Hatrack River Forum: Is 'Empire' part of the Ender-verse?

This is topic Is 'Empire' part of the Ender-verse? in forum Discussions About Orson Scott Card at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by franjime (Member # 10727) on :

Hello all - long time listener, first time caller.

I just finished reading 'Empire' (yes, I'm behind) and I am wondering if this could conceivably be tied into the Ender-verse. By the time of the Ender novels the USA is shown to be much less a player on the world stage; was wondering if the events in 'Empire' could lead to that decline. Are we reading about Ender's great-great-great (great, etc) grandparents?

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

I see no reason for that to be true, and several for it not to be.

Welcome to Hatrack! [Smile]

(To posting, anyway.)

Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :

Isn't Empire a video game tie-in or something?

Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :

Why not? Isaac Asimov tied together his Robots, Galactic, and Foundation series together. Why can’t OSC tie together Enderverse, Empire, and Alvin series all together?

He’s the author! He can do what he wants!

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jay:
Why can’t OSC tie together Enderverse, Empire, and Alvin series all together?

Because every author that has pulled the "all my universes are One!!!111" shtick has, IMO, diminished their world, not improved them. And IIRC, OSC himself has said as much about the practice.

Posted by Cyronist (Member # 9691) on :

Though the idea is tantalizing, it couldn't work. The events in the shadow series are too close to the events in Empire for there to be no mention whatsoever about the events of Empire in the Shadow series.

Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :

I know OSC denies it, but I'm convinced the Worthing-verse is the future of the Ender-verse.

Posted by LargeTuna (Member # 10512) on :

I see (and like) the Worthing connection, but combining anything else with Ender is just greedy and i am under the impression it wouldn't work. [Hat]

the tip of the hat to you [Hat]

clever ideas.

Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :

Oh I don't take credit for it. I believe it was talked about somewhere on the forum and it makes a fun kind of sense.

Posted by Steve_G (Member # 10101) on :

a good reason for keeping the Enderverse out there a ways is it never gets too outdated. Look at Tom Clancy's Jack ryan novels. they were popular precisely because they were contemporary, but as tim e surpassed them, clancy had to keep trying to shoehorn President Durland in there somewhere with President Reagan and President H.W. Bush and still managed to find a few ways of obliquely referring to Clinton. It got kind of comical trying to figure out how many Presidents Clancy could shoe into a decade. And then for his final trick he crammed Jack Ryan in there as well. [Smile]

Don't get me wrong I liked them (Jack Ryan stories) all, but there is an advantage to keeping a story nebulously in the future.