posted
I'm looking for opinions on what is the best order is to read the worthing series.
The reason I ask this question is that when I was diving around some used book stores, I found copies of Hot Sleep and The Worthing Cronical in good shape(Ace First Ed ). I do not have The Worthing Saga yet. I'm thinking about reading it in chronological order.
-Mark
PS: Now I just need to find a copy of Capitol. Posts: 3 | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged |
I MUST have it. I have Capital, now i must have hot sleep. Tell me how i can get my grubby little puerto rican mitts on it. GIVE ME THE INFORMATION I SEEK!! Posts: 2532 | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I haven't read Worthing Saga, but I've read all three of the others. This is what I recommend:
You MUST read Worthing Saga first! That isn't a recommendation, it's an order. The reason is, Worthing Saga is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. While both Hot Sleep and Capitol are actually quite good science fiction novels, they're just fluff, Worthing Saga is literature. After that I think I would recommend you read Capitol and then Hot Sleep.
For people who have read both Capitol and Worthing Saga: There was one story in Capitol that I think really enhanced Worthing Saga when I reread it. I don't have the book, but the title had God, or religion in it somewhere.
*SPOILERS*
It's the story about Stipock, about his life on Capitol. While it wasn't on par with the writing in Worthing Saga, I didn't understand why OSC didn't rewrite it and put it in, I understood Stipock so much better after I read it. Did anyone else feel this way?
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thank you for the suggestion. I'll see if I can pick up a copy of Saga.
Odouls - I found this copy up in PA when my wife and I were on vacation. We happened upon a used book stort that had a wonderful collection of Sci-Fi. I had picked it up at the time because it was a book by OSC that we didn't have. I wish you luck in finding one.
Posts: 3 | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I was sorely tempted to steal Hot Sleep from the library, but instead I returned it. I never saw it again, though, so I think someone else stole it. *sigh* I'd like to read that one again.
But I agree with the others -- The Worthing Saga first, which is actually The Worthing Chronicle (a ten-chapter novella) combined with several short stories, some from Capitol, some not. As I recall, the activity in Hot Sleep sorta overlaps with things learned in the others. Definitely a confuzzled Worthingverse, but overall one of his most powerful works.
Oh, and the whole "welcome to Hatrack" thing, too. Almost forgot that. *smile*
posted
Cherry, if possible. 'Cause if you use green you'll look like some creepy alien, but with cherry, you just look like you had too much sun.
Posts: 331 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
It's going to take me some time to get to reading the Worthing Saga, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. I've got an extremely large pile of books on my nightstand to read. I think I have at least 10 new books after the holidays.
Papa - have you read "This Alien Shore" by C S Freidman? I'd highly recommend it to OSC fans, it is definitely in my top 20 list.
Posts: 3 | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I imagine if OSC were answering this question, he would tell you to read only THE WORTHING SAGA. OSC has said on numerous occasions that he dislikes CAPITAL and HOT SLEEP. That is why he re-wrote them as the WORTHING CHRONICLE.
SAGA is something of an omnibus; it contains the complete text of WORHTING CHRONICLE, a few of the best stories from CAPITAL, plus some previously unpublished stories.
However, I read all four books in the order they were published, and I enjoyed CAPITAL and HOT SLEEP more in their original forms.
Yes, the writing was stilted at times and the plot meandered all over the place with many loose threads that were never resolved, but there was much more love, angst, and violence. HOT SLEEP, in particular, was very raw and not like any other book Card has written, except maybe SONGMASTER.
Card tends to express a particular worldview in his books - and don't get me wrong, he does it extremely well. But in HOT SLEEP, I felt the worldview wasn't established quite so firmly, so the tone and "message" was more morally ambiguous. I felt the later versions were more sanitized and structured.
I cared more for the characters in the original stories than the later ones. In the end, I guess that's really what I base my opinion on.
Posts: 187 | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
It is important to keep this in mind: The Worthing Books are not a "series" in the sense that one comes after the other, consecutively, as in the Shadow Books, or The Tales of Alvin Maker. Capitol was written first, and it is a collection of short stories around a theme, the drug "somec." Hot Sleep is a connected novel, overlapping and not entirely consistent with the stories of Capitol The Worthing Chronicle is Card's improvement on Hot Sleep. Some of it goes beyond Hot Sleep but, basically, it tells the same story from a more artistic viewpoint. After writing The Worthing Chronicle Card wanted Capitol and Hot Sleep withdrawn. The Worthing Saga is The Worthing Chronicle repeated with practically no change, with some other stories from Capitol added, and others from the same universe.
Thus: The Worthing Saga is not number four in a series but the fourth attempt to tell essentially the same story over and over. If you read The Worthing Saga you will get the whole story, or at least as much of it as Card is pleased with.
But, if you want to see how he got there, you can read the other three.
Grandma Edie, also known as Edith S. Tyson, author of Orson Scott Card, Writer of the Terrible ChoicePosts: 74 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Worthing is still up there with the best. Every time someone mentions it I just want to reread it. Perhaps one of the best things my ex-girlfriend ever did for me before she went evil n'stuff was to give a large amount of books, some Asimov, the Worthing Saga and the Thomas Covenant books were just a few... god bless the accidental discovery of great books!
Posts: 200 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[Monkeys]](graemlins/monkeys.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
