posted
I am of the kind that likes lists and rankings and such....and so I am interested in getting fellow OSC fans; opinions on their favorite OSC books....
For a long time, mine was Ender's Game, and it still a close second, but I would have to say now that my favorite is LOST BOYS. I just read it about a month ago, and I was just amazed. I mean, it was probably the most emotional book I have ever read, and I loved it.
OSC is so great b/c - for example, this book, his stories don't have to have a lot of flash and such...he just tells good stories that involves good characterization and he uses situations and circumstances to further the development of character and storyline....LOVE IT!!!
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yes, I wouldn't argue with Enchantment. But, if you add Stone Tables to the Women of Genesis series, (and I do) as a group, they move to the top of the list.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I haven't read any of the Women of Genesis books yet, but I have read Enchantment...
Enchantment WAS very good.....my main complaint I think with it would be the ending....[STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY READ ENCHANTMENT -- SPOILERS]....I guess I was expecting just a little more, like I either wanted Baba Yaga to die or I thought it would be cool if it turned out that she turned somewhat decent and ended up being the Baba "I forgot the other name" that Ivan's mother learned her magic from, and thus, was the one that ended up leaving the note in the window sill, which ultimately brought about her demise as Baba Yaga b/c it ended her power over Bear... Anyways, I still immensely enjoyed the book, and as of now I would probably place it at # 6
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
1. LOST BOYS 2. ENDER'S GAME 3. CALL OF EARTH (2nd HC book) 4. PRENTICE ALVIN (3rd AM book) 5. SHIPS OF EARTH (3rd HC book)
6. ENCHANTMENT
As of now, I have only read 19 of OSC's books (and I actually have all 19 of these ranked in terms of my opinion of them - in a book list that my friend and I have made), so this list could change in the future....
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
Stop posting stuff that i was going to post that's not cool. his is the third time, i was going to asy anything but i will not alow this anymore!
Posts: 549 | Registered: Feb 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
It's odd for me because whichever one I've read (excluding short stories) becomes one of my favorites. I read Lost Boys a few weeks ago and loved. Now I just finished Treason and that is a favorite now. I think I just have an affinty for all his novels, but Game will always be the one that started it all for me.
Posts: 247 | Registered: Jun 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ender's Game.....and I wonder if I had read Ender's Shadow first if I would have liked it more....I still liked Ender's Shadow fine, but just didn't have as much excitement about it as I did with Ender's Game.... Treason was strange for me....parts of it I didn't like but after I was done with it and thought back to it, the more I liked it....I guess that's the mark of a great story-teller....
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
My favorite is The Worthing Saga. Of the Ender books, Xenocide is my favorite. After that, probably Enchantment.
Of course, it's hard to place the Ender books, especially Ender's Game, since it's where I started. I've always thought it was harder with a series, since there's a natural tendency to consider what happened before and after.
I realize the topic is favorite, but maybe my least favorites were somebody else's favorites? I expected more from Pastwatch and Songmaster. Maybe I just missed some things from my first readings; I'll definitely try again in the future. I still enjoyed them, but Pastwatch felt way too long for the ways things happened. I don't even remember what it was about Songmaster...it's possible that I hyped it up too much in my mind because it was about music. If somebody else thoroughly enjoyed them, I'd love to hear why.
What about Hart's Hope? I haven't read it, but I seem to remember OSC mentioning in an Uncle Orson column or an interview that he considered it some of his finest writing. It's next on my "to-read" list from the OSC library.
Posts: 12 | Registered: Jun 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hart's Hope is very different. It's not my favorite, but it was one of the most weirdly attractive books I've ever read.
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Being a teen, I'm still at the point where I'm like..."Yeah, enderverse changed my life." So I've gotta say Ender's Shadow.
Posts: 12 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Going back to least faves.....my least fave OSC book would probably be Shadow of the Hegemon....I think I was just trying to get done with it and just didn't get into the story....haven't read Shadow Puppets yet but from what I've read of others' opinions, I htink it is better than Hegemon....???? On my next to-read list from OSC is probably Treasure Box...I actually have it checked out from the library right now, along with Pastwatch but after reading the above post from Jonathan S, I'm not exactly looking forward to Pastwatch.....
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am planning to start Treasure Box today....I am excited about it....anybody read it or like it? I didn't see it on any of the fave or least fave lists....I don't know if that's good or bad....
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just finished Treasure Box, and it was very cool.....I wonder why I haven't heard a lot about it....same thing with Lost Boys....Both good books.....I placed Treasure Box as my #6 fave OSC book behind Ships of Earth and ahead of Enchantment....you should read it if you haven't.....
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Man, this is hard.... let me try to rank my top 10...
1. Pastwatch 2. Ender's Game 3. Worthing Saga 4. Ender's Shadow 5. Seventh Son 6. Xenocide 7. Empire 8. Speaker for the Dead 9. Folk of the Fringe 10. Children of the Mind
I've read many others by him, but these are the ones that really stand out in my mind...
Posts: 19 | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged |
I loved all of the Homecomming books, but probably (strangely) my favorite from them was the last "Earth Fall"
I also loved Ender's Game - and then the whole Shadow series. For some reason the Lusitania series wasn't as appealing to me. I liked them, but I am not drawn to them in the same way. Maybe I'm just not grown up enough yet!
Ah, and the Women of Genesis series.... I loved them ALL....
And Enchantment is probably one of my favorite stand alone books of all time....
Ok, maybe it would be easier to list my least favorite OSC books....
Least favorite (so far)is Song Master - and even that one wasn't bad.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
| IP: Logged |
1. Ender's Game 2. Lost Boys 3. Pastwatch 4. Treasure Box (this was almost a tie for 3) 5. Ender's Shadow 6. Maps in a Mirror 7. Homebody 8. Speaker for the Dead 9. Shadow of the Hegemon
I've read most of the rest of the enderverse but they just didn't really do anything for me. Trying now to figure out what to read next...so much to choose from!
Posts: 1 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I like a lot of his books but I will always remember totally understanding his writing style of ethics with "Speaker of the Dead" which is the 2nd book I read.
Posts: 1 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I think Ender's Game will always be my favorite but then I love his Women of Genesis Series. They are really well done!
Posts: 176 | Registered: Jun 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Enchantment Alvin Maker series Ender's Shadow followed by all the other Ender books The Women of Genesis and Stone Tables
... This is really hard. Lost Boys was incredible, but I could only read it once. Once I had babies (boys no less) I couldn't read it again. It tore my heart out and held it hostage for at least three weeks.
It would probably be easier to list my least favorite, which was Homebody. It felt like a complete departure to me - although of course he's written in many genres, but "horror" is not one of my favorites.
Still, a least-favorite OSC book is better than most other books.
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
My favorite is The Worthing Saga. I won't say it's the best, but it is hands down my favorite.
From there it's pretty clumped. It'd probably go something like:
2. Enders Game 3. Speaker for the Dead 4. Enders Shadow 5. Songmaster 6. Treason 7. Enchantment 8. Pastwatch (I should really put this one higher as I once wrote a 20 page paper for class based in part off of this book, but it just takes so long to get started) 9/10. The rest of the Enderverse stuff, Alvin Maker series, and Homecoming series. I didn't really like Treasure Box at all. But that's just me.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
npbeers..... You listed Folk of the Fringe in your top ten...I had that on my list to read eventually but then I read somewhere that it's just a bunch of short stories about a group of people....do the stories fit together into a big story, or are they individualized? I am skeptical about reading short stories. I love big stories where there is a complete plot and character development and such (which is I guess why I love the Homecoming and Alvin Maker Series so much....anyways, just wanted to get some info on it and your opinion....or anyone else's.......
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Speaker For The Dead has its own very intruiging appeals and achievements but Ender's Game is tops.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
Folk of the Fringe is a collection of short stories. However, they do sort of "lead into each other". They're all loosely related, but it is still definitely not a novel.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I can't really say what my top 5 are so I'll just include an entire series as one volume. 1. Ender's Game 2. Homecoming series 3. Seventh Son 4. Red Prophet 5. And yes, because it's related to Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow.
Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
What exactly constitutes a short story...I mean I know I read some in high school in the Literature books, but....I don't know, I guess I just don't get it...why stop at a short story instead of going full out with a novel?
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am reading Pastwatch right now...have about 100 pages or so left. It's just OK for me right now, a little too slow or maybe I just wasn't ready for all of the philosophical stuff. And it also kind of irritates me to see all the "we are killing the earth" mumbo jumbo again and again and again. But I still love Card. He is one of my favorite authors
Posts: 56 | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
It's flawed and heavy-handed at points, but it stands as the most beautiful, vivid work of fantasy I think I've ever encountered. Its last few pages are heart-crushing no matter how many times I read them.
Ender's Game is a close second, and though I'm totally in love with Hart's Hope, I admit Ender's Game is a more complete novel. I also love the first three books in the Alvin Maker series.
It's been a while since I've read the Ender sequels or Homecoming. I still haven't gotten to Magic Street or Lost Boys or Pastwatch yet. I read Treason a couple months ago, which was pretty fantastic, and Enchantment was very good as well.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
