Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show (v. 1) [Paperback]

Eric James Stone (Author), Bradley P. Beaulieu (Author), David Farland (Author), Tim Pratt (Author), James Maxey (Author), Scott M. Roberts (Author), David Lubar (Author), Brian Dolton (Author), Orson Scott Card (Editor), Edmund R. Schubert (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2008

Bestselling writer Orson Scott Card founded the online magazine Intergalactic Medicine Show in 2006. It has been a big success, drawing submissions from well-known sf and fantasy writers, as well as fostering some amazing new talents. This collection contains some of the best of those stories from the past year.

There is fiction from David Farber, Tim Pratt, and David Lubar among others, also four new Ender’s Game universe stories by Card himself. This collection is sure to appeal to Card’s fans, and be a great ambassador to them for these other talented writers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The first collection of short stories from online magazine Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show (www.oscims.com), launched in 2005, features noteworthy SF and fantasy stories from a bumper crop of talented new authors. Four new Enderverse stories from Card will initially draw genre fans, but the stories from lesser-known writers are the compilation's real driving force. James Maxey's provocative To Know All Things That Are in the Earth takes a decidedly skeptical look at the Rapture; David Farland's The Mooncalfe puts an interesting—and unique—spin on oft-trod Arthurian legend; and Tom Barlow's brilliantly sardonic Call Me Mr. Positive explores isolation on a deep space mission gone tragically awry. If the quality of these stories is any indication, IGMS has as much promise as the newcomers it showcases. (Aug.)
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From Booklist

This collection of 17 stories from Card’s e-zine takes its title from his belief that writers getting readers to suspend disbelief is like old-fashioned medicine-show hawkers convincing customers that their patented elixirs will work. On the whole, he and Schubert have selected well, even if 5 of the 17 are Ender universe stories by Card himself. The best of those is Pretty Boy, about one of Ender’s opponents and of a particularly horrifying form of child abuse. Highlights among the remaining dozen entries are Aaron Johnson’s comics adaptation of Card’s Fat Farm; Brad Beaulieu’s In the Eyes of the Empress’s Cat, which will not necessarily make cat lovers purr; The Mooncalfe, in which rising fantasist David Farland takes a dark look at the Matter of Britain; and David Lubar’s Hats Off, in which dealing with a bully with magic backfires amazingly quickly. Adding value are the authors’ afterwords, which disclose the remarkable diversity of ways writers reach the Web or the page and how Card influences new writers. --Roland Green

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765320002
• ISBN-13: 978-0765320001
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #354,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like a box of chocolates..., January 20, 2009

By 

Yuri Ashuev (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show (v. 1) (Paperback)

.... You never know what you are going to get. There's a huge variety of writers, styles and even genres (not all the stories are sci-fi). I really liked the 'afterwords' that allow one to peer a little bit in the mind of the writer.

Disclosure: I picked the book from a local library because of the title, having never read any of OSC's works before. Instead of posting a detailed review, I will try here to (subjectively) grade all the stories on the 1-5 scale and 3 factors:
- Setting/basic idea. Especially in science fiction where you imagine a world different from ours, I like to see how things work in it. Pluses for little (even is pseudo-) scientific details.
- Actual Story/Plot. Gauges how interested I was in turning the pages to learn what happens next.
- Narration: for both the flow of the story and the ability of the author to influence my feelings with his/her writing style

In the Eyes of the Empress's Cat (Bradley P. Beaulieu) 555
My favorite story of the bunch, nicely set in a vaguely Middle Eastern kingdom. Still don't understand how the Empress's cat got sick.

Mazer in Prison (Orson Scott Card) 445
Very well told story in a simple setting. A little ambiguous regarding the role of the young lieutenant. I feel that there could be more done on double and triple meanings of the communications.

Tabloid Reporter to the Stars (Eric James Stone) 545
Lots of "science" on alien life and well-narrated, but you still want more from the ending...

Audience (Ty Franck) 434
An interesting idea of exploring the world of uber-specialization but it seems difficult to make an interesting story out of it. Points for trying.

The Mooncalfe (David Farland) 453
Nice dark prequel to the era of Knights of Round Table, though I found the language (the author is trying to evoke Old English) a little tedious.

Cheater (Orson Scott Card) 445
The same review as Mazer in prison: well-told story in a simple setting. Seems it's easy for OSC to produce these on short notice...

Dream Engine (Tim Pratt) 554
This is probably the best in terms of setting the stage in a futuristic metropolis. Narration was a little overdone. I did not like the made up pronouns for the asexual Howlaa (zie and zir?)

Hats Off (David Lubar) 425
Another one with an interesting idea, well written, but basically no plot. Even in a short story format, more meat can be put on these bones.

Eviction Notice (Scott M. Roberts) NR
This is deeply disturbing story which I certainly do not want to ponder again. So no rating. Aahh! I am having nightmares just thinking about it!

To Know All Things That Are in the Earth (James Maxey) 555
I liked it! A scientific look at the Rapture!

Beats of Seven (Peter Orullian) 535
An interesting setting and a basic premise of a strange instruments and sounds, but it seems just like in "Audience" the writer struggles to make a complete, interesting story out of it--probably the best one could do in a short story format. I am not a musician--perhaps one can appreciate it more. Nice air of mystery to the narration.

Pretty Boy (Orson Scott Card) 445
Same review as Mazer and Cheater

Respite (Rachel Ann Dryden) 212
I absolutely hated this story. Basically, husband and wife are having a basic argument for some reason placed in a sci-fi setting.

Fat Farm (Aaron Johnston , Orson Scott Card) NR
This is a comic version of an OSC story. I liked it, but can't really pass judgment on the literary merits.

The Box of Beautiful Things (Brian Dolton) 324
Well-told, but the point of the "box" is nothing too special.

Taint of Treason (Eric James Stone) 213
I do not understand why this is considered to be a story worthy of inclusion. There's one powerful moment, and the author in the afterward said he struggled in putting a story around it, but a moment does not a story make.

Call Me Mr. Positive (Tom Barlow) 232
An umpteenth take on the theme of loneliness in space (2001 Space Odyssey anyone?). I did not like the style of the "journal," and there's nothing to remember afterward.

A Young Man with Prospects (Orson Scott Card) 433
Did not like this too much: majority of story consists of 3 female members of an Italian family arguing with each other. I think the idea is a little forced, and the narration is definitely worse than OSC's other work. The afterward is better than the story itself.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot of bang for a little buck, January 28, 2009

By 

A. Roger Crooks (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show (v. 1) (Paperback)

I bought this as an Orson Scott Card fan but dare I say that I found authors that rival the great OSC in this book? These stories are not very long and most can be read in a sitting. There is a lot of variety which was nice for me. I like fantasy slightly more than science fiction. This was a nice combination of both and some other unique items thrown in as well. I have been reading a story or two each night. I discovered author Eric James Stone by reading this book and finding his work has been like finding treasure. His stories were particularly enjoyed by my sixth grade son and I and I think we'll be buying any/everything with his name on it. His writing is brilliant. I saw the other reviewer comment that the Taint of Treason wasn't well recieved by him. I have been quoting a line from that story to my son for weeks which has us both laughing (in a morbid way). You'll know the line once you read the story. Thanks goes out to Schubert and Card for giving us a "sampler" of so many great writers. You really can't go wrong with this book.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I want more!, August 26, 2008

By 

Kyle Taylor (Boise, ID USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show (v. 1) (Paperback)

Somehow when I bought this book I assumed that it would contain the complete written works of OSC's IGMS up to this point - 8 issues. (There's 9 now, but there was 8 when the book was published.) Excluding the audio stories, essays, and interviews (which requires subscribing to the IGMS to get) this is what I expected to get in a bound paperback book:
issue #1 - 10 written stories
issue #2 - 9 written stories
issue #3 - 10 written stories
issue #4 - 10 written stories
issue #5 - 10 written stories
issue #6 - 10 written stories
issue #7 - 11 written stories
issue #8 - 10 written stories
(80 in all)

Instead I got 18 select stories out of the first 4 issues:
5 from issue #1
4 from issue #2
5 from issue #3
4 from issue #4

The book includes the artwork for each story. It also contains the new Ender stories from each of the first 4 issues. And it's 432 pages. I suspect it'd be somewhere around 2000 pages if it included all of the stories up to issue 8.
Despite my disappointment in the book's lack of completeness, I'm still glad I bought it. It's a solid collection of great stories that I can hold in my hand and read, without having to stare at a computer screen. And I'm thinking it might be worth paying an extra $2.50 to get the rest of the stories from his website.