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The Queen's Orc  by jodancingtree 166 Review(s)
Eirinn LeighReviewed Chapter: 33 on 4/17/2016
It grieves me that a dwarf and an orc are given leave to cross the sea but not the Ringbearer himself. And I must confess I do not understand your reasoning behind such a decision. If Frodo was not worthy to cross to the undying lands what makes Gimli or Canohando more worthy?

Eirinn LeighReviewed Chapter: 41 on 11/15/2015
The story you presented here was so outlandish at first sight that I would never have read it - and never thought it could be anything more than Crack!fiction - had I not first read 'Following the other Wizard' as an introduction to Frodo's Orc-brother. But I am very glad that I was wrong and very very glad to have found your works. They are wonderfully and poignantly executed.

EluthaunReviewed Chapter: 41 on 6/20/2010
I would very much like to make mention, so as to honour, the vast humanity of your writing. I wish there was a different word than "humanity" -as we are often savage, and capable of the sort of deparavity I dare not imagine- but so too we make works of our mind and hand like your writing.
A blessing on your mind and hand.
Eluthaun

Author Reply: I'm so touched by your comment that I hardly know what to say - except thank you! A blessing on you as well, Eluthaun - you gave me a wonderful gift.

Jo

rrappelleReviewed Chapter: 41 on 3/29/2005
Thank you so much for a very fine tale. I also read the whole story as one piece, and was very impressed at the integration of images across the chapters. It is a long way from the prologue to the end, but I loved the fact that ultimately Canohando came to see the Shire as Frodo did. My favorite example perhaps was the parallel descriptions of the sky, " so intensely blue, [Frodo] thought he could have swam in it," and 40 chapters later, Canohando felt that he was "travelling under an inverted sea."

Visually graphic closure for characters who also experience emotional and spiritual closure and reunion.

I too cried over the grave, and am just as happy that Canohando will be able to visit it again, and that someone will be there to remember him for a long time.

Thank you for sharing his journey with us.

MorannunReviewed Chapter: 41 on 2/5/2005
I loved all 41 chapters from beginning to end! I sat for more than five hours reading the whole thing and I adored it all! My goodness! This fic is so well-written, poignant, with excellent fleshed out OC characters, from elves, orcs to hobbits. I'd say that my favourite characters have to be the main ones, Canohando and Malawen, at first I was a bit wary of the orc/elf pairing, but the way you have written it is simply fabulous, genuine and heartfelt. Half the time I wanted to cuddle and squeeze Canohando and Malawen to cheer them up in the sad pieces of the fic and the other half I wanted to shoot Itaril in the rear with his own bow and arrows. The hobbit characters too were memorable, especially little RosyPosy, who had about a quarter page of writing and one or two sentences, "Baby" and "Baby sick?", she was wonderfully portrayed. All in all a wonderful read!

Author Reply: Thank you, Morannun! I'm so glad you enjoyed The Queen's Orc - holy smoke, you read the whole thing through in one sitting? That's quite a marathon! And I'm glad the romance of Canohando and Malawen turned out believable for you - I have to admit, I was leery of it myself at first, but it grew on me... Thanks so much for reviewing.

jo

CalimeReviewed Chapter: 41 on 1/25/2005
Now to confess my great sin of leaving so many excellent chapters unreviewed. Sorry; my only excuse is that I was too wrapped up in your story to take the time. And what a story it was!

Your bittersweet ending was a lovely mirror to the ending of Tolkien's story. For the love of others, Canohando gave up his heart's desire to sail West. Frodo gave up the Shire and the love of his friends, for their sake as well as his own. In a sense, he had to sail West. You also mirrored "Following the Other Wizard" in that Frodo desperately wished to go and was denied, while Canohando was adimtted and turned away.

This story nicely fit the canon that you had established in your previous story. Elves could go West (and we must face the fact that Canohando was indeed an elf in the sense that he descended from their immortal strain); mortals could not. Of course our hero did not go, but here too there seems to be some right sense in his staying (other than the rightness of his noble sacrifice) in that, I'm not sure how we would have felt having Frodo denied only that he might open the door for another. I enjoyed turning over all the stones in this piece, as I'm sure you can tell. ;-)

A favorite part was the appearance of the hidden but ever important Frodo--a most satisfying and happy event. I felt that I, too, was skipping alongside. You do your Frodo well, even when he's not around, but around is best.

A fabulous story Jo! You're my favorite fan fiction author. Put me on your mailing list; let me know when you post something else--I'll be there.

Calime


Author Reply: Dear Calime - I just realized to my great embarrassment, that I hadn't answered your final review - and you've been so faithful with your comments, you've been a great encouragement to me! My only excuse is that RL has been quite hairy lately. But I do deeply appreciate your reviews, and I'm so glad Frodo's last appearance worked for you - I was a little worried about that, but I couldn't get him to leave! I'm taking a little break from fan fiction right now - time to work on other things - but there are two more stories simmering on the back burner, so...

jo

CalimeReviewed Chapter: 33 on 1/21/2005
I knew it! Canohando can sail. But we have way too many chapters to go for it to be so simple as that. And then there is the Shire. *sigh*

CalimeReviewed Chapter: 32 on 1/21/2005
I'm quite intrigued by Celeborn in this chapter. What must he be thinking? I'm inclined to believe it must be something about Canohando's place as one of the Firstborn, and his right to sail west. Though, of course, I'll have to wait to find out.

CalimeReviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/21/2005
Wow! Wow! I'm just speechless about all that was in this chapter.

A adored this line which brought tears right from the start:

Radagast smiled. "Leaps-for-the-light, I called him. It is not enough for him that he turned away from Darkness; always he must keep striving higher, reaching for the sky. There are few like him in any world, little one."

But that was only the beginning. Canohando's encounter with Celeborn, the return of the jewel, Malawen's confession, their union. All very powerfully written. A simply awesome chapter.

As to your comments to Meldewen Ilce, I agree that Malawen did not consciously consider the orc baby a child of hers, but I think that she was immediateld scarred by her actions. Though she only became conscious of the infant's personhood when she started to think of Canohando as more than an orc, deep down she had to have known it was wrong. I think that intensified her hatred toward the orcs more so than just what the abuse would wrought--her knowing what their actions had brought her to.

I agree with the others--you need to write your own stories. Your light and elegant prose is always a joy to read. It's never preachy though it is filled with insight and truth. And, most importantly, your characters come to life in a such a delightful way. All you really need is a great storyline.

Author Reply: oh absolutely, Calime - that Malawen was immediately scarred by her drowning of the baby Orc. Somewhere I read that when we treat someone badly, it makes us hate him all the more: that seems to me to be true. Perhaps because we then try to justify our own wrongful actions.

I'm so glad you're enjoying the story - thanks for reviewing!

jo

CalimeReviewed Chapter: 29 on 1/21/2005
Indeed, who is the elf? I wanted to cheer at Canohando's curse. The truth is finally begining to seep into his head though he is not quite aware of the full implications of what he was saying. I have faith that he will get there though. :-)

I really liked his pondering of strength and weakness as well. Those two are never quite what they appear at first glance; are they?

Well done!

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