History Creator / OrsonScottCard

Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is a science fiction author, best known for the book ''Literature/EndersGame'' and its spinoffs. Card is the only author to have won both a UsefulNotes/HugoAward and a UsefulNotes/NebulaAward in consecutive years; the books that achieved this are ''Ender's Game'' and ''Speaker for the Dead'', respectively; he is also one of exactly eight people to have won more than two Hugos. [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell After 28 years]], ''Ender's Game'' was released as a [[Film/EndersGame film]].

He teaches creative writing at Southern Virginia University. He also runs an invitation-only annual "boot camp" for writers. He has dedicated large amounts of his time to assisting aspiring writers, and he is also a [[{{Series/Firefly}} Brown]][[FanCommunityNicknames coat]]. According to his blog, he is also a fan of animated films, as well as ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' after being convinced to watch it by his daughter. More recently, Card wrote an article for a newspaper in which he said ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' was better than "all but a handful" of sci-fi films.

He is a practicing [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Mormon]], and dabbles in LDS fiction alongside his better-known sci-fi. He is in many ways a Mormon version of Creator/CSLewis, writing novels that fictionalize and popularize Literature/TheBookOfMormon (''Literature/HomecomingSaga'') and the life of Joseph Smith (''Literature/TheTalesOfAlvinMaker'').

While genuinely famous for his novels, Card's place in recent science-fiction news can be traced in part to his right-wing politics, particularly his vocal opposition to same-sex marriage and relations. Although for the most part his politics are separate from his fiction, there are exceptions, most notably with the book ''[[Literature/OrsonScottCardsEmpire Empire]]'' and, thanks to the church membership's active role in politics (and the church's), his works that create fictional representations of his religion and its history.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Today's view of his works is heavily influenced by his very vocal and politically active homophobia.

!!!The Worthing Saga

* ''A Planet Called Treason'': A group of people are banished to the planet Treason after attempting to create a meritocracy within TheRepublic. Being a metal-poor planet, the people of Treason have to barter with "Ambassadors", teleporters connected to TheRepublic, in an attempt to gain the precious iron with which they hope to build a starship with and escape their banishment.

* ''Pathfinder'', another first novel in a new series. It takes place on a world called Garden and follows a boy named Rigg who can see people's paths as he tries to find his mother after his father dies. There's also a side story about a first attempt at faster than light travel with strange side effects.

Card's most well-known series, mostly due to the first book ''Ender's Game''. The series branches off from there:
* The first released, but furthest out time-wise, were ''Speaker for the Dead'', ''Xenocide'' and ''Children of the Mind''.
* The second released was ''Shadow'' series, beginning with ''Ender's Shadow'', a retelling of ''Ender's Game'' from the point of view of his friend Bean. It was followed by ''Shadow of the Hegemon'', ''Shadow Puppets'', and ''Shadow of the Giant'', and two other stories -- ''Shadows in Flight'' follows Bean and a few of his children as they travel in space together, while ''Ender in Exile'' follows Ender as he travels with other colonists from Earth, and meets up with a few characters from the ''Shadow'' series.
* The ''Formic Wars'' series, co-written with Aaron Johnston, is a prequel series showing Earth's earlier encounters with the Formics. It consists of two trilogies -- ''The First Formic War'' (''Earth Unaware'', ''Earth Afire'' and ''Earth Awakens'') and ''The Second Formic War'' (''The Swarm'', ''The Hive'', and the forthcoming as-of-2021 ''The Queens'').

* The ''Fleet School'' series, yet another POVSequel, takes place after the end of the original novel, but focuses on space rather than on Earth. As of 2021, only its first novel -- ''Children of the Fleet'' -- has been released.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance
* LawOfInverseFertility: Sarai is unable to bear children for Abram, who has been promised by God that he will be the father of a great nation.

* SacredHospitality: Invoked many times. Abram uses it to prevent Pharaoh from killing him and taking his wife. Lot takes it to such an extreme that he is willing to give his daughters to the men of Sodom, who want to have their way with his guests.

He teaches creative writing at Southern Virginia University, where he works with colleages to change the paradigm for English and Writing education methods. He also runs an invitation-only annual "boot camp" for writers, of which some participants have gone on to successful writing careers. He has dedicated large amounts of his time to assisting aspiring writers, and those who have been lucky enough to be taught by him often cite him as a contributor to their success. He is also a [[{{Series/Firefly}} Brown]][[FanCommunityNicknames coat]]. According to his blog, he is also a fan of animated films, as well as ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' after being convinced to watch it by his daughter. More recently, Card wrote an article for a newspaper in which he said ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' was better than "all but a handful" of sci-fi films.

He is a practicing [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Mormon]], and dabbles in LDS fiction alongside his better-known sci-fi.

While genuinely famous for his novels, Card's place in recent science-fiction news can be traced in part to his right-wing politics, particularly his vocal opposition to same-sex marriage and relations. Although for the most part his politics are separate from his fiction, there are exceptions, most notably with the book ''[[Literature/OrsonScottCardsEmpire Empire]]''.

A fantasy/AlternateHistory series set in an alternate America where folk magic works.

* [[spoiler: ReallySeventeenYearsOld]]: Madeline's other disturbing secret. [[spoiler: The witch underneath the illusion of Madeline is a twelve-year-old child, and she has been bluffing her way through an adult romantic [[{{Squick}} and sexual]] relationship with Quentin in order to use him to get her hands on the power of the "treasure box" in the book's title.]]

* {{Glamour}}: Madeline eventually admits to Quentin that she is the result of a witch using magic to create an illusion of his perfect girlfriend.

** He co-wrote ''Lovelock'' with Kathryn H. Kidd in 1994. It's supposed to be part one of ''The Mayflower Trilogy'', and the second book still isn't out. Kidd has since [[AuthorExistenceFailure died]].

** He co-wrote ''Lovelock'' with Kathryn H. Kidd in 1994. It's supposed to be part one of ''The Mayflower Trilogy'', and the second book still isn't out.

* ''The Lost Gate'' which expands the world found in his short fiction "Stonefather," creating the ''Mither Mages'' series. It has a magic system that's supposed to explain everything, including mythology and ghosts. Turns out [[spoiler:they're from another planet called Westil, but they've all gotten stranded on Earth since Loki closed all of the Gates that let them get back and forth.]] Has a second volume in a proposed trilogy, ''The Gate Thief.''

* ''Literature/{{Enchantment}}''

* AManIsNotAVirgin: Quentin is a virgin on his wedding night and is terrified of something going wrong because of his inexperience and Madeline's inconsistent responses to physical affection.

* ''{{Literature/Pathfinder}}''

* Glamour: Madeline eventually admits to Quentin that she is the result of a witch using magic to create an illusion of his perfect girlfriend.

* NoveauRiche: Quentin is a computer programmer who became wealthy during the dot-com boom of the 1990s.

* BeforeMyTime: Madeline uses this as an excuse for not understanding Quentin's 1980s pop culture references, although the references are still recent enough (the book was published in 1996) that it's surprising that a 20-something young woman wouldn't have heard of at least one. [[spoiler: She's younger than she appears.]]

* RapeAndSwitch: ''Hamlet's Father'' has as part of its backstory Hamlet's father raping pretty much the entire male cast (except maybe Claudius and Polonious). It is implied this turns them all gay (Card denies it, but he's said in the past homosexuality is caused that way). This is why Hamlet's insane. Also, [[spoiler:Horatio killed Hamlet's dad as revenge for the aforementioned orientation-destroying sodomy]].

* Following Ender are ''Speaker for the Dead'', ''Xenocide'', ''Children of the Mind'', and ''Ender in Exile''.
* Following Bean and Peter Wiggin: ''Ender's Shadow'', ''Shadow of the Hegemon'', ''Shadow Puppets'', ''Shadow of the Giant'', ''Shadows in Flight''. Another, ''Shadows Alive,'' is planned and is expected to connect the hanging threats from ''Children of the Mind'' and '' Shadows in Flight.''
* A prequel series about the First Formic War includes ''Earth Unaware'', ''Earth Afire'', and ''Earth Awakens''. A second prequel series about the Second Formic War picks up a few years after, with ''The Swarm.''
* And Card has released chapters from another work in progress, Fleet School, which appears to be a sequel following training for the interstellar merchant fleet at the old Battle School, and part of a new series with the working title Children of the Fleet.

While genuinely famous for his novels, Card's place in recent science-fiction news can be traced in part to his political views, particularly his vocal opposition to same-sex relations. Although for the most part his politics are separate from his fiction, there are exceptions, most notably with the book ''[[Literature/OrsonScottCardsEmpire Empire]]''.

* RapeAndSwitch: ''Hamlet's Father'' has as part of its backstory Hamlet's father raping pretty much the entire male cast (except maybe Polonious), turning the lot of them gay.

* ''Literature/OrsonScottCardsEmpire''

Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is a science fiction author, best known for the book ''Literature/EndersGame'' and its spinoffs. Card is the only author to have won both a UsefulNotes/HugoAward and a UsefulNotes/NebulaAward in consecutive years; the books that achieved this are ''Ender's Game'' and ''Speaker for the Dead'', respectively. [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell After 28 years]], ''Ender's Game'' was released as a [[Film/EndersGame film]].

* ''Enchantment'', a re-telling of "Literature/SleepingBeauty" set in medieval Russia, on a backdrop of war, [[AWizardDidIt witchcraft]], and TimeTravel. (Not to be confused with the Disney film ''{{Film/Enchanted}}''.)

While genuinely famous for his novels, Card's place in recent science-fiction news can be traced in part to his political views, particularly his vocal homophobia. Although for the most part his politics are separate from his fiction, there are exceptions, most notably with the book ''[[Literature/OrsonScottCardsEmpire Empire]]''.