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WOW! Invasive Procedures is amazing. Such a page turner I could hardly put it down. Grad school work definitely got put on the back burner so I could finish it. The neat thing with this book is that things are actually believable and could actually happen sort of like this one day. Just when you thought there can’t be any more new fun ideas, here comes another amazing well told story with great characters. It’s always amazing how Scott makes you feel so connected with the characters. I know Aaron did a ton with this one too and I’m anxious to see what he’ll do on his own, I’m sure it’ll be great.
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I should have my copy in three business days or less. I'm looking forward to another excellent addition to my OSC collection.
Posts: 2596 | Registered: Jan 2006
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Totally agree with you Jay. I loved this one from page one! Definitely a page turner and a thrilling ride. I loved the characters in this one and that was no surprise...that's always been my favorite thing about OSC - his character development. Galen's experimental group was such a neat group of people (except Hal...I hated him) and Frank & Monica were top notch. Really hope the screenplay makes it onto the big screen eventually!
Posts: 124 | Registered: Apr 2006
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Excellent book! I loved it right from the start. It was really weird, about a quarter into the book I was thinking, "This is intense, I can't wait to see what happens in the end" only to realize that I was still close to the beginning. Then I thought, "This is intense, I can't wait to see what happens in the middle."
It was very actiony. I'm not really used to that, but there were quite a few fight and chase scenes that seemed planned for a blockbuster movie. If that's the case, they'll be great scenes on the big screen.
Lotsa fun, and the science sounded real too, so that makes it so much better. Good on you OSC, I'm glad I've got it on my shelf.
Posts: 2596 | Registered: Jan 2006
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I am tempted but also hesitant; I brought Empire and could not finish it. I have read almost all OSC's other books and always loved them, so was deeply saddened by this change. I guess I will have to wait for the soft-cover version... Posts: 40 | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:Originally posted by porcelain girl: Good on Aaron Johnston, too!
Yes! Of coure. My apologies to Mr. Johnston, though I'm sure he'll never here of it nor care. Good on both authors, and I look forward to their work together on Fat Farm.
quote:I am tempted but also hesitant; I brought Empire and could not finish it. I have read almost all OSC's other books and always loved them, so was deeply saddened by this change. I guess I will have to wait for the soft-cover version...
If your hesitation is due to the political nature of Empire, you need not worry. IP is not a political thriller.
Posts: 2596 | Registered: Jan 2006
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quote:If your hesitation is due to the political nature of Empire, you need not worry. IP is not a political thriller.
Thanks, I am not hesitant because of Empire being a political thriller, I have read and enjoyed many of his non sci-fi books, but rather because of all the books I have read by OSC in the last 20 so years, it was the first I got bored with and gave up on, and I don't really understand why. Maybe it was me and the mood I was in... Posts: 40 | Registered: Jun 2006
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But it's OSC, our hero, the grand taleswapper, the ender of all stories, the oversoul of this site, is he not worthy of at least a try on one of his co books?
Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I own Lovelock, and I'll probably read it someday. But still, the fact that I have never enjoyed a co-authored book enough to even finish it makes me a lot less interested in trying another one, even if it is co-written by my favorite author.
There's so much to read, and I only have so many decades left to read it all.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Not all co-author books are like this this. Or any other over-abundance of books written by actors who think they can write. *shakes head* Just like Eddie Murphy or Russell Crowe thought they could sing.
Posts: 6026 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Don't mean to threadjack here.. but whats the name of that book that was authored by like, twenty different authors and it was all incoherent and whatnot, and was written to make a point that they could get anything published if it was marketed right.
Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Razputin: Thanks, I am not hesitant because of Empire being a political thriller, I have read and enjoyed many of his non sci-fi books, but rather because of all the books I have read by OSC in the last 20 so years, it was the first I got bored with and gave up on, and I don't really understand why. Maybe it was me and the mood I was in...
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but both Invasive Procedures and Empire are books based on scripts (or in this case, to be precise, a book based on a script, based on a short story).
Because the structure is inherently different, the pacing of these books is entirely different than of a novel not based on another medium.
I didn't find Empire or IP unreadable, but I didn't think they were nearly as deep or textured as other works.
I think one of the reasons is that these books are more roadmapped before the writing process begins. When writing a novel, OSC has said he feels free to follow paths he hadn't previously considered before beginning. I'm wondering if that same freedom is there to that degree if you already know, generally speaking, how each chapter will begin and end before you start writing the narrative.
Posts: 50 | Registered: Jan 2003
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the baby monkey dies. It was so sad. I really almost cried. It was like being punched in the guts, hard. What a moment.
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Lanfear: Don't mean to threadjack here.. but whats the name of that book that was authored by like, twenty different authors and it was all incoherent and whatnot, and was written to make a point that they could get anything published if it was marketed right.
ATLANTA NIGHTS by Travis Tea. It was not a display of good marketing, but a display of the vanity publishing nature of Publish America.
Posts: 92 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but both Invasive Procedures and Empire are books based on scripts (or in this case, to be precise, a book based on a script, based on a short story).
There is another OSC book that my wife picked up at a thrift store, I think, this spring that is based on a screenplay, the Abyss. I hadn't seen the movie itself, but the book was pretty good.
As to IP, I too was a bit turned off by the co-authorship, but will definately give it a try. (I had forgotten it was out since I happened to see it in the bookstore.) It isn't that I don't trust Card, but not knowing the nature of the collaboration, I wasn't so excited in it. But I'm sure it's worth the time.
Posts: 105 | Registered: Dec 2005
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Just finished Invasive Procedures - and its afterword by Orson Scott Card - wow! Great book!
I could tell from chapter 2 (chapter 1 was less obvious) that this book was aimed to be a movie. So be it. This kind of story is meant for the big screen, and if it ever gets there I'll be sure to get to the cinema on opening day!
The afterword explains how the collaboration really got going. This is not a typical collaboration because it's a genuine collaboration. The two guys behind the story melded their ideas into a single monolithic tower - emulating what was done with George and Frank. This book is such a fun thriller that really is a fun roller coaster to ride. I look forward to seeing more from both Card and Johnson, whether collaborative or independent.
Posts: 1029 | Registered: Apr 2007
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I just finished listening to the audio version of IP. I too was scared about the co-authorship. Lovelock is the only OSC book I have actually started and not been able to get into, and the other book he released this year (Spaceboy) was the first one of his books I wasn't totally amazed by. All in all, I was a bit worried.
The first couple of chapters almost through me off. They didn't sound like OSC. It sounded like something by Crichton. There was way more technical detail than he usually has.
I'm glad I didn't give up though. It truly did get very good! The charachter development was classic OSC, but the voice of the story felt different. I really ended up enthralled. I wonder if there will be a sequel... I'd like there to be. Of course, there are OTHER books I'd like him to write first, but... still!
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
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I may be wrong here, but I think the book was mostly WRITTEN by Aaron Johnston, and was just based off of Card's Short story Malpractice (which you can read in "Maps in a Mirror"), and of course discussed at length between the two. In other words, the basis was OSC's, the outline was by both, but the words you read are from Johnston.
Posts: 636 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Nevertheless, I liked the way the book was written. It was not as subtle as typical Orson Scott Card works, but that makes it better for a movie. I can tell that Orson Scott Card did play a significant enough role to justify his name being put on the front cover of the book, but perhaps not in as big a font as they put it...
Posts: 1029 | Registered: Apr 2007
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I just finished IP last night. I have to agree with most of what was already written here. The pacing felt like Empire after about 50 pages in. I have to admit it took me longer to get 'in' to this book than Card's other books. But once I was in I was in, and had to hold on for the ride. Awesome job Aaron and Scott.
My only criticism is that I did notice a lot of typos in the book (not misspelled words, but wrong words a spellchecker wouldn't catch). They seemed to get more prevalent in the last half of the book. Did the editor get tired of fixing green squiggly underlines?
Posts: 197 | Registered: Jan 2007
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I finally got around to reading this one (I was stuck in a cottage on a lake with nothing to do during a week of rain). I thoroughly enjoyed it, but missed some of what I love most about OSC's works. With books like Ender, Ender's Shadow, or Enchantment, I finished the books feeling like the characters were my best friends because I knew them so well. In a way, the plot lines were merely an excuse to explore the characters. This book felt like it was the other way around - the characters are simply there to support a story.
So it felt more like Michael Crichton than OSC.
And my attention was suddenly and astonishly ripped from the story when I read that someone's "face was taught"
Posts: 324 | Registered: Mar 2008
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I didn't like Invasive Procedures. It was formulaic and boring, exactly like a Michael Crichton book. Except Crichton makes his science interesting, which is always the basis for his real story telling talent.
This book could have explored the dangers and promises of genetic engineering, as it promised to on the cover, and the moral and civil implications of such a strong new power. It almost did too. When the homeless people began to be kidnapped, I expected a tale about the worth of everyone in society, and the obligations owed to them. This could have been a metaphor for humans at large. Instead it becomes a chase and a tepid detective story.
The one good quality is that the homeless people were not all identical characters. Not all of them thought of themselves as victims, and some were rather strong. I didn't expect that.
With that said, I won't be seeing the movie.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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"It was formulaic and boring, exactly like a Michael Crichton book."
I don't find Crichton books boring - but what I do find is that even though I enjoy reading them, once I'm done reading them, I never think about them again, and very quickly forget them.
Which is precisely how I felt about Empire, and is what I expect to happen with IP as well.
Posts: 324 | Registered: Mar 2008
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In terms of plot, Crichton is formulaic. I enjoy reading them because he does the science part so well. I feel the same way you do about his work.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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Well I wish I had read the rest of the posts in this thread before buying Invasive Procedures for it is not an Orson Scott Card book at all, but only a novel by Aaron Johnston based on a screenplay by Aaron Johnston which was based on an Orson Scott Card short story. I am disappointment and feel somewhat cheated; Orson's name is boldly displayed at the top of the cover, and then there are three quotes praising Orson on the back cover BUT for his other books. Posts: 40 | Registered: Jun 2006
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I thought it was an awesome book. The part that really creeped me out was the religious cult. It made me think about Earthseed a bit and also a discusssion we had here on Hatrack a few years ago about structuring fictional religion, or religious texts.
SPOILERS? . . Sure the memory chip was out there, but it had to have something out there or it wouldn't be sci-fi. And positing that, it made for a pretty intersting contrast in mind vs. character. The mind control protein was just a variant of morphine or an endorphine, no biggie. The withdrawal symptoms of the subjects seemed consistent. The bits about the genome and organ rejection, those were just creepy-weird offshoots of the religious aspect and according to Card's afterword, the seed of the whole story. They were not inconsistent with what I've learned about organ rejection from watching NOVA. The genetic enhancements, these are again sci fi, but I think they are entirely possible if someone had no qualms about killing their test subjects.
As for whether it felt like Crichton or otherwise un-Cardly, maybe I'm not familiar enough with Crichton, but starting out with a homeless woman's POV seemed pretty characteristic of Card. Of course, we don't get back to her. Frank is a bit opaque, but Monica was very human. I thought Galen was pretty convincing as well. Why do people have to be sick?
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Razputin: I am tempted but also hesitant; I brought Empire and could not finish it. I have read almost all OSC's other books and always loved them, so was deeply saddened by this change. I guess I will have to wait for the soft-cover version...
I've talked with several people who were less than impressed with Empire, but listening to the audiobook version (I love them) made it come to life. I nearly cried at one point, which is a pretty big deal with me.
Of course, Lost Boys takes the cake there...since I sobbed for fifteen straight minutes. It is the only book to this day that has caused more than a single tear to fall.
All that is to say, see if you can find a copy of the audiobook and give it another shot. Likewise, the audio version of Invasive Procedures is really well done.
Posts: 691 | Registered: Nov 2008
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