Nothing spectacular but good enough to keep my interest.

Liked it, better than the first book. The author has a way of writing that is thought provoking. I prefer action in a book, but sometimes character development is a pleasant change. I will read the next book mainly to see how it ends, and I love space travel books.

I could move to this world!!!

I found the parallels to Christianity to be the very thing that made this so good. I respect that a lot of people might not care for this, but if you go in knowing that Card clearly wrote these (and Worthing Saga) to discuss religious (Christian) themes in an analogous way, then the story is in many ways quite brilliant.

Two major concepts are discussed in the series. One is the analog to Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus. The other is the concept of Hell being a disconnect from our creator, rather than a punitive torture.

I enjoyed the series as both sci-fi and a look at some Biblical concepts through a different lens.

(It has been quite some time since I read this series so I don’t recall which books were specifically based on each story, so this review is perhaps more of the series than a single book. I enjoyed them all very much though. I find Card’s writing style to be VERY comfortable and easy to read, so for me most of his novels are good reading.)

This book started out as a continuation of the first book with father and sons now in the desert with their continuing affairs and going back to Basilica. I thought that this book would be so so continuing the story, you somewhat know we're it's going. The meat of this book is in the back story's that are revealed and dropped with fantastic story telling and surprise, you could have never predicted but after you realize how much sense it really made. No vague story here, no holes in the plot at all.
Now, how does the Oversoul get them to earth? And now there seems to be a new player, not a computer. Something that is 40 million years old and "alive" that is influencing them from earth.
I have the 4th book but not the 3rd. I'll have to read something else till I can acquire it.

This was definitely a "middle book." As a standalone novel, it would probably be 2 stars and not make much sense. But as filler to transition from the exposition of 1 to the conclusion (I presume) of 3, it worked quite well and moved the story along, all while expanding the universe of the book.

This was unreadable. I started over at least 3 times. Complete waste of my time. I have better more compelling things to read. I have not read the first in the series. Not sure if that's necessary.

The Call of Earth is the second book in the series by Orson Scott Card. It continues the eventual return to Earth of a people living on a planet called Harmony. The main characters are guided by the Oversoul, a computer satellite that guides them as their god.
The plot of this book is nearly non-existent, but Card is a master of characterization. There really isn't much that actually happens beyond talking amongst the characters, but because he does it so well, the book is very intriguing. I can't say there was really any time that I was ever bored, despite the lack of action. I look forward to the third book in the series.

La llamada de la tierra m'ha agradat tant com la primera part. El llibre comença just on ho va deixar l'anterior (moments després del final, a la mateixa nit), i veiem com van evolucionant els personatges.

La idea principal d'aquest llibre són els preparatius que fa tota la família per anar-se'n cap a la terra. M'intriga com aconseguiran viatjar a la Terra, en una societat on es desplacen en camell o cavall... però tot arribarà.

Per descomptat, els personatges d'en Nafai, la Luet i Hushidh cada cop són millors, però la Shedemei també m'ha intrigat bastant. El general Moozh fa la seva feina, i els germans d'en Nasai (tots, per part de pare i de mare) en general són bastant irritants.

La força del llibre són les relacions entre els diferents personatges, però també em va agradar molt el somni de la Hushidh.

Així que continuarem amb la sèrie, properament.

Slow start, great finish... another character, idea, and theology study with just enough story in it to be readable and interesting.

There was one great dialogue that I thought was pretty thought provoking regarding belief in God. Which of the following is belief in God?
A) just a choice: based on preference rather than evidence
B) an undeniable fact: the only way to possibly explain the evidence
C) a deniable but probable fact (like a scientific theory): the most likely way to explain the evidence
D) kind of a working hypothesis: one of many equally likely ways to explain the evidence, chosen from those ways based on preference (Nafai's theory).

"The Oversoul has never fooled me," said Nafai. "Those who follow the Oversoul willingly are never lied to."
"You never catch the Oversoul in his lies, is what you mean," said Moozh.
"No!" cried Nafai. "No. The Oversoul doesn't lie to me because . . . because everything that it has promised me has come true. All of it has been true."
"Or it has made you forget the ones that didn't come true."
"If I wanted to doubt, then I could doubt endlessly," said Nafai. "But at some point a person has to stop questioning and act, and at that point you have to trust something to be true. You have to act as if something is true, and so you choose the thing you have the most reason to believe in, you have to live in the world that you have the most hope in. I follow the Oversoul, I believe the Oversoul, because I want to live in the world that the Oversoul has shown me."
"Yes, Earth," said Moozh scornfully.
"I don't mean a planet, I mean-I want to live in the reality that the Oversoul has shown me. In which lives have meaning and purpose. In which there's a plan worth following. In which death and suffering are not in vain because some good will come from them."
"All you're saying is that you want to deceive yourself."
"I'm saying that the story the Oversoul tells me fits all the facts that I see. Your story, in which I'm endlessly deceived, can also explain all those facts. I have no way of knowing that your story is not true-but you have no way of knowing that my story isn't true. So I will choose the one that I love. I'll choose the one that, if it's true, makes this reality one worth living in. I'll act as if the life I hope for is real life, and the life that disgusts me-your life, your view of life-is the lie. And it is a lie. You don't even believe in it yourself."

Very slow start, but had a good ending! The character developments were great and at times hilarious. Chapters are quite lengthy, but understandable to keep the flow of a situation steady and not jumpy. I'll go ahead and continue this series!

This is another great book by Orson Scott Card. I am enjoying how the story is complete but still very obviously part of a larger story arc. It makes it feel like the book shouldn't be over and makes you want to jump to the next novel right away. The citizens of Basillica continue their journey towards destruction while the over soul works to save humanity from itself.