The Worthing Saga

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

It was a miracle of science that permitted human beings to live, if not forever then for a long, long time. Some people, anyway. The rich, the powerful, they lived their lives at the rate of one year every 10. Some created two societies: that of people who lived out their normal span and died, and those who slept away the decades, skipping over the intervening years and events. It allowed great plans to be put into motion. It allowed interstellar empires to be built.

It came near to destroying humanity.

After a long, long time of decadence and stagnation, a few seed ships were sent out to save our species. They carried human embryos and supplies and teaching robots and one man. The Worthing Saga is the story of one of these men, Jason Worthing, and the world he found for the seed he carried.

Orson Scott Card is "a master of the art of storytelling" (Booklist), and The Worthing Saga is a story that only he could have written.

©1978 Orson Scott Card (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

A very.... human story

Good sci-fi stories all have one thing in common: they are about us. A good sci-fi story... a good fantasy story... a good fiction story is always essentially about the human experience. Whether it's human nature, human potential, human failings, human strengths...

What I love most about Card's work is his incredible understanding of the human condition. The setting is just a tool to explore ths. The Worthing Saga is a great example of just that. Card uses this setting to explore so many ideas, from how cultures cause their own downfalls to the deep dark depths of jealousy and hatred.

Where do you find a balance between happiness and free will?

If you were God where would you draw the line?

I loved the book and I give it 4 stars.

Derivative, Unimaginative Sci-Fi

This book is mostly derivative, drawing largely from Isaac Asimov, specifically the Robots and Foundation trilogies. The story itself is also fragmented, with a third of the book told in the form of short stories, and doesn't have a conclusive or particularly satisfying ending. All of the characters are fair bland, having little in the way of culture or viewpoint to distinguish themselves.

Worth it, be patient

Would you listen to The Worthing Saga again? Why?

I had to come to this one twice. The first time I had trouble getting started but the second time I powered through. It is a bit long, I'll admit, but if you like Card you'll like this. There are a lot of cool ideas and interesting theories about development and how people would react to it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Worthing Saga?

A scene when the hero meets the bad guy. Not what you'd expect...but pretty awesome.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator is top notch, I was totally immersed.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What would you do if you could read minds? Conquer the world...

Phenomenal!

Few books introduce genuinely new concepts and interesting, well-developed characters and stories like this one.

A good read and thematically powerful

While the story is engaging and magical, the themes potent and unified. You may find yourself at a loss to connect with certain characters or their story, as they as constantly changing from one short to the next.
A well made collection, a good read, as well and powerfully told as the story could be told. But with the same drawback as other such time jumping, character shifting works such as foundation, it fails to overcome that veil over the heart, by who's penetration a novel becomes truly alive.

Another Work Of Art

"The Worthing Saga" is a novel that went through many phases of publishing each time becoming more refined by the author, Orson Scott Card. The final manifestation of this work is a stand alone novel that will erase the world around you while you listen and imagine the web of charachters and worlds that Card weaves. Truly, this audio book, is one that everybody should purchase and enjoy.

good book but too many stories

5 stars would happened, but the last few shorts just bounced around...ended with a short stop.

A twisted look at society

This book is fairly typical of Orson Scott Card. It's a look at society's behavior and an odd parallel to biblical history of sorts. Given a chance to start a new world from scratch, could you have done better?

The first two thirds or so were pretty good. The last third fealt like it was thrown in to make the book longer. Not really well tied in. An OK book all together though.

Couldn't finish it...

13 hours in and I'm done listening. I tried. The first story was pretty good, although a little drawn out. That voice actor was OK too. The second part made me question if I should continue listening. I didn't feel like I was getting anything new out of it. The third part made me stop listening. The voice actor speaks way too fast and I felt like I, once again, wasn't getting anything new and exciting from listening to it. I don't recommend this.

Couldn't put it down

I loved this book. I wish there were more stories of this great world. I have so many questions. The last few stories were not as good as the first few. The main story is by far the best and is 50% of the book.