His neat little plan is backfiring in all kinds of different directions and he still kids himself into believing that he has everything under control. Stupid man, me hates:(
Author's Response: I imagined that everyone in the story would have their own idea about the "only" way to kill the dragon - Dolen, Aragorn, and now Gimli. There is someone else who will do a lot of saving the day, besides Gimli, as you will soon see :)
Well yes, they don't have a Terminator, a bomb, or a wizard, but where would be the fun in that? We need some angst, pain, blood and tears before things get better (if they ever do!) Thanks a lot for reviewing! |
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| Michelle | 11/08/11 11:59 pm | 3: To Break a Promise | Signed |
Oh, you've come up with a quite an evil plot here! And I must say, Dolen is a coward to force someone else to do what is his job and his responsibility - and then to use a child as leverage. That's the lowest you can get. I hope the dragon eats him alive in the end - would be poetic justice! He can tell himself that he's only doing what he must a thousand times, that doesn't make it any more true.
Anyway, I assume someone at some point (maybe Gimli, because he might be the most level-headed under the circumstances?) will look through Legolas' lie and investigate. Hopefully, that'll be soon, because I don't really think Legolas will be able to befriend that dragon...
Author's Response: Well, yes, Legolas might be very charming and able to befriend anyone and anything, but I also can't imagine him befriending a dragon. So they will have to deal with the dragon in a different way. A very different way. You are right that Gimli is the most level-headed, and will remain so throughout the story, even though his own resolve will be shaken a couple of times.
Thanks so much for reviewing, Michelle! I hope you'll enjoy the rest! |
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