Orson Scott Card - Possibly the Greatest Author.

[dark]

Well this is evidently my favorite author. The only books that come close to his is Phillip Pullman's "The Dark Material."

Currently I am reading OSC's "The Pathfinder," which I am loving. It starts off with such grace and sadness, venturing onto greater matters which I will not deal with. Like with the Ender's Game series, this is absolute mesmerizing.

I am reading this as an Ebook right now, but I am sure I will end up buying it as a real book (as soon as I can get out to a book store,) I love the feel of a real book, the pages, the smell. The convenience.

So far I love this little quote from it: " 'Rigg,' said Father. 'You're so smart and so dumb at the same time that it almost takes my breath away.' " I laughed for a good two minutes at that. Just absolutely amazing.

If no one has read anything by this author, I couldn't recommend him highly enough. If you want to start with his most familiar stories I couldn't tell you whether you should start with "Ender's Game" or "Ender's Shadow" both are just great. But any you pick up and start I am sure you couldn't put down until it was over, I didn't eat or sleep for 24 hours back when I got "Ender in Exile."

I just love books.

Edit: Thanks to Stoic Beverage I discovered firefox messes words up worse than I do if I am not paying attention.

 

[Stoic Beverage]

I'd say OSC is tied for my favorite author. Ender's Game is tied for favorite book.
Douglas Adams is the author he is tied with, with the hitchhiker series tied for favorite book(s).

(Also, at the end of your second paragraph, I do believe you were looking for the word "mesmerizing". Sorry, couldn't help myself. )

 

[Anthile]

Too bad he pretty much has become a religious nut.

 

[Melllvar]

I've only read Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. Loved Ender's Game, probably one of my favorite novels I've read. Hated Speaker for the Dead: it was like some Lifetime drama about battered wives and Catholicism.

From reading the wikipedia plot summaries of the next few in the series, I'm pretty happy I cut my losses with the second book.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

Too bad he pretty has become a religious nut.

Actually he is a nut and a prick with religious fanaticism thrown into the mix. In person he is one of the meanest ugliest person you will ever have the misfortune to meet. It boggles my mind how someone so horrible in person could write what he has because most of his books are awesome.

I went to a writing seminar in Greensboro NC that he led. Cost something like $50 and there were about 50 attendees who were just as disappointed as I was. This was in 1998 I think.....Sometime around then. I've heard he's gotten worse since then.

 

[dark]

@Stoic Beverage, Ah yes that is what I get when I write a thread in the daze of sleep. .

Yeah I know he is a horrible person, a friend of mine that I have shared a love for his books has told me. But that is no reason to dislike this literature. It seems like the only character he probably identifies with is Achilles haha.

Anyhow, the book, "The Pathfinder," is very nice, it so far is starting to battle the Enderverse in my head of the greatest story line.

Speaker for the Dead in my opinion ties all the Enderverse books for the title of first place. Have read them all many times, think the most is 3.

 

[Latro]

I've only read Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. Loved Ender's Game, probably one of my favorite novels I've read. Hated Speaker for the Dead: it was like some Lifetime drama about battered wives and Catholicism.

From reading the wikipedia plot summaries of the next few in the series, I'm pretty happy I cut my losses with the second book.

Boo. Speaker was good, better than Ender's Game imo; Xenocide was good other than everything having to do with Qing-jao (which made it mediocre overall); and Children of the Mind was awesome, best of the 4 imo.

I'm a fan as well; I've read the Ender quartet, Ender's Shadow, Songmaster (my favorite of his, and probably my favorite period), and Enchantment. After I finish His Dark Materials I'll be reading Shadow of the Hegemon.

 

[dark]

Just finished "Lost Gate (Mithermages)" which I must say is the most excellent use of magic in any form I have read. I wouldn't compare it to "Pathfinder" because I am not sure if that is supposed to be magic or evolutionary changes causing the manipulation of physics.

Anyhow, both of these books are simply amazing.

Which brings me to another idea.

Does anyone else notice that Card likes to depict the main protagonist as an NTP?

*Possible spoiler* In "Lost Gate" card depicts an entire type of magery in the ENTP profile. All of them. He keeps mentioning how Loki was the best of them or something along those lines, the historical Norse Loki. The only problem I find is this, he also compares his version of the ENTP profile as a con-man which is typical of ESTP. I know I probably shouldn't bring these into this, but do ENTPs have a tendency to look like a con?

I would say the best developed character of his other than Ender would have to be Bean, which I am 100% sure is INTP. Of course I have only read these series of his thus far, I started Empire but I am seeing a more of an F type as the main character so far, but I don't think that is the actual protagonist yet, I think he is setting up the story and using an INFJ.

 

[The Frood]

Idk about "Best", but he's pretty good. (Douglas Adams, among others blow him out of the water IMO lol)
Idk if I prefer Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow both were really good, but the sequels to both were just meh for me (one-read material, barely, Xenocide was very trying and I put down shadow of the hegemon). But I really like Treason (kind of an obscure one, anyone else read it?) Also the seventh son series has been surprisingly good, I haven't read all of them yet, but so far so good, I like how he ties in real people into the semi-fantasticish kinda alternate history story.

Empire was absolutely terrible.

 

[dark]

I am about half through "Empire," it is a little to political and conspiracy-esque for me but if I try not to think of the political aspects it seems really interesting.

 

[The Frood]

The political aspect was kindof the point if i remember correctly...

I've been listening to The Worthing Saga lately and it is AMAZING!!! the story line is quite difficult to describe, but makes total sense while reading it. I would definitely recommend it. I've actually been emotionally moved at some point, which is quite rare for me when reading.

 

[PapyrusAirplanes]

Orson Scott Card and Philip Pullman are both incredible. Well, their books are. Pullman's retained some sanity, but Card is a raving lunatic.

 

[The Frood]

I just finished his new book Pathfinder definitely worth a read.

 

[Kate]

I honestly had never heard of Orson Scott Card until reading this thread. I did look up the plots on a few of his books though and ended up downloading the Pathfinder & Enders Game. I'll eventually come back and post what I think..maybe.

 

[^graff]

If no one has read anything by this author, I couldn't recommend him highly enough. If you want to start with his most familiar stories I couldn't tell you whether you should start with "Ender's Game" or "Ender's Shadow" both are just great.

I think reading Ender's Game first makes Ender's Shadow better. In Ender's Shadow Ender is mentioned a lot, but you don't really know his character. When he and Bean interact you really don't know him. Even towards the end, when Bean understands Ender better, I like knowing what Ender was thinking. Also, Ender's Game was written first, so some things in Ender's Game are further explored in Ender's Shadow.

Of course, since I did read Ender's Game first, I can only imagine reading Ender's Shadow without it. Has anyone here read Ender's Shadow without first reading Ender's Game? I'd love to hear what you think.

 

[ummidk]

^^ I just recently read Ender's shadow and still have not read Ender's game although I plan to. Ender's shadow was a great book, one of my favorites, although to be fair I don't read much anymore and this was probably the first book I read on my own in a couple years, which is dumb because I enjoy it. I think the problem is I don't enjoy when i first start reading, I have to get into the book first (now that's a tangent).

 

[^graff]

^^ I just recently read Ender's shadow and still have not read Ender's game although I plan to.

I'm curious, having only read Ender's Shadow, what is your impression of Ender?

 

[Words]

I've read three or four books of the Enders series: shadow, game, speaker for the dead, and shadow of the hegemony(I think.) I've also read the first three books of Card's "Homecoming" thing. This was 4-5 years ago.

The Enders series is ok; I like Ender's Shadow better but i really hated how obvious Card "forced" Bean to have a more interesting background and connection to Ender. The twist didn't really fit in my opinion.

Homecoming is ok. That is, until you finally reach the point wherein you can just feel the religious nutty bias emanating from the author's writing. This theme isn't as pronounced with the Ender Series.

Overall, Card is an ok author. I think others are more notable though.

I'm curious, having only read Ender's Shadow, what is your impression of Ender?

From my vague memory, Straightforward, balanced and morally 'upright' INFJ. Nothing out of the ordinary. Card and Bean are probably INTJ's.

 

[Architect]

Too bad he pretty much has become a religious nut.

Really? Too bad ...

Otherwise he's a good writer, but I don't consider him to be that good. Writing style is too straightforward and plain spoken, same with his story crafting, he needs more subtlety (Enders Game is an exception to this.)

I just read The Lost Gate by him which was a good read.