The first time I ever heard of Orson Scott Card was probably when Omni magazine published the short story "A Thousand Deaths."  Soon after reading it I rushed out and purchased the book "Capital," now sadly and permanently out of print.  The book was a collection of short stories, each complete in itself, but together told a much larger story.  It made quite an impact on me; I've been a fan ever since.

Of course one book neither makes a career nor creates a fan.  Orson Scott Card, (hereafter known as OSC,) has an extensive bibliography, having written over 50 novels, several collections of short stories, numerous technical essays and articles, and too many plays to count.  I don't claim to have read the majority of his output---I'm a fan, not a sycophant---but I've enjoyed more of his books than any living American writer.

In fact, I firmly believe that OSC is the finest writer in America.  He is at least as prolific as Stephen King, but his range is far greater.  OSC is best known for his science fiction writing, a genre that is sneered at by the intelligentsia; his series of books beginning with "Ender's Game" are classics of the genre.  Another large part of his repertoire consists of fantasy, another genre not well-respected, (generally for good reason---most of it is a pale imitation of J.R.R. Tolkien.)  OSC has written horror that rivals Stephen King, ("Lost Boys" and "Homebody" come to mind,) but unlike Stephen King, OSC isn't fascinated by evil.  "Evil (and weak and wicked) people are all evil (or weak, or wicked) in the same boring ways. But good people are infinitely interesting in the ways they manage to be good despite all the awful circumstances of their lives."  He has written historical fiction as well, ("Saints" springs to mind,) although I find it a bit preachy.

If you haven't read anything by Orson Scott Card, might I recommend you begin with "Ender's Game?"  If you like it and want to continue the story, you might try "Speaker for the Dead," followed by "Xenocide," "Children of the Mind," "Ender's Shadow," and the soon to be released "Shadow Puppets."  If you are a fan of the horror genre, you might want to try either "Lost Boys" or "Homebody."  (BTW, "Ender's Game" is soon to be a movie.)

If you have read this far, stop what you are doing, go to your favorite bookstore and pick up a book by Orson Scott Card.  Enjoy.

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Last updated on 11/24/02