Oh! This is absolutely lovely. I don't think I've ever seen a story about Hwin, and then to have it be such a well written one. This is very much in the style of Lewis and it manages to introduce new themes that, while never seen in the books, fit the canon so very well. Brilliantly done.
Just lovely. I'm not familiar with the book or with Hwin, but it's not really necessary in order to enjoy this story and understand the characters and appreciate the insights. I never finished the Narnia books (they made me angry, for various reasons, as a child), but from what I remember of Aslan, you've captured him well. And the "horse-ness" of Hwin comes through well, too. (Is Lewis borrowing from Swift for her name, do you know?)
My favorite lines/bits:
--the ending --The scents were coming from the other side, carried by the wind; they were rich and familiar, holding nothing but promises. --"Freedom is a strange gift," Aslan said. "It is both wonderful and merciless: dumb slaves may follow their masters unconditionally in return for oats and grooming, but free Horses of Narnia must follow their own heart, even if it means getting their coat full of dirt." I just love this.
Thanks so much, Kelly -- I'm glad you enjoyed this, even if you haven't read the novel in question!
(Is Lewis borrowing from Swift for her name, do you know?)
According to Wikipedia, yes. :-P
(Heh, it's funny to hear that the Narnia books made you angry as a child... While there are some things there I do have issues with, they're mostly things I never thought about when I was little, and they haven't had any impact on my overall love of the series. My issues with HP, on the other hand -- well, let's just say those books piss me off much more, although that may have something to do with the infuriating fact that JKR seems to think of herself as oh-so-progressive when her books are anything but.)
//(Is Lewis borrowing from Swift for her name, do you know?) According to Wikipedia, yes. :-P//
Ach, I could have just looked it up for myself instead of putting you to the trouble /g/ But it's interesting; I love that sort of inter-textuality.
the infuriating fact that JKR seems to think of herself as oh-so-progressive when her books are anything but
Exactly! I have similar "issues" with HP -- every time I reread a section of one of the books, I'm annoyed anew. Why I'm so sucked into that world, I don't know.
With Narnia, I couldn't articulate my objections as a child; I just knew that it irritated me that Lewis couldn't seem to get the girls right.
It was no trouble at all; I'm a big fan of intertextuality myself. (Although I also like the almost-homophony of Hwin - wind!)
Why I'm so sucked into that world, I don't know.
Same here. I think, however, that HP's imperfectness may be the very reason why it lends itself so easily to fanfic -- you can twist and bend things at your choice, and you'll never run out of plot holes that need to be 'fixed'. I just wished Rowling would stop going on about how her books are 'a protracted plea for tolerance', thus trying to imply that everyone who has issues with them are intolerant fundamentalists... :-/
I just knew that it irritated me that Lewis couldn't seem to get the girls right
See, this is interesting, because I've always thought Narnia has great female characters -- Lucy is perhaps the most famous one (in The Horse and His Boy we learn that she is a warrior queen), but also Aravis (Hwin's former 'owner') and Polly (from The Magician's Nephew, the first book) are characters whose courageous personalities are in no way lacking in
( ... )
Oooh, this was lovely! I've never read a Hwin story before (which is really a pity, because she's one of my favorite characters), but you nailed her exactly! And the little we saw of Bree was also perfect. I really liked the way you dug into the difficulty she must have had going the last few yards, because it's one thing to cross deserts to get home but quite another to actually knock on the door, I think, and that was something that Lewis never really touched on. And your Aslan is perfect! :D
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My favorite lines/bits:
--the ending
--The scents were coming from the other side, carried by the wind; they were rich and familiar, holding nothing but promises.
--"Freedom is a strange gift," Aslan said. "It is both wonderful and merciless: dumb slaves may follow their masters unconditionally in return for oats and grooming, but free Horses of Narnia must follow their own heart, even if it means getting their coat full of dirt." I just love this.
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(Is Lewis borrowing from Swift for her name, do you know?)
According to Wikipedia, yes. :-P
(Heh, it's funny to hear that the Narnia books made you angry as a child... While there are some things there I do have issues with, they're mostly things I never thought about when I was little, and they haven't had any impact on my overall love of the series. My issues with HP, on the other hand -- well, let's just say those books piss me off much more, although that may have something to do with the infuriating fact that JKR seems to think of herself as oh-so-progressive when her books are anything but.)
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According to Wikipedia, yes. :-P//
Ach, I could have just looked it up for myself instead of putting you to the trouble /g/ But it's interesting; I love that sort of inter-textuality.
the infuriating fact that JKR seems to think of herself as oh-so-progressive when her books are anything but
Exactly! I have similar "issues" with HP -- every time I reread a
section of one of the books, I'm annoyed anew. Why I'm so sucked into that world, I don't know.
With Narnia, I couldn't articulate my objections as a child; I just knew that it irritated me that Lewis couldn't seem to get the girls right.
Reply
Why I'm so sucked into that world, I don't know.
Same here. I think, however, that HP's imperfectness may be the very reason why it lends itself so easily to fanfic -- you can twist and bend things at your choice, and you'll never run out of plot holes that need to be 'fixed'. I just wished Rowling would stop going on about how her books are 'a protracted plea for tolerance', thus trying to imply that everyone who has issues with them are intolerant fundamentalists... :-/
I just knew that it irritated me that Lewis couldn't seem to get the girls right
See, this is interesting, because I've always thought Narnia has great female characters -- Lucy is perhaps the most famous one (in The Horse and His Boy we learn that she is a warrior queen), but also Aravis (Hwin's former 'owner') and Polly (from The Magician's Nephew, the first book) are characters whose courageous personalities are in no way lacking in ( ... )
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it's one thing to cross deserts to get home but quite another to actually knock on the door
That's a perfect way of putting it. :-)
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