Monkey Sonatas

Maps in a Mirror #3

by Orson Scott Card

A collection of science fiction and fantasy tales by the acclaimed author offers readers ten excursions into the realm of the fantastic and the mythic

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Audiobook

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Orson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monkey Sonatas is the third collection of short fiction by Card that formed a fifth of the massive Maps in a Mirror hardcover volume... which I wish I had bitten the bullet and purchased instead of all of the mass market paperbacks, but it's too late now. This one contains ten of his early stories from 1979 - '84, two of them from genre magazines Omni and Analog (wait a minute, was Omni a genre mag...? ...huh...), and the rest from original anthology series including Chrysalis, Other Worlds, New Writings, Swords Against Darkness, and Card's own Dragon books and collections. The stories are all on the theme of fables and fantasies of one form or another and include a wide range of stories. I thought that they were all good stories, both thought-provoking and well-written, with accompanying interesting notes and comments. Unaccompanied Sonata is something of a classic (it finished second in the Hugo award balloting for best short story of 1979, losing to George R.R. Martin's The Way of Cross and Dragon....my pick was the Connie Willis nominee, but oh well...). I also particularly liked Sandmagic from Offutt's Swords Against Darkness and The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun from Analog. The best title has to be A Cross-Country Trip to Kill Richard Nixon.

[Hung]

Seriously, these sci-fi covers are so awful, I'm starting to think they just might be awesome.

This collection holds a place in my heart because, in a sense, it was my introduction to science fiction (not that I've read much, but still). My camp counselor read me "The Porcelain Salamander" in the sixth grade, and I was taken with it enough to search out the collection of stories to read more of the author. A pretty good collection, that, as the subtitle "Fables and Fantasies" indicates, leans away from hard sci-fi. "Unaccompanied Sonata" is the best story of the bunch, and a great alternate-reality fable.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly boring. Perhaps the stories are interesting if you like this stuff, but the long fable/parable/fantasy format of these stories made it really hard for me to care. There were two exceptions: "Unaccompanied Sonata" and "Sandmagic." The first is a interesting exploration of a highly controlled and oppressive society and what people with training and an inclination for a craft would do to pursue that craft. The second is nice -- largely because it's a lot shorter than some of the others -- and builds a neat little world filled with magic.

[Alendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

De las antologías de relatos que he leído de Scott Card ésta es la que más floja me parece. No sé si por la temática, si porque alguno de los relatos lo escribió siendo joven o porque fueran un poco por encargo. Aun así merece la pena, y sus prólogos a estos libros, a modo de pequeño estudio o ensayo, son todos una gozada.

[Ari Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

[***] • Unaccompanied Sonata • (1979) • short story
[***] • A Cross-Country Trip to Kill Richard Nixon • (1980) • novelette
[***] • The Porcelain Salamander • (1981) • short story
[***] • Middle Woman • (1981) • short story
[***] • The Bully and the Beast • (1979) • novella
[***] • The Princess and the Bear • (1980) • novelette
[***] • Sandmagic • [Mither Mages] • (1979) • novelette
[***] • The Best Day • (1984) • short story
[***] • A Plague of Butterflies • (1981) • short story
[***] • The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun • (1979) • novelette

[Daniela Herrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Cualquiera puede ser grande cuando sigue caminos que otros alaban. Pero alcanzar la grandeza solitaria, modificar un mundo rígido para crear un nuevo camino, no porque el mundo lo deseara, sino por afán de señalar un rumbo que los demás seguirían luego… se transformó en mi auténtica medida del verdadero héroe” ⚔️

[Raul Flores Zambrano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3*

Puntuación por relato:

- Plaga de mariposas 3/5
- Mujer media 3/5
- La princesa y el oso 3.5/5
- Los monos creían que todo era jolgorio 4/5
- Un largo camino para matar a Richard Nixon 4/5
- La magia de la arena 4/5
- La salamandra de porcelana 3/5
- El mejor día 3/5
- El bruto y la bestia 4/5
- Sonata interminable 2/5

[Jose Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

El primero que me leo de la serie. Me ha gustado mucho, aunque algunos relatos me han dejado un poco sorprendido. Genial las explicaciones finales del libro con información relativa al relato.

[Daniel Polansky]

A collection of wide-ranging shorts. Uneven and sentimental, but there were some effecting and odd ones likewise.

[Ellis Wasend · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bully and the beast really rocked my world. Super powerful

[Robert Kania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Część opowiadań jest ciekawa, zwłaszcza ta z początku zbioru. Przypominają mi troszeczkę "Bajki robotów" Lema. Potem jak dla mnie robi się troszkę mniej ciekawie.

[Justin]

★★★★☆ Unaccompanied Sonata
★★★ A Cross-Country Trip to Kill Richard Nixon
★★★★☆ The Porcelain Salamander
★★★★★ Middle Woman
★★★★☆ The Bully and the Beast
★★★★☆ The Princess and the Bear
★★☆ Sandmagic
★★☆ The Best Day
★★☆ A Plague of Butterflies
★★★★☆ The Monkies Thought 'Twas All in Fun

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the introduction, Card states that humans engage in storytelling in order to define themselves, their behaviors, and the behaviors of others. While these stories may take place in 'worlds' that are completely unlike our own, the core meaning of the tale carries truth that can be related to the reader's own life. If I read the introduction correctly, that is the point of each of the stories in this book.
With that in mind, the first story, "Unaccompanied Sonata" best fulfills that purpose of any other story in the collection. The premise is that each person is given a career that best suits them (as determined by testing at a very young age) and everyone is happy. The few laws are just enough to keep that system running. The narrator embarks on a career in music, and breaks one of the laws. He is then told he can never make music again. What, then, happens if he just can't help making music no matter what the cost? I always enjoy tales of utopian societies and how there is always some inevitable downfall that keeps the system from being completely perfect.
I loved the story of "The Princess and the Bear." It was almost a Disney fairy tale, but included some real pain and suffering as well as some incredibly real emotions. To put a description of an abusive marriage in the context of a medieval-type kingdom, with a shape-shifting bear as the hero of the piece was quite brilliant, I thought.
"A Plague of Butterflies" is just about the oddest, most incomprehensible work of fiction I have ever read. I did not understand the point and all, and can't even give a brief synopsis, since each portion of it made no sense when taken in conjunction with the other portions. (By portion, I guess I mean mini-chapter...whatever one would call the individual sections of a short story or novella). The end of the story did not explain anything, and was quite dissatisfying.
I thought I understood "The Monkeys Thought 'Twas Fun" and I had a pretty good idea of how the thing would end, and I even thought the solution for overpopulation it contained was pretty innovative. However, it didn't end that way, and to say anything more about it, even to tell you what it was about, would absolutely spoil every part of it.
These are the three longest pieces in the collection. Of the other, shorter, works, I enjoyed "The Porcelain Salamander," "Middle Woman," and "The Bully and the Beast." I did not enjoy "A Cross-Country Trip to Kill Richard Nixon," and "Sandmagic."
"The Best Day" was a good fable, but I was already kind of depressed after reading "Sandmagic" that I was not really in the mood for more suffering. I think had this story been placed between "Unaccompanied Sonata" and "The Porcelain Salamander," I would have liked it better.
I think that the placement of stories in a collection, especially one as ambitious as this one, should be well-thought-out, so that there aren't too many bleak ones all in a row.
It was nice that an afterword was included with a few paragraphs about the author's state of mind and intentions in regards to each of the pieces, however, the information in the afterword revealed more about the publishing history and less explanation of each story than would be really helpful.
I kept feeling like I'd read this book before, but then deciding that I hadn't following each of these yarns. In fact, I had read several of these before, but a few I had not. I guess I would really only recommend this to people who are huge fans of Orson Scott Card and are looking to read everything he's written. The best of the stories contained in this collection can be found elsewhere.

[Traummachine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the other volumes of Maps in a Mirror, this one was released as a stand-alone book or as Book Three in the huge single-volume edition. But for some reason the publisher called the stand-alone version of this book "Monkey Sonatas", but within the stand-alone it's the same as the title of the huge collection: "Maps in a Mirror". *shrug*

Either way, the subtitle of "Fables and Fantasies" is very accurate. These read more like fables or fairy tales than modern fantasy works. In a way that's kinda refreshing, and Card manages to pull them off well. Each individual story was engaging and thought-provoking, but as a collection they kinda felt samey. Oh, the stories varied a lot, but the feel and pacing didn't. Also, once again Card makes me wish I didn't dislike the novelist just as much as I like his fiction.

But I do. His arrogance again shows through on the autobiographical sections of the book, though not as bad as it did in Flux. He talked about his drive to make his tales epic, which is great and I enjoy, but I was really put off by his self-congratulatory nature. So much so that this did it. I'm never giving Card any more of my money. Oh, I'll read his stuff...for free or second-hand. But I refuse to support the budget behind that ego anymore.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful book! I was surprised that it was nothing like Card's later books that I have read from the Ender/Bean series. After a while, those books had lost a lot of their creativity. Not so with these stories.

Each story is completely unique to itself. Some are science fiction, many are fantasy, all are fantastic.

The characters in the stories are not as developed as in many science fiction stories of similar lengths, their main purpose being to explore the wondrous worlds Card has created. But the storylines and universes in which these stories take place are creative and rewarding enough to make up for the lack of characters.

The first story and last story in particular - Unaccompanied Sonata and The Monkeys Thought 'Twas Fun - presumably give the book its title. These two stories have particularly stuck with me several months after reading the book, which is quite an accomplishment for a 30 page story.

Review originally posted on my blog at http://mrsundquist.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Kate Millin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of science fiction and fantasy tales by the acclaimed author offers readers ten excursions into the realm of the fantastic and the mythic. I found some of them easier reading than others. The theme running through all of the stories which is about behaviour, and how what you do will have an impact on others including some that you do not anticipate. There is also a bit of 'be careful what you wish for' as you may find that if you get it it is not actually what you want. This is something I have found in my life and so may be why I found reading some of the stories difficult and a little uncomfortable.

My favourite story was the Porcelain Salamander.

I found the foreword and after word by the author to be very thought provoking and as interesting as reading the stories themselves

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

My edition is titled, "Fables and Fantasies" book 3 of Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card. Pretty good for fables, but they're not really my thing. I listened to this over a long period (most in a few days, then the rest weeks later) because I just got tired of the type, not so much the stories themselves. As usual, he has a great way of bringing up things to think about.

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shares a number of the same stories as the Card collection: "Unaccompanied Sonata and other Stories." So I skipped a few of them that I remembered really well!
It was still worthwhile, though, for the ones I hadn't read (although I could have skipped "A Trip to Kill Richard Nixon" and my life would not have been seriously impacted). Overall, though, this collection of "fantasies and fables" was quite excellent!

[Weebly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Orson Scott Card. This book is a collection of short stories, mainly fables in the fantasy genre, although the last one was more sci-fi. Almost the most interesting part is the apendix at the back of the book explaining the history of each story and how it was inspired and where it was first published.

I didn't enjoy all the stories, some were a little too wierd to follow, but most gave a thought provoking moral which is something Orson Scott Card is very good at.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

When discussing impactful short stories in a book club, the first story in this collection, Unaccompanied Sonata, came up more than once. Check out that one at least.

I read this collection decades ago, but that story stuck with me all the same. The Porcelain Salamander story as well was tragic and beautiful, with a fairy tale like quality to it. Others have faded over the years and I'd likely need a spark to remember.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting set of short stories. I've listened to others in the series. I love that OSC does the introduction and afterword. I actually learned in his essay the idea that when we read about someone doing something, we later, on a subconscious level, remember doing that thing. Even if it's fighting the grizzly bear. We know we didn't do that on a conscious level, but because we had done it while reading it can provide us strength when faced with difficult situations.

[Luis Cardenas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ser fanático de la novelas basadas en fantasía me hizo ser mas critico con este que con los dos primeros tomos. Y es que parece que acá pierde el brillo en comparación con la brillantez anterior. Son Diez cuentos pero para mi los mejores son:
1)La salamandra de porcelana
2)El bruto y la bestia
3)La princesa y el oso.
Una buena dosis de fantasía medieval que no podía faltar.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should put this on the "continuously rereading" shelf. I loaned my well-loved copy to a friend years ago and was psyched to discover a Kindle version. I feel like reading these stories changed the way I view the world. It is glorious to have this old pal back.

[Suzie Monk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be my favorite collection of short stories ever. Unaccompanied Sonata was beautiful and heart-breaking, Sandmagic and The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun were thought-provoking, and the others were just very good. A Plague of Butterflies was interesting.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ranks a solid middling "ok." Really that is what I figured though. I picked this up at a thrift store fully realizing that no one sticks their "A" material into a compilation of short stories. Basically I just wanted to see examples of his writing beyond Ender's Game.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! Most short story collections are somewhat hit and miss, but the stories in this were all enjoyable, and I thought the introductory and concluding essays by the author interesting to listen to as well.

[Jessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give it more stars I would.

The title story is haunting and beautiful - a great read all the way through.

[Freek]

N/A

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME and I recommend it to anyone who liked Ender's Game.

[Wil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful and sad short stories I've ever read. Every single one moved me to tears.