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Homecoming Saga #3
Ships of Earth: Homecoming: Volume 3: Homecoming: Volume 3
Continuing the saga in THE CALL OF EARTH, planet Harmony's leader, Oversoul, is failing and repair lies light-years distant on planet Earth. Oversoul's chosen people are waiting for the command to make the interstellar ships ready for flight.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 1994
78 people are currently reading
2586 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
891 books20.7k 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
April 24, 2023
The third book in the series focuses more on the relashionships and conflicts between characters.
I got just a little lost in their offspring and their kinship..
I got just a little lost in their offspring and their kinship..
April 15, 2019
I described Book 1 of this series as a sci-fi fantasy blend with interesting worldbuilding and characters. Unfortunately from there it seems to have gone downhill for me.
Book 2 was different, with a few additional interesting characters and a quick read, but book 3 from the start was slower paced, and had a smaller cast of characters. The same characters again and again grew draining, but I persisted, hoping the story might pick up.
It didn't. Sure the characters got from location A to location B with some emotional journey in between (including birthing many children who really didn't have much impact on anything) but it all felt like a waste of time when it was known from the start that it's destination C (or perhaps D) that they're really after. And it was clear they were going to get nowhere close.
Rather than giving up entirely, I still progressed slowly through this book and I intend to finish the series if it doesn't get even slower from here. I'll just have to wait (and then wait some more) and see.
Book 2 was different, with a few additional interesting characters and a quick read, but book 3 from the start was slower paced, and had a smaller cast of characters. The same characters again and again grew draining, but I persisted, hoping the story might pick up.
It didn't. Sure the characters got from location A to location B with some emotional journey in between (including birthing many children who really didn't have much impact on anything) but it all felt like a waste of time when it was known from the start that it's destination C (or perhaps D) that they're really after. And it was clear they were going to get nowhere close.
Rather than giving up entirely, I still progressed slowly through this book and I intend to finish the series if it doesn't get even slower from here. I'll just have to wait (and then wait some more) and see.
May 2, 2022
Middle child syndrome. Desperately misses a central antagonist.
November 4, 2007
The Oversoul, a computer built by humans escaping the destruction of Earth's ability to support life, has been guiding human evolution over the last 40 billion years to better be able to communicate with it and calm their destructive tendencies. Now the Keeper of Earth is calling that it is time to recolonize Earth. A group of 16 colonists has been selected by the Oversoul for being the top of its selective evolutionary process, but that does not mean that they are inclined to work together or even for the Oversoul's goals.
There where a bunch of ideas here that you could really go on about in some length. One of them that could provide some particularly interesting conversation is the change from the characters living in a serial monogamous matriarchal culture to that of a permanent monogamous patriarchal one. Although the author does not present either matriarchal or patriarchal systems as superior, he does seem to have strong feelings about monogamy and homosexuality.
I actually managed to read this book all the way to the last page without realizing that it was the 3rd book in the Homecoming Series. Card leaves no gaps though, and it is perfectly readable without feeling that you are missing anything.
There where a bunch of ideas here that you could really go on about in some length. One of them that could provide some particularly interesting conversation is the change from the characters living in a serial monogamous matriarchal culture to that of a permanent monogamous patriarchal one. Although the author does not present either matriarchal or patriarchal systems as superior, he does seem to have strong feelings about monogamy and homosexuality.
I actually managed to read this book all the way to the last page without realizing that it was the 3rd book in the Homecoming Series. Card leaves no gaps though, and it is perfectly readable without feeling that you are missing anything.
March 3, 2025
This is one long study of characters and a bridging novel between the newly formed tribe of characters moving to the “promised land” in an homage to Exodus (and it reads like a biblical account of Exodus complete with the Index having its own tent like the Ark) and the departing of the reluctant crew back to Earth. I am beginning to see that this series follows the Torah’s account of Genesis/Exodus with a little technology in between.
I was bored with the tedium of artificial interpersonal relationships, establishment of an epic lineage via the naming of places and new babies, and the constant squabbles between melodramatic characters. I mean, it’s a family on a pilgrimage “out of Egypt” aka Harmony, so I get it, there’s bound to be conflict and discord, but seriously, it’s more tedious than the actual Exodus narrative.
Added to this, Card’s ability to write a gay character is abysmal and clouded by his own religious (LDS) lens. Granted, he deals lovingly with said homosexual character and even offers them a sort of LDS redemption because he becomes a father (producing children is a great way to ensure deification in the Church) and loves his wife in an idealized asexual way which is exalted beyond what the other husbands are able to provide. He calls attention to the dangerousness of being gay on Harmony and even writes of the brutality displayed hate crimes against gay characters—something he did in “Songmaster” as well.
Bravo, Card!
In this way, Card is being as understanding as he can given his spiritual orientation to homosexuality. He even situates homosexuality in hormonal changes in-utero that alters the hypothalamus instead of pointing to the cultural origins (socialization and choice factors) of homosexuality. He does not go so far as to say homosexuality is genetic and he is careful to consider that in the text but dismiss it based on his hormone theory. Fine. But, I don’t know that his particular style of embrace of a gay man in this text does any justice to the reality of homosexuality/homosexuals.
At any rate, the positives of this book come, much like the last volume, at the end, when all the action takes place. It’s too little too late for me, though…
Onto the next installment.
I was bored with the tedium of artificial interpersonal relationships, establishment of an epic lineage via the naming of places and new babies, and the constant squabbles between melodramatic characters. I mean, it’s a family on a pilgrimage “out of Egypt” aka Harmony, so I get it, there’s bound to be conflict and discord, but seriously, it’s more tedious than the actual Exodus narrative.
Added to this, Card’s ability to write a gay character is abysmal and clouded by his own religious (LDS) lens. Granted, he deals lovingly with said homosexual character and even offers them a sort of LDS redemption because he becomes a father (producing children is a great way to ensure deification in the Church) and loves his wife in an idealized asexual way which is exalted beyond what the other husbands are able to provide. He calls attention to the dangerousness of being gay on Harmony and even writes of the brutality displayed hate crimes against gay characters—something he did in “Songmaster” as well.
Bravo, Card!
In this way, Card is being as understanding as he can given his spiritual orientation to homosexuality. He even situates homosexuality in hormonal changes in-utero that alters the hypothalamus instead of pointing to the cultural origins (socialization and choice factors) of homosexuality. He does not go so far as to say homosexuality is genetic and he is careful to consider that in the text but dismiss it based on his hormone theory. Fine. But, I don’t know that his particular style of embrace of a gay man in this text does any justice to the reality of homosexuality/homosexuals.
At any rate, the positives of this book come, much like the last volume, at the end, when all the action takes place. It’s too little too late for me, though…
Onto the next installment.
November 21, 2025
This has been my least favourite in this series so far. Not that it wasn't good. I liked who I was supposed to like, I fiercely hated who I was supposed to hate, and overall the plot was fun. For me, though, the first two books were fascinating because of Basillica and the politics surrounding that place. Now, in a book without any of that, I had to find something else to love about this book. Fortunately the next book will have some space in it and I know that's going to be interesting. I'm looking forward to diving in.
June 11, 2023
The Ships of Earth is the third installment of the five book series called Homecoming. The planet Harmony is inhabited by humans who are the descendants of people who fled a ruined earth a long time ago, and which is monitored by an orbiting satellite / master computer called the Oversoul. Somehow, all the people of Harmony are genetically altered so that the Oversoul can speak to their minds and influence their thoughts and actions. This was all set up by original settlers so that the Oversoul could maintain peace on the planet, and prevent the invention of certain technologies which would lead to weaponry, etc., which lead to the downfall of Earth. Well, the Oversoul is getting old and worn down and it is losing its ability to perform its duties, and things are starting to unravel on Harmony.
In The Ships of Earth, the Oversoul puts its plan in to place to have a selected group leave the main city of Basilica and make a years-long perilous journey to Vusadka to where the ships from Earth used to carry humans to Harmony are hidden away in the desert. The group would then make a trip to Earth with their portable Oversoul called the Index to obtain hardware and software upgrades necessary to save the aging Oversoul and re-establish harmony on Harmony. The main characters are the same as the prior two novels with some other peripheral characters thrown in to round out the cast and add conflict and tension to the group, and to provide enough people for paring up and reproducing as additional generations would be essential for the long trip to be successful.
Unlike the first two novels, this one really seemed to drag about a third of the way through all the way to the last few chapters, when the trek was finally completed. It was a slog. There was a lot of dawdling in the desert and the plot moved at a snails pace, I suppose in part to flesh out the new characters and also to establish new conflicts and crises. But the ending saved it for me - the tension peaked just as the Earth ships were discovered and I welcomed the novel's return to science fiction from desert drudgery. It was a little bit Dune (although I shudder to reference that absolute masterpiece in this review) and a lot Book of Mormon as this this series is typically compared to. It entertained me enough to go out and grab the fourth of the five installments. So I'll trudge on and see what happens next.
In The Ships of Earth, the Oversoul puts its plan in to place to have a selected group leave the main city of Basilica and make a years-long perilous journey to Vusadka to where the ships from Earth used to carry humans to Harmony are hidden away in the desert. The group would then make a trip to Earth with their portable Oversoul called the Index to obtain hardware and software upgrades necessary to save the aging Oversoul and re-establish harmony on Harmony. The main characters are the same as the prior two novels with some other peripheral characters thrown in to round out the cast and add conflict and tension to the group, and to provide enough people for paring up and reproducing as additional generations would be essential for the long trip to be successful.
Unlike the first two novels, this one really seemed to drag about a third of the way through all the way to the last few chapters, when the trek was finally completed. It was a slog. There was a lot of dawdling in the desert and the plot moved at a snails pace, I suppose in part to flesh out the new characters and also to establish new conflicts and crises. But the ending saved it for me - the tension peaked just as the Earth ships were discovered and I welcomed the novel's return to science fiction from desert drudgery. It was a little bit Dune (although I shudder to reference that absolute masterpiece in this review) and a lot Book of Mormon as this this series is typically compared to. It entertained me enough to go out and grab the fourth of the five installments. So I'll trudge on and see what happens next.
October 26, 2025
All the dues ex machina gets old after a while, but I’m pretty sure that is the Mormon way.
I liked this quote:
“Maybe when we’re stable and civilized the women decide things, establish the households, the connections between them, create the neighborhoods and the friendships. But when we are nomadic, living lives on the edge of survival, the men rule and brook no interference from the women. Perhaps that’s what civilization means: the dominance of the female over the male.”
I liked this quote:
“Maybe when we’re stable and civilized the women decide things, establish the households, the connections between them, create the neighborhoods and the friendships. But when we are nomadic, living lives on the edge of survival, the men rule and brook no interference from the women. Perhaps that’s what civilization means: the dominance of the female over the male.”
October 10, 2021
A little trouble for the author on this one. At least it came to a reasonable point to conclude. A small part of a long story.
Read
January 9, 2025Most passages in this series read like when you're driving long distance and making up weird scenarios in your head but it gets out of your control and your brain just keeps going on without you.
October 15, 2021
This would not have been a good standalone book, and as a "closer" to a trilogy, it wouldnt work. I guess I will be picking up the fourth book to see where this goes. There wasnt much of a reason to break out books 2 and 3, in hindsight, other than length. 2 has a "conclusion" of sorts that could be seen as the end of the story (if the end of 2 was rewritten). Book 3 is like those movies where they have already started filming the next sequel, and dont actually resolve anything. By itself, 3 is a story of wanderers looking for a MacGuffin, and facing internal and external threats along the way (pretty standard). However, the payoff for 3 is so, so weak, that clearly (again to use the movie analogy), 4 was already in the works.
April 9, 2015
By far the worst book by Mr. Card I've ever read. In the previous books, Mr. Card did a great job weaving political schemes and plots and creating characters who would realistically react to the new and changing situations in which they found themselves. With a cast of only 16 (excluding children) I guess Mr. Card had a hard time figuring out things to talk about as they traveled through the wilderness. He resorted to an unnecessary and shameful (for an LDS author) sex scene. I skipped the track (I listened to the audiobook) and realized that it wasn't over after 3 minutes. I had to skip 4 three-minute tracks before I got beyond the sex. My next biggest complaint is his obsessive need to graphically describe every detail of breast feeding. He did this not only once, but reapeatedly. Then he went on to talk about how every married couple in the group proceeded to make love every night of their marriage. Come on. If you want us to believe your book, make it believable. Lastly, though after everything else it seems paltry, the way in which the Oversoul teaches Nafai to carve a bow is ridiculous. The logic set up on what the Oversoul can and can't do clearly excludes giving Nafai someone else's muscle memory.
Bottom line, this book was a flop. It should have been shortened and combined with either the previous or next book. I'm not even sure I want to finish the series now.
Bottom line, this book was a flop. It should have been shortened and combined with either the previous or next book. I'm not even sure I want to finish the series now.
Read
August 9, 2016I really don't think I can give this book a star rating. I read this entire book through two sets of eyes: the eyes of the twelve-year-old me who first read it, who enjoyed the soap-opera-esque story and the evolution of the characters, and the eyes of the adult me, who went through the entire book with eyebrows raised at the justifications of sexism and the constant refrain of, "Getting married and having lots of babies is the only worthwhile endeavor in life!" I did not remember that aspect of this book, which seems strange in retrospect because that's the single unifying theme that holds these 300+ pages together. It honestly makes me a little afraid to reread Speaker for the Dead, which I count as the single most formative book of my childhood - what would I find in there if I read it now, I wonder?
I'm not sure whether the Cloak of the Starmaster is intended to be a metaphor for mystical union, but I'm leaning towards yes. See, that's one of the things I like about this series - it turns religious themes into science fiction themes without seeming gimmicky about it, which is a difficult thing to do. I think it's because he's not afraid to go all the way with the science fiction elements - the Oversoul comes across like a super-powerful computer, not as a plot device intended to make a point about God.
I'm not sure whether the Cloak of the Starmaster is intended to be a metaphor for mystical union, but I'm leaning towards yes. See, that's one of the things I like about this series - it turns religious themes into science fiction themes without seeming gimmicky about it, which is a difficult thing to do. I think it's because he's not afraid to go all the way with the science fiction elements - the Oversoul comes across like a super-powerful computer, not as a plot device intended to make a point about God.
August 8, 2009
This series gets better as it moves along. In this volume, Volemak leads his family into the desert under the direction of the Oversoul, a satellite computer which was created to prevent mankind from recreating the destruction of earth society on their new home of Harmony. The Oversoul's systems continue to fail allowing the extremes of violence to return to Harmony and he/she has chosen to rescue a select family to return to Earth. The dichotomies between those who choose the right and those who rebel become more pronounced in this volume and Card gives the reader a good deal of intrigue along the way as Elemak constantly plots the death of his younger brother, Nafai. Likewise, Nafai deals with the frustrations of trying to be the stronger person and reach out with the hand of forgiveness. Eventually, the conflict reaches a climax when the group reach the ancient spaceport and the Oversoul's long foretold journey to Earth begins. Card does a great job of creating strong and compelling characters and this book is a nice example of his skill in that area.
August 28, 2017
Orson Scott Card confuses the hell out of me. He makes pretty much the best, most self-sacrificing, highly intelligent character gay and openly says it's because of that character's biology....and yet Orson Scott Card is a homophobic bigot in real life. And then OSC's whole approach to gender dynamics is that men naturally rule in times of hardship... but in many passages that's recognized as an unethical hierarchy and the women in the novel get pissed about it (rightfully so). AND THEN. Practically every man (except for the gay guy and the guy who has a disability) is murderous or at least capable of murder.
Like what even is your worldview, OSC? I'm going to have to finish the series though. I'm in too deep at this point.
Like what even is your worldview, OSC? I'm going to have to finish the series though. I'm in too deep at this point.
January 7, 2019
8/10. Media de los 43 libros leídos del autor : 8/10
43 obras que me he leído de Card y media de 8/10. Tela. Creo que eso lo dice todo, y liarme a hacer alabanzas de este autor es superfluo. Además El juego de Ender fue la primera novela que leí suya y caí enamorado.
Le he puesto nada menos que 10/10 a siete de sus novelas y 9/10 a otras ocho. Casi merece más la pena decir cuales de esas 43 suspenden; solo hay dos: Ruinas (Pathfinder#2) y Esperanza del venado.
Además solo otras 5 se llevarían tres estrellas. El resto, 4 o 5.
Un crack,vamos.
43 obras que me he leído de Card y media de 8/10. Tela. Creo que eso lo dice todo, y liarme a hacer alabanzas de este autor es superfluo. Además El juego de Ender fue la primera novela que leí suya y caí enamorado.
Le he puesto nada menos que 10/10 a siete de sus novelas y 9/10 a otras ocho. Casi merece más la pena decir cuales de esas 43 suspenden; solo hay dos: Ruinas (Pathfinder#2) y Esperanza del venado.
Además solo otras 5 se llevarían tres estrellas. El resto, 4 o 5.
Un crack,vamos.
July 1, 2008
I felt that this was a marked improvement from the last book in this series ("the Call of Earth"). Things finally began picking up, there was a fair amount of character development, and there was a good sense that the real action was finally beginning. (the first 2 books almost felt like Prologues or some sorts of Prequels..)
I found some of the character dynamics somewhat predictable, but overall this novel seems to have set the stage for the next book, which I have yet to read.
I found some of the character dynamics somewhat predictable, but overall this novel seems to have set the stage for the next book, which I have yet to read.
January 19, 2009
This has to be one of my favorite books in the whole world. It's the mid book in a truly wonderful series. While this series is closely tied to the book of Mormon, I didn't know that the first several times I read it. The characters in the story are intense and real. The love and ties that bind the family together are so true. It's wonderful!
April 9, 2021
What credit Card might get as a proficient writer, he loses for his consistent obsession with porting his churches religious fiction into his science-fiction.
June 9, 2023
I love buying and reading these types of books.
Boats, yachts, historical events and books about the sea are generally excellent. If there are sequels in your series, I would love to read them.
The beauties of owning the books of important authors cannot be discussed. I'm looking forward to your new books.
For friends who want to read this book, I leave the importance of reading a book here. I wish good luck to the sellers and customers...
Top 10 benefits of reading for all ages:
1. Reading Exercises the Brain
As we read, we need to remember the different characters and settings of a particular story. Even if you enjoy reading a book in one sitting, you need to remember the details during the time you devote to reading the book. Therefore, reading is an exercise for your brain that improves memory function.
2. Reading Is a (free) Form of Entertainment
Did you know that most of the popular TV series and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading? Most importantly, it's free with your Markham Public Library card.
3. Reading Improves Concentration and Focus
We all agree that there can be no reading without focus, and we need to concentrate on every page we read to fully understand the story. In a world where gadgets only speed up and shorten our attention span, we must constantly practice concentration and focus. Reading is one of the few activities that requires your undivided attention, so it improves your ability to concentrate.
4. Reading Improves Literacy
Have you ever read a book where you come across a word you don't know? Books have the power to improve your vocabulary by introducing you to new words. The more you read, the more your vocabulary will improve as well as your ability to communicate effectively. Also, reading improves writing skills by helping the reader understand and learn different writing styles.
5. Reading Improves Sleep
By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, you can signal to your body that it's time to sleep. Now more than ever, we rely on increased screen time to get through the day. That's why you put your phone away and pick up a book and tell your brain it's time to calm down. Also, since reading helps you relieve stress, reading right before bed helps calm your mind and anxiety and improve your sleep quality.
6. Reading Increases General Knowledge
Books are always full of fun and interesting facts. Whether we read fiction or non-fiction, books have the ability to provide us with information we might not otherwise know. Reading various topics can make you a more knowledgeable person and therefore improve your speaking skills.
7. Reading Is Motivating
By reading books about heroes overcoming adversity, we are often encouraged to do the same. Whether it's a romance novel or a self-help book, the right book can motivate you to never give up and stay positive.
https://numberoneboats.com/
https://theboatyacht.com/
https://theboatyacht.com/chesapeake-b...
https://numberoneboats.com/chesapeake...
https://theboatyacht.com/gibson-house...
https://numberoneboats.com/gibson-hou...
Boats, yachts, historical events and books about the sea are generally excellent. If there are sequels in your series, I would love to read them.
The beauties of owning the books of important authors cannot be discussed. I'm looking forward to your new books.
For friends who want to read this book, I leave the importance of reading a book here. I wish good luck to the sellers and customers...
Top 10 benefits of reading for all ages:
1. Reading Exercises the Brain
As we read, we need to remember the different characters and settings of a particular story. Even if you enjoy reading a book in one sitting, you need to remember the details during the time you devote to reading the book. Therefore, reading is an exercise for your brain that improves memory function.
2. Reading Is a (free) Form of Entertainment
Did you know that most of the popular TV series and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading? Most importantly, it's free with your Markham Public Library card.
3. Reading Improves Concentration and Focus
We all agree that there can be no reading without focus, and we need to concentrate on every page we read to fully understand the story. In a world where gadgets only speed up and shorten our attention span, we must constantly practice concentration and focus. Reading is one of the few activities that requires your undivided attention, so it improves your ability to concentrate.
4. Reading Improves Literacy
Have you ever read a book where you come across a word you don't know? Books have the power to improve your vocabulary by introducing you to new words. The more you read, the more your vocabulary will improve as well as your ability to communicate effectively. Also, reading improves writing skills by helping the reader understand and learn different writing styles.
5. Reading Improves Sleep
By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, you can signal to your body that it's time to sleep. Now more than ever, we rely on increased screen time to get through the day. That's why you put your phone away and pick up a book and tell your brain it's time to calm down. Also, since reading helps you relieve stress, reading right before bed helps calm your mind and anxiety and improve your sleep quality.
6. Reading Increases General Knowledge
Books are always full of fun and interesting facts. Whether we read fiction or non-fiction, books have the ability to provide us with information we might not otherwise know. Reading various topics can make you a more knowledgeable person and therefore improve your speaking skills.
7. Reading Is Motivating
By reading books about heroes overcoming adversity, we are often encouraged to do the same. Whether it's a romance novel or a self-help book, the right book can motivate you to never give up and stay positive.
https://numberoneboats.com/
https://theboatyacht.com/
https://theboatyacht.com/chesapeake-b...
https://numberoneboats.com/chesapeake...
https://theboatyacht.com/gibson-house...
https://numberoneboats.com/gibson-hou...
July 13, 2019
In this third book of Card’s Homecoming saga, Nafai, his brothers, and their recently acquired wives leave behind their possessions in the city of Basilica and travel for years in the desert in search of a space port wherein lie ancient ships that brought colonists to Harmony from Earth 40 million years earlier. The computer known as Oversoul, which has regulated life on Harmony for millions of years, is breaking. It needs to return to the Keeper of Earth for repair, and it has chosen Nafai and his siblings to return it to Earth.
This is magnificent drama in this third book. Read it and delve into the dynamics of a dysfunctional pioneering family who cannot afford to let its dysfunctionality interfere with its mission. The characters fascinate me. Nafai’s aging parents are powerful people who lead the family despite their advancing years and occasional lapses in faith. Card’s description of the Oversoul as a kind of digital index tablet fascinated me. It can transfer its memories to humans who are in possession of the device.
Card handles homosexuality here with a kind of sensitivity that impressed me. It’s the kind of writing that ought to make Card’s critics and detractors enshroud themselves in silence. This is clearly not the work of a shallow writer and thinker who thoughtlessly dismisses people whose lifestyle differs from his. Card’s development of a gay character felt somehow right to me.
You’ll read tense scenes here wherein Nafai’s brothers seek to kill him, and the Oversoul must save him. The family drama in this series is vivid and delicious.
This is a science-fiction extremely loose retelling of the first book in The Book of Mormon. If you have any familiarity with that book, you will hear in your head bits and pieces of chapters that will make you smile. Card retells the broken bow incident wonderfully. His descriptions of how Nafai breaks through a barrier to find the treasures of the ancient space port are memorable and worthy of rereads, since all of us face barriers whose impenetrability at first can be more than a little daunting. But we often breach those same barriers with some thought and effort. It’s a wonderful message to send, and Card does it well here.
I’ve enjoyed this series immensely, but rather than binge and read it one after another until it is gone, I’ll put a few days between now and the opening of the next book. Ah, the anticipation runs high indeed!
I did
This is magnificent drama in this third book. Read it and delve into the dynamics of a dysfunctional pioneering family who cannot afford to let its dysfunctionality interfere with its mission. The characters fascinate me. Nafai’s aging parents are powerful people who lead the family despite their advancing years and occasional lapses in faith. Card’s description of the Oversoul as a kind of digital index tablet fascinated me. It can transfer its memories to humans who are in possession of the device.
Card handles homosexuality here with a kind of sensitivity that impressed me. It’s the kind of writing that ought to make Card’s critics and detractors enshroud themselves in silence. This is clearly not the work of a shallow writer and thinker who thoughtlessly dismisses people whose lifestyle differs from his. Card’s development of a gay character felt somehow right to me.
You’ll read tense scenes here wherein Nafai’s brothers seek to kill him, and the Oversoul must save him. The family drama in this series is vivid and delicious.
This is a science-fiction extremely loose retelling of the first book in The Book of Mormon. If you have any familiarity with that book, you will hear in your head bits and pieces of chapters that will make you smile. Card retells the broken bow incident wonderfully. His descriptions of how Nafai breaks through a barrier to find the treasures of the ancient space port are memorable and worthy of rereads, since all of us face barriers whose impenetrability at first can be more than a little daunting. But we often breach those same barriers with some thought and effort. It’s a wonderful message to send, and Card does it well here.
I’ve enjoyed this series immensely, but rather than binge and read it one after another until it is gone, I’ll put a few days between now and the opening of the next book. Ah, the anticipation runs high indeed!
I did
July 30, 2021
Computerul principal al planetei Harmony era, în sfârşit, plin de speranţă. Fiinţele umane alese fuseseră adunate la un loc şi scoase din oraşul Basilica. Acum porneau în prima din cele două călătorii. Aceasta le va duce prin deşert, prin Valea Focurilor, spre vârful sudic al insulei cândva numite Vusadka, într-un loc în care nici o fiinţă umană nu mai pusese piciorul de patruzeci de milioane de ani. A doua călătorie va începe de acolo şi le va duce, peste o mie de ani-lumină, spre planeta natală a speciei umane, Pământul, părăsită cu patruzeci de milioane de ani în urmă, pregătită acum pentru reîntoarcerea lor.
Nu era vorba de fiinţe umane oarecare, ci în mod special de acestea. De cele născute, după un milion de generaţii cu evoluţie ghidată, cu abilitatea deosebită de a stabili o comunicare cu computerul principal, între mintea lui şi mintea lor, între memoria lui şi memoria lor. Totuşi, deşi încurajase oamenii înzestraţi cu această putere să se împerecheze, deci s-o perfecţioneze prin intermediul copiilor lor, computerul principal nu făcuse nici o încercare de a-i alege doar pe cei mai frumoşi, mai ascultători, mai inteligenţi sau mai pricepuţi. Nu făcea parte din sfera de cuprindere a programului său. Oamenii puteau fi mai mult sau mai puţin dificili, mai mult sau mai puţin curajoşi, mai mult sau mai puţin utili, însă computerul principal nu fusese programat să manifeste preferinţe pentru bun-simţ sau inteligenţă.
Computerul principal fusese adus acolo de primii colonişti de pe planeta Harmony cu un singur scop – de a păstra specia umană, ţinând-o la distanţă de tehnologii generatoare de războaie şi imperii care să se întindă atât de mult, încât să distrugă capacitatea unei planete de a susţine viaţa umană, aşa cum se întâmplase pe Pământ. Câtă vreme oamenii luptau numai cu arme de mână şi călătoreau numai călare, lumea avea să supravieţuiască, iar ei beneficiau de libertatea de a fi atât de buni sau atât de răi cât doreau ei să fie.
Nu era vorba de fiinţe umane oarecare, ci în mod special de acestea. De cele născute, după un milion de generaţii cu evoluţie ghidată, cu abilitatea deosebită de a stabili o comunicare cu computerul principal, între mintea lui şi mintea lor, între memoria lui şi memoria lor. Totuşi, deşi încurajase oamenii înzestraţi cu această putere să se împerecheze, deci s-o perfecţioneze prin intermediul copiilor lor, computerul principal nu făcuse nici o încercare de a-i alege doar pe cei mai frumoşi, mai ascultători, mai inteligenţi sau mai pricepuţi. Nu făcea parte din sfera de cuprindere a programului său. Oamenii puteau fi mai mult sau mai puţin dificili, mai mult sau mai puţin curajoşi, mai mult sau mai puţin utili, însă computerul principal nu fusese programat să manifeste preferinţe pentru bun-simţ sau inteligenţă.
Computerul principal fusese adus acolo de primii colonişti de pe planeta Harmony cu un singur scop – de a păstra specia umană, ţinând-o la distanţă de tehnologii generatoare de războaie şi imperii care să se întindă atât de mult, încât să distrugă capacitatea unei planete de a susţine viaţa umană, aşa cum se întâmplase pe Pământ. Câtă vreme oamenii luptau numai cu arme de mână şi călătoreau numai călare, lumea avea să supravieţuiască, iar ei beneficiau de libertatea de a fi atât de buni sau atât de răi cât doreau ei să fie.
October 2, 2022
There is a very jarring chapter where a whole generation of children and their power struggle dynamics are suddenly thrown into the narrative. It was so rough that I had to put the book away for a month to separate the first three quarters of the book from said chapter in order to accept it as a continuation of the story with different characters. Then, after wrapping my mind around the dozen new characters, we find that we are back into the narrative with the characters we had been following and nothing else is heard about these new characters until a brief one sentence at the very end. I understand that Mr. Card is likely trying to introduce these characters so that the seeds of their power dynamics will come into play in the following books (I haven't read them yet so this is an assumption), but it was poorly done. With little to no warning we are thrust 10-13 years into the future with no explanation and no sign that the narrative with the characters we had become invested in was going to continue. I feel three stars is an extremely generous rating. I'm interested in the story and am curious to see what happens next, but I cannot truthfully say that I am looking forward to it. I appreciate the parallelisms with the Torah and am mostly interested to see if that trajectory is going to continue.
January 4, 2017
He de dir que la història m'interessa, i tinc moltes ganes de saber què es trobaran quan arribin a la Terra (el que em queda, encara!), però de tant en tant, se'm fa una mica pesat i penso que es podria fer una mica més ràpid...
En aquest llibre, 16 persones (8 homes, 8 dones) parteixen buscant les naus que els portaran a la Terra i per això han de travessar el desert. Es formen 8 parelles, que comencen a tenir fills, que seran la propera generació. I aquí hi ha un dels problemes del llibre, que fan que se'm faci pesat i m'empipi amb l'autor: excepte una de les parelles, tots són família. I, per tant, la nova generació, què farà?
D'altra banda, d'aquestes 8 parelles, n'hi ha 3-4 que són importants, i les altres només surten de tant en tant per mostrar-nos com de dolents som els éssers humans. També m'hagués agradat que no es centrés tant en els protagonistes principals i ens deixés veure més aquests secundaris.
Per descomptat, la Shedemei és el meu personatge preferit, i m'hagués agradat que algú altre hagués renunciat al lideratge i que l'hagués agafat ella.
Llegiré el que queda, perquè tinc ganes de saber com acaba tot, però tampoc tinc massa pressa per fer-ho.
En aquest llibre, 16 persones (8 homes, 8 dones) parteixen buscant les naus que els portaran a la Terra i per això han de travessar el desert. Es formen 8 parelles, que comencen a tenir fills, que seran la propera generació. I aquí hi ha un dels problemes del llibre, que fan que se'm faci pesat i m'empipi amb l'autor: excepte una de les parelles, tots són família. I, per tant, la nova generació, què farà?
D'altra banda, d'aquestes 8 parelles, n'hi ha 3-4 que són importants, i les altres només surten de tant en tant per mostrar-nos com de dolents som els éssers humans. També m'hagués agradat que no es centrés tant en els protagonistes principals i ens deixés veure més aquests secundaris.
Per descomptat, la Shedemei és el meu personatge preferit, i m'hagués agradat que algú altre hagués renunciat al lideratge i que l'hagués agafat ella.
Llegiré el que queda, perquè tinc ganes de saber com acaba tot, però tampoc tinc massa pressa per fer-ho.
March 28, 2024
In the third book, the humans chosen by the Oversoul finally get word that the AI is ready. They are sent south, through the desert, across a narrow sea, to an island where the original ships arrived 40 millions before. The island has been hidden by the Oversoul, using its powers to steer any wanderers away over millenniums.
Most of the book covers this long, perilous journey, and the strife that exists within the group. Over the years, they have children and grow to over 30 people.
Eventually they make it to their final destination, where they find the ancient starport still under stasis. They also find the hardware that contains the core of the Oversoul, and the main character Nafai is integrated with nanotechnology to make him the star captain.
With his new knowledge and power, Nafai and the family scavenge what they can from the starport to complete a working starship to take them to Earth...
Most of the book covers this long, perilous journey, and the strife that exists within the group. Over the years, they have children and grow to over 30 people.
Eventually they make it to their final destination, where they find the ancient starport still under stasis. They also find the hardware that contains the core of the Oversoul, and the main character Nafai is integrated with nanotechnology to make him the star captain.
With his new knowledge and power, Nafai and the family scavenge what they can from the starport to complete a working starship to take them to Earth...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2024
I found the parallels to Christianity to be the very thing that made this so good. I respect that a lot of people might not care for this, but if you go in knowing that Card clearly wrote these (and Worthing Saga) to discuss religious (Christian) themes in an analogous way, then the story is in many ways quite brilliant.
At least two major concepts are discussed in the series. One is the analog to Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus. The other is the concept of Hell being a disconnect from our creator, rather than a punitive torture.
I enjoyed the series as both sci-fi and a look at some Biblical concepts through a different lens.
(It has been quite some time since I read this series so I don’t recall which books were specifically based on each story, so this review is perhaps more of the series than a single book. I enjoyed them all very much though. I find Card’s writing style to be VERY comfortable and easy to read, so for me most of his novels are good reading.)
At least two major concepts are discussed in the series. One is the analog to Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus. The other is the concept of Hell being a disconnect from our creator, rather than a punitive torture.
I enjoyed the series as both sci-fi and a look at some Biblical concepts through a different lens.
(It has been quite some time since I read this series so I don’t recall which books were specifically based on each story, so this review is perhaps more of the series than a single book. I enjoyed them all very much though. I find Card’s writing style to be VERY comfortable and easy to read, so for me most of his novels are good reading.)
September 29, 2017
The story continues a family on the quest to return from the planet Harmony to the planet Earth. This is a science fiction story, but only a little bit of scify is involved until the very end. The main part of this story covers the evolving relationships of a new colony, that starts out as 16 people. They original members all marry and begin to have children. One of the couples has a gay partner, but that is an interesting twist on the interpersonal relationships. The fascinating part is the struggle between brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives.
There was one scene that goes into details about a sexual encounter. The justification is that one of the partners is crippled, so Card tries to describe how that would work, with the physical movements. It was not really necessary.
I will continue on to the next book of the series.
There was one scene that goes into details about a sexual encounter. The justification is that one of the partners is crippled, so Card tries to describe how that would work, with the physical movements. It was not really necessary.
I will continue on to the next book of the series.
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September 5, 2019The third novel in Card's excellent 'Homecoming' Sage involves the story of the inhabitants of Harmony who have left their home planet and are travelling on the conveyances of the title (named Basilica) to a new home. Social changes (patriarchy replacing matriarchy, lifelong monogamy replacing yearlong contracts) create tensions, a large part of which are presented in the struggles between Nafai and Elemak, who disagree about the importance of the Oversoul and the destiny of their people. Supposedly mirroring the early history of the Mormons in America, the book also involves an understanding of the social development of the Hebrews in biblical times.
Not really remembered other than a generally positive impression.
Not really remembered other than a generally positive impression.
January 21, 2021
It was a bit like Zdorab's stews: tasty but with a lot of camel cheese in it. I would have given it more stars as I really enjoyed the story, but for all the Russian swear words. It was a cheap trick, I hate when people start learning a language with swear words. I hate it even more when they use them without any regard to those who get the full impact of those impletives. In general I don't understand the use of Russian in names etc. Did Card mean it as a compliment to the Russians to say it was they who built those ships and the Oversoul and colonised Harmony? Why did he write the rest in English then? Plus all the made up pseudo Slavic and other words. Just a big linguistic mish-mash, but doubtfully supported by any historical linguistics. Ужас!!!
July 13, 2023
This dysfunctional family we are following starts traveling in the desert to the place the Oversoul is leading them. This takes years as their families are growing and babies are being born along the way. The brothers are all finding their place in their little society, but some still have murder in their hearts. It all comes to a head in the cliffhanger at the end of this book.
There are certain characters in this series that I have an invested interest in at this point. I am curious about what happens to them in the next two books. Other characters though, I am thinking "Do you really need them on Earth?" I would be ok if the baboons attacked them and they did not make it off the planet. Lol
There are certain characters in this series that I have an invested interest in at this point. I am curious about what happens to them in the next two books. Other characters though, I am thinking "Do you really need them on Earth?" I would be ok if the baboons attacked them and they did not make it off the planet. Lol
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