Books I Love – Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg's strange talent for seeing the paths of people's pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him--secrets about Rigg's own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Rigg’s birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent…or forfeit control of his destiny.

Even though I loved this book, I have to admit that it’s not for everyone. First of all, it’s really long. There’s also a lot of explanation in the form of characters hypothesizing about time travel, origins of their planet’s biosphere, and other random sci-fi topics. The blurb doesn’t really do this book credit…yes, Rigg’s own path is the main plot point of the story, but there is also a secondary story (told in short scenes at the beginning of each chapter) that gives Pathfinder incredible depth.

If you’re a sci-fi geek (guilty) then you’ll be interested in Card’s take on time travel. He contends that if you see a future version of yourself who tells you not to pick a fight, then after you follow your future self’s advice, you don’t have to go back in time and warn yourself. You’ve changed your future and there’s no need to do what you already did in an alternate reality. Umm…yeah, a little confusing but a good read. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Also, if anyone wants to check out an aspiring author interview I did, you can find it here on Brad Jaeger's blog.

See you Monday with an announcement. I know, that sounds very ominous, but I'm just trying to build suspense J