The Memory of Earth - By Orson Scott Card

I am trying something new again. I will do the Before You Read part first and then open up a discussion for the after you read in another post. 


This is a slightly more mature book than any of the others I have previously posted about. Its a bit more mature on a sexual level but were not talking romance novel or anything like that; more like the concepts about marriage in the society in this book are a bit looser.

This is a book about the Oversoul, a satellite computer orbiting the planet Harmony, that contains the history of humanity.
Over forty million years worth of human history.
It is also a book about a city named Basilica. A city ruled by women, where no men can stay overnight unless housed by their mother as children, or their mates as adults.

The main character of this book is a boy named Nafai; pronounced NYAH_fie, because the language of Basilica requires that in most words at least one vowel be pronounced with a leading y sound. I'm certain I will never be able to pronounce all the names in this book.

It is an intriguing tale of family and loyalty. I adore the innocence of the younger characters and the wisdom of the older ones. As with may of his books, Orson Scott Card has created a unique but believable society that draws you in and makes you want to jump right in the book.

Nafai is the youngest son, striving for his fathers approval. His father Volemak, the Wetchik and a very wealthy trader, is endeavoring to keep the peace in his beloved city as well as his family life. Elemak is the oldest son, strong, learned, and a bit cocky. Mebbekew is the second son, with the typical antagonistic middle child syndrome mixed with a touch of art. Then we have Issib, crippled third son of Volemak and by far one of the most interesting and admirable characters I've ever had the fortune to come across.

The women of Basilica are equally fascinating. Luet the Water Seer and her sister Hushidh the Raveler are brave girls with unique powers. Lady Rasa, Volemak's wife and one of the city's most revered teachers, is a refreshing take on femininity and strength. Her daughters, Sevet and Kokor, beautiful songstresses who treat each other abominably, bring a little hint of what is to come in the future of the family wrought from the fabric of basilica to save humanity.

It is hard not to spill the beans when you have read the rest of the series. It is fascinating the way human nature, jealousy, community, greed, love and survival swirl together. As with most great stories the beginning is just the tip of the beautiful and treacherous iceberg. Man and the things he creates is our story. Essentially, in the infinite possibilities conceived of our universe, this could happen. Do we destroy ourselves utterly or do we revert back to the simplicity of survival. Can humanity find the balance? Is it admirable to strive for perfection when perhaps that perfection is making us docile sheep? They always make you think.

Ruins - By Orson Scott Card

Before you read:


As always in a good series you are left with a cliffhanger at the end of each book. You bet I read this book within a week of it coming out, waiting was not an option after the way Pathfinder ended.

Okay, so assuming you read Pathfinder first you are eager to hear if Ruins is just as good.
It is.

Rigg and the crew have just crossed the wall! On the other side they meet a man that looks just like Rigg's dead father but is not. Meet Vadesh. Another lying, secretive Expendable.

 As the story goes on you see many more facets to the people in the book, they change and grow but still are the characters you love. Speaking of love, there is a bit of that thrown in there too.

The group dynamics are so complex in this book. Who will take the lead? Will it be Rigg since he has been taught and groomed by the Expendable Ram? Will it be Loaf because of his military experience? Will Umbo's jealousy of Rigg push him to grasp for the role of leader? What about Olivenko? Will the scholar turned solder rise to the occasion? Or perhaps the future "Queen in the tent" Pram will push for the power and loyalty her rank calls for.

There is so much time travel in this book it makes me want to map it all out.

As I type this I wonder to myself if Orson Scott Card ever gets sick of the squiggly red lines telling him the names he made up for his characters are spelled wrong. Or maybe they are real in other cultures, I really don't know, but I do wish they would quit telling me I am wrong.

After you read:

Vadesh is so tricky and scary! I love when he and Rigg discuss the possibility of Vadesh malfunctioning. He adds in some interesting and tense moments that really make you think and wonder "what if?".

I found myself a bit frustrated when it came to Umbo's jealousies and snide remarks. I wanted to reach into the book and give him a good smack; something to make him snap out of it. I felt almost like there was something else possessing him or influencing him to think that way. But then I thought back to ruins when he thought Rigg had pushed his little brother over the waterfall and the lengths he went to get Rigg punished or killed before he calmed down enough to listen to the truth. I suppose that is what makes Umbo so real or whole; maybe he is a reflection or representation of all the doubts and suspicion within a human and that is what I don't like.
I would like to think that humans are a noble, honorable, empathetic, and compassionate race but I think history has proven me horrifically wrong.

Now the Mice! That is one of the most original and inventive ideas I've ever heard of! I find the communications between Loaf and the mice comical and cute in a strange distorted way. It almost reminds me of the grown-up sexy portrayals of Disney characters you might see in Hot Topic or a tattoo. The problems are grown up logic and hypotheses but the context is childish with a grown man talking to mice. But it is definitely creative!

I only wish there hadn't been so much down time. I understand why OSC made it drag; it was quite brilliantly done but easy to miss if you aren't used to his style. He created the feeling of anticipation and waiting for the reader that the characters were experiencing, something that is hard to do subtly.

The next book, Visitors, is expected November 4th 2014; and I can't wait!