Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card by Orson Scott Card, Scott Brick, Robert Forster, Michael Gross ISBN: 0-7871-2177-0 Publisher: Audio Literature Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (12 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Many gems and a couple of weird ones
Comment: Card's short stories frequently differ thematically from his longer work. While his longer work revolves around free will and human interaction, his short stories are often written for one main point. It's fair, I think, to judge his short stories by how well and interestingly he gets that point across. Actually, I don't always agree with Card himself when he describes his reasons for writing a story. Sometimes I think he's not being completely candid, but mostly I just take a different point from the story than perhaps he concentrated on.
These reviews are only for some of his short stories -- the ones in "Maps in a Mirror Vol. 2," which is half of this fine book here.
"Unaccompanied Sonata." The point: suffering for your vision will be recognized, and the suffering is worth it. This is the first piece of work I read by Card, when it came out in Omni in 1979. I didn't even remember his name, and it wasn't until ten years or so later, and after I had read Ender's Game and many of his other works, that I made the connection. Even as a young teenager in 1979, this writing spoke to me like few I had ever read. Maybe the writing plays to the secret beliefs we all have that we're misunderstood geniuses; I don't know. I just know I loved it. Rating: Outstanding.
"A Cross-country Trip to Kill Richard Nixon." The point: the country, in the form of Siggy, needed catharsis and understanding of Nixon, and would be able to achieve it. I take Card at his word that this is the main point of the story. It's interesting to read, but not worth too much as a prism for introspection or even as social commentary. Rating: Good.
"The Porcelain Salamander." The point: love sometimes calls for the ultimate sacrifice, and we should always remember that sacrifice. This story seems almost childish on the surface, but invites reflection. Card really does a masterful job of saying what he wants to say, then getting out, and not being too maudlin. Rating: Excellent.
"Middle Woman." The point: ordinary people, even in extraordinary circumstances, are capable of resolving their own problems. This is in one sense the most humanistic of Card's stories, in that it clings to the belief, which I happen to share, that humans are capable of solving their own problems without reference to metaphysical intervention. Rating: Outstanding.
"The Bully and the Beast." The point: good hearts are overlooked by the mainstream of society, while evil hearts are often celebrated. The point actually gets a little lost in this story, because Card gets carried away with the tale itself. However, he never loses the thread of his point, and in the end, the tale is extremely engaging. Rating: Excellent.
"The Princess and the Bear." The point: true love and false love may be confused in the beginning, but will eventually show themselves for what they are. This story is highly readable, but may not be suitable for children, despite its cutesy title. I don't know if I agree with the premise of this story, but it is told in a very enjoyable manner. Rating: Excellent.
"Sandmagic." The point: revenge is bitter and takes the soul of he who practices it. Once again, Card does not waste time in this story, and deviates little from his theme. Card's point is a point well taken, although I frankly cheered while Cer gets his revenge on Nefyryd. But that's probably a character flaw in myself, rather than a flaw in Card's writing. Rating: Excellent.
"The Best Day." The point: the search for happiness for its own sake will be fruitless; happiness is found indirectly if at all. Card does an adequate job bringing his point home in a short amount of time. I don't know if I agree with this philosophy, but I think it was well presented and worth reading. Rating: Satisfactory.
"A Plague of Butterflies." The point: I'm not sure, perhaps the point is that decisions of momentous consequence sometimes must be made by a person whose conventional morality stops him from doing the right thing. I agree with Card that you really do need to read "Wyrms" to more fully appreciate the story. I don't agree with him that he needed to be more faithful to magical realism, since (a) Card can do anything he wants, he's the writer and (b) magic realism is a writing form that has been considerably abused by many writers, particularly Gabriel Marquez, and why compound the abuse? Overall, this story is too disjointed and abstruse for all but hard-care Card fans, and its theme is muddy at best. Rating: Satisfactory.
"The Monkey Thought 'Twas All In Fun." The point: misunderstandings lead to tragedy, even where everyone involved has the best of intentions. Card was way, way too long making his point, and was self-indulgent and needlessly flamboyant in his storytelling. Rating: Unsatisfactory.
Rating: 5
Summary: A True Master of Short Fiction
Comment: In the Maps in a Mirror collection, Card shows that he is a true master of Short Fiction. Along with Bradbury and King, OSC is one of my favorite authors of the short story. I was glad to see this newly issued collection on the market. I spent quite a bit of time and effort collecting the previous seperate paperback editions of Card's short stories.
This collection will take you everywhere. From fantasy, to science fiction, to horror, and art. I highly recommend Maps in a Mirror. Get it today, and you'll be hooked on OSC!
Rating: 5
Summary: big, expensive, and worth every cent
Comment: It was a crime to let this book go out of print! Fortunately, one of my friends, also an OSC fan, lent his copy to me "for a short while." Because I am an honest person, I returned it. Eventually. And only after seriously considering changing my name and moving to Alaska, all to avoid losing these stories.
The book is divided into sections, each with a unifying theme: horror, classic science fiction, fantasy, parables, religion & ethics, and a mix of miscellaneous works. "The Changed Man," "Flux," "Maps in a Mirror," "Monkey Sonatas," and "Cruel Miracles" were also published as individual paperbacks, but "Lost Songs," which contains, among other things, the original short version of "Ender's Game," is only available in the comprehensive hardcover edition.
Every facet of OSC's brilliance is displayed in this collection. His longer works, while also brilliant, have an unfortunate tendency to lag at points, but in short form he shines. Though not all the stories are of equal quality (hey, everyone has bad days), none are bad, and many are things of beauty and power. My personal favorites include "A Thousand Deaths," "Freeway Games," "Saving Grace," "Kingsmeat," "The Porcelain Salamander," "The Best Day," "I Think Mom and Dad Are Going Crazy, Jerry," and, of course, "Unaccompanied Sonata."
Be aware: some of these stories contain graphic and disturbing images. They also contain disturbing ideas. But no one writes speculative literature better than OSC at his best, and this book has a lot of his best.
 |
Title: First Meetings : In the Enderverse (Enders, 3) by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0765308738 Publisher: Tor Teen Pub. Date: 05 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
 |
Title: The Crystal City (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 6) by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0312864833 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 10 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
 |
Title: Robota by Doug Chiang, Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0811840417 Publisher: Chronicle Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
 |
Title: Stone Tables by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 1573456632 Publisher: Shadow Mountain Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
 |
Title: Hart's Hope by Orson Scott Card, Orson Card ISBN: 0765306786 Publisher: Orb Books Pub. Date: 02 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
