''Earthborn'' (1995) is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

book 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 ...

, the concluding fifth book of the

Homecoming Saga The ''Homecoming Saga'' is a science fiction series by Orson Scott Card. The series is patterned on the Book of Mormon. Some of the names also come from the Book of Mormon. The series, containing five volumes, takes place forty million years i ...

. The series is a fictionalization of the first few hundred years recorded in the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...

Plot summary

Five centuries after the conclusion of '' Earthfall'', there is only one original colonist from Harmony: Shedemei, who now wears the Cloak of the Starmaster (a device that links her to the Oversoul). After hundreds of years, the descendants of Nafai and Elemak have built cities and towns - yet never forgetting the enmity between the two brothers. After hundreds of years, the Oversoul still has not achieved its original purpose: to find the Keeper of Earth, the central intelligence that alone can repair the Oversoul's damaged counterpart at Harmony. But now, the Keeper has once again begun to spread its influence. Heeding the dreams below, Shedemei has decided to return to Earth. The last book in the Homecoming saga marks a departure from the style and storyline of the previous four. All of the characters from the previous novels (except Shedemei) are long dead. The central conflict between Nafai and Elemak is represented in their descendants, but takes a back seat in this book. The focus is on the struggles within the descendants of those who followed Nafai. The king of Darakemba (an empire founded by the Nafaris), his children, and his advisers, along with the high priest of Darakemba, his children, and his converts, provide the main actions in the story.

Religious overtones

The

elements in this book are overshadowed by the blossoming of the religious overtones (

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 ...

) evident since the first book. The emphasis on faith in the invisible Keeper, the evils of pride, and the importance of tolerance are consistently woven within the struggles of the characters.

External links

About the novel ''Earthborn'' from Card's website
* 1995 American novels Novels by Orson Scott Card 1995 science fiction novels Mormon fiction Tor Books books {{1990s-sf-novel-stub

Plot summary

Religious overtones

See also

External links