Customer Reviews

The Worthing Saga

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The synopsis described above isn't really all that accurate.

This first half to 2/3 of this book is a single story composed of about a dozen vignettes, united under the premise of a boy being given these scenes as dreams by two strange space travellers. The common theme of this story is that suffering exists because it enables us to grow. The characters in the vignettes suffer, and the dreaming boy suffers with them in his dreams, which causes problems in his waking life.

The last third of the book is a series of (9?) short stories set in the same universe. Some stories are new, some elaborating on stories told briefly or mentioned in the first part. The short stories don't concentrate on suffering so much as escaping reality, and how that lessens us as human beings. Most of them have down endings, but are no less thought-provoking than the main tale.

I didn't agree with Card's premise, that God allows suffering because it makes us stronger. But I found the religious ideas presented in a comfortably secular way, such that I didn't feel he was pushing religion on the reader, but instead encouraging the reader to think about it, and consider his premise. Card's writing style is always easy to get into, and I tore through the first hundred pages before I realised that I'd been sucked in.

Hearing that Card is a devout Mormon might scare away some potential readers with strong religious views of their own, but I feel that his style transcends divisions such as this. Card is an expert storyteller, and is worth reading regardless of one's own theology.

This popped up on the "Page you made" box a few minutes ago, and I just had to stop and write something about it. The Worthing Saga was among the earliest of Orson Scott Card's books I read and I remember it fondly. Together with Ender's Game and Treason, it made me realise this writer had something to say that I wanted to read.

Many people I know dismiss science fiction as a genre - I guess they've been scared off by some representations of aliens and robots and stuff. They don't realise what a wide range of work falls into this category, and even though I have become a SF fan over the past 20 years or so, there is a lot of stuff in the genre that doesn't interest me. But there is no other form of fiction that sets my mind working the way SF does, and I will never stop trying to get people to experience that for themselves.

Because I want people to read something that opens up their minds to possibility (without scaring them off) and want to share Card's writing, I recommend this book without mentioning anything about SF. After the initial shock of finding they've been tricked into reading SF, they usually realise they're reading a wonderful story, intelligently and skilfully told by one of our time's great storytellers. Somehow, people who have no problem reading fiction about people pioneering the vast, unexplored spaces of America, Australia, or any other earth-bound place, seem to have a problem reading of space pioneers. That's why I call this "entry level SF" - basically, this story is not so dissimilar from many of those stories of pioneers; the trials, tribulations and perseverence of the characters differ only in the technical details. However, this story has the good fortune of being told by Orson Scott Card, a writer who manages to make me feel I have only gained from seeing life from his viewpoint.

I first picked up this book in the mid 1980's when it was published as 'The Worthing Chronicle' by Ace publishing (c 1983). At the time Card was unknown and most large bookstores did not carry him. I read the book at least six times, and gathered new meaning each time. The timeline spans several eons and the social commentary runs deep. His illustrations on the key role of pain reflect almost an eastern expression of the yin and yang. The beginning of the book talks of full time 24 hour real life stars that are followed by remote camera, a spooky concept that continues to edge toward reality. From the wild west/frontier settings of a new planetary colony (ie the exodus of the Mormons) to the magic abilities of Alvin Maker, you can see many of Card's basic themes in one place in 'The Worthing Saga'. I don't want to give up too much of the plot as it is as enjoyable a read as any, and in my mind even superior to his excellent Ender series (although I haven't read the fourth). For new Card readers this is a must, and for those who have devoured his other novels this will show a genesis of many of the ideas expressed in his later series. All in all a great read.

This is my all-time favorite OSC book, and I have just about everything he's written. Broken into three sections, these masterful stories begin with the Day of Pain, in which a world that never knew physical or mental pain -- due to the watchful eyes of a powerful race of mutants -- is suddenly left unprotected. As the people of this planet come to grips with their new reality, they are visited by the man (Jason Worthing) who caused the Day of Pain - a man who has slept for thousands of years while his offspring developed their strange powers and began watching the world, removing pain. The second section visits the world where Jason Worthing was born, and tells why he left it. The third section takes place while Jason sleeps at the bottom of the ocean, and is an account of the trials his descendants go through, coping with the powers that make them different - and separate from the rest of thr world. All in all a fantastic story, and a highly recommended book!

"If God is kind and merciful, why is there still such pain in the world?" I've heard this question many times, and never could really come up with a satisfactory answer, other than a few platitudes about free will and understanding ourselves. Now, I do have an answer, and it is this book. This book is a compilation of short stories written by a young Orson Scott Card, along with the title novel which ties them all together. It opens with the story of a "Day of Pain" where a people who have never felt pain before feel it for the first time. The rest of the story is spent explaining how this all came about, and what caused Worthing to finally reach the decision to unleash pain again upon the universe. All of Card's usual strengths are here; his well-developed characters tie in with a plot that is exquisitely beautiful. The question he chooses to tackle is difficult, but his answer tackles it well.

Card could have easily made "The Worthing Saga" into a three-part trilogy - in fact, it is probably the only one of his novels that cries out for it. There's A LOT of story here. The worlds of Capitol. Worthing and Flat Harbor are brilliantly realized - they each have enough history, characters and plot-threads that an entire novel could be devoted to each. The concept of "somec" alone is enough to jump start an entire series (he did much more with much less in the Ender books). However, card opted to write it as a montage of loosely connected short stories - and it is much the better for it. Card is always at his strongest when it comes to short stories. It is in the short story form where he truly shines - he focuses his talent into something purely majestic and beautiful. His short stories always leave me weeping for more. This is probably why I've read "The Worthing Saga" at least once a year since I bought it six years ago.

....This is one of the most diverse and moving stories (or collection of stories) that I have ever read, and my favorite of his many masterpieces. The genre moves back and forth between sci-fi and fantasy, always fantastic, always believable. In other works he has come across a bit preachy - in this one, I was so engrossed in the story and the characters and so involved in their dillemas that I didn't notice the moral until I closed the book. As always, he keeps the stories moving with a mystery - it's hard to believe that this was originally a set of independent stories, they come together so well and conclude each other beautifully.

It's unfortunate that this book is so hard to find in big chain bookstores, which don't seem to know that he wrote anything beyond the Ender books. I recommend 'The Worthing Saga' to everyone.

This book combines "The Worthing Chronicle" with the other stories Card wrote which detail the tales told in the chronicle. Jason Worthing, a poor young man, bears witness to the decline of a human empire based on sleep through time and is sent away with the empire's malcontents to create a new human colony. Why is pain and fear and aging and dying necessary? Jason tells his story to a future colonist and tries to explain what happened and why in a series of tales from his origin and the early colony. What sticks with me about this book though is the compassion and humanity of the characters and how all the wisdom and miraculous power is no substitute for that compassion, character and humanity. This is a great book! Why does God allow pain and suffering? Any book that comes close to explaining why certainly deserves reading. But the humanity of the characters is what will grab you and make you want to read this book again. This book will make you feel,laugh, and cry.

This book finally clinched it in my mind: I like Card's writing.

This collection of works (a novella and short stories) examines what is important in life, the impact our mortality has on our lives, and what it means to be human in a way that is touching and thought-provoking. I would recommend this to anyone.

This is a great book for many reasons. I really love Card, he has inspired me to become a writer so that I can touch people the way that all of his books have touched me. In this book, you really feel for the characters, and you can relate to every point of view, even if you dont know it right away, I have read this book several times just because of the Ideas and concepts in it. He does the best job of answering the question.. "If God(or whoever) is so good, then why do bad things happen?" READ THIS BOOK!!!