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A review by ikon_biotin_jungle_lumen
The Memory of Earth by Orson Scott Card
(Review covers the entire series)
Homecoming is unique among sci-fi series—I've never encountered another work in this genre that comes close to its philosophical scope or depth. Some few may be unaware that OSC is part of the LDS (Mormon) church, and therefore will miss the intentional parallelism between Homecoming and Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon. Others will notice numerous Biblical correlations and references, which are for the most part secondary references through the BoM.
From a fiction standpoint, this series is sometimes tedious and often aggravating (occasionally to the degree of nausea). However, as I have read most of OSC's fiction, I know that he is a master of his craft, and the uncomfortable texture of this series is deliberate. You are meant to be brought to wrath by the morally bankrupt culture of Harmony, to feel disgust at every betrayal. This is a world where people do what is right in their own eyes, their destructive impulses limited only by the mental compulsion of an implacable satellite.
This may be the most apologetic (theologically speaking) and allegorical of OSC's works. As a fundamental Christian, many of Card's beliefs and points resonate with me. However, some of them are incredibly repellant. The physical explication of divinity is a primary point of controversy between Christians and LDS. The same can be said of the transcendency of saints (belief that morally superior individuals can become gods).
I would commend this series to highly theology-conscious readers. Homecoming challenged me to think critically and to defend my own beliefs chapter by chapter. I would not recommend this series as science fiction due to its tedious and fairly subversive nature, but that is no inundation of merit. According to my lights, I would reclassify this series as Theological Fiction. Let's hope there's a little room left on that particular shelf.
Homecoming is unique among sci-fi series—I've never encountered another work in this genre that comes close to its philosophical scope or depth. Some few may be unaware that OSC is part of the LDS (Mormon) church, and therefore will miss the intentional parallelism between Homecoming and Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon. Others will notice numerous Biblical correlations and references, which are for the most part secondary references through the BoM.
From a fiction standpoint, this series is sometimes tedious and often aggravating (occasionally to the degree of nausea). However, as I have read most of OSC's fiction, I know that he is a master of his craft, and the uncomfortable texture of this series is deliberate. You are meant to be brought to wrath by the morally bankrupt culture of Harmony, to feel disgust at every betrayal. This is a world where people do what is right in their own eyes, their destructive impulses limited only by the mental compulsion of an implacable satellite.
This may be the most apologetic (theologically speaking) and allegorical of OSC's works. As a fundamental Christian, many of Card's beliefs and points resonate with me. However, some of them are incredibly repellant. The physical explication of divinity is a primary point of controversy between Christians and LDS. The same can be said of the transcendency of saints (belief that morally superior individuals can become gods).
I would commend this series to highly theology-conscious readers. Homecoming challenged me to think critically and to defend my own beliefs chapter by chapter. I would not recommend this series as science fiction due to its tedious and fairly subversive nature, but that is no inundation of merit. According to my lights, I would reclassify this series as Theological Fiction. Let's hope there's a little room left on that particular shelf.