by Orson Scott Card
Published by St. Martin’s Press
A review by John Irvin
CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY A PLANET CALLED TREASON!!!
“I’ve endured having four arms, an extra nose, and two hearts pumping away before the surgeon took me under his knife to cut away the excess.” –Lanik
From the inside jacket cover:
Time, the elements, and the human mind are Orson Scott Card’s playing cards in this daringly imaginative story of uprising on a planet of exile.
Lanik Mueller, heir of one of the richest Families on the planet of Treason, is used to the occasional growth of an extra limb or organ; it is just surgically removed and his body heals within the hour. But when transsexual growth occurs—in his case a rather voluptuous set of breasts—he faces the fact that he has become a radical regenerative, and a humiliated outcast in a nation where military exploits are of the first importance.
Three thousand years after the crime their forefathers committed against the Republic, the Families are subservient to a race of prisonkeepers with which each barters. The commodity: iron, with which an escape craft may be built, for Treason is a planet without hard metal resources. The currency: a refinement of the skill each original ancestor possessed. The first Mueller had been a geneticist specializing in regernerative research, and Lanik’s Family barters with surplus body parts.
Lanik’s personal disaster sends him on a journey across Treason, and as he travels he assimilates some of the special gifts of each Family. And they are various indeed: the original Nkumai had been a physicist, the first Schwartz a geologist, Allison a theologian, Drew an interpreter of dreams, and others. And as he learns he conceives a plan for unity among the Families, long separated into warring clans, and an end to their subservience.
Its extraordinary blend of wild adventure and metaphysical inquiry sets A Planet Called Treason apart. It is guaranteed to attract science fiction’s new audience and to delight seasoned readers with its evidence of a major new talent.
This is there very first Orson Scott Card book I ever read—I didn’t know what to expect. I knew he was a good writer according to friends and family.
The weird science within these pages will keep you fascinated if that is up your alley. Some might think this story a bit strange, but I found I enjoyed A Planet Called Treason. The title was intriguing as well, who would name a planet after a cause? But once you read the background story of this strange new world, you begin to understand.
Lanik is pretty cool too. When the opening scene laid out his problem, I first thought, What on earth did I just pick up and start reading? But as his journey begins, I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I always enjoy exploring new worlds and this is exactly what Lanik’s journey consists of.
As he learned each new skill and power, I grew more proud of the hero. His mentality to the world and its warring clans and their issues also changed, preparing him for his destiny you might say.
If you like Orson Scott Card and science fiction or fantasy adventures, this book would be an amazing read to add to your collection.
So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: A PLANET CALLED TREASON.
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