The Worthing Chronicle

Worthing #3

by Orson Scott Card

In suspended animation for fifteen thousand years, Jason Worthing, a telepath, awakes to see what has happened to the colony he had established

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Paranormal, Speculative Fiction

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

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

[Xabi1990 · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10. Media de los 43 libros leídos del autor : 8/10

43 obras que me he leído de Card y media de 8/10. Tela. Creo que eso lo dice todo, y liarme a hacer alabanzas de este autor-y de esta novela- es superfluo. Además El juego de Ender fue la primera novela que leí suya y caí enamorado.
Le he puesto nada menos que 10/10 a siete de sus novelas y 9/10 a otras ocho. Casi merece más la pena decir cuales de esas 43 suspenden; solo hay dos: Ruinas (Pathfinder#2) y Esperanza del venado.
Además solo otras 5 se llevarían tres estrellas. El resto, 4 o 5.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

They should make kids in high school read this book instead of Lord of the Flies. It has just as many moral dilemmas and a far less traumatizing setting. every page makes you reflect deeply on the things that make us human.

[Dan Needles · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I must say I normally like Orson Scott Card. However, this was a stretch and too much I must say as a reader - though as a writer it was marginally worthwhile. If you are a writer of SciFi the story is a great study of ideas and concepts. That said, the story is written about as removed from the action as humanly possible in almost a term paper like dissertation of ideas.

That is, the "real time" story is about farming community going about their day to day tasks no longer protected from pain and the human condition by outside intervention. The "meat" of the story is about a boy scribe writing down a visitor's observations (1st indirection.) The visitor is telling his life story to a boy scribe. (2nd indirection.) In this story the visitor tells he is also a "servant" of another character. (3rd indirection.) And always the story is in the past. (5th indirection)

This is not like the good use of "book ends" to ground the story in the present with the reader and yet there is a threat in the present (aka a ticking time bomb beneath the dining room table.) Throughout the story, it drifts in and out from the present to the already happened past - basically one huge flash back with some jarring context switches to remind you none of it is of consequence - well except whether they can farm ok in the present - not exactly science fiction, eh?

If the characters were deep and interesting with deep seeded conflicts, it would be engaging at least at one level. But there is a lot of the boy reading the visitor's mind and explaining what he knows that the visitor knows about other character's in the past and why those distantly removed characters did something. It is like looking at the reflection in a window of a bathroom mirror, showing the living room where there is a TV showing the movie High Spirits. And then periodically someone steps in front of the mirror and describes what the characters in High Spirits are thinking. Ug. Double ug.

Worse the "adult" in the story seems about as childish and inexperienced as the boy scribe. For someone who has lived everywhere and done everything he is incredibly preoccupied with little things and easily uneased by observations of the less experienced boy. Innocence can jar by showing you truths forgotten out of adaptation. That is not the case here. How this visitor made it to adulthood, much less to be the oldest human being requires too much story Kool-Aid drinking (aka suspension of belief.)

So if I was reading this as a reader I think I would have shot myself in the head already (and given it two stars.) BUT some of the ideas are interesting and as a writer I found it did spark my imagination enough to get 3 stars.

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Worthing Chronicle" eBook was published in 2016 (paper edition originally published in 1983) and was written by Orson Scott Card (http://www.hatrack.com). Mr. Card has published nearly 80 novels. This is the third novel in his ‘Worthing’ series.

I received a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. This Science Fiction novel is set in the far future. While humanity has spread across the universe, some settled planets have fallen backwards into an agrarian life style.

The story takes place on one such planet with three major characters: Jason Worthing, a former Star Ship pilot with the ability to read minds; Justice, a young woman with extensive mental capabilities; and Lared, a teenage native of the agrarian world.

Jason and Justice arrive on the planet and approach Lared. They join in the simple life that Lared and his remote village have, but they engage Lared to capture their story. Justice is able to put dreams into Lared's head at night that are the memories of Jason.

Lared records the dreams with ink and parchment over several months. The stories tell how Jason was persecuted because of his abilities. He was finally able to escape, piloting a colony ship. While his ship was attacked, causing many of the colonists to be lost, he was able to settle a world with the survivors.

Jason uses the suspension capability developed for multi year space flight to slow his aging, appearing to the colony only every few years. Because of the attack in route, the colony had to start from a very basic agrarian civilization.

I spend about 8 hours reading this 275 page novel. It was . . . interesting. This is the fourth book of Card's that I have read. The only one I found exceptional was the first, "Ender's Game". This book seemed more of a collection of short stories as you read a sequence of memories that Lared dreams. These cover many years of time. I found it very slow and it felt far longer than the 275 pages. I give this novel a 3.5 (rounded up to 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Orson Scott Card--It was sci-fi and I actually enjoyed as I thought I could relate--I did buy the Worthing Saga and read those--still trying Ender's Game

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of a handful of books that makes me weep like a baby. One of my all time favorites

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Worthing Chronicle is a series of connected short stories written by Orson Scott Card in 1983. It is considered the third book in his Worthing series, the first being Capitol (and his first published fiction novel) and the second being Hot Sleep. This book read like a religious script, or a gathering of parables. It explores a theme I enjoy, the idea that if someone lives long enough, they can see their life become myths. This book was an easy beautiful read, and while the other two books weren't needed to enjoy it, I want to read them now and get the full story. This is Orson Scott Card at his beginning, before Ender's Game (though still amazing) and while he was strong. The book was easy to read, and my only problems with it were the ending felt rushed, and a few things weren't explored thoroughly due to it being the third book.
The Worthing Chronicle follows a boy Lared, who is the son of a blacksmith, living on a simple agricultural based world experiences two life changing things. One is the Day of Pain, a day when suddenly everyone can be hurt and feel pain, up until now Lared's people have never felt any pain, have no memory of malice or being hurt, do not grieve at death and are free of these types of hardships. One day suddenly they feel the pain of loss so gripping that people cry, and strike out, men burn themselves and people fall and get injured. Their lives are turned upside down and they must learn how to live with this new fear. In addition to the day of pain, two strangers arrive in the village, speaking only to Lared and his sister in their minds. These strangers want Lared to write a book, to write their story. We learn that one of these strangers in Jason Worthing, and Worthing is the name of god among Lared's people. Jason Worthing and his descendant Justice share Jason's memories with Lared, and show Lared how once Jason was just a man, and then he created a planet, and eventually became like a god. He slept for 15,000 years and has re awoken to see what his descendants have become.
The style of this book is one of my favorites. I enjoy the linked short story, especially in this case where they flow into each other so perfectly that I didn't realize they were short stories until I researched them later. Every transition from present to memory is clear, but ends with the present being affected. The stories were all parabolic in nature, Jason teaching life lessons, and showing his experience with human nature through his memories and the memories of others in a budding humanity. Lared at times was a little whiny, but then again, I cannot say what it feels like to experience others memories as vividly as if they were my own. He felt real and believable, his towns transition was portrayed in a natural way. At no point did their emotions feel forced or poorly written.
The book is beautiful written, Card's writing style is strong and fluid, it felt almost melodic. Everything flowed smoothly and had purpose. For those who want Ender's Game, this is not it, it's still his amazing writing, it's still his idea of right and wrong and humanity. But it's completely different. It's quite, and slow in comparison, it's more self reflective. These characters aren't fighting, they're learning what it means to be a human, and why pain and sadness is important to make joy all the stronger.
The main issue with this book has little to do with the book itself. It's more the marketing of it. While you can read this without reading the others, I think it would be much more meaningful to read the others. I know I will be reading them.. These are short stories that revolve around a greater story that has already been told. Even though they are disguised with linking dialogue and story telling rather than being Story 1, Story 2, etc. There are instances where I believe I could have gotten more out of the point, the moral, the significance of characters, had I read the first two.
My other issue is partially due to the short story nature as well, and something I've been suffering from with a lot of books lately, so maybe it's me. The ending felt rushed. I want more of course, but it just felt like suddenly that was the last story and there could have been more. The last story was fitting, but the lead up to it made me think there would be more. But I suppose that's where reading the other books comes into play.
When I read the other two i'll update this review, we'll see if it pulls everything together in a nice package. Until then I'm still left with a beautiful book of parables from a far flung future. Where a starpilot had to raise humanity from infants on a distant planet, and found himself thousands of years later considered a god, even though he remembers himself just a man. This story of Jason Worthing and the boy Lared was a satisfying read that I couldn't put down. I recommend it, and I look forward to reading the other two books.

"It's what isn't me in you that I most love," said Doon. "Where I have torn down, you will build up. I have made the chaos for you, and the world is without form, and void. You are the light that will shine on the face of the deep."

[Italo De Nubila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit more of the same

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was written in a strange format. I can't decide if I liked the story or not. Maybe it's the concepts the story covers.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Worthing Chronicle is an odd book to review because in some ways it deserves the highest of praise and yet in others it falls flat. It is certainly an ambitious novel; it spans many thousands of years throughout the telling of one mans tale of himself and his descendants. It is perhaps the ambition that makes it such an odd read though as it is difficult to get involved in the lives of characters when by the next couple of chapters you'll be sitting in the back yard of their grandchildren instead.

It's clever and it's rather unique but it falls somewhat flat because of the sheer volume of characters within it. And yet it is certainly written well and many things which make no sense at the start have tied themselves up in tidy little bows by the end. And you can feel compassion for the main tellers of the story; young Lared who has grown up with no memory of pain or death, grief or anguish only to have that life ripped away and people feeling that sudden pain. Bleeding, dying, hurting, feeling. And Jason and Justice, two strangers from the sky with a most fascinating tale that Jason needs Lared to write for him.

And so through the medium of dreams do Jason's memories come to life for Lared until he is unsure that is his own memory and what is this stranger with blue eyes who came from the sky on the Day of Pain. He writes them in a childish hand for all to bear witness to and perhaps in writing them he comes to understand something of his own past, his own purpose. But these dreams start four thousand years in the past if not longer and they span to the present, skipping and skimming through the generations, keeping only what is important.

It means that the novel skips like a stone over water, giving you flashes of lives before skittering onwards. It's difficult to keep track of names let alone empathise with the many different characters. Major joys and sorrows are all but forgotten in twenty pages because that character is long dead and gone. It makes the book an uncomfortable and displacing read and whilst I can openly admire the skill of the author in having done so, isn't perhaps a style that works for me.

Effectively, it's well written in so far as the style allows, however the style itself means that the story starts and stops, jolting you in and out of different generations lives near enough at random. If you like different reads then give it a shot but it's not my favourite sci-fi nor my favourite fantasy nor even my favourite Orson Scott Card. That said, I don't regret reading it so it wasn't time wasted.

[Nola Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As interested I am in the reasoning behind the Fall of Adam and Eve, I never expected to find an explanation in a book of science fiction. Yet Orson Scott Card manages to both entertain and explain, and which line you follow is completely up to you.

The overlaying view of the novel is pure entertainment, and it is quite possible to enjoy it without straining your mind. Not one but two stories are entwined, with the protagonist of one growing from the other. Normally I would critique a story told entirely in flashback, but although Jason’s story is told entirely in dreams, each one stands alone in terms of action. Each dream grips us, so we, too, are living the story. Lared, the second protagonist, dreams each dream, and he, too, is fully involved – more fully than even the reader, as he lives the action – and his understanding of his own world is changed.

As the novel begins, Lared and his family are waking from a life of painlessness and ease. Unknown to them, a group of people – descendents of Jason – have been keeping the entire universe from both physical and emotional pain. Not only do people not hurt themselves, they also never experience grief, anger, or loss, for their memories and behavior are tampered with. Throughout the novel, Lared comes to understand why such a utopia is not ideal.

Jason’s story is the reason behind Lared’s. Born with the ability to read minds, he is shunned and hunted, and finally leaves behind his home world to colonize a new one. Through a freak accident, he winds up with a city of people who have lost their memories and must start with the most primitive of societies. Such a world becomes a virtual Eden, where the people only know goodness and kindness. Yet Jason chooses to introduce the one person who retained his memories of how things used to be, and allows him to wreck havoc upon the society. In the process, good men become great.

As an underlying theme, Card addresses the need for the Fall of mankind from the Garden of Eden. In a world that knows only good, he argues, no man can be great. No choice can be righteous. No one can be courageous. It is only when faced with evil that we can show our true strength of character.

This is a wonderful novel, both in terms of pure entertainment and in terms of provoking great thought. Whichever level you read it at, you will be certain to close the book with a smile.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Worthing Chronicle by Orson Scott Card is a recommended, maybe highly, 3rd book in his original Worthing series. This title was originally published in 1983 and is now available as an eBook.

Lared is a sixteen year old boy who was there, along with his family, to experience the Day of Pain, the day everyone in his small village lost the outside protection of what some called angels and now experience pain. It is the day his grandmother, who had been dead and buried for a year, was found dead again in her bed. There were three deaths that day, a noteworthy occurrence anyway, but it is unbelievable that one was a strong man and another was a child. They both should have had years to live. Whatever happened that day, now people can experience anger, pain, minor cuts, burns and major injuries. Whatever protected them has left.

The Scribe who was staying at their family's inn and kicked by his mule is also dying. Before he dies, he gives his books to Lared, an amazing event and one that is mocked by his mother. It is also the day that the mysterious Jason and Justice arrived on the planet and approached Lared. The visitors speak to Lared and his little sister in their minds. Only Jason learns their language. As Jason works alongside Lared, he instructs Lared that Justice will send him a story in Lared's dreams, Jason's story, that Lared is to faithfully write down.

There are interesting ideas here that could be expounded upon to make a more complete novel, but The Worthing Chronicle itself reads more like a collection of short stories that are amassed to make a novel. It might make a difference if you were to read the whole Worthing Saga rather than this third installment of the story. Some of the stories in the second half are more engaging than others. A solid 3.5 stars. It is interesting that those who know the Book of Mormon can see a heavy influence from it on this novel.


Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Endeavour Press via Netgalley for review purposes.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Orson Scott Card fan. Ender’s Game is one of my “desert island” books. I’ve had this one on my shelf for years and never got around to reading it until NetGalley had the e-book up for review. Getting to read Card on my phone during my daughter’s soccer practice is my idea of a good time!

This is not one of my favorite Card books, to be honest. It’s just a little bit difficult to follow as we jump back and forth from Lared’s life to Jason’s memories—or his memories of the memories of others. (See what I mean?) I feel like Lared is rather poorly treated by Jason’s need to tell his story and “make things right”—although I completely agree with the decision that Jason and Justice make.

As so frequently happens with Card, this is more than a simple SF story. It deals with deep philosophical principles, like whether we can fully live if we constantly protected from pain and sadness. Latter-day Saints will recognize what Card talks about pretty quickly; those without the insight into LDS theology will still understand the principles in play.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Some violence perpetrated by people on each other, and accidental, such as falling into a fire. It’s science fiction—if you don’t like speculation on what the future could be like, don’t read this. A man is considered to be a god—could be disturbing to those who are strong in their beliefs that no other God can be considered other than the One God. Some people don’t like Card on principle, because of some rather politically charged statements he has made in the past.

Who Might Like This Book:
SF fans. Those who like to explore philosophical principles. There are strong female characters, but they are bystanders, not focal points.

Thank you, NetGalley, for finally getting me to read this one, even if I didn’t love it.

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Endeavour Press.

Sometimes jumping into a science fiction book series at the end isn't a good idea. Maybe that's why I was slightly confused by this novel for the first two chapters. I had never read any of the older novels written by Orson Scott Card and was definitely not familiar with this book from 1983. However, being the great author that he is, Card used the dream sequences of this book to tell me enough about the previous two stories that he brought me completely up to date without any harm being done to my psychic self. (That's a small joke.)

This book is relatively short and consists of twelve chapters, ten of which contain dream sequences where Lared is given information regarding the history of Jason Worthing to put down on parchment. Lared isn't a scribe, he is the sixteen year old son of the village blacksmith in the village of Flat Harbor, living in the Inn when all the world changed with The Day of Pain. The dream sequences lead Lared through unimagined history and time to show him how Jason and Justice arrived at this place so that he could write out the history of the world. At one point Lared asks Jason if what he is seeing in the dreams and writing down is true. Jason's answer is: "It's your memory of your dreams of Justice's memory of my memory of things that happened to me in my childhood on a planet that died more than ten thousand years ago. How could it help but be true?" If you take the time to wrap your mind around that statement and come away as intrigued as I was.......you will love this story.

This is a truly intense story of who and what constitutes God or a god and how they, he or she, make decisions which impact human lives. A fascinating reading experience.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first section of the Worthing Chronicle is nothing more than a heavy handed extrapolation of a scripture in the Book of Mormon and an exploration of Card's ideas of why Adam and Eve fell in Genesis. 2 Nephi 2:27 states, "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
Sound familiar? You see the ideas in the verse and chapter 2 of 2 Nephi repeatedly in the first half of this book. Card has stated repeatedly that the Book of Mormon is his greatest influence and if you're familiar with the Book of Mormon, you'll see that Card was heavily influenced by the scripture in writing this book.
However, the second half of this book is the section I really enjoyed. Stories like, Killing Children, are very well written and more nuanced than the first half of the book.

[Jon Mountjoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this (apparently new, 2016 edition) of this (apparently old, 1983) book. I enjoyed it. It's not Ender's Game - however we must all know there will never be another Ender's Game. (Having reread Ender's Game, I believe even Ender's Game is not Ender's Game). I digress.

It's an enjoyable book. As always, the author is able to get across character, to convey a real-ness to people, emotion, depth - which is all too often absent from other science fiction books. The book wraps up beautifully too - you have to love a good ending.

However, it's a good read. An easy read too. I like how it bounced between the now and then, so easily, and how technology, the sf, is really almost not there.

Disclaimer: I thought it didn't quite hold through all the way - there's something about writing about how people are when they all know what's in each other's minds, which is as dangerous as telling time-traveller tales, and the bit about them all on Worthing Farm. Pfft.

[Bron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. This is the first work by this author I've read through (I tried Ender's Game but only managed a few pages, it looked as though it was going to be all about warfare). The Worthing Chronicle feels more like a discussion about what makes life meaningful. Jason is a telepathic star ship pilot taking a ship load of colonists in suspended animation out to a new planet. An attack leaves them stranded, and when revived, all but one of the survivors has no memories at all. So Jason is faced with the task of creating a completely new society. He then goes into suspended animation himself for a few thousand years. His own descendants wake him up and he finds their mental powers have grown so strong they watch over the populations of many worlds removing all pain and grief. The big question most of the book tries to answer is: is this a good thing or do humans need a bit of suffering?

[Ned Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read, and not just for science fiction fans. This book teaches truth in a profound and impactful way. Do we need pain? Do we need anguish and suffering? Would life be better without it? If you haven't thought about these questions, you probably should. If you haven't thought about them deeply enough to find clarity, this book will guide you through your own emotions to find your own answers to these important questions. Card often teaches powerful lessons in the guise of fun science fiction literature and this is one of his finest masterpieces.

All that being said, there are also short stories that Card wrote about one of the cities in this book. Although I didn't finish them all, I don't recommend them. They are not essential to the story of Jason Worthing, and are more offensive then inspiring.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine work of science fiction, this. It's a bleak tale that spans thousands of years of interstellar colonization, cryogenic slumber and psychic evolution and ruminates extensively on the the purpose of human suffering. Very Buddhist, really.

It's only the second Orson Scott Card book I've read, but I liked this one more than "Ender's Game." So if you loved that, then you'll dig this even more. Don't worry -- plenty of horrible things happen to children in this one too.

I actually read this novel as part of "The Worthing Saga" (which contains additional short stories from the same universe), but felt it really deserved to be ranked separately.

[Kate Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freebie on BookBub, which I got because he wrote Enders Game. It's actually part of a series of stories written about the same world, which I didn't realise when I was reading it. It's an odd book, reading a bit like a parable - this is intended, I think, as it is basically ruminations on the nature of God and humanity. I enjoyed some of the individual 'parables' and the writing is involving and characters well drawn. But they are never allowed to develop, as you return to the overall theme and philosophical/political musings. Which I didn't find hugely interesting or feel especially sympathetic to the way they were played out.

[Scott Shepard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This work has all the telltale signs of a Card novel. It spans 15,000 years, revolves around a genius/superhuman, and is very mormon. Card lets his Christian values shine through in this book more than most. He condemns the Catholic Church, praises monogamy and creates a Jesus-like figure for a new universe. In it, Card answers the age-old philosophy question of the Happiness Box. He argues that true joy is different from happiness and that one only experiences joy if there is pain and suffering in the world, that there can be no humanity without suffering.

[Daniel Ruffolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Worthing Chronicle is a novel originally published in 1983 by American author Orson Scott Card (Of Ender’s Game fame), and follows the experience of a young man named Lared as he is exposed to dream memories of a fantastic past and a troubling present. A meditation on society, control, longevity and the dangers of too much power, The Worthing Chronicle is a very interesting read.

Read the whole review at Strange Currencies
http://strangecurrencies.org/2016/04/...

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good

I really enjoyed this book. it seemed to be working really well and the story was good to follow along
The chapters were the perfect size for me to pick up with the chapter and then go to sleep ready for the next day to read what happens with the simple people that live in the simple village that are visited by a guy who everyone calls god

Didn't seem like a normal sci-fi story because it was people that were quite primitive. but still a good story about missing something once you know it used to be there

[Bruce McNair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a little hard to get into at first as the opening chapters were a little confusing as to what was happening or had happened. And then when I finally worked out what was going on, the continual switching forth from past events to current events continued the confusion. About two thirds of the way in, I finally understood the premise of the story but still could not accept the way it had been rolled out.

I have enjoyed other books by this author, but in my opinion, this story is not among his best. I gave the story 3.5 stars.

[Cas H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed revisiting my childhood with this book. I originally read this book in my teen years and loved it then. I am so glad that Orson Scott Card decided to publish this book in digital format. This book reminds me of his Pathfinder series, it is very similar in concept. I would recommend this book to any Orson Scott Card fans, it is a classic.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

[Mykle Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Card's best work, and I loved it. Set in a fairly decently constructed Sci-Fi-ish world... most of it doesn't involve high levels of technology.
Fantastic... a must read-- especially for Sci-Fi fans.
(As for my claim that it's his best work-- I'm not attacking anything from the Ender's Saga-- which was great, but I personally think that Card does better with a shorter story.)

[Mindex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that will make you take a good look at life. It tells the history of a planet, and how human failings and successes shape it. Without giving too much away, it makes you appreciate the bad times as defining moments. Without them, you wouldn't recognize the good.

[Polly Krize · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With a deep feeling of religious undercurrents, this book deals with humanity's role in the future and past of our planet. A bit long-winded and almost Buddhist in nature, I believe this is not one of Card's best. Only my opinion.

[Konstantine · Rating 2 out of 5]

i always liked sci fi stories that play with ideas of futuristic people interacting with distant planets still in a dark age and telling some sort of story, problem is the story being told by the futuristic people just isnt interesting at all

[Aksel Erzinclioglu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. A really thought provoking and intelligent bit of science fiction. The premise was amazing and the first couple of pages drew me in right away. An absolute blast and I would highly recommend!