I am always up for a Merry story and this one was a very sweet interlude. Of course Legolas would know of Tom B. - Iarwain, and though I have little interest in elves, anyone who praises Bombadil gains immeasurably in my respect! Nicely done!

Author's Response: I was challenged to write a story from the point of view of one of the hobbits in Moria, and I just *had* to have Legolas in there somehow! Thank you so much for your review!

Well, after your review, and reading your bio, I had to see what you wrote yourself. Nicely done and very dark. Coincidently the webgroup I belong to (Frodo's Harem) were just discussing this - how Jackson made much more of this similarity between Frodo and Smeagol than Tolkien himself did - and that there were some very fundamental differences between them that Jackson doesn't seem to acknowledge. My reading of this fic is very timely to that discussion. Anyway, very interesting story, well written and disturbing. Thank you for it!

Author's Response: Thank you! It disturbs me as well. One of the things that captured my attention the most in the stories was the long-lasting effect the Ring has on people, especially Frodo. I've been reading your stories for a great deal of this evening, and I must say it's all awesome, and I'm really flattered you took the time to review something of mine. Thank you very much! And Frodo's Harem? Sounds very intriguing. In fact I'm at the webpage right now. And just have to say, "Finally! Other people who understand!" Dude, this makes my night.

oo! This was nicely done! Very skillfully drawn and believable. I have always found Smeagol to be a fascinating, underexplored character and your works, at least the ones I have read, do a lovely (if I could use that term! LOL!) job of it.

oo! This is VERY interesting! Two of my favorite fanfic subjects!

Did you know about the tons of ST fanfic that used to be around? That was my first introduction to the medium way back in the 70's. It remains one of my favorite fanfic subjects though I tend to read only LOTR these days. Thank you for bringing the two of them together!

Author's Response: I\'ve heard about the ST fanfic, but I would\'ve been much too young for most of that decade to have read it, or read anything at all, then. I\'m glad you like the story ...

Blast, I have to go to work, but you write a compelling tale that I want to finish. I think I'll have to let Adora know that her site doesn't let you print pages very easily, nor copy text to paste it. Grrr... and just when I was getting into it!

Author's Response: Oh, I\'m so happy you\'re enjoying it. You do realize it\'s not completed yet? And really long.

Oh, I love the dream(nightmare) that Frodo has! So telling. Such a well thought out story too - I do wonder if they could destroy the ring on the Enterprise. Possibly with a phaser? Hmmm.

Oh, I like Trip-as-Boromir! That does so work. And thank you for NOT making Frodo into the wuss and whimp of many fanfics. Gads, that burns me! Haven't these people read the book? Or have they too bought into the 'you can only be macho if you fight in battles' trap that so many of the teen boys coming to this story only through the film have? Ack. You have given him the backbone he always had. Thank you!

Author's Response: Well, I figured Trip would be the one most likely to act like that, given how the Xindi attacks affected him. And I totally agree with you about Frodo. I don\'t know what they were thinking when they changed his character so much in the films. Anyway, thanks so much for the review!

oo! What did they find?! I am really enjoying this, I have to tell you. I hope you are quick at posting updates. LOL!

OH! This is getting VERY exciting! Honestly, I have rarely found a fanfic that I read with such unrestrained delight! Most of them take such a strange tack, assuming things about the characters that I never did, describing the characters in ways that I can't even recognize them from the text, but this is great! You have Tolkien's Frodo and Sam in a world the author would never have envisaged, but they are spot on! And the story has the intrigue and complexity that always made Star Trek tales so interesting. Bravo! I will heartily recommend this - I only wish I had read it before the nominations closed for the Flame of Arda Awards - I'd have most definitely nominated this!

Author's Response: Well, I hope you\'ll enjoy the rest of the story as much! Thanks so very much for all of your reviews; I never expected so many all at once. I\'m hoping to have a lot more time to work on this during the summer, so look out for the updates.

An utterly convincing and skillfully presented tale. This is what they were like, no question, and the hints of their future fate that you weave into the story are eerie. I've always been fascinated with these characters' early lives, and reading your well developed tales satisfies my curiosity fully. Very well done.