Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89247 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-15
• Released on: 2008-04-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 656 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Multiple Hugo- and Nebula-winner Card offers short, revealing commentaries on these 22 compelling short stories, novelettes, and novellas, noting that short work has inspired some of his best and best-known long fiction. These short science fiction, fantasy and literary stories, along with a handful of Hatrack River tales (related to the Alvin Maker series) and four stories written by a Mormon, about Mormon culture, for Mormon readers, illustrate Card's fascination with complex child protagonists, touchingly portrayed in Inventing Lovers on the Phone; absorption with moral dilemmas, wrapped up in family love and tensions in Worthy to Be One of Us; and new views of old traditions, familiar and discomfiting in Homeless in Hell and Christmas at Helaman's House. Card intended several of the included stories, like the powerful In the Dragon's House, to open novels not yet written, but even on their own they provide significant examples of his perennial themes: morality, salvation and redemption. (Apr.)
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From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—The prolific Card published one short story collection, Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card (Tor, 1990), which supposedly included all of the short fiction he was willing to share. But apparently there are now a lot more selections, as demonstrated by this hefty volume. This compilation, composed of science fiction, fantasy, literary tales, and Mormon stories contains no clunkers. There is some truly innovative and wonderful storytelling here. Card's ability to create believable characters that readers come to care about remains his strongest selling point. Sometimes those characters happen into other worlds, as in "Space Boy" and "Dust." Other times they stay firmly grounded in this one, yet their stories give a new and different perspective on life. Teens who enjoy Card's earlier work, who like short stories, or who are just looking for a new world to lose themselves in can't go wrong here. Standout stories include "Space Boy," "Homeless in Hell," "Inventing Lovers on the Phone," and "50 WPM." Short essays give the origins of the individual selections.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
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From Booklist
The state of short fiction in fantasy and sf has changed since Card’s earlier collection, Maps in a Mirror (1990). His cogent introduction suggests that the change hasn’t been for the better. But Card is one of those writers equally comfortable with any length of form, and so here is “Elephants of Poznan,” originally published in a Polish sf magazine; “Inventing Lovers on the Phone,” a fantasy story written for Stars (2003), an anthology inspired by the songs of Janis Ian; “50 WPM,” from In the Shadow of the Wall (2002), an anthology of stories responding to the Vietnam Wall; and two original novellas from the Hatrack River (i.e., Alvin Maker) saga, arguably the single finest work of American fantasy to date. The book’s last section contains stories reflecting Card’s Mormon faith and his broader awareness of religion as an influence on literature, history, and the world. None of these stories shows any diminution in Card’s mastery of language, pacing, and characterization. --Roland Green

Customer Reviews

Excellent
The collection is broken into categories with six Science Fiction entries; eight Fantasies; two Literary; two Hatrack River (short novels related to Alvin Maker); and four Morman Stories. Each entry has notes afterward in which Orson Scott Card provides additional information. The compilation showcases the depth of the author as Mr. Card runs the gamut of the sci fi-fantasy continuum. Many have children especially teens and the lead characters are caught up in complex moral scenarios or questions on ethical choices. The "nonreligious" Morman tales are obviously timely and although Mr. Card explains that he targets Mormon readers as a Mormon writer; other fans might think these are "weird", but many of these others in the audience will still appreciate tales of characters facing personal crisis inside a "ward". Well written throughout, readers will relish the deep yet wide skills of Mr. Card to coax his audience to think beyond his enjoyable KEEPER OF DREAMS.

Harriet Klausner

not Card's best work
There are a few really good stories in the book, but most of them are just okay. The stories don't feel as well developed as those in Maps in a Mirror. The characters aren't terribly compelling. The themes of the stories are repetative. Perhaps some of the problem is that many of the stories are his older work? Disappointing on the whole.

series of vignettes
I enjoyed the diversity of the short stories in the book, and I really liked that many of the stories fall outside of the more common "Hatrack River" and "Ender's Game" series that everyone reads.

Other have commented that the stories and characters are not as developed as in some of the other short story collections, and that is true for some of the stories included but not all. Part of the beauty in this collection is OSC's detailed notes following each story describing when it was written, what was happening and why it is what it is, and not more or less.