Throughout "Quorilax"  [13+], the reader is exposed to an exotic array of people, locations, and various other aspects that play a role in the story, and this word search contains a sampling of what you will encounter and discover if you decide to take the journey. Below you will find the 20 possible words that can appear in a single game. There is a good chance that all 20 will be included in each game, but if that's not the case, then consult the box to the right of the word search to see the official list of words to be found in that particular game.

The words have been sorted by categories—characters, locations, and other story elements—and are listed alphabetically within categories as well as within the master list.


Some of these names and places have interesting stories behind them, which I’ll share with you now:

Drabolya
Quorilax has been compared to “Gulliver’s Travels in space.” Indeed, I was well aware of the similarities between the two stories before someone else pointed them out. This name is an extremely subtle nod of recognition to my favorite book; so subtle that I would be incredibly impressed with anyone who makes the connection on his or her own. The name of Gulliver’s keeper is Glumdalclitch, which shortens to Glum. Drabolya, meanwhile, shortens to Drab, which can be a synonym of Glum. The relation is even less apparent because Glumdalclitch’s Quorilaxian counterpart is actually Zarbaxa; Drabolya is her brother. However, Drabolya’s character is also similar to that of the dwarf in Gulliver’s Travels.

Kelly
A character named Kelly has appeared in two previous stories of mine. The first was “Lady of the Butterflies,” a tenth grade school assignment for which I had to write the first chapter of a “Lord of the Flies” variation that featured a group of teenage girls stranded on a remote island. There were four: Jesse, an athletic, raven-haired deer huntress; Tasha, a redheaded loner; Heidi, a blond ditz whose vanity ironically saves the day; and finally Kelly, the smart, savvy brunette who assumes the leadership role. Two years later, I wrote “Little Green Men,” a story for my philosophy class that featured a discussion with aliens about what it means to “know.” The assignment description mentioned that a significant other was present, and I named her Kelly. Her physical attributes matched the aforementioned girl, but she only spoke the last four words of the story. Kelly’s strong personality in Quorilax is more reminiscent of her first role. However, as in her second role, she meets aliens, but this time they’re far from little and green. I updated "Little Green Men"  [13+] and have placed it in my portfolio, changing Kelly’s name to Stephanie and giving her more dialogue.

Orion
The hero and primary narrator of the story didn’t always have this name. Before anyone besides me ever saw Quorilax, I chose to call him David because of the biblical David’s association with Goliath. After all, this is a story full of giants: the tallest character rises to 150 feet, and even the shortest non-human is 30 feet tall, putting Goliath to shame. However, because David coincidentally happens to be my name, I changed the name to Aaron, which is my middle name, one I have always liked. But then I decided I wanted another symbolic name. Someone suggested Adam, another biblical allusion, but I eventually settled on Orion, although Zarbaxa and Kelly call him Ryan. Not only does Orion sound similar to Aaron, but it abounds with symbolism, albeit more subtle than David or Adam. Even the name Ryan seems appropriate for the story, as it means “little king.”

Khandermia
The name of this city comes from one of my favorite SimCity 2000 creations from many years ago, although some stark differences exist. The population of the city in the story is 100,000,000 giants, significantly outweighing the 60,000 humans who inhabited its namesake. Furthermore, I imagined the original Khandermia to be in Idaho and not on a foreign planet.


Characters

Drabolya
Khalgeth
Kelly
Khormez
Mazagore
Orion
Purlaka
Zarbaxa
Zifthota

Homeworlds and Cities

Alquabor
Earth
Khandermia
Quorilax
Zgorb

Other Story Elements

Algonite
Galdara
Guardian
Koswok
Mother Race
Noah