I was reading through another post and someone mentioned this WONDERFUL book. I read it shortly after completing the original Ender's Game Series (Ender's Game, The Xenocide, Speaker for the Dead, Childeren of the Mind)... and i was amazed at the storytelling GENIUS of OSC. Songmaster itself is epic and one of the few books that say everything that needs to be said between two walls and a spine. Anyone else read this book? Also another one of my favorites... Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus. That book was pure GENIUS. It was historical and whimsical all at once. I love OSC so much!!!
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Yes, Songmaster is at the top of my OSC's best list. The only book that could be above it is Hart's Hope, which I just love.
Pastwatch I didn't like as much, but that's like saying that compared to the three gorges dam, Hoover is kind of small.
Hobbes Posted by Laurenz0 (Member # 5336) on :
I found I coldn't get into that book. (pastwatch that is) Lots of people agree with you, but for some reason i didn't enjoy all that much. Hm. What did you like about it?
[ June 30, 2003, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: Laurenz0 ]
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Ohh, and welcom to Hatrack!
Hope you enjoy your time with us.
Hobbes Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Well if Hobbes liked it, maybe I'll try it. My dissing of Songmaster was based on what my much older sister told me when I was like 10.
Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :
I bought it a few months ago, for 50 cents, at a used book store. It's on my list of books to read.
Posted by BlainN (Member # 5340) on :
Songmaster is a beautiful story. I've lost my copy, but it's about time I reread it.
Thanks for the reminder, Blain
Posted by Zevlag (Member # 1405) on :
Songmaster is most likely my all-time favorite work by OSC. It is a masterpiece. I higly reccomend it.
Posted by En Vista (Member # 3848) on :
Songmaster is based on a premise that could have gone horribly wrong at any point if anyone but Orson Scott Card were attempting to write it. With that sort of literary content (the kind that ONLY works on the page, and takes so much active interpretation on the part of the reader), it is a difficult thing to express internal experience in words. It's the subtlety of the text that I love about Songmaster. Even in the most dramatic passages, there is still a gentle flow that introduces emotion to the reader in a familiar and comforting way.
Posted by UTAH (Member # 5032) on :
Songmaster is a masterpiece. Also, LaurenzO, you might want to try Pastwatch again. I couldn't get into it the first time I tried to read it. I didn't really understand what was going on. I picked it up a couple of years later and read through it without a problem. In fact, I really enjoyed it. It was a very clever concept.
Posted by Zotto! (Member # 4689) on :
*grin* I LOVE Songmaster and Hart's Hope about equal, I think. And Pastwatch ain't far behind. With Songmaster...I don't know, it is just so painfully beautiful! The first time I read it, I read it mostly at night, alone, and I was CRYING on almost EVERY page! <<This is saying something, for me...
Hart's Hope, as well, touched me deeply. And Pastwatch...it was just really, really cool. With good characters. And hard moral choices. How Card-like.
Songmaster was just so friggin' INTENSE and emotional that I was completely sucked in. It's near the top of my list. (Being the nosey person I am, I am quite curious about the emotional state OSC was in while writing Songmaster...because it is just such a painful/beautiful book that it seems like he musta been having a pretty rough time during it!) <<is probably completely off-base...
Yay, people talking about my favoritest books! Hehe...
Posted by seven (Member # 5367) on :
I don't know why, but I didn't enjoy Songmaster as much as I liked the other books... I just didn't like the story as much as his other books I guess. I loved Pastwatch though.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Songmaster is indeed a wonderful book. I reread it recently, and found it every bit as wonderful as I remembered.
I've always wondered if there was anyone else who found it oddly similar to a particular old song, but that's probably just me. <shrug>
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