Maps In A Mirror

by Orson Scott Card

Maps in a Mirror brings together, in a two volume set, many of Orson Scott Card's short fiction written between 1977 and 1990. For those readers who have followed this remarkable talent since the beginning, here are many of those amazing stories gathered together in a 2-volume set, with some extra surprises as well. For those who are newly come to Card, here is chance to experience the wonder of a writer so versatile that he can handle everything from traditional narrative poetry to modern experimental fiction with equal ease and grace. The brilliant story-telling of the Alvin Maker books is no accident; the breathless excitement evoked by the Ender books is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. In this Maps in a Mirror volume two are 18 stories, plus four long, intensely personal essays, unique to this volume. In them the author reveals some of his reasons and motivations for writing, with a good deal of autobiography into the bargain.
Contents:
Introduction (Book 3: Maps in a Mirror, Fables and Fantasies) • essay by Orson Scott Card
Unaccompanied Sonata (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card
A Cross-Country Trip to Kill Richard Nixon (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card
The Porcelain Salamander (1981) • short story by Orson Scott Card
Middle Woman (1981) / short story by Orson Scott Card
The Bully and the Beast (1979) / novella by Orson Scott Card
The Princess and the Bear (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card
Sandmagic [Mither Mages] (1979) / novelette by Orson Scott Card
The Best Day (1984) / short story by Orson Scott Card
A Plague of Butterflies (1981) / short story by Orson Scott Card
The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun (1979) / novelette by Orson Scott Card
Afterword (Book 3: Maps in a Mirror, Fables and Fantasies) • essay by Orson Scott Card
Introduction (Book 4: Cruel Miracles, Tales of Death, Hope, and Holiness) • essay by Orson Scott Card
Mortal Gods (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card
Saving Grace (1987) / short story by Orson Scott Card
Eye for Eye (1987) / novella by Orson Scott Card
St. Amy's Tale (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card
Kingsmeat (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card
Holy (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card
Afterword (Book 4: Cruel Miracles, Tales of Death, Hope, and Holiness) • essay by Orson Scott Card

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Genres: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Fiction, Horror

560 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1980

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

[Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orson Scott Card can tend to rambling, almost 1800s style exposition in his latter, novel length works; not here though: constrained by the boundaries of the short story form, he shows what a brilliant master he is of the written word. Every story has his wonderful characterisations, his imaginative settings, his deep philosophical musings, all clothed in exciting science fiction, fantasy and horror stories.

The stories themselves hold up well to multiple readings due to their multiple sub-texts.

As an added bonus for any writer, his generosity as an author shows in his honest dissection and examination of his own work with afterwords and frank discussion of each short story presented. They almost make a training manual for the budding short story writer.

I can't fault these stories - I have read all the volumes too many times to count, he is as adept at fables as well as far off futures.

Recommended to everyone that enjoys a good read.

(There are two books, the first comprising Volumes 1 and 2, the second comprising volumes 3 and 4 - in whichever version you find, the review I apply to all the volumes. His short stories are his best works.)

[Pamelarae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book before I read Ender's Game. Being unfamiliar with Card at the time, I feel I would have gotten much more out of it. Maps in the Mirror blew me away with Card's talent, versatility, depth and insight. The talent of writers like Card is such a gift to those of us who read. He summarizes each section with personal experiences, insights into writing and the origins of each story. These were no less interesting than the stories themselves. And there are soooo many stories, it took a nice,long while to get through the book.