Customer Reviews

Orson Scott Card's Wyrms

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Slavery comes in many forms. Patience, the 13 year old protagonist of this novel, is a nominal slave to the Heptarch, ruler of this far-future world that was colonized by humans thousands of years ago. She is also the seventh seventh seventh daughter of the first Starship Captain, and as such is the subject of a prophesy declaring her to be either the savior or destroyer of the world. In the end, she is more slave to the prophecy than to the Heptarch.

Trained from birth in the arts of ruling and courtly intrigue, Patience is an intriguing character, whose real voyage of self-discovery starts with the death of her father. For this world has many different types of denizens that are almost human, gaunts, dwelves, and geblins. As Patience travels the world in search of the Unwyrm, she is forced to meet and interact with each of these races, and finding that each has their own right to life, their own ways of living, even if each of these races seems to be an incomplete copy of humans, and all are subject to overriding desires and commands that originate with the Unwyrm, the true slave-master of the world.

Card's themes of free will and moral imperatives to help others are nicely brought forward through his characters' interaction with each other, though at a couple places where he directly explicates some of this philosophy in the discourse of the giant Will, in comes across as a little bit preachy. The world and its biology is a fascinating if somewhat disturbing look at just what life really is, from the perspective of the genes, which folds into and on top of his free will ideas as a built in imperative that none may escape.

Some may find the climatic scene highly disturbing, involving rape, murder, and mental coercion in a manner normally considered well outside the pale of normal human actions, but it fits well with both story and theme. Card does not shirk from the implications of his prior story development, and a little reflection on this scene will convince you that this is truly the only way the problems could be resolved that was consistent with the theme Card is presenting, but I do feel that this scene makes this book highly inappropriate for younger readers.

But Card fell down a little bit in his conclusion, his continuation of the story after that climatic scene, as it comes across as almost sugar-sweet after all the grimness of the rest of the book, as it proposes an extremely optimistic viewpoint about basic human nature that just doesn't fit. Also a little bit disappointing was the final disposition of the brother-sister gebling kings, as this did not seem to be quite in character for either of them.

Some truly original ideas, some decent characters, but in the end I felt the theme came to over-dominate the story, left me with less emotional involvement than was possible, became too much an intellectual probing. Still, worth reading, if only to see what Card can do outside of the Ender series.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Please don't let someone tell you that Wyrms is just another of Card's super-child books. Also, please don't let them scare you off by saying that it has a gross ending and it's offensive. There is a reason, and if you've read Card before, you surely know that he is never prurient for fun.

Wyrms IS a lot like ender, and songmaster, and even Herbert's dune. That doesn't mean that it's the same. Card uses the exceptional child motif to deal with many different themes. In Ender, Card explores self-respect and guilt over things that are or are not your responsibility. In Songmaster, Card explores power and love, and also communication. In Wyrms, Card explores Free will and temptation.

The impact of the climactic scene seems to cause such a reaction among people, as it should. However, Card surely used such a wretched situation to even further bring home his point, being that that which often seems and feels so right to the participant can be so wrong in reality.

Throughout the book, we are made more and more aware of the influence that the wyrm has on different characters. It takes what it wants and manipulates as it will. It destroys lives. The wyrm can be considered evil. Perhaps not inherently, but definately in it's attitude towards the other inhabitants on the planet. When it sets it's desire on the young girl and she suffers the cranning call, we are given the opportunity to witness one person's struggle with what she knows to be right and what she wants. The desirable is despicable on purpose. That which we want is often that which will destroy us.

Card brings the girl to the point where she faces her tempter, and he begins to use her for his purposes, as is his nature. The only problem is that she wants to be used. His control is powerful, and I am left wondering what sort of statement Card is making about humanity in general. Most writers who truly attempt to delve into human nature are not just trying to tell nice stories. Wyrms is not a nice story. It is, however, a good story.

I originally read this book under the gun in high school, to make up for something I did not do. However, it was like throwing Brer Rabbit into the brambles!

Being my second OCD book (Seventh Son was my first), I had no predetermined expectations of the man's writing style. Being young, I had not the experience to see the parallels with Dune and other similar works.

So the first reading was sheer joy...until the end. Many books I feel good after I read them. With Wyrms I felt...unbalanced.

I have since read the book again, and drawn the parallels, and experienced his other work. And in the end, I still feel unbalanced.

Card makes a statement about human nature that is ambiguous, using this novel as an allegory to the inner reaches of everyone's hearts.

This book is excellent not only as a story for the sake of a story, but as a philisophical, somewhat religious, and extremely moral exploration into your own heart and soul.

If you haven't read it, you'd better soon...

This book is a fairly interesting and engrossing read, albeit with the aforementioned yucky scene later on. An interesting plot with lots of twists and turns and surprises. And written in Card's now-familiar style.

However, after I had finished it and digested it more, it felt as though Card was trying to be too clever with his reversals and toying with our expectations ... trying too hard to be too "wise." And that stuck with me as kind of annoying, actually. Thus the reduced stars. Still, worth a read.

Over a millennium ago, humans established a religious colony on Imakulata. The newcomers keep as far away from the native Geblics, abuse the empathic Gauntish, and enslave the slow thinking Dwelfs. Since the beginning of the star ship landing, the Heptarchs have ruled humanity on this orb.

However, concern surfaces over The Starship Captain's prophecy. The prediction is that the seventh seventh seventh daughter or the 343rd since the first Heptarch will be the mother of Kristos, either the savior or destroyer of the human race. Patience is the daughter of the rightful Heptarch, Lord Peace, slave to the pretender, King Oruc. Peace and his slave Angel teach Patience to live up to her name in order to avoid war. When Lord Peace dies, Patience knows her protection died with her father's death. Before the Oruc can end the prophecy by killing her, she flees. Her adventure begins, but will she fulfill the prophecy while on the run?

WYRMS is Orson Scott Card at his world building best as he creates a complex social system with several races that feel sociologically authentic. As he always does Mr. Card poses moral dilemmas that seem almost paradoxical as he nudges his readers to consider right vs. wrong, but offers no simple turpitude. There is plenty of action and the cast, especially the heroine, is very complex and brave so it is easy to see why this is an award-winning tale.

Harriet Klausner

Without recounting the plot which has been summed up by other reviewers, this book is interesting because for a change the hero is a girl. On the whole Card's heroes have two main characteristics: 1)possess some rare talent which has been honed to perfection though training 2)they are thrust into circumstances that require the wisdom of Solomon. Most times they are male- for examples see Ender series, Songbord etc, so its interesting to see what how Card developes Patience, the heroine in this case.

True to form Patience is raised and trained to deal with larger than life circumstances in austere circumstances, but the difference between Patience and Card's other female lead characters is her awareness of her sexuality.

Patience's destiny is that she is to be the saviour or destroyer of of the world by being the mother of Kristos. The looming prospect of motherhood obviously means that she is forced to confront physical desire and sex. Patience's calling is to mate with the all powerful Unwyrm.

From a mythological perpective there are shades of Persephone in the Underworld and Beauty and the Beast as Patience is summoned by Unwyrm to the caverns of ice for the mating. Unwyrm's call takes the form of the need for physical release and sexual arousal.

Most readers will agree it's a thorny subject when applied to adolescent girls. Many writers err between denying desire to girl-women and indulging in fantasy. Card however negotiates these fine lines are better than most and creates a character who remains centrered to the last.

When all is said and done, this is not an adventure story for children, though it will speak well to older teens who are themselves grappling with issue of self, life direction and most importantly sex. Yes, there are wild adventures here, and Card's favourite theme of acceptance, but there is a quieter voice running though the book that speaks about choice, temptation, and self-control. In a world of instant gratification and over consumpton maybe its time we started listening.

When I first read Wyrms it came over as a pretty weird fantasy tale, set way in the future on a distant settled planet. When I read it again months later I discovered that's not what it's about at all. That's just the shell that Card uses to explore our inner soul.

Wyrms explores the nature of desire and temptation. What are we like inside? Can we stand up and do the things we choose, or are we enslaved to do the things we lust after? It's not spoiling anything to say that, for me, the core of the book comes in the line, "Unwyrm makes gaunts of us all." Read and ponder.

Oh yes. Card is merciless in showing us ourselves, and there are many scenes in the book that are not for the squeamish. But none of it is salacious.

I'm not a Card sycophant, but every time I read one of his books I'm blown away. The complexity of the stories is mind-boggling. Even the simplest stories ends up with heavy philosophical thought. I actually had to stop reading and think about the concepts presented.

Not a bad story either. Card gives epic fantasy a shot.

Ignoring the scene at the end...

Card is still the premier sci-fi writer today. The story itself is engrossing and gross at the same time, but thoroughly believable within its context.

A big bonus of Card's work is his prose. Not only is the story well written, but it brings up philosophic ideas such as 'tabla blanca' and many others.

That being said, Card is not at his best here, I was able to put this book down once in a while like I was unable to do with Ender's Game. Still, its a satisfying read and anyone that is a fan of the genre and doesn't care about an R rated storyline should get this book. I recommend the library...

I'm only 14, but I have read a lot of OSC's stuff, so I have a little knowledge upon which to base my opinion. As I am young yet, I do not know everything there is to know about book reviews and stuff, but I shall do the best I can...

I thought this book was excellent because it goes into the subject of human nature forthrightly, subtly explains it, and lets you decide what you think about the human race at the end. I hate how sometimes authors tell you what to think. Not so in this book.

The characters were well formed, and there was a good twist near the end that completely threw the reader for a loop. I will NOT spoil the ending!

Although the end was somewhat gruesome, I liked it because it was unexpected. It was unexpected because in most books, the end is supposed to be not what you think it's going to be. The ending for Wyrms is unexpected in that it's not like other books.
Did I make any sense? It also yes, leaves you hanging, but that can be a good thing, and is in this case.

I also like how OSC binds in how people would act without any emotions or feelings, but only desires (the heads).

Few authors I have read so far are willing to just say what they think about the human nature in their books, for fear that they will not sell, or that it will taint their reputation. Read this book, if not for the underlying philosophies, then for the great plot and ideas. When you do read it, please be open minded in the end--I almost guarantee you'll like it better that way.