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Title: The Memory of Earth by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0-8125-3259-7 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 15 January, 1993 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.86 (78 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: 3.5 star rating for this audio book version
Comment: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others
STORY: The planet of Harmony have been settled by humans for over 40 million years. The original settlers set the Oversoul to guide the people of the planet. The problem is the Oversoul wasn't meant to last for 40 million years and is now breaking down. With the failing of the Oversoul, so society is beginning to fail. The Oversoul must find inhabitants of Harmony to travel back to Earth to find the creators of the Oversoul to guide the Oversoul and repair it.
MY FEEDBACK:
1) You must keep reading the following books in the story to get the full story. This book does not stand on its own.
2) My biggest complaint is I felt this story took a lot to get going
3) But...once it got going I was very interested in the characters and want to get into the following books to find out how Card handles this great concept he has come up with
4) For some reason I really struggled with the unfamiliar types of character names. I couldn't keep them straight, probably because I was listening to an audio tape and didn't have the visual reinforcement
5) Mark Rolston does a good but not great job. For an audio dramatization it is hard to compare someone like Mark who reads all the characters in his own voice as compared to someone like BD Wong or Roddy McDowell who takes on different voice for different characters. I did like Mark in Aliens though. Go Drake!
OVERALL: Worth the effort if you commit to reading the following books. If you give it the effort I'm pretty sure you'll want to read more just like I do.
Rating: 3
Summary: Intriguing Beginning
Comment: From a predominant author in the sci-fi genre comes the first book of five in a series. The Oversoul, a mastermind computer that orbits the planet of Harmony, was built by the decendants of Earth, who came to the planet over a million years ago. It was designed to constrain thoughts of war and war-like technology from it's inhabitants, lest they repeat the fate of their ancestors. After working for a million or so years, the Oversoul is now starting to show signs of wear and tear. A select few on Harmony realize what is going on and hence the drama of the book.
This is the first Card that I have read and while I was not blown away, this left me impressed enough to pick up the sequel when I come across it. This is by no means action packed, but that's what I liked about it. This is more of a political and family drama set in the sci-fi genre. It deals with relationships and the functioning govornment of Harmony and how they are impacted by the Oversoul. While it does have the almost obligitory chase scene and really cool gadgets. This is more of a, dare I say it, thoughtful sci-fi novel.
The concept, world and characters are fully realized. The women in this novel are exceptionally strong. However, it was somewhat tedious at the beginning because you feel like you have been dropped in the middle of something and you must catch up as you go along. A tad more expostion would have done the trick.
However the alternative could have been much worse. I have, as I'm sure you have as well, read too many sci-fi novels where the author tries to get an arcane philosophy across and it winds up being onanistic drivel. Not the case here. While there is some great food for thought, it lends itself to the story and moves it forward.
I also liked that Orson Scott Card is influenced from the best. While this has the Old Testament all over it, look for nods to Aldous Huxley and Anthony Burgess as well.
However it lacks an emotional pull and in some instances the use of dialogue can be somewhat strained. The alpha male bantering between the fourteen year old protagonist and his brothers, while relatable, seem awkward at times.
Flaws aside, I can think of plenty worse out there. Not a bad way to pass some time and while by no means a classic, I can see the appeal of Orson Scott Card and will most likley buy "Enders Game" as a result.
Rating: 3
Summary: So, So, as far as Card goes
Comment: After reading the Ender's Game series, its hard not to be a bit dissapointed by this book. I'm not going to get too discouraged however, because I see the foundation for lots of potentially awesome scenarios (which I hope to find in the rest of the series) established in this book. The characters in this book are actually some of the coolest I've seen in a while, although after reading this first book, you don't really feel like you know them very well. Still, the good guys are really good and the bad guys are really fun to hate. There are still a lot of mysteries that are yet to be unveiled and I'm sure that the next four books will explain some of them fully. The low rating basically comes from the lack of serious action. There are a few exciting parts, but not what I've become used to in Card's books. The overall plot is cool as hell though, with the Oversoul computer loosing control over the minds of the planet Harmony and trying to find a way to return to Mother Earth. Even though this book isn't one of my favorites, I still look forward to reading the rest of the series.
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Title: The Call of Earth by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812532619 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 15 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Ships of Earth : Homecoming: Volume 3 by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812532635 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 15 January, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Earthfall by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812532961 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 January, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Earthborn by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812532988 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 May, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Shadow Puppets (Ender, Book 7) by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0765340054 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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