Customer Reviews

Worthing Chronicle

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I read about 50 books a year, and so far I consider this to be the best story I've read. Jason Worthing is the pilot of a colony ship. On the way to the planet they are to colonize, Jason and his 333 colonists are attacked by a rebel ship. The computer automatically wakes Jason from his suspended animation sleep because he is the pilot.
Jason manages to destroy the rebel ship but his ship gets hit. Out of the 333 colonists, 222 are killed from the blast. But all of the memory bubbles are destroyed. So Jason has 111 adults that will come out of suspended animation with no memory. He'll have to teach them how to walk and talk and eat and go to the bathroom by themselves. However, Jason thinks to himself "I can make a world with my values and my beliefs. I can be God".
After Jason reaches the colony planet he brings the other colonists out one by one and teaches them exactly what he wants them to know. Once he has enough of them taught to survive on their own that he thinks the little city he built will survive a few years of his absence, he goes back into the ship and puts himself to sleep.
Year after year he comes back and brings more colonists for the others to teach and he gives advice to the "mayor". After he has brought out all the colonists and his city is surviving he goes back into the ship and takes it to the bottom of the ocean. He decides to put himself to sleep in suspended animation until his people find him and wake him up. Then he'll see what his world has become. Fifteen thousand years later his people do find him and wake him up.
The best way to enjoy this story is to read the book "Capitol" by Orson Scott Card first. Capitol builds the universe on which this story is founded and introduces you to all the characters. However Capitol is very hard to find. You may have to order a copy from the library.
Or, you can get a copy of "The Worthing Saga" which is a compilation of the two books. However when I read The Worthing Saga I was disappointed because the best stories in Capitol had been left out.

The book is classic Card. Tightly woven narrative with a brilliant reflection on human nature. Part of this book reminded me of reading stories from a great religious book. This book almost read as though it was written as a series of parables, with it's intent to expose the reader to the pitfalls and shortcomings, as well as the higher aspirations and ideals of the human spirit. My major complaint would be the ending, which seems to ignore the major concept of the book to provide a localized "happy ending". If you enjoy Card's other works, you should enjoy this book. It held my attention, and it made me contemplate issues that arose in the story, even when the book was nowhere in sight. If you can forgive the afore mentioned weak ending, this book is worth the read.