The Homecoming Saga and Mormonism

[warpus]

One of my favourite authors of all-time is Orson Scott Card. I read the original Ender series (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind) before I knew that he was an outspoken Mormon. It didn't really affect my love for the series, I was just surprised to hear that a lot of his novels were supposedly heavily influenced by his Mormon beliefs. I just didn't see it in his work - but to be fair, at the time I did not really know much about Mormonism, other than that it was a Christian sect.

The next series of his that I read was The Homecoming Saga. There are five books, and it remains one of my all-time favourite sci-fi series. I enjoyed it more than the Ender series, even.

So a couple days ago I started categorizing all the books I have read, over the years. I had to do some research, to remember the names, and I came across this page (linked above as well). Now, apparently, the entire thing is "patterned on the Book of Mormon".

I really don't know much about the Book of Mormon, other than what Eran has shared on these forums, but I was surprised nevertheless. The entire series is based on the Book of Mormon? It's a sci-fi-like re-telling of the story? It's just so.. weird. I remember the story very well, and even if I read the entire series again now, I would not view it from that angle. To me, it would just be an original story, not based on anything.

Any Mormons here who have actually read the Homecoming Saga?

 

[Masquerouge]

Orson Scott Card is a mormon. Well! I learned something today

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

The only OSC I have read is Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow (I want to read the rest in chronological order but alas, the local lobrary is missing Shadow of the Hegemon which comes next). However, I noticed based on the Wikipedia article, the following:

The trek across the desert in the beginning, with a focus on pregnancy, is found in the first chapters of the Book of Mormon.
The character Nafai, which as pointed out is an obvious reference to Nephi, an important name in the Book of Mormon.
Nafai's oldest and second oldest brother becoming angry and ultimately rebellious because their younger brother was given power instead of them. Now this obviously appears in many stories, but in the Book of Mormon it appears with Nephi in particular (as the younger brother).
The mother of these brothers bearing children despite her age.
The servant picked up, almost accidentally, who accompanies them - Zdorab in the book, Zoram in the Book of Mormon.

Of course, these are minor, characters and situations and such, I don't know how much the plot or overarching themes of the Book of Mormon are reflected. They also all are references to the first few chapters of the first book of the Book of Mormon, so I don't know if there are more within the series.

 

[MobBoss]

Sometimes that kind of thing works. Many people may not know it, but the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" was based upon Homer's Odessy. Made for a great movie.

 

[warpus]

A lot of people apparently hate Orson Scott Card for some of his conservative views - it's kind of interesting because his novels seem so far-fetched and interesting that I would have never guessed he was conservative in any way whatsoever.

I guess I was mainly interested in how many Mormon "messages" there are in this series (other books by him too, I suppose).

I thought the books had a couple very good messages in them, but would have never attributed them to something inherently religious. I also seem to remember a couple semi anti-religious messages. He seems open-minded to me, this Card guy

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well, he is actually a Democrat, but apparently some of his views are pretty conservative even for a Republican. Or so I've heard.

 

[.Shane.]

I was just surprised to hear that a lot of his novels were supposedly heavily influenced by his Mormon beliefs.

Well, he is a sci-fi writer, after all.

I kiid, I kiid.

 

[downtown]

Well, he is a sci-fi writer, after all.

I kiid, I kiid.

*blink*....*blink*

*cries*

 

[.Shane.]

*blink*....*blink*

*cries*

Oh, geez, do I have to make a Catholic joke now?

 

[Elrohir]

Well, he is actually a Democrat, but apparently some of his views are pretty conservative even for a Republican. Or so I've heard.

You can read his articles online at Hatrack, if you want. I usually do, though they aren't updated as often as they used to be. (He comments on politics and the state of the world in one article series, and then reviews other things in another - food, movies, books, whatever) He's pretty conservative on Iraq and the War on Terror, but he's sort of liberal on things like gun control and stuff.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I actually used to read Hatrack occasionally, that's where I heard it.