Reading Xenocide right now. Amazing...

[CommanderSouth]

I feel ever so strange saying it, but I don't know that I've felt the spirit so strongly than I have while reading a decades old Science Fiction book.  But as Card goes through the process of describing life and the "twining" of "philotic" connections, and the idea that a believable God would only be one that is parental in nature, I can't help but see the truth in it (to be fair I am reminded of the meme in which Lewis says if everyone doesn't know the Lion is Jesus he is going to cry, it seems like it's a hammer in it's bludgeoning nature).  All of that is to say, while I am sure I am in an echo chamber in both the book and in the audience I speak to now.   I am coming out of/going through some of the worst anxiety and depression in my life, and I can't say in words how helpful it is.  It makes God real.  While I can't take all of the insights in this book as Gospel, and would be foolish to do so, it gives me possibilities on how God might work, and makes him not magic, it just makes him real.

[CommanderSouth]

Which is to say, I have a few more chapters to read, but I am very excited about this one!

[NeuroTypical]

I remember reading that book 30 years ago! I think I actually had him sign it at a book signing one time.
 

I like to the movie they did, and would not be opposed to having to make more.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

The Ender Series is fantastic. My favorite though is Children of the Mind.

[CommanderSouth]

On 8/4/2023 at 10:57 AM, Emmanuel Goldstein said:

The Ender Series is fantastic. My favorite though is Children of the Mind.

I'm working on Children of the Mind now.  I keep thinking he can't get any more deliberate and beautiful in his description of intelligences and the Skousen style of understanding of how all reality works.  Yet he does, and I keep drinking deeply from it.  A simple, profound, beautiful possibility of how things are.  How eternal progression and embodiment might happen.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

4 hours ago, CommanderSouth said:

I'm working on Children of the Mind now.  I keep thinking he can't get any more deliberate and beautiful in his description of intelligences and the Skousen style of understanding of how all reality works.  Yet he does, and I keep drinking deeply from it.  A simple, profound, beautiful possibility of how things are.  How eternal progression and embodiment might happen.

Orson Scott Card was my favorite author until I discovered Brandon Sanderson. 

[mikbone]

Another good book by LDS author. 

[CommanderSouth]

22 minutes ago, mikbone said:

Another good book by LDS author. 

I will have to check that out!

And it's funny, I found Sanderson first, loved Elantris, stalled after the first Mistborn, but of my own laziness.  But I had similar vibes from Sanderson.  The hard magic of Elantris also brought the spirit, and for the same reason.  God isn't magic.  I think it's something he wants me to learn or something  

[zil2]

33 minutes ago, mikbone said:

Another good book by LDS author. 

Yeah, but the series isn't finished and it appears it never will be.

I believe this guy was one of Brandon Sanderson's professors at BYU. 

[mikbone]

31 minutes ago, zil2 said:

Yeah, but the series isn't finished and it appears it never will be.

I believe this guy was one of Brandon Sanderson's professors at BYU. 

You only need to read the first one.  It's worth it as a stand alone.  I stalled out on the 3rd or 4th book.  The subsequent books were a lesser quality.

He does describe, on one of his blogs, that he saw the concept of blood metal and endowments in a vision.

I recommend the first book.  The second was ok.  I lost interest after that.

 

He’s doing way better than Patrick Rothfuss…  Still waiting on book 3.  The Name of the Wind came out in 2008 for crying out loud.

[zil2]

54 minutes ago, mikbone said:

He’s doing way better than Patrick Rothfuss…  Still waiting on book 3.  The Name of the Wind came out in 2008 for crying out loud.

I learned after Robert Jordan not to start reading a series until it's finished - or rather, I almost learned - a J.V. Jones series appears to have been abandoned, too.

Farland's son died before he finished the last book, and I guess he just never recovered the energy to finish the project.

[Vort]

On 8/7/2023 at 4:35 PM, Emmanuel Goldstein said:

Orson Scott Card was my favorite author until I discovered Brandon Sanderson. 

I'll take Card every day and twice on Sunday. At least Card is loyal to the kingdom and doesn't seek to show how woke he is.

[zil2]

37 minutes ago, Vort said:

I'll take Card every day and twice on Sunday. At least Card is loyal to the kingdom and doesn't seek to show how woke he is.

Is Sanderson is the opposite, or you're just saying you know these things about Card?  (I haven't ever followed Sanderson, or any other writer, on social media, so I wouldn't know.  I only know the dude has an amazing imagination and can write fantasy fiction.)

[Vort]

19 minutes ago, zil2 said:

Is Sanderson is the opposite, or you're just saying you know these things about Card?  (I haven't ever followed Sanderson, or any other writer, on social media, so I wouldn't know.  I only know the dude has an amazing imagination and can write fantasy fiction.)

I probably should keep my mouth shut. I have read some quotes attributed to Sanderson that, um, didn't make me a fan.

[Carborendum]

11 minutes ago, Vort said:

I probably should keep my mouth shut. I have read some quotes attributed to Sanderson that, um, didn't make me a fan.

So far, I haven't noticed anything like what you're hinting at in his books.  But I haven't read them all. My family has.  And we're thoroughly un-woke.

At the same time, we haven't really heard much of him outside of his books.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

On 8/7/2023 at 7:54 PM, zil2 said:

Yeah, but the series isn't finished and it appears it never will be.

I believe this guy was one of Brandon Sanderson's professors at BYU. 

I have these, I just haven't started them, but I just found the Audiobooks at the library sight so I may just listen to them.

[zil2]

1 hour ago, Vort said:

I probably should keep my mouth shut. I have read some quotes attributed to Sanderson that, um, didn't make me a fan.

Ah.  Well, we can hope they're false, but as I said, I don't pay attention to authors outside their books.  And what's more, I haven't read his latest work because I'm not starting another series that isn't finished.   If he ever finishes the magnum opus, then I'll try the first volume.  (Assuming my kitten ever grows up - little dude's exhausting me.  I have no time for anything unnecessary these days.)

[JohnsonJones]

I am rather...prudish? on what I watch and read (even by Latter-day Saint Standards).  

I've tried some of Orson Scott Cards books.   One was Homeland(?) which was a little more risque than I appreciated.  Language also tends to be problematic in some of the works I've tried to read of his.

HOWEVER...from what I understand about Xenocide is that it is HEAVILY based/written on Skousen and Skousen's theories.  I don't agree with all of Skousen's theories, but I think Card probably had a lot of Skousen in mind when he wrote it.

I have met Card in a university setting previously when he talked to some students and such.  From what I gather he bases a lot of his books off of Church materials to some degree (the aforementioned Homeland series or whatever it was called was based off of Nephi and Lehi's journey, the Alvin series was based off of Joseph Smith...etc.).  I could see the attraction to Card based on this way of writing and basing his writing off of various aspects you may find in the gospel.