Customer Reviews

The Folk of the Fringe

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

...Card explores human relationships against a background of Mormon issues and I think does a first-rate job of bringing characters to life in a short story context, which is no easy achievement.

I found his "Author's Note" to be a little intimidating, to find out that he and these stories have been critiqued by some of the best writers, so who am I to criticize his writing? Actually, I'll tell you: I'm someone that actually pays money for his books, that's who. Anyhow, let me run down the plots of each of the stories and give you my rating of them, in true U.S. Navy fashion, of Outstanding, Excellent, Good, Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.

"West." The plot: In a post-nuclear exchange, a group of Mormons fleeing persecution travels from North Carolina to Utah; along the way, they meet up with a guide who helps them; the guide has his own emotional problems, which the Mormons help heal. The storyline reminds me of Stephan King's "The Stand," but the characters are pure Card. One of the most enduring themes of the Mormon culture is the idea of persecution, and Card feasts on this idea like a vulture on carrion. Along the way he creates a fairly believable 20th/21st century re-creation of the flight from Nauvoo and persecution of 160 years prior. Rating: Excellent.

"Salvage." The plot: in post-nuclear exchange Utah, the Mormon temple has become flooded; a non-Mormon dives to find supposed buried treasure hidden within, but instead only finds written prayers on metal that Mormons have dropped inside. I'm ambivalent about this story. On the one hand, it is heavy-handed in its juxtaposition of spiritual and physical treasure. On another level, it's very appealing to see a simple written expression of faith (what Brazilians call a "voto") from people who have suffered to keep that faith alive. Rating: Excellent.

"The Fringe." The plot: in post-nuclear exchange Utah, a teacher suffering from ALS discovers that the spiritual leader of his small town/commune is stealing vital foodstuffs; he reports this to the authorities and is almost killed as a result. I liked this story much more than probably anyone without a Mormon background. Mormons are in general very politically conservative, and were reliably anti-communist during the Cold War. Yet they also lived, for a couple of decades after fleeing to Utah, the "United Order," which was close to pure communism. Card tries to reconcile the past by setting it in the post-nuclear exchange future, an interesting plot device. The story itself is very entertaining and internally consistent. Rating: Excellent.

"Pageant Wagon." The plot: in post-nuclear exchange Utah, the state's seeming sole non-Mormon falls in with a dysfunctional family of itinerant pageant performers. Character development in the story was good, but I couldn't really relate to the underlying story of pageant performers. In his "Author's Note," Card admitted he was drawing on his own experience with itinerant pageant production back in the 70s, and it just is not something to which I can really relate. Sorry. Rating: Satisfactory.

"America." The plot: in the pre-nuclear exchange era, an American boy in Brazil falls into the company of an older Native American prophetess; years later, after the nuclear war, their son becomes the leader of an America that has been taken from the control of the white race ("Europeans") and returned to the Indians. The story is a really marvelous blend of religious allegory, magic realism and science fiction. An exposition of this story is found in Michael Colling's "Afterword" to the book that does justice to its different aspects. However, one thing that Mr. Colling does not point out is that Quetzalcoatl, the new American messiah, is himself a mestizo, and that redemption for the people of the Americas comes through neither one race or the other, but through both. As a "European" married to a Brazilian of indigenous descent, I find this aspect of the story to be particularly relevant and appealing. But maybe I'm just reading my own biases into the story. Read for yourself and decide. Rating: Outstanding.

I am not surprised by the lukewarm reviews this book has received. Unfortunately, Card's best works are often overlooked in favor of his more commercial, action-oriented fantasy franchises, such as the Ender Wiggen novels and the Tales of Alvin Maker. This book features five interrelated stories in a post-apocalypse America, character-driven pieces that deal with `fitting in' on the edge of society. These are not the kind of subjects that appeal to sci-fi's ready-made fan base of teenage boys, but the mileu will turn away readers who do not like science fiction. The characters are mostly Mormons, a fringe group themselves, who are portrayed as long-suffering people persecuted at the hands of mainstream Christians.

But underneath the exterior premise, Card displays some very strong writing. "The Fringe" contains the best depiction I've ever read of the struggle and rage of a handicapped character. In "Pageant Wagon," Card creates some very complex family relationships, and writes a stirring ode to the possibilities of theater, all within a few short pages. On the whole, this is Card doing what he does best - exploring how human relationships operate and survive under extreme conditions.

Unless you're a Mormon or you've read everything else Card has written (pretty much my situation), this book is probably not for you. There are a few interesting ideas in this collection of loosely-connected short stories, in which America has been destroyed by nuclear bombs from Russia, and biochemical warfare (new, more virulent strains of diseases such as syphillus have been let loose), and in particular, the Mormons in Utah have recreated society, scavenging off the old and reclaiming the desert for farmland. The Great Salt Lake area has been flooded, and the great Mormon Temple is submerged.

However, for all this interesting background, Card doesn't so much concentrate on the details of how this has all worked - he throws in details as the stories need them, giving one a little more of an idea as to what's up.

Instead, as is Card's wont, the center of the stories are people, families, and communities - how a perpetual outsider or loner gets himself accepted in a group, how members of a group bolster and undercut one another, how civilization gets built on the backs of people who feel hemmed in. The last story, America, doesn't quite fit with the others in this theme - it's more visionary, and more about 1-on-1 relationships as opposed to group dynamics.

Still, Card has written much better short stories than these, in treating character, dynamics, and the like. He has also touched on Mormon themes, history, and scripture in his Homecoming and Alvin Maker series, and now that I've been primed for it, I can find it all over the place in his writings. However, Mormonism and post-apocalyptic science fiction are an interesting mix, so if you've exhausted your other avenues to Card, this isn't time wasted. It's just that he's written so many better books.

This novel is actually five short stories, all interconnected to some extent. Orson Scott Card writes of a time in the near future after a few nuclear weapons fell on the United States and biological warfare eliminated most of what remained. Civilization has largely collapsed, anarchy rules in most places, personal survival is the name of the game. Card here writes in a very intense and personal way, he puts you directly into the minds of the major characters. The imagery he depicts is very graphic and rich in detail, with all five stories weaving together into a very fine plot, a post-apocalypse America well done. I won't give away any of the story here other than to state that as I read this book I found myself pulling for the people to succeed!

I would have easily given this novel five stars instead of four, four was given due to the fantasy that was used in the last story. When it comes to novels I do prefer 'hard' fiction, where ideas and events portrayed could actually take place in the real world, but don't let this stop you from reading this, as this criticism is minor in regards to the otherwise great novel this is, to be savored and enjoyed immensely. This is the first Orson Scott Card novel I have read and I was impressed by his talent.

Folks of the Fringe is more quilt then a solid story. The book encompasses several generations of people, Mormons for the most part, in their post-apocalyptic struggles.

This is not one of my favorite Card novels, which is somewhat suprising. I love short stories and I love post-apocalyptic thrillers. You would think that I would greatly enjoy Folk of the Fringe. I enjoyed the book, don't get me wrong, I just did not enjoy it nearly as much as I should have. I found the characters interesting but not fully developed and the movement of time too rapid to really get to know the situation or characters enough to become attached and truly care.

Overall a good book. I would recommend reading this book but I am not sure about purchasing it. This book is out of print quite frequently and is probably not worth the money or effort to pay big bucks to get but might be worth while to buy as a used book store for a buck or two.

A decent Card book but not near his best.

For a collection of barely connected B-sides Folk of the Fringe holds up decently enough. I won't recommend anyone rush out to buy this book, except Mormons: the tales simply aren't compelling or well-written enough. These stories share a premise that a 6 Missile War has brought nuclear ruin to America. While the rest of the country is in shambles, the Mormon faith has maintained the state.

"West," the first and best story follows the progress of some Mormon migrants and their mercenary guard, as they head toward Utah. Similar to McCarthy's The Road, and other dark post-apocalyptic visions the tale is initially engrossing, before falling to pieces amidst divided narrative perspectives and a bizarre tale of childhood torture. The second story, "Salvage," is a poorly written waste of time. Third comes "The Fringe," a promising tale which begins to outline the ecological, political and religious concerns of this future Mormon world. The last two tales "Pageant Wagon" and "America" hold flickers of interest, but little more.

Non-Mormons, such as myself, can read these stories for an insider account of Mormonism. Card is a committed Mormon, yet one not afraid to satirize or critique his brethren. The likelihood of Mormon post-apocalyptic survival is both plausible and interesting. In this case, however, the scenario is simply not well-written enough us "gentiles."

The folk of the Fringe is a collection of long short stories. They are stories set against a backdrop of a world where civilisation was lost to a few smart bombs and biological attacks. Something like "Postman". In the book the last bastion of civilisation is the Mormon state of Deseret.

I love almost everything that Card writes. In this book he shows as usual what a superb story teller he is. The reason that I am only giving it a 3 is that it didn't really engage me. Not all the way through the book. In fact, if the book only contained the first short story it would have gotten a 5. Card tried to milk to much out of this theme!

Just read the reviews and you will know that this book is not for everyone. I enjoyed this book. It is true that the "mormon readers" (yes I am one) will enjoy the stories more simply because it is a collection of stories about our faith. However, do not let the religious part of the book scare you off.

Some of the stories are not as strong as the others, but the book is worth the read. I am a huge Card fan and have read nearly every one of his books and this is one of the ones that I enjoyed the most.

Well I have read some of the other reviews and I could see their point. A couple of the short stories are light. However I was blown away by the first story "West". This book's first puplication came out in 1990. Prior to much of the ethnic cleansing that happened during the 90's, particularly in ex-yugoslavia. It was interesting how Card presented a scenario where is could (easily) happen in our own country. just imagine how your own community could Balkinize around you and ponder who would turn against who.

"Pagent Wagon" was also a good story in and of itself. Probably the most developed story in the whole book. The other stories were ok, but it is a book of "short stories" so what is the harm in reading them.

In a world when the US has been destroyed, the few that are left try to start again and back an American ideal. Card has brought together a colection of Short Stories that deal with the human spirirt, and as usaul he has done it perfectly. He brings the idea of only the Mid-West surviving belivible, and though it is mainly about mormons, a person of any religion can also understand it. It is not about Mormons suceeding, it is about people recreating America, there hardships, there sucess. It is about starting anew, of a man with a dark past being forgivin. From this book we can learn from humanitys spirirt, of what we keep sacred, and of everything else that is important to us