Orson Scott Card Has Always Been an Asshat [View all]

[haikugal]

I'm new to this forum and impressed with the quality of discussion here. I've been a Science Fiction fan for most of my life. I read my first book of science fiction at 12 and never stopped.

Due to some information I found here I started doing a little research on Orson Scott Card thinking he was involved in scientology and LDS and who knew what else...and I ran across this very interesting piece and thought some here might find it as interesting as I did.

So here it is, written in 2005...

As I write this there are enormous threads on DailyKos and Fark about This article by Orson Scott Card. Card is known to most people for his science fiction, including one of the most popular SF novels of the late 20th century, Ender's Game.

Many people are astonished to learn that the man who wrote about "that poor little boy" is such a rabid Fascist. But Card has always been a rabid Fascist, as well as several other species of asshat, and none of his works demonstrate that better than the sad tale of Ender Wiggin itself.

Here is a very respectful article by SF writer John Kessel which is suspicious of Card's motives. You should read it; it's pretty good. I'll wait.
Back in the mid 1980's I knew a struggling SF author who managed to get a few stories published and breached the threshold for membership in the Science Fiction Writers of America (or SFWA), the SF writer's union. She joined thinking it would help her fledgeling career.

In 1985 the big news in SF was Orson Scott Card's novel Ender's Game, which had swept both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Accordingly, my friend read it and passed it on to me, as she often passed on books and magazines. I read it and saw how it would be compelling to a certain mindset, but I didn't think it was all that good.

"So what did you think of it?" she asked me later.
"I think I see why it's so popular, but the guy really doesn't write that well."

"Well all it is is an apologia for Hitler. Sorry, but I don't buy that argument. When I was a kid I heard every Sunday how Jesus would forgive Hitler if he really really repented, but I say fuck that. Some things can't be forgiven or redeemed."

She could get a bit passionate about stuff like that, so I let it drop. As it happened, though, SFWA members vote on the Nebula awards, and Card's sequel Speaker for the Dead was out. Card's publisher helpfully sent all SFWA members a free copy to help its chances of getting the Nebula like Ender's Game had.
One day I spotted it on her coffee table.

"Have you read that?"
"No, I don't plan to. It'll just be more of the same."

"Buzz is it's going to get another Nebula."

"Well if it does, my colleagues are idiots."

So I took the book and read it. She was like that; if someone wanted to write about forgiving Hitler she wasn't the type to complain. It's a free country and all that. Just don't ask her to read past the point where she figures it out.
About fifty pages into Speaker I gave her a call.

"You are not gonna believe this," I said. "Ender ends up on a planet settled by Brazilians."
"Brazilians?"

"And he's angling to prevent the genocide of the badly misunderstood aboriginal natives of Planet Brazil. And it's hinting that he's gonna pull some Buggers out of his ass before the end of the story."

"Wait a minute. You are telling me that if I wrote a story where Hitler escapes to Brazil, prevents a massacre of some Native Americans, and then raises a bunch of Jews from the dead, that this would be about parallel?"

"Well I'm only fifty pages in..."

"And they're going to give this crap a Nebula Award?"

"Well, it certainly looks that way."

"I think I'm going to need the book back," she said very evenly.

You can finish the piece and read the comments here..
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/5/28/22428/7034

I look forward to reading your comments....and Hello!!

On edit..
I realize this may be off the wall but I thought it might interest some here.