THE SHIPS OF EARTH

Third in Card's sf series (The Call of Earth, 1992, etc.) set on planet Harmony, whose ruling computer, the Oversoul, is breaking down after 40 million years of service. The Oversoul has been breeding humans capable of direct communication; now, prompted by another computer on distant Earth, the Oversoul has gathered the extended family of Nafai to a place in the desert where six starships are preserved. Having been chosen by the Oversoul as navigator, and invested with great powers, Nafai must assemble a working spaceship from the partially operative hulks, while dealing with the threat posed by his murderous, unbelieving elder brother Elemak. The Homecoming Saga is a well-turned series, with intriguing ideas, well-developed characters and setting, and a plot huge enough to satisfy the most extravagant tastes; this episode comes with a most useful and welcome recapping prologue, although newcomers will wish to start with volume one.