What do you think?
Rate this book
Szkatułka
Quentin Fears, młody amerykański milioner doświadcza przeżyć, które sprawiają, że mimo bardzo racjonalnego stosunku do życia, musi uwierzyć w to, co niemożliwe. W jego najbliższym otoczeniu pojawiają się osoby tylko pozornie egzystujące w realnym świecie. Za sprawą owych demonów zła mimowolnie staje się bohaterem horroru - tak bowiem zmieniają jego życie.
279 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
89 people are currently reading
1332 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
884 books20.8k followersOrson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
![Profile Image for [Name Redacted].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1347082397i%2F287915._UY200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
October 23, 2015
Okay. Again I am breaking my review-silence, but only because so many other reviews were evidently written by people who never read this book. Is it great? No. It's only okay. A solid little potboiler, clearly influenced by All Heads Turn When the Hunt Goes By, Ghost Story, and possibly The Stress of Her Regard (which were themselves based on older stories) but nothing more than that. Do I regret reading it? Nope. Would I read it again? Nope. But I keep seeing people accusing the author of using it to preach pre-marital sexual abstinence or anti-homosexuality or traditional gender norms or anti-Witch propaganda... And those people are wrong on every count. Again, they must not have read the book.
Here're a few rebuttals [SPOILERS AHEAD!]:
1) After losing the big sister he idolized to a freak car accident when he was a boy, the protagonist Quentin closes himself off to human relationships -- especially with the opposite sex. He has no friends. He even comments about how sad it is that his "closest friend" is his lawyer, whose "friendship" is openly based on the money Quentin pays him to BE his lawyer. He never marries, he never has children, and he never even goes on a date. He devotes all his time to work and study. And it's REPEATEDLY hammered home that his pre-marital sexual abstinence and naivete are signs of his warped psychological reaction to losing his teenaged sister. It's explicitly stated that he uses morality as an excuse, but even he knows he's just covering up for his own social and sexual dysfunctions. About 1/4 of the way into the book, he even openly admits to himself that he has isolated himself from romance and sex because of his quasi-incestuous obsession with his dead sister. Furthermore, at no point is he proud of his life choices, and he is in fact repeatedly shown to be ASHAMED of his virginity once he allows himself to think about sex at all. The other characters in the book all either pity him or mock him, and the only one who doesn't is actually a con-artist who is using Quentin's psychological issues against him. THIS BOOK ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT PREACH PRE-MARITAL SEXUAL ABSTINENCE.
2) There is ONE mention of homosexuality in the entire book. And sorry, folks. It ain't anti-gay. A 34 year-old American male who is childless, has never married, has never had a girlfriend, has never even had a DATE, being asked by his Baby Boomer father if he is gay and then assuring his father that he is not -- that isn't "anti-homosexuality." That's life. That happens. And the scene doesn't even present homosexuality as a bad thing, just something which they both feel awkward discussing. Which makes perfect sense since A) it's a father talking to his potentially-closeted son, and B) this is set in the mid-1990s. Heck, the 1993 "Seinfeld" episode "The Outing" (which famously gave us the catch-phrase "Not that there's anything wrong with that...") had more genuine anti-homsexuality, even though the point of that episode was to criticize American homophobia. THIS BOOK IS NOT ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY.
3) This book is emphatically anti-male and pro-female, and pretty much spits on traditional gender norms. But in that reductionist way that 2nd & 3rd Wave Feminism so often encouraged. There is only ONE bad female character in the entire book, and even she is presented as the victim of misunderstanding and deception which led her to believe lies. Women are repeatedly presented as smarter, more interesting, more powerful and more important than men. Women are presented as having agency, while men are merely tossed about by the whims of women. The entire book hinges on male characters being little more than tools for use by powerful women, and even the scene in which the male protagonist "wins" only allows him to "win" because all the women around him told him what to do and then did all the actual work after he'd played his minor part. The ultimate evil in the book? Male. And it and its kind possess human men and turn them into murderous psychopathic demagogues. The only actual murderer in this book? A man. His victim? A woman. And how does he pay for his crime? Well, he shoots himself in the head and is then riddled with bullets by cops. Furthermore, this book emphatically depicts traditional gender norms as stultifying and outmoded; the primary female protagonist is a strong, smart, powerful, principled career woman, and she has a monologue all about how her contributions are dismissed by her foolishly out-of-date baby-crazy family which only cares about her sisters because they have children. And at no point is that contradicted. The audience is meant to understand that she is right, that her family is wrong, and that the rest of the world needs to get with the program. It's not subtle. THIS BOOK DOES NOT ENDORSE TRADITIONAL GENDER NORMS.
4) The "Witches" in this book are presented as people who are part of a morally neutral bloodline which grants them supernatural powers, more like Marvel Comics' X-Men. Most of them are positive figures, flawed and human, but good and dedicated to stopping evil supernatural entities from intruding into the mortal realm. In fact, the book goes into detail about how ignorant Christians and Jews and Muslims (and Nazis) have been wrongfully persecuting these innocent witches over the centuries. And how persecution of (female) witches is actually a tool of demonic (male) entities who twist human (male) leaders to their dark ends in a quest to destroy the powerful (female) witches who oppose them. The human (male) protagonist is only there as a pawn in a struggle between powerful (female) witches, all of whom know more and know better than him. Witches = good. Humans = weak. Witch-burning = demonic. THIS BOOK IS NOT ANTI-WITCH PROPAGANDA.
But you wouldn't know any of that if you read many of the reviews on Goodreads.
*twitch*
Here're a few rebuttals [SPOILERS AHEAD!]:
1) After losing the big sister he idolized to a freak car accident when he was a boy, the protagonist Quentin closes himself off to human relationships -- especially with the opposite sex. He has no friends. He even comments about how sad it is that his "closest friend" is his lawyer, whose "friendship" is openly based on the money Quentin pays him to BE his lawyer. He never marries, he never has children, and he never even goes on a date. He devotes all his time to work and study. And it's REPEATEDLY hammered home that his pre-marital sexual abstinence and naivete are signs of his warped psychological reaction to losing his teenaged sister. It's explicitly stated that he uses morality as an excuse, but even he knows he's just covering up for his own social and sexual dysfunctions. About 1/4 of the way into the book, he even openly admits to himself that he has isolated himself from romance and sex because of his quasi-incestuous obsession with his dead sister. Furthermore, at no point is he proud of his life choices, and he is in fact repeatedly shown to be ASHAMED of his virginity once he allows himself to think about sex at all. The other characters in the book all either pity him or mock him, and the only one who doesn't is actually a con-artist who is using Quentin's psychological issues against him. THIS BOOK ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT PREACH PRE-MARITAL SEXUAL ABSTINENCE.
2) There is ONE mention of homosexuality in the entire book. And sorry, folks. It ain't anti-gay. A 34 year-old American male who is childless, has never married, has never had a girlfriend, has never even had a DATE, being asked by his Baby Boomer father if he is gay and then assuring his father that he is not -- that isn't "anti-homosexuality." That's life. That happens. And the scene doesn't even present homosexuality as a bad thing, just something which they both feel awkward discussing. Which makes perfect sense since A) it's a father talking to his potentially-closeted son, and B) this is set in the mid-1990s. Heck, the 1993 "Seinfeld" episode "The Outing" (which famously gave us the catch-phrase "Not that there's anything wrong with that...") had more genuine anti-homsexuality, even though the point of that episode was to criticize American homophobia. THIS BOOK IS NOT ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY.
3) This book is emphatically anti-male and pro-female, and pretty much spits on traditional gender norms. But in that reductionist way that 2nd & 3rd Wave Feminism so often encouraged. There is only ONE bad female character in the entire book, and even she is presented as the victim of misunderstanding and deception which led her to believe lies. Women are repeatedly presented as smarter, more interesting, more powerful and more important than men. Women are presented as having agency, while men are merely tossed about by the whims of women. The entire book hinges on male characters being little more than tools for use by powerful women, and even the scene in which the male protagonist "wins" only allows him to "win" because all the women around him told him what to do and then did all the actual work after he'd played his minor part. The ultimate evil in the book? Male. And it and its kind possess human men and turn them into murderous psychopathic demagogues. The only actual murderer in this book? A man. His victim? A woman. And how does he pay for his crime? Well, he shoots himself in the head and is then riddled with bullets by cops. Furthermore, this book emphatically depicts traditional gender norms as stultifying and outmoded; the primary female protagonist is a strong, smart, powerful, principled career woman, and she has a monologue all about how her contributions are dismissed by her foolishly out-of-date baby-crazy family which only cares about her sisters because they have children. And at no point is that contradicted. The audience is meant to understand that she is right, that her family is wrong, and that the rest of the world needs to get with the program. It's not subtle. THIS BOOK DOES NOT ENDORSE TRADITIONAL GENDER NORMS.
4) The "Witches" in this book are presented as people who are part of a morally neutral bloodline which grants them supernatural powers, more like Marvel Comics' X-Men. Most of them are positive figures, flawed and human, but good and dedicated to stopping evil supernatural entities from intruding into the mortal realm. In fact, the book goes into detail about how ignorant Christians and Jews and Muslims (and Nazis) have been wrongfully persecuting these innocent witches over the centuries. And how persecution of (female) witches is actually a tool of demonic (male) entities who twist human (male) leaders to their dark ends in a quest to destroy the powerful (female) witches who oppose them. The human (male) protagonist is only there as a pawn in a struggle between powerful (female) witches, all of whom know more and know better than him. Witches = good. Humans = weak. Witch-burning = demonic. THIS BOOK IS NOT ANTI-WITCH PROPAGANDA.
But you wouldn't know any of that if you read many of the reviews on Goodreads.
*twitch*
December 31, 2008
This book has the most disappointing conclusion I have ever read. It's bad while you read it, but then the ending is stupid and negates the entire story.
I'm going to ruin the ending now, in hope that you never read it:
The story is about a man who gets stuck in a ghost house.
In the end, it turns out that when he was shopping in at a grocery store at the beginning of the novel, the main character was annoyed that a child in line with its mother behind him was screaming and throwing a tantrum.
Well, he shouldn't have been annoyed, because that was a magic child that can read minds. The magic child took offense to his annoyance, and made him go crazy and think that he was in a ghost house.
The end.
Lesson learned: never read Orson Scott Card again.
I'm going to ruin the ending now, in hope that you never read it:
The story is about a man who gets stuck in a ghost house.
In the end, it turns out that when he was shopping in at a grocery store at the beginning of the novel, the main character was annoyed that a child in line with its mother behind him was screaming and throwing a tantrum.
Well, he shouldn't have been annoyed, because that was a magic child that can read minds. The magic child took offense to his annoyance, and made him go crazy and think that he was in a ghost house.
The end.
Lesson learned: never read Orson Scott Card again.
October 21, 2015
Read this years ago, but did not find it as engaging as other OSC books. I have become used to being thoroughly enthralled by his work since the days ofEnder's game, so was disappointed. *
OSC has been one of my favorite authors. But now, I am distressed. A while back, I was confronted by a dilemma with author I had read, and had liked (for that kind of thriller book.) He did something which appalled me, enough so so that I swore I would never buy another of his books again (which was not hard as I don't think I'd ever bought one before. My reads were from the library or given to me.) In fact, I went back and even made an entry in ALL my BookCrossing books saying that I have stopped reading this author as I find him morally reprehensible. Shame really, because I did like some of his works. I added, in my journal entry to each book, "Any future books registered to my BookCrossing shelf will be ones given to me to bookcross. I will not put a dime in his pocket ever again." If you're interested the author was Michael Crichton (and yes, I am aware he died last week, but it still doesn't change things for me) and the explanation of why I was upset with him is here.
Well, now, an author who is actually a favorite author of mine is making statements that I also find appalling. And frightening. And somewhat nutso. At least according to Brian Trent of the Independent Examiner. The full commentary is here. (And yes, I realize one of the links points to a 2004 article.)
Orson Scott Card, I am deeply disappointed in you.
* Note added in 2013, probably some 15 years after I read the book: Another goodreader is distressed that I didn't say why I didn't like the book. Frankly, I don't remember. Best guess? It's billed as horror, and I'm not a fan of that genre. But that's a guess, that's all. Had goodreads existed back when I read the book, I would have used it instead of keeping a list of titles in a notebook, with a personal rating system to record my end reaction to each book. When I joined goodreads, I entered in the books in the notebook so I could keep am electronic record of some of my reading. The world is imperfect. Live with it.
OSC has been one of my favorite authors. But now, I am distressed. A while back, I was confronted by a dilemma with author I had read, and had liked (for that kind of thriller book.) He did something which appalled me, enough so so that I swore I would never buy another of his books again (which was not hard as I don't think I'd ever bought one before. My reads were from the library or given to me.) In fact, I went back and even made an entry in ALL my BookCrossing books saying that I have stopped reading this author as I find him morally reprehensible. Shame really, because I did like some of his works. I added, in my journal entry to each book, "Any future books registered to my BookCrossing shelf will be ones given to me to bookcross. I will not put a dime in his pocket ever again." If you're interested the author was Michael Crichton (and yes, I am aware he died last week, but it still doesn't change things for me) and the explanation of why I was upset with him is here.
Well, now, an author who is actually a favorite author of mine is making statements that I also find appalling. And frightening. And somewhat nutso. At least according to Brian Trent of the Independent Examiner. The full commentary is here. (And yes, I realize one of the links points to a 2004 article.)
Orson Scott Card, I am deeply disappointed in you.
* Note added in 2013, probably some 15 years after I read the book: Another goodreader is distressed that I didn't say why I didn't like the book. Frankly, I don't remember. Best guess? It's billed as horror, and I'm not a fan of that genre. But that's a guess, that's all. Had goodreads existed back when I read the book, I would have used it instead of keeping a list of titles in a notebook, with a personal rating system to record my end reaction to each book. When I joined goodreads, I entered in the books in the notebook so I could keep am electronic record of some of my reading. The world is imperfect. Live with it.
June 9, 2010
I’ve really liked other works by Card, but Treasure Box was a dreadful disappointment. I rarely don’t finish a book, but I came extremely close to doing so mid-way through. On the surface, it has a good plot. Between the covers, it slugs along slowly before eventually speeding up to a climax, and not a very good one at that. The writing falls short of what I’ve come to like about Card’s writing. It’s considered horror-fantasy, but it’s more like fiction with a few horror and fantasy elements. What humor exists was akin to poor delivery of bad jokes.
The story comes off as a soapbox for Card to preach, more so than in anything else I’ve read, including his Biblical fiction Rebekah. Among the anti-homosexuality remarks, Quentin swears to his father he’s not gay. He also makes a big deal about saving sex for when he’s married to the right woman. Adding to the holier-than-thou attitude, while driving during a severe snowstorm, Quentin sees a beacon of light, a brilliantly lit Mormon temple. By the way, Card is a very devout Mormon. That's fine, but the topper is the ignorant attitude towards Paganism. Not only does he group Satanists and Witches together, Card also compares those who Witches hold in their hearts to Hitler. When mentioning the Wicked Witch of the West, there’s no mention of Glenda because there couldn’t possibly be anything good about Witches.
Treasure Box left behind such a rancid taste. I usually have a hard time parting with books, but I dumped the preacher’s box as soon as possible. I’ll stick to Card's older sci-fi works. I might also just finish the Ender series and call it quits on Card.
The story comes off as a soapbox for Card to preach, more so than in anything else I’ve read, including his Biblical fiction Rebekah. Among the anti-homosexuality remarks, Quentin swears to his father he’s not gay. He also makes a big deal about saving sex for when he’s married to the right woman. Adding to the holier-than-thou attitude, while driving during a severe snowstorm, Quentin sees a beacon of light, a brilliantly lit Mormon temple. By the way, Card is a very devout Mormon. That's fine, but the topper is the ignorant attitude towards Paganism. Not only does he group Satanists and Witches together, Card also compares those who Witches hold in their hearts to Hitler. When mentioning the Wicked Witch of the West, there’s no mention of Glenda because there couldn’t possibly be anything good about Witches.
Treasure Box left behind such a rancid taste. I usually have a hard time parting with books, but I dumped the preacher’s box as soon as possible. I’ll stick to Card's older sci-fi works. I might also just finish the Ender series and call it quits on Card.
October 17, 2011
Card makes his political leanings a little more overt in this book, probably because it's set in the year 1996, but he can be forgiven because he's given us such a riveting story. As a young boy, Quentin Fears wrestled with his parent's decision to pull the plug on his teenage sister after a car accident left her brain dead, and he's never really recovered. Now a millionaire with no real purpose, he is searching for some meaning in life. He meets Madeleine, who seems like the perfect woman, and very reminiscent of the deceased Lizzy, and quickly marries her. Unfortunately, Madeleine is on a quest for power that will take Quentin places he is not prepared to go, with a very supernatural twist, as it's not just political power the woman who seeks to control him is after.
I thought the character of Quentin was very well-developed, even though Quentin himself is not a very well-developed person. However, he does a lot of growing throughout the tale and becomes very dynamic. When the novel begins it's turn from rather ordinary tale of grief and loss into the realm of the metaphysical, it really gets intriguing. I ended up not being able to do anything but finish this book, ignoring friends at the bar, and my husband on a road trip until I reached the end.
I thought the character of Quentin was very well-developed, even though Quentin himself is not a very well-developed person. However, he does a lot of growing throughout the tale and becomes very dynamic. When the novel begins it's turn from rather ordinary tale of grief and loss into the realm of the metaphysical, it really gets intriguing. I ended up not being able to do anything but finish this book, ignoring friends at the bar, and my husband on a road trip until I reached the end.
December 18, 2007
OK, not all of my books will be from Orson Scott Card but damn I loved this book. It is about this guy who got fairly suddenly rich through stocks or tech or something and then he goes around seeding other business ventures and basically being uber wealthy but in a geeky way which is fun to read about. But of course, being sci-fi he is haunted and crap and other stuff happens but I liked it mostly from a purely capitalistic angle. =)
August 21, 2011
This book felt so predictable to be like Pandora's Box all over again.
December 27, 2025
The writing in the first half of the book is well-paced and intriguing, but the believability of the story quickly deteriorates in the rest of the story.
Unlike other supernatural novels, there’s not a defined explanation for why or how magic happens.
The pacing in the last few chapters feels extremely rushed.
I love OS Card and enjoyed the first half, but was disappointed by the second half.
Unlike other supernatural novels, there’s not a defined explanation for why or how magic happens.
The pacing in the last few chapters feels extremely rushed.
I love OS Card and enjoyed the first half, but was disappointed by the second half.
January 10, 2019
Muy buen Scott Card como siempre. Una novela que empieza muy costumbrista y que acaba revolcando tus ideas preconcebidas por el suelo. Otra vez se notan los cameos de historias de su día a día en sus tramas, lo que hace ganar fuerza al relato. La trama en sí se hace amena sin ser de obra maestra. Lo bueno como siempre el tratamiento en conjunto de la novela por el autor.
December 13, 2023
I haven't read any books by this author but am aware of the hugely best selling Ender series. This one had a premise that sounded promising and I was in the mood for something spooky. I was so bored by this story I almost didn't finish it. There wasn't one character with any real depth or personality that I could care about. I skimmed the last half of the book just to see where the heck the story was going. Now part of the reveal was scary but not in the right way....who Madeleine really was. Yuck!
August 3, 2020
OKAY. So listen up.
I didn't hate this book in the same way that I don't hate the movie Sharknado, it was such a train-wreck. I wanted to keep reading to see how far my levels of incredulity could go. The plot line and genre of this book kept on changing. Rather than a full-fledged story it seemed like an unedited dream, like Orson just woke up one day and wrote down his strange dream, and didn't decide to make any more sense at all.
If I hadn't read the description of this book I would have though I was reading a political drama/mystery until HALFWAY THROUGH it turns out to be some sort of filler Supernatural episode with an unfulfilling ending.
I had a lot of problems (spoilers ahead):
1) the reason he first is attracted to his future wife is because she reminds him of his dead older sister
2) His wife turns out to be a power-hungry politician
3) Then it turns out, his wife doesn't actually exist
4) His wife is actually a succubus created by a witch to trick him into opening a box that contains the devil
5) We thought it was an adult witch, but the witch is actually 10 years old, meaning, he was technically married to a ten year old. This kid was also using his sister's spirit to draw him in.
So if you can get past the fact that his marriage was technically both pedophilia and incest without him realizing it, and feel comfortable with that, the rest of the story is not great either.
Again, the action only really starts on about page 150, and then a character that the author tries to get you attached to for all of 10 pages dies unnecessarily.
None of the lore is explained, you're just supposed to somehow pick it up. I just don't understand how this book came to be. Like his writing is good, his characters are also pretty good, this book is just using none of Orson's skills in the right proportions.
I didn't hate this book in the same way that I don't hate the movie Sharknado, it was such a train-wreck. I wanted to keep reading to see how far my levels of incredulity could go. The plot line and genre of this book kept on changing. Rather than a full-fledged story it seemed like an unedited dream, like Orson just woke up one day and wrote down his strange dream, and didn't decide to make any more sense at all.
If I hadn't read the description of this book I would have though I was reading a political drama/mystery until HALFWAY THROUGH it turns out to be some sort of filler Supernatural episode with an unfulfilling ending.
I had a lot of problems (spoilers ahead):
1) the reason he first is attracted to his future wife is because she reminds him of his dead older sister
2) His wife turns out to be a power-hungry politician
3) Then it turns out, his wife doesn't actually exist
4) His wife is actually a succubus created by a witch to trick him into opening a box that contains the devil
5) We thought it was an adult witch, but the witch is actually 10 years old, meaning, he was technically married to a ten year old. This kid was also using his sister's spirit to draw him in.
So if you can get past the fact that his marriage was technically both pedophilia and incest without him realizing it, and feel comfortable with that, the rest of the story is not great either.
Again, the action only really starts on about page 150, and then a character that the author tries to get you attached to for all of 10 pages dies unnecessarily.
None of the lore is explained, you're just supposed to somehow pick it up. I just don't understand how this book came to be. Like his writing is good, his characters are also pretty good, this book is just using none of Orson's skills in the right proportions.
September 30, 2023
De las peores novelas que he leído del autor.
Quentin es un hombre multimillonario, no se sabe por qué porque el que sea rico o no no cambia nada de la novela, que perdió a su hermana cuando era niño y está traumatizado aún de adulto por ello.
Rozando el incesto un día conoce a una mujer que le recuerda a su hermana y al poco tiempo, obsesionado, se casa con ella.
La historia se complicará cuando su nueva esposa le lleve a conocer a su familia y Quentin se vea forzado a abrir un cofre extraño.
A partir de aquí la historia se vuelve incluso más absurda con brujas, demonios, dragones, súcubos...
En fin, una sarta infumable de cosas a nivel literario. No puedo recomendar esta lectura.
Quentin es un hombre multimillonario, no se sabe por qué porque el que sea rico o no no cambia nada de la novela, que perdió a su hermana cuando era niño y está traumatizado aún de adulto por ello.
Rozando el incesto un día conoce a una mujer que le recuerda a su hermana y al poco tiempo, obsesionado, se casa con ella.
La historia se complicará cuando su nueva esposa le lleve a conocer a su familia y Quentin se vea forzado a abrir un cofre extraño.
A partir de aquí la historia se vuelve incluso más absurda con brujas, demonios, dragones, súcubos...
En fin, una sarta infumable de cosas a nivel literario. No puedo recomendar esta lectura.
October 26, 2022
This book was a real surprise to me. Having read much of Card's sci-fi I was not expecting a Halloween and witches' book. Good story! Card is a great story teller. The story was a page-turner. I just wish it did not enter into the world of the demonic.
May 28, 2015
Orson Scott Card is one of my father’s favorite authors. I liked the film adaption of his Ender’s Game. Before immersing myself in that series, I wanted to test the waters with one of Card's only standalone novels, Treasure Box. Interestingly, when I asked my dad what he remembered from this particular novel, his words were few. After reading it, I’m not too surprised. Treasure Box is more horrific in genre, compared to the science-fiction Card is best known for. With this in mind, it’s difficult writing a review. Worse, I had mixed feelings about it.
After taking a day to try to absorb Treasure Box in its entirety, I have decided it is best understood as a book of thirds. Each third tells an individual story, culminating to an incomplete package. The first section is about Quentin Fears and his increasingly quarantined life. Within the first pages of Treasure Box, his sister Lizzy dies, due to reckless driving. It’s unclear whether her friend or her is driving, but this detail isn't particularly important - it’s that his sister, his best friend, counselor, and fellow reader, is suddenly gone.
Until Lizzy speaks to him. Lizzy urges Quentin to continue living, reading, and enjoying life, as it’s better than the alternative. His adolescence and young adulthood is breezed through, from his turn to books for comfort, to his successes in college, to his quick millionaire status. This first section was paced quickly, as many physical things happen. Card doesn't give too many details about Quentin’s emotional turmoil, which is surprising, as Lizzy and Quentin were (are) best friends. Instead, Lizzy plays a role throughout the novel, as Quentin learns who she really is.
The next and last sections show Quentin getting older. In his thirties, he has plenty of money from investments and his quick career as an IT professional. Though he has seemingly everything, he longs for Lizzy, as he thinks it’s the only love he’s ever known. He begins seeing her everywhere, until he’s introduced to a beautiful, witty woman named Madeleine. Within two weeks of meeting, they are engaged. However, she’s not everything she seems. She’s on a quest for power through politics yet remains homeless and unemployed, she won’t let Quentin meet her family, and when she walks, she doesn't leave footprints. Upon meeting her family, even more questions arise. Who is Madeleine? Lizzy? And what becomes of Quentin?
Naturally, Orson Scott Card’s Treasure Box holds some surprises, but the climax was tame, despite Quentin’s depth. Additionally, each female character serves a singular purpose, helping or hurting a man, so that was frustrating. The revelation of Madeleine’s identity was revolting and even insulting. As such, Card gets preachy when mixing religion and magic. Is it worth opening this treasure box? Honestly, I’m not sure.
After taking a day to try to absorb Treasure Box in its entirety, I have decided it is best understood as a book of thirds. Each third tells an individual story, culminating to an incomplete package. The first section is about Quentin Fears and his increasingly quarantined life. Within the first pages of Treasure Box, his sister Lizzy dies, due to reckless driving. It’s unclear whether her friend or her is driving, but this detail isn't particularly important - it’s that his sister, his best friend, counselor, and fellow reader, is suddenly gone.
Until Lizzy speaks to him. Lizzy urges Quentin to continue living, reading, and enjoying life, as it’s better than the alternative. His adolescence and young adulthood is breezed through, from his turn to books for comfort, to his successes in college, to his quick millionaire status. This first section was paced quickly, as many physical things happen. Card doesn't give too many details about Quentin’s emotional turmoil, which is surprising, as Lizzy and Quentin were (are) best friends. Instead, Lizzy plays a role throughout the novel, as Quentin learns who she really is.
The next and last sections show Quentin getting older. In his thirties, he has plenty of money from investments and his quick career as an IT professional. Though he has seemingly everything, he longs for Lizzy, as he thinks it’s the only love he’s ever known. He begins seeing her everywhere, until he’s introduced to a beautiful, witty woman named Madeleine. Within two weeks of meeting, they are engaged. However, she’s not everything she seems. She’s on a quest for power through politics yet remains homeless and unemployed, she won’t let Quentin meet her family, and when she walks, she doesn't leave footprints. Upon meeting her family, even more questions arise. Who is Madeleine? Lizzy? And what becomes of Quentin?
Naturally, Orson Scott Card’s Treasure Box holds some surprises, but the climax was tame, despite Quentin’s depth. Additionally, each female character serves a singular purpose, helping or hurting a man, so that was frustrating. The revelation of Madeleine’s identity was revolting and even insulting. As such, Card gets preachy when mixing religion and magic. Is it worth opening this treasure box? Honestly, I’m not sure.
January 6, 2011
Orson Scott Card's Treasure Box is a fascinating supernatural thriller about a naive millionaire who meets and marries the love of his life, only to find that she is not what she seems. I won't spoil the plot for you, but suffice to say that this novel is full of twists and turns, with plenty of richly textured characters to keep things interesting. Definitely the best of Card's thrillers. My only complaint about the writing is that virtually every character seemed to constantly quote from English literature, even when it made no sense for them to be able to do so. Evidently Card had English literature on the brain when he was writing this.
As a side note, some readers may be interested to learn that some of the ideas in the book come from Card's Mormon faith. I refer especially to the idea that disembodied spirits are less powerful than embodied ones, because they can't directly affect the physical world. One of the foundational teachings of Mormonism is that we came to this earth to receive physical bodies so that we could eventually become deified. Another Mormon concept in the novel is that summoning the dead requires use of the person's true name. Mormons believe that husbands will call their wives forth from the dead on the day of resurrection by invoking their sacred temple names.
As a side note, some readers may be interested to learn that some of the ideas in the book come from Card's Mormon faith. I refer especially to the idea that disembodied spirits are less powerful than embodied ones, because they can't directly affect the physical world. One of the foundational teachings of Mormonism is that we came to this earth to receive physical bodies so that we could eventually become deified. Another Mormon concept in the novel is that summoning the dead requires use of the person's true name. Mormons believe that husbands will call their wives forth from the dead on the day of resurrection by invoking their sacred temple names.
October 23, 2018
Treasure Box by Orson Scott Card
I found this gem of a book on a recent journey to a used bookstore. I consider my self a long time fan of Mr. Card ever since I read Ender’s Game. I thought I had read most of his work. Until I discovered this one, published in 1996. Don’t know how I missed it.
It’s a ghost story with the ultimate paranormal twist where our hero ends up fighting evil incarnate.
The story is full of Mr. Card’s talent as a storyteller. The hero, Quentin Fears, is real and believable as a billionaire recluse who seems to have found true love until he discovers the woman of his life is a witch using him to release the ultimate of evil into the world.
All of the characters show Mr. Card’s gift of creating fascinating people who must deal with a world that is unlike anything they’ve ever experienced. The story world is anchored in America, but the invasion of the paranormal left me gasping. Mr. Card knows how to put the reader into a story and then surprise him with twists and turns. When you finish the book, you have the experience of a story that took you on a marvelous and horrifying to journey to an unexpected yet satisfying end.
I found this gem of a book on a recent journey to a used bookstore. I consider my self a long time fan of Mr. Card ever since I read Ender’s Game. I thought I had read most of his work. Until I discovered this one, published in 1996. Don’t know how I missed it.
It’s a ghost story with the ultimate paranormal twist where our hero ends up fighting evil incarnate.
The story is full of Mr. Card’s talent as a storyteller. The hero, Quentin Fears, is real and believable as a billionaire recluse who seems to have found true love until he discovers the woman of his life is a witch using him to release the ultimate of evil into the world.
All of the characters show Mr. Card’s gift of creating fascinating people who must deal with a world that is unlike anything they’ve ever experienced. The story world is anchored in America, but the invasion of the paranormal left me gasping. Mr. Card knows how to put the reader into a story and then surprise him with twists and turns. When you finish the book, you have the experience of a story that took you on a marvelous and horrifying to journey to an unexpected yet satisfying end.
December 2, 2014
my first Orson Scott Card book and I love his writing. In this lovely book the author follows a manname Quintin Fears. I know Mr.Card writes SciFi but I didn't want to dive into a book that was too far out I couldn't get into but when I read the book jacket I knew I would fall for a such a plot. And I did! In this plot the main character has a quarky sense of humor. He is grieved with his sister's death and continues his life lonely and rich. And along comes some witches and his life is shaken up. Really this book slightly comes very close to some very taboo situations but not quite. sort reminds me of in twilight saga how wolf imprint on Bella's daughter. yeah seems a little weird that a grown wolf would be in love with an infant. its just an example of how the book sort of rubs close to a weird situation.
This is a quick page turner mystery with ghost and witches with powers.
Anyway I still loved the writing, the plot, and the characters. I can see the movie being in the twilight zone or Alfred Hitchcock's film.
This is a quick page turner mystery with ghost and witches with powers.
Anyway I still loved the writing, the plot, and the characters. I can see the movie being in the twilight zone or Alfred Hitchcock's film.
November 1, 2011
This just isn't the best story to come from Card. Nothing compared to his Ender works. That isn't to say that there is no value in reading this book. It has a slower beginning, moving through some needed character establishment before the story really gets started. There are some really interesting characters and some unexpected plot turns. I'm only giving it 3 stars because of the beginning and the ending. Neither are terrible, but they didn't really sing either. The ending seemed a little anti-climatic, too easy for my taste. With all the building up, I simply expected there to be more to the bad guy. Overall, I enjoyed the book. As always, Card has a wonderful writing style that is a pleasure to read.
April 29, 2015
Its hard to write a review of one of Card's books without bringing up his politics, so I'll say upfront that I've met him and I've heard him speak and, yes, he is an egotistical hypocritical Ass. He has also been one of the better science fiction/fantasy writers we have had over the past few decades, producing a number of classic works.
"The Treasure Box" is not one of them.
Aside from some preaching about pre-marital sex, it is difficult for me to believe Card even wrote this uneven and, frankly, boring story. The plot just plods along, every single characters is at once both unrealistic and unlikable.... no easy task.
If you want to read a good fantasy book by Card, read "Enchantment". Don't bother to open "The Treasure Box".
"The Treasure Box" is not one of them.
Aside from some preaching about pre-marital sex, it is difficult for me to believe Card even wrote this uneven and, frankly, boring story. The plot just plods along, every single characters is at once both unrealistic and unlikable.... no easy task.
If you want to read a good fantasy book by Card, read "Enchantment". Don't bother to open "The Treasure Box".
June 16, 2019
Witches, succubus, beast, dragon... how many more absurd things could hit fit into one meaningless, strung together story?! Dialogue was horrible at best. Character development almost non-existent. I would keep reading in hopes for something to finally come together and make sense only to be frustrated even more. Should not have wasted my time with this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2022
Many of Orson Scott Card's books are among my all-time favs, but they can't all be winners. My experience of this book can be divided into three sections:
1. Bland, boring protagonist
2. Plot Twist #1 being really interesting, action actually starting to happen
3. Plot Twist #2 being unnecessarily disturbing/sus
So...overall, didn't love it.
1. Bland, boring protagonist
2. Plot Twist #1 being really interesting, action actually starting to happen
3. Plot Twist #2 being unnecessarily disturbing/sus
So...overall, didn't love it.
February 12, 2015
It seems that collaboration stories are much better for OSC. More action, less repeating and themes are little bit different than usual. I could relate with hero of the story, feel the emotions he felt and that made it above average book. Thanks
May 29, 2016
The story is quick. There are 100 pgs. of [actual] setup. The story isn't wondrously original, nor is it painfully cliché. It's a solid, fantatic read with no chance of being life changing - the way all horror is.
Read
December 13, 2007N/A
January 7, 2008
I have read his whole Ender's Game series. But this is so darkly different from all of that. Witches, Dragons, and magic, oh my...
September 16, 2011
Unfortunately after reading this book I decided not to read any more books by this author.
November 11, 2017
absolutely no redeeming qualities. reading this was a chore, and I wish I could get that time back
March 13, 2020
Alright, I get you don’t like women. You didn’t need to use this many pages to say it.
June 21, 2021
I have got to stop reading Orson Scott Card. I loved Ender's Game, but it seems as if I can't enjoy anything else he has written.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews