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What are your favorite short stories by OSC, either from Maps in a Mirror or any of his other collections? Oddly, my two favorites are "Eumenides in the Fourth Floor Lavatory" and "Gert Fram," the first and the last stories in Maps in a Mirror; "Unaccompanied Sonata" is a close third. Honorable mentions: "The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun," "Holy," and "Damn Fine Novel."
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Also rans: "Porcelain Salamander," "Vessel," "Prior Restraint," and "Lost Boys."
I also must mention how much I liked "But We Try Not To Act Like It" simply because Card seemed so dismissive of the story in his afterword.
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I loved almost everything in Maps in a Mirror, but I guess I'd choose "The Changed Man and the King of Words" or "The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun", although I wasn't too sure about the later until I read the afterward.
Does OSC have any other compilations like Maps in a Mirror? If so I'd buy it in a second.
Posts: 959 | Registered: Oct 2005
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None directly like it. He has The Folk on the Fringe, a collection of Mormon stories, and First Meetings, which includes three novellas from the Ender universe and the original Ender's Game (which is already in Maps in a Mirror).
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"Unaccompanied Sonata" has by far impacted me more than any other story OSC has written.
"Dog Walker" and "The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun" are tied for second on my list.
Small Spoiler
"Lost Boys" had me in tears because i thought OSC really had a child die (though i knew the gost part was fictious).
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The woman of the Middle or whatever the original title is, and the Porcelain Salamander. Both were so simple and at the same time so touching.
Posts: 218 | Registered: Jan 2006
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"Homeless in Hell" "Angles" "Feed The Baby of Love" "Lost Boys"
"Lost Boys" affected my so strongly that I haven't been able to bring myself to read the novel, despite having owned it for many years now.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Charlie Ben died several years after the short story was first published.... though the struggles with his birth also had me in tears because they were so true to life with an ill and disabled child. I am fairly sure it was also published after their last child (Erin I believe) died... though if I'm not mistaken, that one was actually a still birth. That doesn't really make it better but.... not murder. The thing that truly made me cry after reading Lost Boys was the "afterward" that was published with it in the version I first read. It talks about how alot of people were offended he'd written such a story since he hadn't really had a child die. Knowing that he would experience that pain twice in later years, I couldn't help but weep. I am constantly amazed at the hope and life in all of his stories after going through such personal pain.
I forgot all about "Homeless in Hell" when I first responded. That one is definitely one of my favorite. It's probably my favorite "Christmas" story ever!
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
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"Prior Restraint" "Homeless in Hell" "Freeway Games" "Fat Farm"
quote: "Lost Boys" affected my so strongly that I haven't been able to bring myself to read the novel, despite having owned it for many years now.
Read it. Now! I just read it not a month ago, it'll linger with you something fierce, worse than the short story, but it is well worth it.
Posts: 247 | Registered: Jun 2008
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Ooh, I still think of Freeway Games every time someone goes the same speed next to me on the highway. <shudder>
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Jenna - I've never been able to fully shake off "Freeway Games" either.... I'm glad I'm not the only one!
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