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Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show: An Anthology
Bestselling writer Orson Scott Card founded the online magazine Intergalactic Medicine Show in 2006. It has been a big success, drawing submissions from well-known sf and fantasy writers, as well as fostering some amazing new talents. This collection contains some of the best of those stories from the past year.
There is fiction from David Farber, Tim Pratt, and David Lubar among others, also four new Ender's Game universe stories by Card himself. This collection is sure to appeal to Card's fans, and be a great ambassador to them for these other talented writers.
There is fiction from David Farber, Tim Pratt, and David Lubar among others, also four new Ender's Game universe stories by Card himself. This collection is sure to appeal to Card's fans, and be a great ambassador to them for these other talented writers.
432 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
March 6, 2015
This was an excellent selection of speculative (fantasy, SF, or somewhere in between) stories with a lot of range from the magazine, website here:
http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow....
The stories are all PG-13, yet full of depth. Many had a quirky humor. All in all, some of the best short fiction I've read in a long time & I like short stories.
The afterwords by the authors were good. Like OSC, I prefer afterwords to forewords. I'm reading Unfettered, another anthology, which has forewords & it really limits what the authors can say without spoilers. The downside is that occasionally an author explains too much. If they need to explain the story, then they failed. None of these did, so it was just redundant. That's easy enough to skip when reading a book, but not easy in an audio book.
I've added the Table of Contents to this edition's description, but didn't have it while listening, so won't do a run down of each story. However, some standouts were:
- 4 stories by OSC that filled out parts of his Ender universe. I've avoided those for the most part, but found these quite enjoyable - all at least 3 stars.
- Eric James Stone had 2 entries: "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" & "Taint of Treason". Both were excellent, 4+ stars. The first was hard SF that took a hard right into the absurd & made a wonderful point. The other was very short dart with a perfect, poignant point. Definitely an author to watch.
- David Lubar wrote the shortest story, "Hats Off" which was also a lot of fun. I love it when an author can twist the ordinary into the memorable so quickly & deftly.
As usual, part of the charm of this audio book was the readers. There were several & all did a great job.
http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow....
The stories are all PG-13, yet full of depth. Many had a quirky humor. All in all, some of the best short fiction I've read in a long time & I like short stories.
The afterwords by the authors were good. Like OSC, I prefer afterwords to forewords. I'm reading Unfettered, another anthology, which has forewords & it really limits what the authors can say without spoilers. The downside is that occasionally an author explains too much. If they need to explain the story, then they failed. None of these did, so it was just redundant. That's easy enough to skip when reading a book, but not easy in an audio book.
I've added the Table of Contents to this edition's description, but didn't have it while listening, so won't do a run down of each story. However, some standouts were:
- 4 stories by OSC that filled out parts of his Ender universe. I've avoided those for the most part, but found these quite enjoyable - all at least 3 stars.
- Eric James Stone had 2 entries: "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" & "Taint of Treason". Both were excellent, 4+ stars. The first was hard SF that took a hard right into the absurd & made a wonderful point. The other was very short dart with a perfect, poignant point. Definitely an author to watch.
- David Lubar wrote the shortest story, "Hats Off" which was also a lot of fun. I love it when an author can twist the ordinary into the memorable so quickly & deftly.
As usual, part of the charm of this audio book was the readers. There were several & all did a great job.
October 7, 2008
Wonderful collection of some of the best spec-fic shorts today. I never manage to find time to read the online zine (most of my reading is done when I can't use the computer), so this volume was perfect.
I may come back to this review and go through each story. For now, I just have to say that Scott Roberts' Eviction Notice is a must read. Horrible and terrifying and wonderful. And a bunch more adjectives too. ;) And since it's one of the stories readable (in its entirety) using the Google Preview feature (top right of the book's page), what are you WAITING for?
I may come back to this review and go through each story. For now, I just have to say that Scott Roberts' Eviction Notice is a must read. Horrible and terrifying and wonderful. And a bunch more adjectives too. ;) And since it's one of the stories readable (in its entirety) using the Google Preview feature (top right of the book's page), what are you WAITING for?
March 6, 2025
I was a big fan of "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card ( b. 1951) when I read it back around 1987. And since then, I've read a number of his novels and short stories. But it's been awhile since I've read anything by him so that's the reason I picked up this book, published in 2008. There are several stories in this anthology that are set in Ender's Universe by Card. The other stories in the book are by obscure authors ( to me, anyway) and I did not expect much reading those stories.
As far as I'm concerned, Card's "Mazer in Prison" was the outstanding story in the collection (5 STARS!). I also liked the other stories by Card--"Cheater," "Pretty Boy," and "A Young Man with Prospects," the last one being a rather humorous story. "Fat Farm" was a comic book story by Aaron Johnston based on a Card story ( this one being so-so).
There were a couple of good stories by the "obscure" authors that I'm glad I read--" Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" by Eric James Stone and "To Know All Things That Are in the Earth" by James Maxey. Stone's story is a good one about the exploration of a planet and first contact with aliens and I've always liked stories like that. Maxey's story is about the Rapture happening--or is it? I don't believe in the idea of the Rapture; in fact, I think it's completely ludicrous. But it would be interesting to see what would happen with a Rapture.
Most of the 18 stories were 2 or 3 stars but I'll give this collection overall a rating of 4 stars, because of Card's stories and the ones by Stone and Maxey that I mentioned.
Each story ( except for "Fat Farm") was followed by an Afterword by the author explaining how they came to write the story. I like that-a lot- and wish more anthologies had Afterwords like that.
As far as I'm concerned, Card's "Mazer in Prison" was the outstanding story in the collection (5 STARS!). I also liked the other stories by Card--"Cheater," "Pretty Boy," and "A Young Man with Prospects," the last one being a rather humorous story. "Fat Farm" was a comic book story by Aaron Johnston based on a Card story ( this one being so-so).
There were a couple of good stories by the "obscure" authors that I'm glad I read--" Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" by Eric James Stone and "To Know All Things That Are in the Earth" by James Maxey. Stone's story is a good one about the exploration of a planet and first contact with aliens and I've always liked stories like that. Maxey's story is about the Rapture happening--or is it? I don't believe in the idea of the Rapture; in fact, I think it's completely ludicrous. But it would be interesting to see what would happen with a Rapture.
Most of the 18 stories were 2 or 3 stars but I'll give this collection overall a rating of 4 stars, because of Card's stories and the ones by Stone and Maxey that I mentioned.
Each story ( except for "Fat Farm") was followed by an Afterword by the author explaining how they came to write the story. I like that-a lot- and wish more anthologies had Afterwords like that.
August 27, 2008
Three stars as a whole, four stars to Scott M Roberts' short story 'Eviction Notice'.
Give it a read for some great short stories about everything under the sun.
Give it a read for some great short stories about everything under the sun.
August 6, 2017
Great collection of short sci-fi stories. I enjoyed the tie-ins to Ender and Bean sagas.
May 18, 2023
In the Eyes of the Empress' Cat - 2 stars. Fine, but nothing special.
Mazer in Prison - 5 stars, really solid short story. I was gripped by it and interested throughout. If course it is Card's story. Just reminded me how talented he is. Also, loved the narrator's voice for this one (listened to audiobook for all these)
Tabloid Reporter to the Stars - 4.5 stars. Loved this one for the most part. The ending was a little silly but still satisfying. I'm a fan of Stones writing in general and is why I wanted to read this collection.
Audience - 2.5 stars. Nothing special, but not bad either.
The Mooncalfe - 0 stars. I hated this. Don't bother with it.
Cheater - 3 stars. Interesting. Especially enjoyed the thinking of our main character. I thought maybe he was a robot/AI but it went in a different direction. I think I would have liked it more had he been an AI. I would have liked to explore that side of the idea personally.
Dream Engine - 2 stars. Too weird for me. Didn't care for the characters or plot or setting.
Hats Off - 1 star. Pointless. Not worth reading. At least it's short.
Eviction Notice - 1 star. Not for me.
To Know All Things That Are in the Earth - 2.5 stars. Interesting, but a little gruesome and simple. It embodied an idea I've understood for a long time, so it was a little underwhelming, but I could see it being a big thing for someone who didn't grow up as I did.
Beats of Seven - 2 stars. Not particularly interesting to me. Might be more for those who really really really love music.
Pretty Boy - I enjoyed this until the ending of it. I didn't remember this character from Ender's game until the end, and it just didn't seem to fit him. His reasoning had been good and interesting, but then I guess it's plausible. Just not Card's best story in here.
Respite - 4 stars. I enjoyed this one, though it's a little bare.
The Box of Beautiful Things - 3 stars. Interesting, but could have been better.
Taint of Treason - 5 stars. Simple concept, did what it wanted to do and ended appropriately. I really love this author.
Call Me Mr. Positive - 3 stars. Felt like something was missing. I think it would have been better as a mystery rather than a character study.
A Young Man with Prospects - 3 stars.
Ender's Homecoming - 3 stars. It's been quite some time since I read Ender's game. Most of the other Ender stories were fine despite that fact. This one I felt like i would have been better having read it more recently. I do feel more motivated to reread Ender's Game and continue the series though.
Mazer in Prison - 5 stars, really solid short story. I was gripped by it and interested throughout. If course it is Card's story. Just reminded me how talented he is. Also, loved the narrator's voice for this one (listened to audiobook for all these)
Tabloid Reporter to the Stars - 4.5 stars. Loved this one for the most part. The ending was a little silly but still satisfying. I'm a fan of Stones writing in general and is why I wanted to read this collection.
Audience - 2.5 stars. Nothing special, but not bad either.
The Mooncalfe - 0 stars. I hated this. Don't bother with it.
Cheater - 3 stars. Interesting. Especially enjoyed the thinking of our main character. I thought maybe he was a robot/AI but it went in a different direction. I think I would have liked it more had he been an AI. I would have liked to explore that side of the idea personally.
Dream Engine - 2 stars. Too weird for me. Didn't care for the characters or plot or setting.
Hats Off - 1 star. Pointless. Not worth reading. At least it's short.
Eviction Notice - 1 star. Not for me.
To Know All Things That Are in the Earth - 2.5 stars. Interesting, but a little gruesome and simple. It embodied an idea I've understood for a long time, so it was a little underwhelming, but I could see it being a big thing for someone who didn't grow up as I did.
Beats of Seven - 2 stars. Not particularly interesting to me. Might be more for those who really really really love music.
Pretty Boy - I enjoyed this until the ending of it. I didn't remember this character from Ender's game until the end, and it just didn't seem to fit him. His reasoning had been good and interesting, but then I guess it's plausible. Just not Card's best story in here.
Respite - 4 stars. I enjoyed this one, though it's a little bare.
The Box of Beautiful Things - 3 stars. Interesting, but could have been better.
Taint of Treason - 5 stars. Simple concept, did what it wanted to do and ended appropriately. I really love this author.
Call Me Mr. Positive - 3 stars. Felt like something was missing. I think it would have been better as a mystery rather than a character study.
A Young Man with Prospects - 3 stars.
Ender's Homecoming - 3 stars. It's been quite some time since I read Ender's game. Most of the other Ender stories were fine despite that fact. This one I felt like i would have been better having read it more recently. I do feel more motivated to reread Ender's Game and continue the series though.
August 31, 2011
In Card's "Intergalactic Medicine Show" we get a collection of 18 short stories taken from the magazine of the same name written from Oct. '05 to Feb. '07. Card himself is the author of 4 new tales in the Ender-verse ("Mazer in Prison", "Cheater", "Pretty Boy", & "A Young Man with Prospects") which fill in story gaps with some of the characters themselves in the popular series of books. Also "Fat Farm" by Aaron Johnston is based upon a work of Card. Eric James Stone is the other author with multiple entries in this collection in 2 with "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" dealing with Earth's first contact with another species on another world & "Taint of Treason" which really isn't a short story at all (it's 3 pages in length) dealing w/ an execution. The remaining 13 stories are by Bradley Beaulieu ("In the Eyes of the Empress's Cat"), Ty Franck ("Audience"), David Farland ("The Mooncalfe"), Tim Pratt ("Dream Engine"), David Lubar ("Hats Off"), Scott Roberts ("Eviction Notice"), James Maxey ("To Know All Things That Are in the Earth"), Peter Orullian ("Beats of Seven"), Rachel Ann Dryden ("Respite"), Brian Dolton ("The Box of Beautiful Things"), & Tom Barlow ("Call Me Mr. Positive").
Each of those aforementioned works have their own unique style & sense of humor as well as odd quirky behavior. Granted Lubar's "Hats Off" is almost as long as the afterword (3 pages) & really doesn't qualify as a short story but that's in a way what makes this collection unique & problematic. There really is no set theme to anything in this collection. Also there is no real rhyme or reason as to why these specific 18 stories across this specific timeframe in the magazine's history are put together. The afterwards which follow every story save "Fat Farm" (which is a comic book story) somewhat seem annoying in that one doesn't get a chance to not worry about what the author was thinking & be able to either love or hate the story. Additionally the stories appear to be placed at random with no heed order to publication either.
For an anthology this is by far not the worst I've ever read not is it the best. With a bit more consistency in the storytelling & also with a bit more organization this collection may work better. Then again, maybe not...
Each of those aforementioned works have their own unique style & sense of humor as well as odd quirky behavior. Granted Lubar's "Hats Off" is almost as long as the afterword (3 pages) & really doesn't qualify as a short story but that's in a way what makes this collection unique & problematic. There really is no set theme to anything in this collection. Also there is no real rhyme or reason as to why these specific 18 stories across this specific timeframe in the magazine's history are put together. The afterwards which follow every story save "Fat Farm" (which is a comic book story) somewhat seem annoying in that one doesn't get a chance to not worry about what the author was thinking & be able to either love or hate the story. Additionally the stories appear to be placed at random with no heed order to publication either.
For an anthology this is by far not the worst I've ever read not is it the best. With a bit more consistency in the storytelling & also with a bit more organization this collection may work better. Then again, maybe not...
December 30, 2021
This was a great set of stories that were generally all sci fi. Lots of character backstories for the children geniuses of Enders game, but also stories unrelated to Enders game that were able to tell so much and cause an emotional response in just 30 minutes. Really enjoyed them and recommend, many are family friendly and easy for a family road trip on audiobook (though some graphic descriptions probably aren't great for little kids)
June 2, 2018
Bunch or really great short stories. Think I might put pause on reading "books" and resume speculative fiction podcasts for awhile. I miss them. Just like some people might watch a particular show for the sense of family. Many of the narrators for this collection were my favorite narrators for my favorite podcasts I have not listened to for awhile. As currently configured, I can listen to books on my Android phone but only listen to podcasts on my Ipad. Not as easy to carry around, last Ipod died some time back. So apparently the intergalactic medicine show has been around for little over a decade. Think I might need to look into the back issues, only issue (ha, pun). Due to my job I have an extreme preference to things I can listen to, while mowing the lawn, hiking for exercise, driving to job sites, doing non thinking office work like filing.
February 8, 2022
This would be a 2-star book if it weren't for two things:
The Ender's Game stories, which tended to be of higher quality than the submissions from other authors, with only a couple exceptions. I could be biased, since I am more familiar with the Ender's Game universe, but I found myself remembering and enjoying Card's stories more.
Second, I found myself enjoying the afterward for each story, where the author explained their writing process and how they came to write their story. This was a pleasant surprise. I took in a lot of great writing advice. Quite inspiring.
The Ender's Game stories, which tended to be of higher quality than the submissions from other authors, with only a couple exceptions. I could be biased, since I am more familiar with the Ender's Game universe, but I found myself remembering and enjoying Card's stories more.
Second, I found myself enjoying the afterward for each story, where the author explained their writing process and how they came to write their story. This was a pleasant surprise. I took in a lot of great writing advice. Quite inspiring.
December 28, 2018
In the last few years I've become a fan of anthologies of fiction short stories. It is much more plausible to create a strange world in a short span than to make that world work across an entire book, let alone a trilogy or more as is the trend. Also OSC's Ender and Speaker series are some of my all time favorite books. So combining these two things together was fantastic. I very much enjoyed this and look forward to reading other works by some of these authors.
April 10, 2024
If only the cover art was better. If only the typeface was better. If only Orson Scott Card was the only author in the book - that’s harsh to say but it’s why this book can’t be kept on my shelf. Card’s stories were brilliant, as were a couple of his contemporaries.. But the rest were run of the mill “find this on the Internet” snapshots of sci-fy.
I can appreciate Card’s helping younger writers by publishing their work and putting his name behind it. But it’s nothing to save on a bookshelf.
And it looks gross?
I can appreciate Card’s helping younger writers by publishing their work and putting his name behind it. But it’s nothing to save on a bookshelf.
And it looks gross?
January 22, 2023
Bestselling writer Orson Scott Card founded the online magazine Intergalactic Medicine Show in 2006. It has been a big success, drawing submissions from well-known sf and fantasy writers, as well as fostering some amazing new talents. This collection contains some of the best of those stories from the past year.
March 24, 2025
En la introducción mencionan que al final de cada historia el autor agregó comentarios sobre las razones e inspiración que los llevaron a escribir, y que esto llevaría al lector a regresar a las historias y volver a leerlas. No lo creí al principio, pero es totalmente cierto, al conocer las razones para varias historias regresas y le prestas más atención.
December 10, 2017
(Audio version). This was a fantastic collection of short stories. Extremely well narrated. Very much like my favorite podcasts, Escape Pod and Podcastle at http://escapepod.org/ and http://podcastle.org/ respectively.
January 17, 2018
I really enjoy Orson Scott Cards books and stories. This book includes severasl of his shirt stories, along with some stories by other authors. Reading an anthology such as this is a great way to discover new authors.
September 5, 2018
I'm not much on short stories, so this didn't thrill me. I like some of the stories, and read all the OSC stories for their pre-Ender background. Which was fine. A couple of these are very short stinkers, but mostly, this is fine. No big deal.
October 4, 2022
3 A good selection of short stories covering the Enders universe but , for me, the best ones were not written by OSC. There is a lovely one featuring a cat. There were also 2 YA ones that I have to admit It, I totally skipped those pages. Recommended to the normal crew.
July 22, 2017
Not all OSC stories new if you've read allbook but others are good addition to Enderverse and nonOSC stories were enjoyable.
December 23, 2017
While I enjoyed this anthology, I generally prefer full books to short stories. Short stories can be quite thought provoking, but I am so often left wanting more.
December 29, 2017
A really nice set of short stories.
January 24, 2018
If you love short stories and science fiction, this is great!
Read
July 16, 2019Some very interesting short stories! I loved it!
April 10, 2020
I liked some of the stories better than others but that is to be expected
September 27, 2021
Lots of short stories that make you think what just happened there. I of course read the book for the Enders Game bits. Did not disappoint.
October 7, 2022
Nice collection of short stories. Orson Scott Card's stories are good.
January 10, 2023
A collection of interesting short stories that inspires me to check out the online magazine, as intended by the editor lol.
March 5, 2023
I loved some of the background on Ender's game by Orson! I did not enjoy all the stories.
June 20, 2023
Enjoyed most of the stories
March 13, 2024
What an intriguing set of sci fi short stories. I also enjoyed learning the backstory of some of the Ender’s Game characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews