2005 Author Reviews for
Soledad

Soledad's brilliance in "The Last Stand" lies in characterization. And by characterization, I don't mean characterization of the Orcs only. I mean of the entire society. Soledad brings to light insights and aspects of the Orcs that I would have never imagined, but never once do the Orcs become anything other than Orcs. They're still hungry for men, they're still bothered by the light, and they're still obsessed with war. But they're also more than that. Soledad gives them a culture and an ordered heirarchy that, albeit brutal, is far more sophisticated than anything their enemies are willing to credit them with. And Soledad isn't afraid to weave canon events in, either, which ties it even closer to Tolkien's original work and makes it harder to view the Orcs any differently. Great skills as an author, and great choice of subject in which to showcase those skills.