Read The Memory of Earth Online
Authors: Orson Scott Card
The Memory of Earth
The beginning of the end:
“Zrakoplov,”
said Nafai.
“I can’t believe you remembered the word,” said Issib.
“A machine. The people don’t just . . . fly. They use a machine.”
“Don’t push it,” said Issib. “You’ll just make yourself sick. You have a headache already, right?”
“But I’m right, yes?”
“My best guess is that it was hollow, like a house, and people got inside it to fly. Like a ship, only through the air. With wings. But we had them here, I think. You know the district of Black Fields?”
“Of course, just west of the market.”
“The old name of it was Skyport. The name lasted until twenty million years ago, more or less. Skyport. When they changed it, nobody remembered what it even meant.”
“I can’t think about this anymore,” said Nafai.
“Do you want to remember it, though?” asked Issib.
“How can I forget it?”
“You will, you know. If I don’t remind you. Every day. Do you want me to? It’ll feel like this every time. It’ll make you sick. Do you want to just forget this, or do you want me to keep reminding you?”
“Who reminded you?”
“I left myself notes,” said Issib. “In the library computers. Reminders. Why do you think it took me a year to get this far?”
“I want to remember,” said Nafai.
T
OR
B
OOKS BY
O
RSON
S
COTT
C
ARD
Empire
The Folk of the Fringe
Future on Fire
(editor)
Future on Ice
(editor)
Hart’s Hope
Invasive Procedures
(with Aaron Johnston)
Lovelock
(with Kathryn Kidd)
Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
Saints
Songmaster
Treason
The Worthing Saga
Wyrms
E
NDER
Ender’s Game
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
Ender’s Shadow
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant
First Meetings
A War of Gifts
Ender in Exile
T
HE
T
ALES OF
A
LVIN
M
AKER
Seventh Son
Alvin Journeyman
Prentice Alvin
Red Prophet
Heartfire
The Crystal City
H
OMECOMING
The Memory of Earth
The Call of Earth
The Ships of Earth
Earthfall
Earthborn
W
OMEN OF
G
ENESIS
Sarah
Rebekah
Rachel & Leah
S
HORT
F
ICTION
Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card
(hardcover)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 1: The Changed Man
(paperback)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 2: Flux
(paperback)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 3: Cruel Miracles
(paperback)
Maps in a Mirror, Volume 4: Monkey Sonatas
(paperback)
HOMECOMING: VOLUME 1
HE
M
EMORY
OF
E
ARTH
ORSON
SCOTT
CARD
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK
NEW YORK
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This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
THE MEMORY OF EARTH
Copyright © 1992 by Orson Scott Card
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Keith Parkinson
Maps by Ellisa Mitchell
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN 0-8125-3259-7 ISBN 978-0-8125-3259-3
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 91-36596
First Edition: March 1992
First Mass Market Edition: January 1993
Printed in the United States of America
20 19 18 17 16
To a good reader, a good friend,
and, most important, a good man,
Jeff Alton
I owe many debts in the creation of this work, some more obvious than others.
My wife, Kristine, as always was my reader of first resort; with this book, however, she was joined in this labor by our oldest son, Geoffrey, who proved himself to be a reader of great insight and an editor with a good eye for detail. The world has too few good editors. I’m proud to have found another one.
I must also thank the many friends working with me on other projects, who waited patiently until this book was finished, so that I could return to other labors too long delayed. And thanks, again and always, to my agent, Barbara Bova, who proves that it
is
possible to do good business with a good friend.
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