Orson Scott Card

I'm not sure if I've ever talked about my love for the written word on my blog. I love reading. I don't get near enough time to read these days. To me, there is nothing better than a steaming hot bath and a great book. The bath is not so good for the book, but great for the soul!



There is one author, in particular, that I am most likely to pick up than any other when choosing a book...especially now that I don't get the opportunity very often. His name is Orson Scott Card. Not only is Mr. Card full of imagination and incredible stories, but his fiction makes you think, reevaluate life, and understand relationships. My favorite book is EASY to pick...it is not only my favorite book by OSC, it is my favorite book at large: Ender's Game. Now, if you google it, don't start thinking that I'm a sci-fi weirdo. I'm not. I think that it would be safe to say I hate most sci-fi. However, when you're reading Ender's Game, it doesn't feel like fantasy. It feels like it could be reality.



The story is of a boy...a young boy...a brilliant boy. When I read Ender's Game, I am not reading about a boy. I become the boy. I live his life. I feel his pain. I anticipate his actions, thoughts, strategies. I AM Ender. To me, that is the highest compliment I could ever give an author. When you become a part of the story, you become invested and you can't help but want more. Every time I read the last page of Ender's Game, I feel sad and somewhat depressed that it is over. I have read it in it's entirety 18 times. I have read excerpts numerous times. Am I obsessed or crazy? NO! It is just that amazing of a story. It is like revisiting a favorite memory. It feels like home to read EG.



I should back up a moment and mention something about Ender's Game. It was originally written to stand alone. It was written to be a single novel and it would have been an amazing story had it ended there. However, the story continued. Time passed between Ender's Game and the next book, Speaker for the Dead. It is a completely different type of story. Ender is an adult. He is a different person, yet the same. It is like reconnecting with your best friend from childhood that you haven't seen in years. There are 2 additional books in the series, Xenocide and Children of the Mind. They are all quality fiction, but I always come back to the beginning.



The most interesting thing about Ender's world is the parallel books of the "Ender's Shadow" series. It is a separate series that are from the point of view of one of the other characters from Ender's Game. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are much the same story, but from a different perspective. I do not know how Mr. Card was able to create such an incredible companion for such an incredible book, but ES keeps you involved while essentially retelling a tale. There is a large part of the story that does not coincide, but the parts that do feel new and fresh, even being the same story. There are, I believe, 4 additional books in the shadow series. My mouse is frozen at the moment, so I can't verify that and sadly I do not own all of the shadow books...there are either 3 or 4. Regardless, they are worth a read.



I've read numerous other non-Ender related fiction that has poured forth out of the amazing brain of Mr. Card and have never been disappointed. The Alvin Maker series is intriguing. Wyrms is incredibly imaginative. His fiction all captures me and involves me as sure as if I were walking beside the characters. To me, that is what makes good fiction great. When I leave my reality and become a part of the world that I'm reading.



Thank you, Mr. Card, for sharing your gift for words and your crazy imagination with the world!



Now you can say I'm obsessed. I'll accept that as a compliment! :)