NOM nominates nominally talented Sci-Fi writer to their BOD
President of the gay-phobic National Organization for Marriage (NOM), noted for being Chimpy’s shill for hire, and tireless foe of Murphy Brown, Maggie Gallagher, is pleased to announce that NOM suckered in another rube to their sad, dismal, and failing pity-party has a new member on the Board of Directors, Orson Scott Card.
But who is this Card, of whom Maggie Gallagher speaks?
The press release from the NOM website says:
Orson Scott Card, a distinguished novelist, a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University, and a columnist, recently joined the board of directors of the National Organization of Marriage (NOM)… “We’re extremely honored that Orson Scott Card has joined with NOM in our shared mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it,” said Maggie Gallagher, president of NOM, “He is one of the great science fiction writers of our time and a real voice of courage and intellect on behalf of marriage.”
A quick trip to Amazon to find the latest tome, Ender’s Game, of the noted Southern Virginia U’s intellect and Sci-Fi writer Orson Scott Card reveals the first sentence of his book: I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one.
A further glance down the page, the ever-modest Card gives himself a 5-star review, which includes this graf:
For those who have commented that the reason the book is awful is because I don’t describe, or my language is so very direct and plain, I must point out that there are several stylistic traditions available to a writer.
– Orson Scott Card
I am glad to see that NOM continues to attract the best and the brightest. And from the world of fiction, he ought to fit in.
UPDATE: The badguys in Card’s one-handed reading book are called The Buggers. Nice.
Orson Scott Card–aside from writing a sci-fi book revered by teenagers of all ages– is also a card-carrying Mormon homophobe. My Buddhist/aikidoistic/pacifist traits to the sides, I keep thinking of NOM+ a knuckle sandwich. (By the way, the bad guys in his books are the Buggers. F*ck him.)
Oh. good morning. Sorry. *shuffles off for more coffee*
I don’t read Sci-Fi — I gave Dune a shot once, made it to page 16 before I threw it across the room where it stayed for the rest of my junior year in college.
This book just sounds appalling.
Oh, I’m having my first sip of coffee now, too, inspite of getting up at 5AM on a Saturday morning. What’s up with that?
Regards,
Tengrain
If you don’t stop posting the picture of that vile woman, when I become philosopher-king of planet earth, I’m going to make you listen to the audio version of Ender’s Game as read by a drugged-out Rush Limbaugh.
Graves, you swine!
What other Rush Limbaugh is there?
Regards,
Tengrain
Poor Ten.
You should have started with Robert A. Heinlein, Cyril M. Kornbluth, Philip K. Dick, or even Larry Niven back before politicians started taking his shit seriously.
Norman Spinrad, Robert Sheckley, Alfred Bester, or even Harlan Ellison.
But not Frank Herbert! Not first cracker out of the barrel. And certainly not ‘Dune’.
That’s like trying to see if you like fruit by sampling a kumquat.
As a rule, I prefer Sci Fi movies over Sci Fi fiction. However, Philip K. Dick is the exception. He’s a brilliant and clever writer and avoids the all-too-frequent lapses into mind-numbing Fantasy.
One of the best Sci Fi movies ever made, in my opinion is Blade Runner.
It’s based on the novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, written by Philip K. Dick.
I love kumquats, Wee Mousie.
But I also admit that I like Heinlein, and Philip Dick — I should not have painted with such a big brush. But honestly, Sci-Fi is my least favorite lit.
Regards,
T.G.
Hmmm I read Ender’s Game a long time ago. As I understand it, it’s a children’s book. It’s not badly written, though the end of the book is a little dissapointing.
Glad to see someone mention Alfred Bester. His book “The Stars My Destination” (sometimes known as “Tiger Tiger”) is absolutely brilliant! (I wasn’t so impressed by “The Demolished Man”.)
If we are talking about sci-fi authors, how come no one mentioned Douglas Adams?
Fatpie42 -
Welcome aboard, it is good to have you with us.
You raise a valuable point re: Douglas Adams. I loved the Ray Bradbury short stories we used to have in school, too, and there was a book called Earth Abides by George Stewart that I still think about to this day. I’m beginning to see that I really do like some Sci-Fi books.
Regards,
Tengrain
Regardless of the author I think it is important to point out that it is extremely Christian and traditionally oriented that should a male astronaut find life on another planet he must ONLY interact sexually with the female of the alien species. If said species is asexual having, say, the female and male reproductive organs, breasts shall be the determining factor on whether or not sex is allowed. Of course, if they have some other god besides the Christian ONE GOD, they shall be destroyed, making the universe a safe and RIGHT place to live in.
I love me some sci-fi! But Wee Mousie is right, Dune, while a good story, could be a genre killer for the newbie. Can I pass along a suggestion? Try Harry Turledove and his alternate history, which is what Card writes, but Turtledove is great! His best is a series of books about an alien invasion during WWII, fascinating. Also, what if the South had won the civil war, and Custer had become a tank (barrel) General.
It took me a few tries, but eventually I enjoyed, and finished, Dune. There was no way the movie could do it justice. One of the few SciFi books I’ve read. And this NOM crowd is idiotic.