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The She-Orc by Wordweaver	8 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/26/2005
Ah, definitely a moment worthy of MacDonald, Lewis, and Tolkien all three. Love the mixing of religious references with the Silmarillion. Lovely, lovely tale. Glad I could get to reading it today.

Stefania	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/26/2005
Beautifully done, Wordweaver. Thanks for tackling a subject that most writers have forgotten--what life is like for an Orc. Ghash is very believable. The squallor that she lives in is palpable, almost painful to read about. I'm glad that you offer her a glimmer of hope. - Steff

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/24/2005
I am sure I have read this before somewhere - and I found it very powerful. Gilnara's suffering is so painful, and Seregdil is a hero to sacrifice himself for her. A lovely resolution to a difficult story of a hard life.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/21/2005
Oh, wonderful! Through anger she is motivated to do what is necessary, and begins to find the memories of her former life in the taste of his blood. And the transformation back is begun. Thanks so much for this story, and look forward to following it to its end.

Aglarendis	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/20/2005
Hello Wordweaver! What a beautiful story this is! It's so easy to forget that the orcs were once elves, fair and wise. They have become unrecognizable because of what Morgoth has done to them, deserving of nothing but death. Yet this mysterious elf, whose name we still don't know, sees not what Gilnara is but what she was and what she can be again. In spite of her hideous form, her awful deeds, he still loves her, would bond with her, and will gladly die for her. I can hardly wait to find out whether Gash will trust in the impossible, or whether she will turn away in despair. May Heruion be with you! Author Reply: I hope you will find the answer worth the wait. Thanks for the encouraging review. Wordweaver

Lamiel	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/19/2005
This is heartbreaking, and all the more so because it is written so well. You capture the despair and brutality of an Orc's life is perfectly. Especially the tale of how her first son was taken away -- what a vivid, awful scene. For myself, the promise of rescue is less interesting than the exploration of the fate of those Elves captured by Morgoth. I wonder if they would still be immortal, though. I seem to remember something in Tolkien's letters about that, but I don't recall it clearly. In any case I hope that they are not. It seems too awful a fate to be eternally in Morgoth's service. Surely Illuvatar would not be that cruel. Thank you for this exploration of a side we rarely see. Author Reply: Dear Lamiel, I haven’t read the letters from Tolkien about the longevity of the Orcs, so I’m not sure how much creative license I am exercising in making Ghash so long lived. I justified this decision based on the passage in the Silmarillion which I quoted at the beginning of the story, that Orcs, “had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Illuvator.” From what we see in the rest of Tolkien’s writings, it is obvious that life for the average fighting Orc was typically, “nasty, brutish, and short.” Like the first-born, they can be killed, and usually are, either in battle or in conflicts among themselves. To my knowledge, Tolkien is silent about the lives of female Orcs. If they multiply like the Children of Illuvatar, then we can guess that there must have been some. I surmised that they would be very valuable to the Dark Powers, and therefore carefully guarded. They would have been less likely to be killed, and therefore perhaps longer-lived than the males. Eventually, I would assume that the season of childbearing would pass, even for the women of the First Born. In time, Ghash’s fertility would probably wane. She would become useless to her Dark Masters and therefore be put to death. We also know that the First Born can be slain by grief. You can see how the lives of many she-Orcs might end for this reason. But Ghash has an unusually strong will to live. Her father has never stopped interceding for her. He never gave up hope, and perhaps that is the reason she does not succumb to despair, but survives until a rescuer can reach her. In any case, I heartily agree with you that Illuvatar is not cruel, but merciful. Perhaps in subsequent generations, he would allow inbreeding and cross-breeding with men to weaken the Orcs, and their strength and longevity would diminish. But Ghash was not born of Orcs. She was once an Elf, and therefore retains more of their attributes. Thanks for bringing up this good question. In writing this story, I gained a new appreciation for God’s mercy in expelling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden so that they might not eat of the Tree of Life. If He had not done this,they could have been condemned, along with all humanity, to a life like Ghash’s; a life of never ending misery and violence with no hope of regaining the glory that they had forfeited by eating from the Evil One’s table. Perhaps that is why Tolkien refers to death as the gift of men. It is certain that the One is merciful and “…unwilling that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” (2 Peter 3:9). That is why He sent a Rescuer to deliver us from the Powers of Darkness, and restore us to our true identity as beloved children who bear His image and reflect His glory. Thank you so much for reviewing my story. It is always a joy to know that my writing has touched someone else’s heart. Sincerely, Wordweaver

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/19/2005
Definitely a fable worthy of Tolkien, with the words of the communion service and the fairytale casting of the remains into the sea for rejuvenation. Hope to read more soon. Author Reply: That is high praise, indeed. Thank you. Wordweaver

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/19/2005
Yes, I can see Morgoth and Sauron doing this, and the continuing degredation even after the fact. And the loss of her first born was well depicted, as was her decision to harden herself, though she couldn't do so completely.

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