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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The beginning of an exciting science fiction ride, December 5, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Memory of Earth (Mass Market Paperback)
Card gives us the first of four very good volumes in a five book science fiction series. Basilica is a wonderful world and the characters that we meet will gain depth and develop over the series. Card is sometimes slow and tedious in his plot advancement. I liken his writing to a journey in which each step is mundane, but when taken one after another, cover long distances and present vista after vista. Buy it, read it, and then get the next three volumes. Then read the reviews before purchasing volume five.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Oversoul begins the question to bring humanity home, April 19, 2003
This review is from: The Memory of Earth (Mass Market Paperback)
The accusation that the Orson Scott Card "Homecoming: Harmony" series is a thinly disguised retelling of the book of Mormon came as a surprise to me, mainly because I am not that familiar with the book of Mormon. However, "The Memory of Earth," the first in the five volume series, certainly has the tenor of an Old Testament story. The planet Harmony was settled 40 million years after the destruction of Earth, and the mother planet is now more legend than dim memory. The human population is cared for by the Oversoul, a computer able to communicate telepathically with some of the inhabitants. However, now the Oversoul is breaking down and needs to be returned to Earth for repairs. The problem is a combination of believability (no one remembers earth) and technology (this is a planet where caravans coexist with a floating chair for Nafai's crippled brother, Issib). The Oversoul contacts a young student, Nafai, and tells him of the Index: an ancient machine through which the computer can talk directly to everyone. However, Nafai's father and brothers are unwilling to believe the boy has been touched by the Oversoul. A further complication is that as the Oversoul's powers decay so do the mental blocks it has implanted in humans to keep them from killing each other. This is especially problematic for Nafai, since his eldest brother is not particularly accepting of the idea that his rightful place has been usurped in this unbelievable manner.
I have to say that I find it hard to believe a book can be accused of proselytizing when its transforms God into a super computer. Granted, the Oversoul is a more benevolent computer than we usually find in science fiction (cf. AM in Harlan Ellison's classic short story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream"), but that does not automatically make it deserving of deification or worship. Nor do I have reason to believe Mormon society could ever be considered matriarchal. Luet, the girl next door and object of Nafai's affection, considers the Oversoul a god to be worshipped, but she eventually sees the error of her ways. Science fiction novels have dealt with religion more explicitly and more successfully (e.g., "Stranger in a Strange Land," "Dune") than "The Memory of Earth." But here it is not that this book is about religion but rather than it resonates with echoes of many Old Testament tales (think of it as "Nafai and the Amazing Telepathic Computer"). This is hardly surprising given Card's body of work; Uncle Orson has never hidden his faith nor failed to incorporate it on some level. Moreover, Nafai is a rather standard character in Card's writing, that of the young boy trying to find his way in an adult world that is beyond our own experience. The sin here, such as it is, would be that this series is a lesser effort from Card. Nafai is aided in his growing maturity by the help of the Oversoul, which picked him because of his intellect and his ability to "hear" the computer. We want to idealize him as the perfect choice for this mission, but that may be overstating the case. The final volume does take an interesting and rather unexpected turn, but overall I think we would be more impressed with the story if it was not part of a multi-volume exercise.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intended to make you think... Especially LDS, January 30, 2007
This review is from: The Memory of Earth (Mass Market Paperback)
Here is the thing... I think that CJ Cherryh is the greatest science fiction writer of our time. She writes for me the most original material taking me to places I could not have imagined existing before I read them, and cannot imagine not existing after I read them. However... Orson Scott Card has written my most favorite stories (Ender's Game / Ender's Shadow, Lost Boys)... Because what he is, is the greatest story teller of our time. He takes new slants on things we are familiar with and tells the story in a way that leaves you thinking for hours, days and years. Case in point, Memory of Earth. Anyone who has seriously read the Book Of Mormon, will see where all the storyline comes from in the "Home Coming/ Memory of Earth" series. But what is the value of putting the Book of First Nephi in science fiction form? Nephi's character is a much more complete character in this Series, giving the Book of Mormon reader things to ponder. Like what are the things that motivate someone who wants to be righteous, is anyone completely selfless? If you are not, does that negate the good that you do? For me, this is an uplifting story, with enough Sci-Fi to keep the story interesting, but more to the point, this tale like many of OSC's helps you to see, that even though you go through life conflicted (like everyone else) there is value in all the good you do.
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