Memory of Earth
(Homecoming Series, Vol. 1)
by Orson Scott Card
© 1992 by Orson Scott Card
Published by Tor Books
New York, NY 10010
Reviewed by: G. Marc Turner
Date: August 6th, 1998
Memory of Earth, Card's first book in his Homecoming series, serves as an introduction to the main characters, central themes, and plot lines of this entertaining science fiction series. The Oversoul, an artificially intelligent supercomputer on the planet Harmony, was built over 30 million years ago to protect a human colony from its own destruction. The colonists were genetically altered so they could unconsciously send and receive messages with the Oversoul via orbiting satellites. Whenever an individual's thoughts turn towards a "forbidden" topic, the Oversoul creates confusion in that individual's mind and guides them to a new line of thought. However, the Oversoul is breaking down. Satellites are falling out of orbit and the Oversoul no longer has the power to monitor those on the planet as closely as it was originally designed to do. In addition to this problem, the genetic programming is breaking down in some individuals which makes the Oversoul incapable of communicating with them as originally designed. This is the point at which character development begins in Memory of Earth. It is at this point that we are introduced to the primary characters of Memory of Earth. The primary characters discussed include Nafai, Issib, Luet, and the Oversoul. In addition, some secondary characters are introduced to help move the story along and will play a more prominent role in later parts of the series.
Nafai is a young boy of 14 dealing with the "coming of age" struggle commonly discussed in Card's work. Nafai prides himself on his intellectual abilities and recognizes his primary weakness is interpersonal communication. Nafai also has another "gift"; he can communicate on a conscious level with the Oversoul. Issib is one of Nafai's older brothers who, although physically handicapped, is able to move around the city of Basilica with the use of special anti- gravitational floats. Because of his disability, Issib spends much of his time doing research in the city computer system. As a consequence, he has started to uncover many of the "forbidden" topics, and the control that the Oversoul had on people. Luet was a child of twelve, left in the care of Nafai's mother, who is believed to be a seer, meaning she receives visions from the Oversoul and is worthy of great respect among the women of Basilica. To her, the Oversoul is a god to be worshiped, and her religiosity presents a stark contrast to the primarily utilitarian approach taken by Nafai and Issib.
The Oversoul, although hardly mentioned in some sections of the book, reminds one of the omnipresent HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Much like HAL, the Oversoul's influence and power of control can be found in the daily life of all of the people on the planet under its supervision. The Oversoul allows the people of Harmony to develop computers, holographic displays, and even anti-gravitational floats for the handicapped, but at the same time it prohibits the development of vehicular transportation (e.g., planes, cars, or even wagons). Instead of having electronic eyes placed around a ship, the Oversoul "sees" by using satellites in orbit around the planet. Also, the Oversoul appears to think and adapt on its own to new situations which arise, showing signs of strong artificial intelligence like HAL. Another similarity comes at the end of the book when the Oversoul uses Nafai to kill someone who was interfering with its plans, much as HAL used the space-pod to kill Frank. However, being some 40 million years in the future, the Oversoul does not rely on any form of speech recognition like HAL. Instead, it is able to read the thoughts of the people under its careful watch.
Overall the series is enjoyable although people who have not read other books by Card may find some of his other works more engaging and thought provoking. For a look at some of his other writings, visit Hatrack River, the official web site of Orson Scott Card. Provided below are a list of other books by Orson Scott Card that link to descriptions from his web page.
Other Books in the Homecoming Series
Other Science Fiction Books by Orson Scott Card