2005 Author Reviews for
Forodwaith

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

Forodwaith's gift seems to be drabbles this year. She doesn't waste a word, and manages to find those moments that lend themselves to being expressed and shown in a short space. Unlike some other drabblists I admire, Forodwaith seems more consistently to capture an image for me?several drabbles are strongly visual or tactile, and if they aren't necessarily thematic, their lyricism and descriptiveness show a different facet of the form. Forodwaith is good at capturing characters, too, in her drabbles, which I find tricky. Either the space isn't large enough, or else the short space artificially intensifies the description, leading to preciosity often times; not with Forodwaith. Writing a diverse range of characters, both canonical and original, Forodwaith's drabbles rarely feel stale and have a vigor all their own.

Forodwaith's gift seems to be drabbles this year. She doesn't waste a word, and manages to find those moments that lend themselves to being expressed and shown in a short space. Unlike some other drabblists I admire, Forodwaith seems more consistently to capture an image for me?several drabbles are strongly visual or tactile, and if they aren't necessarily thematic, their lyricism and descriptiveness show a different facet of the form. Forodwaith is good at capturing characters, too, in her drabbles, which I find tricky. Either the space isn't large enough, or else the short space artificially intensifies the description, leading to preciosity often times; not with Forodwaith. Writing a diverse range of characters, both canonical and original, Forodwaith's drabbles rarely feel stale and have a vigor all their own.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

In the drabbles "Links" and "Ithilieh, Part II," Forodwaith accesses some very weighty matters but never weighs down the drabbles themselves. They don't exactly have a light feel, but they don't feel as though they can't support their own weight. And I think some of this might come from the resolution found in the dialogue. There's never room for much dialogue in drabbles, but Forodwaith makes the most of what's available. Very skillful writing and nice handling of bittersweet moments. The narrative is weighty, but there is also light to be found.

Forodwaith has a particular interest in Arwen, and it shows in her sure hand in writing her. As artisan and as teacher, or even as healer in some shorter pieces and drabbles, Arwen acquires a depth and personality she never had in the books, testimony to Forodwaith's skill in taking rather bare outlines and filling them in. Forodwaith does well to bring out the urgency of Arwen's relationship with Aragorn, the interweaving of the struggle against the Darkness and desire. But she can also write the calmer moments, when victory has been attained, and show Arwen as bridging not just a cultual but a class gap with style and grace that to me show the hope of the new Age.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

Forodwaith?s drabbles are elegantly constructed, and deliver what I believe is essential in a true drabble: a ?prose poem? in which no word is misplaced. Forodwaith has a fine ear for the rhythms of language and chooses words carefully so that the meaning conveyed is precise and concrete. The sentiments are also incisive, and usually offer a new or deeper perspective on the topic, honing in on what really matters. These drabbles are a delight to read.

Forodwaith's gift seems to be drabbles this year. She doesn't waste a word, and manages to find those moments that lend themselves to being expressed and shown in a short space. Unlike some other drabblists I admire, Forodwaith seems more consistently to capture an image for me?several drabbles are strongly visual or tactile, and if they aren't necessarily thematic, their lyricism and descriptiveness show a different facet of the form. Forodwaith is good at capturing characters, too, in her drabbles, which I find tricky. Either the space isn't large enough, or else the short space artificially intensifies the description, leading to preciosity often times; not with Forodwaith. Writing a diverse range of characters, both canonical and original, Forodwaith's drabbles rarely feel stale and have a vigor all their own.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

Forodwaith?s drabbles are elegantly constructed, and deliver what I believe is essential in a true drabble: a ?prose poem? in which no word is misplaced. Forodwaith has a fine ear for the rhythms of language and chooses words carefully so that the meaning conveyed is precise and concrete. The sentiments are also incisive, and usually offer a new or deeper perspective on the topic, honing in on what really matters. These drabbles are a delight to read.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

Forodwaith?s drabbles are elegantly constructed, and deliver what I believe is essential in a true drabble: a ?prose poem? in which no word is misplaced. Forodwaith has a fine ear for the rhythms of language and chooses words carefully so that the meaning conveyed is precise and concrete. The sentiments are also incisive, and usually offer a new or deeper perspective on the topic, honing in on what really matters. These drabbles are a delight to read.

Forodwaith doesn't forget the first rule of horror writing: be willing to kill someone. Poor Mallor was doomed from the get go, but his death was not in vain: it most definitely was horrific, even while avoiding unnecessarily graphic descriptions. Forodwaith can really bring out the tension and fear.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

Forodwaith has a distinct knack for the spooky. And one for characterization. Not being an Aragorn fan, she made me care for him, humanized him with his annoyance at Mallor and brought Mallor into a full character in only a few pages. I'm impressed.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

It's hard to write Dwarves, I find, but Forodwaith seems to have no trouble with them. She captures that stubbornness and sense of place in the world beautifully, while avoiding the more comic or exaggerated extremes of Dwarven characterization that we see in "The Hobbit". She successfully creates an atmosphere and a sense of history and ancientry, of love of the works of their hands for them that feels believably LOTR without sacrificing "The Hobbit", either.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

One of the best ways to characterize someone is to look at them through another's eyes, and Forodwaith puts that philosophy to work in "Folly" with a stunning portrayal of a hopeless, desperate Eowyn. But the real talent lies in the ability to also characterize Elfhelm through his words, particularly the last ones. With one good line about a leader hiding the grim truth from his people, Forodwaith shakes up the way that all of the Rohirrim chapters can be read because now I'm searching for hidden meaning each time one of the Rohirrim leaders gets up to speak. Thank you for breathing new meaning into passages I felt I understood.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.

Forodwaith's gift seems to be drabbles this year. She doesn't waste a word, and manages to find those moments that lend themselves to being expressed and shown in a short space. Unlike some other drabblists I admire, Forodwaith seems more consistently to capture an image for me?several drabbles are strongly visual or tactile, and if they aren't necessarily thematic, their lyricism and descriptiveness show a different facet of the form. Forodwaith is good at capturing characters, too, in her drabbles, which I find tricky. Either the space isn't large enough, or else the short space artificially intensifies the description, leading to preciosity often times; not with Forodwaith. Writing a diverse range of characters, both canonical and original, Forodwaith's drabbles rarely feel stale and have a vigor all their own.

The Wargs get so very little screentime, and it's rare when we see something from their side of the story. So I'm grateful to Forodwaith and this little drabble that hints at a world I would love to see explored in greater detail. But it's the author's ability to hint only and never fully reveal that really whets my appetite.

For me the thing that stands out about Forodwaith is her characterisation, specifically of Gilraen and Arwen. Here are two females in a fantasy universe that seems male-dominated, and if the women are at the forefront it's the more militant women, Galadriel the defender of Alqualonde and the dominator of Celeborn, or Eowyn-as-Dernhelm, both in the more traditionally masculine roles. However, with Arwen and Gilraen there's really not much room for that in canon. Instead, you have infused these two women who are more homemakers than anything with a quiet majesty and wisdom, and a power all their own. It makes my feminist heart glad.