Earthborn Audiobook By Orson Scott Card cover art

Earthborn

Homecoming: Volume 5

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Earthborn

By: Orson Scott Card
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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High above Earth orbits the starship Basilica. On board the huge vessel is a sleeping woman. Of those who made the journey, Shedemei alone has survived the hundreds of years since the Children of Wetchik returned to Earth.

She now wears the Cloak of the Starmaster, and the Oversoul wakes her sometimes to watch over her descendants on the planet below. The population has grown rapidly - there are cities and nations now, whole peoples descended from those who followed Nafai or Elemak.

But in all the long years of watching and searching, the Oversoul has not found the thing it sought. It has not found the Keeper of Earth, the central intelligence that alone can repair the Oversoul's damaged programming.

©1995 Orson Scott Card (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Science Fiction Space Opera Fiction

Critic reviews

"Card's far-future religious saga manages, brilliantly, to be at once entertaining, unobjectionable, and edifying." (Kirkus Reviews)
"[The] complex situation, abetted by Card's superior characterization, offers more than enough conflict and questing to keep the yarn moving. The grand saga of human evolution is a demanding category of sf and fantasy, but Card has met its demands quite successfully." (Booklist)
"The conclusion of the story...is vintage Card and a joy to read." (Publishers Weekly)
Satisfying Conclusion • Thought-provoking Themes • Soothing Voice • Masterful Character Development • Rich Storytelling
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This is a good conclusion to the story, enjoyed it. Still it's amazing how much of a parallel some of the characters seen to draw from the current times.

A good conclusion to the series

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More than a few life-lessons can be had in this far-future offering from Orson Scott Card. The only thing that kept this listener from offering 5 stars was the slightly disappointing gap between the first 4 books and the fifth. I love the soothing voice of Stefan Rudnicki and I could have enjoyed the last book more with as little as 1 more hour of narration between the end of Nafai's story and the beginning of Shedemei's. I hope future readers can fill in the end of book 4 with their imaginations.

The Homecoming Series

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What did you love best about Earthborn?

The Narrated helped add a connection to this last book which was lost with most absents of most of the main characters.

What about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance did you like?

I love that he seems to handle the complex names, which I would have had issues with.

Any additional comments?

With most the main characters gone from the original series, you investment into the story is not there. The connection to the new characters takes time in the story which could have been spent on the story itself.

Not as good as the others in the series.

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Others in this series included religion as part of the sci-fi story, but this book felt very heavy on religion and relatively light on science or fiction.

My least favorite of this series

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A biblical overtone can be expected in any Orson Scott story. Great storytelling. Great topics.

great sf with strong biblical themes and overtones

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I am a big fan in general, but this is not the best of this series. Ironically it focuses on a Russian lineage, but that's the style of writing it lacks- well fleshed out scenery and back story. Oh well, I still love the story and will read it over and over again.

Not my favorite

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Much is made in other reviews of how this title drifts from the preceding ones and starts a new story. That's true, but it is also one of its strengths. This is less a "concluding" story (though it is somewhat) than a spinoff. If the first 4 books were All in the Family, this would be The Jeffersons (or is that The Jettersons?). There is just enough reference (and a character or two) from the other saga to bind the two together. Unlike the Ender saga, which sadly went on at least one book too long, this is the way to do it. Skip all the centuries after the main action and take a look at what the world might be like 500 years out. An interesting premise and one that authors don't often get to explore. (If you say, that's what Speaker for the Dead did, I can't disagree, but not as noticeably; there the backstory was less direct than this one.) I happened to like these characters very much--more so than the "Heroes" during the first book. (That one was a slow start, but worth it in the end.) Much is made of the religious themes in the book, but what is there so interesting about religion if not the conflict it engenders among people. The thinly veiled "bias" issues added a basis for conflict (and the oh-so-classic epithet "Digger Lover" was my favorite tongue in cheek line, just in case anyone had missed the point). Was the book about the Mormons? Probably not. Too many dissimilarities to the historical events of those times, though only Card knows for sure (golden plates was a cute touch). No, this book is nearly a standalone work showcasing Card's ability to create character studies with people and creatures out of the readers' normal ambit. The plot? Secondary. That it sort of tracks the first books? Convenient. It's all about the writing. Anyone who is disappointed that this book doesn't take up where #4 left off misses the point--it wasn't supposed to. I applaud Card for this imaginative approach and recommend this story to any of his fans.

The Last Chapter

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Sometimes you just want a story to go on and on. This one allows you to look at spiritual aspects of life. What are the important parts of life. What makes life meaningful. Thank you.

I loved it!

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I loved the first four books in this series. All were well-written and enjoyable.

The first four books form their own story arc, while book 5 starts something new. I knew this when I started the book, so this was expected.

What I did not expect was that the story would be much less interesting. It's still decent, and I recommend reading it, but it is not as entertaining as the other books. It also seems like the author is trying to send a religious message here - never stated directly, but it's there. Not usually what I look for in a sci fi book, but still enjoyable if you invested the time to read the first four.

Anti-climactic finish

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This conclusion was initially irritating as it moved on so completely from the characters of the previous books. However, as it went on, it became more and more gripping picking up momentum as the story swirled around, ever upwards to a grand climax.

I continue to reject the quasi-misandry that seems present throughout; the continual jabs against men over and over in every book in the series with seeming increasing frequency. Yet, despite this, the overall story is rich and deep.

There are beautiful and complex truths that are examined carefully here that have incredible value for us to meditate upon. I am very grateful to Mr. Card for this great work if for no other reaaon than that these books have caused me to think more deeply about myself, others around me, what I believe in (or don't), and how each one of these is connected with the others. Though I do not agree with everything, I find this series to be well-worth a total and thoughtful read. You can learn to see things differently than you did before--if you allow yourself to grow in that way.

May you read and enjoy and become more than you have been so at the end of it all, you will be all you could be.

Unexpected and Excellent

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