Ender's Game has been my favourite novel since I was eleven. I was delighted to see Linday Ellis take on the novel, or rather, the infamy the novel has recieved because of the beliefs of its author.
The movie is coming out in 2013 and I am torn whether or not to see it. I once had an exchange with Nash of That Guy With the Glasses on Twitter about the issue, he being of the opinion that Orson Scott Card does not deserve material support. My belief was that a work of art can stand apart from the beliefs of a creator unless the creator is intent on cramming it down your throat.
When the movie comes out, expect calls for a boycott, given the recent attention regarding Chick-Fil-A in the States. Gays haven't quite reached the levels of marriage equality we enjoy in Canada, and they're fighting back hard, fighting against the tide of obstinate conservatives.
I am an apsiring writer. I am looking to Orson Scott Card, not as a role model, but as a cautionary tale.
Within recent years, to be undiplomatic, Card has gone over the deep end. No, I haven't read his latest books, but all the negative buzz around it has discouraged me. Yes, it could be argued I should read them and make up my own mind. Thing is, I don't belive people are piling up on Card without merit. Freedom of speech entitles you to be heard, not respected---particularly if what you have to say is the stupidest idea on the planet.
Card, to be blunt, has forfeited his ability to write, by which I mean explore themes and ideas, in favour of twisting his talents into polemics. That is very, very sad. Someone who became a major talent and write some of the most influential and seminal works in the genre has hauled up the drawbridge so he can be the little king in the empty fortress in his own mind.
I'm scared of that being the inevitable fate of a writer. I'm hoping this is a fate that can be avoided.
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