Orson Scott Card

[hamar]

Anyone know anything about him? I've just finished listening to Ender's Game on my iPod and found it to be very good. However, at one point in the book the characters are discussing the building of a structured system within an organization and one of the main characters states, "it sounds as if you are trying to start a priesthood". Knowing that he is LDS, I found that kind of a NOM statement and kind of over the top for a TBM (assuming he is TBM).

It is probably something that most TBMs and nonMormons would not even think twice about; however, I found it to be an interesting comment to slip into a futuristic novel.

Any thoughts/comments?

[lunaverse]

Anyone know anything about him? I've just finished listening to Ender's Game on my iPod and found it to be very good. However, at one point in the book the characters are discussing the building of a structured system within an organization and one of the main characters states, "it sounds as if you are trying to start a priesthood". Knowing that he is LDS, I found that kind of a NOM statement and kind of over the top for a TBM (assuming he is TBM).

It is probably something that most TBMs and nonMormons would not even think twice about; however, I found it to be an interesting comment to slip into a futuristic novel.

Any thoughts/comments?

I've read quite a few of his books. I remember as a teenager being shocked at his use of "dirty language" in Enders game, and a postively-cast homosexual love scene with the protoganist in Song Master.

From what I understand, he is fairly liberal and open minded as Mormons go, although I've heard this may be changing as he gets older.

I know a Mormon family in my old town, one of the adults is a fantasy author. That family is also very liberal. I wrote sci-fi/fantasy myself for a time, and I was well on my way towards being a liberal Mormon, had I not left. There's some common element there, I think.

I know when I wrote fiction, my writing had little to do with Mormonism. I was creating worlds that didn't really exist, so anything went. I went with the truth of the characters and the reality of that world, rather than trying to prove points or make moral illustrations. Card probably separates himself in this way. The story becomes its own reality, and ours doesn't matter anymore within that context.

Luna

[noodle]

There is mention in the latest Sunstone that he is teaching at that Mo school in Virginia (can't remember the name).

[darkslider]

Orson Scott Card became a tool when they made him a high councilman.

His brother was in one of my wards growing up, so I have met Card (3 day family reunion + sacrament). At the time he struck me as a very nice man.

We engaged in conversation that lasted for several hours.

Since then, however, he seems to have become more and more jaded.

A friend of mine, who idolizes Card but is struggling with his beliefs in the Chuch, wrote to Card and asked him how he was able to continue his faith in light of *insert history of church here*. Card wrote him back and said that he doesn't bother responding to anti-mormons and he will never answer at that email again.

All in all, I lost some of my respect for him after that scenario.

[hamar]

The school in southern VA is Southern Virginia University. I pass by it about three times a month on my way to my clients in DC and Northern VA.

He came off to me, in Enders Game, as throwing out some NOM concepts at one point.

Not sure I want to waste any more of my hard earned dollars on any more of his books, although I did enjoy Enders Game. Are any of the others worth reading?

[lunaverse]

Not sure I want to waste any more of my hard earned dollars on any more of his books, although I did enjoy Enders Game. Are any of the others worth reading?

Definately the rest of the Ender's Game Trilogy. At least Speaker for the Dead. The "Twist at the end" is actually in the beginning of the next book.

For the rest, it depends on what you're looking for in Sci-Fi. Card has defininately earned his fame. His skill is at storytelling. He's great at pulling you into a fascinating story, and bringing you along for the ride. His endings usually irritate me though, because he seems to not want to stop. So everything tends to get wrapped up in this unsatisfying lump. But the stories are cool!

I've read: the Ender's Game Trilogy (not the prequels), Song Master, and Hot Sleep. I do plan to read more eventually.

Luna

[hamar]

Thanks for the feeback, Luna.

[aether]

I absolutely love Orson Scott Card's books. Every single one of them (that I've read). I especially enjoyed the Homecoming series. No one who isn't Mormon would just think it's a fun adventure story.. but it's actually a retelling of the Book of Mormon, in a science-fiction setting. Very interesting. I was rather shocked reading all the sex scenes in there and then finding out that Card was Mormon. It made me happy, actually. It does seem to me that he's more of a liberal Mormon. But of course I don't know him personally.

Darkslider, I'm afraid I'm with Card against your friend there. He probably gets lots of letters from people trying to get him to leave the church, and the way that letter was formatted sounded like it had the same goal, only more subtle.

In reading his books, it seems to me that he understands people and is open to different things. So whether he's Mormon or not, it doesn't really matter to me.