Recent Acquisitions: Orson Scott Card’s Doorways

I’m not a huge Orson Scott Card fan. I thought Ender’s Game was an effective Heinlein juvenile homage, but little more. (I also thought Speaker for the Dead was actually a better, more ambitious novel.) I also thought that Seventh Son and Red Prophet were good alternate history fantasies, and “Hatrack River” (which forms the beginning of Seventh Son) was probably the best thing Card ever wrote. However, after reading Xenocide (awful) and Prentice Alvin (disappointing), I decided to stop picking up Card’s new books (the occasional Subterranean novella excepted), and haven’t regretted the decision. (Someday I may read Hart’s Hope, which some people have told me is his best.)

But after I stumbled across this at the nearest Half Price Books, I thought it was odd enough to be worth picking up, especially at 50% off $35 (marked down from $60) during the usual coupon sale.

Card, Orson Scott. Doorways. No publisher listed (though I’m assuming this is Card’s own Hatrack River imprint), 2002. (Presumed) First Edition trade paperback original, perfect bound on white cardstock covers, a Fine copy, inscribed by Card: “to Sam—/Merrily…/Orson Scott Card”.

Not in the Locus database. Not in the ISFDB. Not even in Card’s own online bibliography. (Oddly enough, it’s referred to in a bibliographic PDF on his site, but there’s not a listing for the book itself.)

This is 98 pages long and contains two previously published novelettes along with several unpublished poems. If I had to guess, this looks like it might have been given away as some sort of promotional freebie on Card’s website.

Given how obscure this particular Card book is, here’s the complete list of contents:

  • “Oh Hurried Guest” (Dedication) (poem): Page 5
  • “Short-Lived Creatures” (poem): Page 6
  • “On Another Road” (poem): Page 8
  • “Doorways” (foreword): Page 9
  • “Fires” (poem): Page 12
  • “Angels” (novelette): Page 13
  • “Echo” (poem): Page 44
  • “Walking on Water” (poem): Page 45
  • “This Is the Poem I Made Then” (poem): Page 46
  • “Dust” (novelette): Page 47
  • “Public Father” (poem): Page 95
  • “Don’t You Remember the End of the World?” (poem): Page 96
  • “A Poem For Erin’s First Christmas” (poem): Page 98

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    This entry was posted on Sunday, November 13th, 2011 at 5:23 PM and is filed under Books, Science Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

    3 Responses to “Recent Acquisitions: Orson Scott Card’s Doorways”

    1. Scott Cupp says:
      November 13, 2011 at 6:24 PM

      Another fine acquisition!

    2. Michael Walsh says:
      November 13, 2011 at 9:26 PM

      According to Worldcat it was published by Hatrack River in 2002. Seems only one library has it: Brigham Young University . Worldcat entry: http://www.worldcat.org/title/doorways/oclc/51682829

    3. Naomi says:
      October 25, 2013 at 8:12 PM

      This was sold at Endercon (a convention for Ender fans) held in Orem, UT in 2002. 🙂

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