Reading through Orson Scott Card

[Stacey]

I've been in an Orson Scott Card kick, and recently picked up his historical fiction novel Saints. This book has the same style I love about OSC, but the content is a bit jarring. The book led me to research OSC more, since I beforehand hadn't known he is a Mormon.

As far as the writing is concerned, it's similar to everything else I've read by him. However, the content is very hard for me to connect with. It's like OSC is trying to get me to connect with his characters who sacrifice their lives for Joseph Smith. Even though OSC is a Mormon, he is unable to make me like Joseph Smith in any way, so I kept finding myself wanting to smack some sense into characters that otherwise are well-crafted. I suppose a duped character is not necessarily poorly-crafted, but it's hard for me to connect. The whole time I was reading the book I was plagued by the lingering sense OSC was trying to convert me to Mormonism. The story was interesting and I enjoyed the read, but it's distinctly different then what I've previously read by him.

Do you think writers can fall into a "box"? That, if readers know them for one kind of writing, authors may have difficulty breaking into a new form? Have you experienced this disillusionment with a favorite author?

 

[RK Wallis]

I'm reading OSC at the moment, but one of his craft books, Characters and Viewpoint. OSC has a reputation I've heard others dislike, but that's never influenced me. I haven't really found any authors who "stagnant" so-to-speak. But I have come across one author I read and loved as a teen whose arrogance completely turned me off him as an adult. I won't say his name, except he's been hammered on YouTube for it.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

Successful authors in one form often use a pseudonym (or another pseudonym) for books penned in a different form.