Pathfinder (novel)
| Pathfinder | |
|---|---|
 2010 first edition (hardcover) | |
| Author | Orson Scott Card |
| Cover artist | Mike Rosamilia |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Pathfinder series |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Simon Pulse |
Publication date | 2010 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 672 |
| ISBN | 1-416-99179-4 |
| OCLC | 701013284 |
| Followed by | Ruins |
Pathfinder (2010) is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card,[1] known for his novel, Ender's Game. This novel tells the story of Rigg, and his mysterious ability to see the "paths" of living things throughout time. It is the first book in the ongoing Pathfinder series, and is followed by Ruins.
Summary
Humans from Earth have colonized a new planet, giving it the name "Garden". A select few of the colonists have gained unusual abilities, such as the ability to slow down time or the ability to create an invisible wall that will turn away unwanted visitors. The story focuses on a boy named Rigg who has the ability to see the paths travelled in the past by any being, living or dead. After losing his father and mentor, Rigg must set out across the land to meet a sister he has never known.
Plot Overview
Rigg lives with his father, trapping animals and being educated for purposes unknown. One day Rigg finds his father dead, apparently impaled by a fallen tree. As he dies, he tells Rigg to go to the ancient city of Aressa Sessamo and find his sister Param, and that the innkeeper Nox has jewels for him that he will need on his journey. After evading a band of pursuers after being falsely accused of murder, he finds Nox and gets the jewels and some money. Rigg heads out of the city, but his childhood friend Umbo follows and demands to join him. During the journey to Aressa Sessamo, the pair learn that Rigg's pathfinding skills and Umbo's ability to slow the perception of time, they can interact with the people of the past by focusing on specific points on their paths. Umbo is affected by the changes they make (for instance, when the time travelers accidentally create legends after being seen in the past, he remembers them), but Rigg is not, remembering things as they were before the past was altered.
After coming to Leaky's Landing, a small river town, they meet a former soldier by the name of Loaf. He agrees to take the boys to a city called O to sell one of the jewels for money. The city is along the way to their final destination so they agree. When the trio reaches O, they are arrested by General Citizen of the People's Republic. Rigg is accused of impersonating the lost prince Rigg Sessamakesh. Rigg infers from this that he actually is the prince Rigg, and was stolen at birth by the man he called his father, for unknown purposes. They are taken on a boat towards to Aressa Sessamo, but Umbo and Loaf escape and return to O. Upon reaching the city, Rigg meets his mother and sister for the first time. He finds that his sister has the ability to skip through time, making time pass much more slowly for her. While she is doing this she turns invisible, but she can be greatly harmed or even killed if something goes through her.
After associating himself with the city and getting to know how things run while he is in captivity, Rigg decides to become a scholar and study in the libraries for long hours every day. He befriends Olivenko, a city guard, and spends a lot of time with him at the libraries. Rigg's mother the Queen, now stripped of her rights and authority by the People's Republic, sets into motion a scheme to restore herself to the throne and have General Citizen become the king. They must have Rigg and Param killed to prevent them from competing with their claim. Meanwhile, Umbo and Loaf have made their way to Aressa Sessamo from O by land. They reunite with Rigg, Param, and Olivenko and escape the city together just in time. Traveling across the land away from the danger of Citizen and the Queen, they decide the only way to truly get away is to cross the wall, an invisible field which encircles the known world and drives all those who enter it insane. With their time manipulation powers they travel backwards to a time before the wall existed, although the ability to go back to the present rests with Umbo, who therefore cannot travel with them. Param, with her time-slicing ability, helps him escape with General Citizen and his soldiers at their backs.
The group sets out for food and water in the unknown region beyond the wall, but meet an man identical to Rigg's original father from Fall Ford. He reveals that himself and Rigg's father were robots (expendables), and that all the humans were descendants of colonists from Earth. He then says that the Earthlings would be sending another ship shortly to make contact with them, setting in motion the plot of the next book.
References
- ↑ "Pathfinder". Hatrack River Enterprises Inc. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
External links
- Booklist, Pathfinder
- Publishers Weekly, Pathfinder
- Goodreads, Pathfinder Review
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