What's My Author Doing Now?

I've been a huge fan of Orson Scott Card's science fiction ever since I first read Ender's Game. Neither before or after becoming Catholic did I find much interest in his Mormon works, though I did eventually read Saints, and read all three books in his Women of Genesis series. I'm willing to follow him through fictional works that don't simply spout off full-formed Mormon doctrine, because, first of all, he seems to have a definite respect for Christians (including Catholics), and second of all, when you don't go too deep into the theological issues there isn't quite as much conflict. While I might deeply disagree in any discussion about which baptism is valid, whose prophesies to believe, or whether I can add rum to my coke, the surface issues are similar; there is at least faith that is not shared in any way by many people, similar life-issue standing points and moral values, and though I don't intend to get into a discussion about what is the same and different between Catholicism and Mormonism, I can respect and work with a faithful Mormon - not that I wouldn't still pray for said person's conversion, but that's not exactly the point I'm making. In fact, none of this is.

OSC had a fair number of fiction (science fiction, fantasy, suspense) as well as Mormon works already published by the time I started reading his books. He did not, however, have any strictly political works. Religion came up sometimes in his fiction; politics were present sometimes; but in no book or story I read was it clearly intended as a statement on the political and social issues present today. It was always a "what if," as much SF is, not a "here's where we are" that is common among some other authors.. not generally in the same genre, it's usually the political thrillers. The two newest that have just been announced on his website both seem to be political, or at least social, though only one threatens to be a political thriller.. similar to what Empire was, though I voiced my concerns about that initially as well (a review, finally, will follow, as having missed my "just read it" reason to review, I just discovered another).

One of these two new books is set in the Ender's Game universe. Simply because of this, I can guarantee that I will possess it the very first day it comes out. In fact, it's set during the time period of Ender's Game, while Ender is still at Battle School. It involves Ender. In theory, I couldn't be happier... but the description sets the theme of the book as a battle over religious holidays and gift giving. I avoid political books out of habit (actually, out of deep revulsion, I get so frustrated with them) (except Empire), and tend to avoid certain types of religious discussions - this type - the same way. The religious battle is a common one in the United States today. Common, and, where seen, the religion side of it is either entirely watered down or else so far-fetched that even most faithful Christians call it fanatical and not in a good way. (Yes, there's a good way to be called fanatical; my family thinks I'm fanatical all the time). Most prevalent though is the watered down, look, we can all be happy and love each other and celebrate this together and pretend we really believe the same thing even though I actually totally disagree with you because I really don't believe anything except that God is love and gosh, neighbor, I love you so much, let's all just be friends and embrace our diversity, celebrate our diversity, and, y'know, tolerate each other, because whatever you believe is right for you, and whatever I believe is right for me, and we've both got our own truths even though they're entirely contradictory, and isn't it wonderful because, after all, God is love. Err.. rant over. But I think I've made my point. And I have to wonder why my favorite author decides to write a book, in the Ender universe no less, that includes in the description the words "But Dink Meeker, one of the older students.....thinks that giving gifts isn't exactly a religious observation.....The War over Santa Claus will force everyone to make a choice."

What war? What choices? Why are we even writing this book? And what does this have to do with Ender? In fact, in the Ender universe during the time Ender was at Battle School, religion was so suppressed that he had to have explained to him the psychological problems caused by having one Catholic and one Mormon parent, particularly in that they both wanted to follow their faith and neither could.. he was baptised, but they never observed anything. Presumably no one did. Where is this battle coming from? And yet I have to assume that OSC knows his own universe well enough to pull it off. And here is an author whose political newspaper columns (published online) I follow faithfully, NOT because he's OSC (because, quite frankly, there are many SF authors whose real life opinions on things I can't stand to read more than a sentence or two of lest I remember it while trying to enjoy their fiction), but because his opinions are often similar to my own and, when not, at the very least possess some sort of intelligence.

And I admit it: it's nice to see an SF author who not only isn't afraid to take a stand (I don't know when that's been a problem), but is willing to take a stand FOR good old fashioned moral values, when most SF writers tend to be on the far side of liberal when you look at the political, religious, moral scale. I only wish this guy were Catholic; we could use someone like him. But even he isn't well known except by hard core SF fans, and I joined a mailing list once centered around OSC and his works only to discover that, once I converted, I completely disagreed with nearly everyone else on the list on nearly anything important. So it's also nice to see one place, one other person, for whom science fiction and religion do NOT conflict to the point of being incompatible.

The second book comes out about a month or so earlier (Sept 18 vs. Oct 30), and is definitely more political. It's a thriller showing the "promise and danger of new genetic medicine techniques." I'll be getting this one as well, of course, partially because I can at least assume his final conclusion will be similar to my view on things, and partially because Empire did turn out so well.. but I can't decide whether I wish he'd stick to other genres, or whether to be glad that he's turning out something the general population is more likely to read yet that carries the opposite message so many other books present.

Somewhere in all this I've buried a point - I don't know whether I've succeeded in making it known just now - and I'd certainly welcome comments, if I've managed to write something intelligible, or even if I haven't. Or do these types of books, and these types of arguments, and the watery positions that usually accompany them along with the oft-repeated arguments and inability to listen to one another and, well, so on, not annoy anyone so much as they do me? Whatever my final decision on the matter of welcoming a new voice in these arguments in the SF field, I can't help but wish we'd at least get some intelligent debate; rarely do I encounter any argument that begs honest discussion when I'm unwillingly exposed to these tides.

(The books in questions, by the way, are A War of Gifts and Invasive Procedures, the second co-written by Aaron Johnston).