''The Folk of the Fringe'' (1989) is a collection of
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...
stories by American writer
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...
. These stories are set sometime in the near future, when
World War III
World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...
has left America in ruins. The stories are about how a few groups of
Mormons struggle to survive. Although all of these stories in this book were meant to stand alone, they each include at least one character from one of the other stories which helps to make them a cohesive collection.
Contents
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West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
"
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Salvage"
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The Fringe"
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Pageant Wagon
A pageant wagon is a movable stage or wagon used to accommodate the mystery and miracle play cycles of the 10th through the 16th century. These religious plays were developed from biblical texts; at the height of their popularity, they were allo ...
"
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America"
This book also includes interior artwork by Glen R. Bellamy, an "Author's Note: On Sycamore Hill" by Orson Scott Card and an "Afterward: The Folk of the Fringe" by Michael Collings. The essay by Card was originally published in the 55th issue of ''Science Fiction Review'' (1985) under the title "On Sycamore Hill: A Personal View".
Many of the stories take place in, or are connected to, a fictional post-apocalyptic state of Deseret around the former Mormon areas of
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, which was clearly inspired by the historical
State of Deseret
The State of Deseret (modern pronunciation , contemporaneously ) was a proposed state of the United States, proposed in 1849 by settlers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Salt Lake City. The provisional stat ...
.
Influences
As with many of Card's other literature, a
Christian/
Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...
influence is present in this book.
Publishing information
US editions
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Phantasia Press 1st ed. hardcover February 1989
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Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...
hardcover Copyright 1989 no ISBN printed by R.R.Donnelley & Sons Company
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Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...
paperback August 15, 1990
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Orb Books paperback August 11, 2001
UK editions
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Legend Books
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
hardcover March 8, 1990
*Legend Books paperback March 8, 1990
*Legend Books paperback May 2, 1991
See also
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List of works by Orson Scott Card
The Orson Scott Card bibliography contains a list of works published by Orson Scott Card.
Ender's Game
The Tales of Alvin Maker
The Homecoming Saga
Women of Genesis
Pastwatch series
Mithermages series
Mayflower
''Mayflower ...
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Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...
*
LDS fiction
LDS may refer to:
Organizations
* LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, US Religion
* Latter Day Saint movement (LDS movement), a collection of independent church groups
**The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest group within th ...
External links
About the book ''The Folk of the Fringe'' from Card's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Folk of the Fringe, The
1989 short story collections
Short story collections by Orson Scott Card
Science fiction short story collections
Post-apocalyptic short story collections
Mormonism in fiction
Phantasia Press books