In a message dated 3/10/97 4:39:08 AM, Umberto Rossi wrote:

>Since Orson Scott Card has been mentioned, I'd like to know if he is
>really a mormon.  Anybody knows?  And since I have read only the
>Ender "bilogy", what should I read next?  And, do you think there's a
>specific reason for Ender coming from a Polish family (apart the
>religion)?

The Mormon issue already having been addressed, I'll take a shot at the "what
next" question.  First, you may already know that there are now 4 books in
the Ender series (_Xenocide_ and _Children of the Mind_ being the latest).  I
enjoyed both these books, though I don't think they rank with _EG_ and _SFTD_
in quality--I'm sure you can get many other opinions on this issue from the
membership.  I am somewhat biased in that I read everything by Card that I
can find.  If you like F as well as SF, you might try his Alvin Maker books,
the first of which is _Seventh Son_.  These are alternate histories set in a
frontier America in which folk magic works.  If you like spooky stuff, try to
find the short story version of "Lost Boys."  Card later turned this into a
novel--which I enjoyed, but not as much as the short story.

FWIW, a personal take on the Mormon issue:  some years back, at the time _The
Satanic Verses_ was in the news, I had the great good fortune to attend a
Baycon where Card was speaking.  (I heard him read "Lost Boys" there, which
may account for my opinion stated above.)  If I remember correctly, he
commented that while he opposes censorship (and threats against authors, of
course!) he also thinks it inappropriate to air one's community's dirty
laundry in public (i.e., outside the community).  As a non-Mormon, I chose to
interpret this as meaning that he may not agree with everything the church
teaches, but he's not going to tell ME about it.  I'd be interested to hear
other people's takes on this--especially if you have more information to
contribute.

--Alicia
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