The Worthing Chronicle
By Orson Scott Card
Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Ace (July 1, 1983)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0441918107
ISBN-13: 978-0441918102
Approximate
Lexile: 950
Publisher’s Blurb:
It was a miracle of science that
permitted human beings to live, if not forever, then for a long, long time.
Some people, anyway. The rich, the powerful--they lived their lives at the rate
of one year every ten. Some created two societies: that of people who lived out
their normal span and died, and those who slept away the decades, skipping over
the intervening years and events. It allowed great plans to be put in motion.
It allowed interstellar Empires to be built.
It came near to destroying
humanity.
After a long, long time of
decadence and stagnation, a few seed ships were sent out to save our species.
They carried human embryos and supplies, and teaching robots, and one man. The
Worthing Saga is the story of one of these men, Jason Worthing, and the
world he found for the seed he carried.
My Thoughts:
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.
I picked this book up at the library several years ago and read it...IMO, your review was much kinder than mine would have been... Particularly, I was disturbed by a pornographic scene(s?), made all the more disturbing because this book was supposedly written by a practicing Mormon. I found the overall premise intriguing, but after that particular scene as alluded to above (you should know to what I'm referring) it was harder for me to swallow the rest. It's been a long time so my memory of details is hazy. Jason's solution to the unexpected problems his people face upon arrival on their new world was interesting, albeit a little...ahem...icky. I guess you do what you've gotta do. I agree, far from the caliber of Card's Ender books.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is a revised re-release, since it was in the "newly listed" books on NetGalley. I don't remember any pornographic scenes...
ReplyDelete