Stone Tables

By Orson Scott Card

Book Overview

In this imaginative and vivid interpretation of the story of Moses, Orson Scott Card portrays the conflicts, the relationships, and the trials that drove one man from greatness to despair and back to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573456632
• ISBN13: 9781573456630
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Moses at his best..

Stone Tables, a play turned novel, is written by Orson Scott Card, a Mormon and esteemed, mostly science fiction author. He gets religious on us in this novel, and in his preface, says his goal was to explore the relationships between the characters of the book of Exodus. The result is a thrilling portrayal of Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and the Israelites in their quest for freedom, equality, and righteousness in the eyes of God. The story begins with the birth of Moses to Jochabed and Amram. As everyone knows, Egyptian law at the time stated that all newborn Jewish boys were to be thrown into the Nile. Fortunately for Moses, his mother ingeniously devises a scheme that results in Hatshepsut, the Pharaoh's daughter, adopting him. Through a series of phony declarations, Hatshepsut becomes her father's wife, son, and the Pharaoh. Moses is raised in the palace and considers his Israelite family a burden. After all, he is Egyptian royalty. Why should those slaves bother him? Life goes on this way until Moses takes Aaron's advice to shed his imperial robes and venture out among the people. He sees others being tortured and belittled; he himself is tortured and belittled. To save an old man, he kills an innkeeper and subsequently leaves Egypt to venture into the desert. From here, to make a long story short, with the help of Jethro and Zeforah, whom he marries, he is enlightened and sets out back to Egypt to free the Israelites from bondage. He does the bush thing and is on his way. Over in Egypt, Hatshepsut is murdered and Thutmose II takes the reins. He's a stubborn lad, taught be none other than Moses. Thus, Moses knows his enemy, and with the help of Aaron and God, the plagues are brought about Thutmose is trounced. Thutmose finally lets the Israelites go out into the desert to make their sacrifice, which essentially means he lets them leave. They're chased, but then Moses does the sea splitting act, and the Israelites are ready to go to the Holy Land! Except that they have to make a quick stop for a few Commandments. There's a golden calf and a massive slaughter of its worshipers. Thereafter, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and the rest of them live happily ever after-not that they lived to see the land God promised them or anything.

Card at his spiritual best

It is only lately that I have started to find truly insightful fiction on the stories of the Bible, and so far 'Stone Tables' tops my list, which includes OSC's own 'Sarah' and Anita Diamant's 'The Red Tent.' Being LDS myself the theological and religious views were not new to me (and being such, I take much of the biblical story as written at face value--unlike others), but the way OSC presented it was a look at the timeless concepts of doubt, faith, prayer, and sin for a people whose problems and stories, at one time, seemed so distant and unreal. I especially enjoyed the love story between Moses and Zeporah. It was particularly satisfying to see Moses (a prophet of God, no less) motivated to make himself worth to marry such a spiritual, strong, and intelligent woman.But Card writes more than a spiritually uplifting novel. He works with the Bible's gaps and inconsistencies in the story, shaping solutions that make sense: Aaron's explanation of how the calf just 'came out'; why Pharaoh's daughter would adopt an Israelite child; why Moses fell from grace despite his position; why the Israelites, despite the obvious miracles that caused their freedom, would rebel against God. Even though the solutions Card give may not be the real reasons, it encourages further thought and turns these people into real human beings who lived and breathed and suffered. I was a little frustrated with Card's 'Sarah' because it didn't expand on the setting (environment, day-to-day life) like the incredible way Diamant does in 'The Red Tent,' but 'Stone Tables' doesn't have that problem. His storytelling flows and ebbs like poetry. No, this is not Card's classic Sci-Fi, which some readers will resent it for not being so. But in many ways it is as good and better than his science fiction because it takes an old story and makes it new--bringing, as much Sci-Fi does, hope for the future.

Breathes new life into a very old tale

Orson Scott Card breathes new life into this very old tale by fusing the Biblical story of Moses with the historical accounts of Egyptian Pharaohs Hatshepsut and Thutmose. His handling of Moses and Pharaoh is similar to what we've seen before (one still thinks of Charlton Heston and Yul Brenner), but it is the minor characters that make this novel come alive -- the gruff Jethro, an ambitious Aaron, a painfully fussy Miriam. Their idiosyncrasies and relationships with Moses transform this narrative from a heavy-handed Sunday School lesson into a heartfelt novel that made me laugh, ponder, and believe all over again. Card includes tidbits about Mormon history and theology, which I could have done without, but he was very forthright in his introduction about the historical liberties he took and the worldview from which he drew. Once again, Card proved his talent at combining great characters with great plots, his "literary fiction" being just as good, if not better, than his more well-known science fiction.

Stone Tables Is Very Mormon, But Very Good Nonetheless

OSC's book "Stone Tables" is an incredible book in the way that it presents a human face to such characters as Moses, Aaron, and the Pharaoh of the Exodus--characters that over 80% of the people in the world, if they don't believe actually existed, know of. Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike understand the incredible importance of Moses to each of their religions. Card has, as is stated many times with many of his other books, influenced these well-known characters with his incredible talent of realistic characterization. The result is a story of people we can, as normal people in a normal time in normal circumstances, understand and empathize with. Card derives influence from the Old Testament, and popular belief and tradition (Josephus in one instance). However, his largest influence by far is his use of LDS theology, which differs in many ways from most Christian theology when it comes to Moses. Probably most readers not familiar with such theology will be a little confused or puzzled because such events and ideas are not explained, but are simply presented along with the rest of the story that the everybody knows. The reader is forewarned. OSC's introduction describes this book as unashamedly religious and Mormon. It is an adaptation of a play he wrote while on a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil. Thus, I cannot understand why some of the reviews on this page are accusing Card of being 'insulting' or '[farcical]'. His book, in my opinion, clearly states at the beginning that his book will be deeply religious in nature. If you don't like that, don't read it. Also, it needs to be noted that *I am also biased in my own opinion.* I admire the writer of the review who stated in his review that he was atheist, and therefore didn't like the book. I am not atheist, and am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so I am probably extremely biased. I say this to warn people who are not LDS to take my review with a grain of salt. I do not know how deep my bias ends at having an incredible piece of Mormon fiction and where my love of this book as a great story begins. Finally, when it comes to this book as a piece of literature, it is very good. It has all of the 'requirements' for good literature: character development, stress, rising action, universal morals and lessons, and inner climax (like all of Card's works, the most exciting parts aren't necessarily exciting because of something actually happening, but is when a character must make an incredible moral/inner decision). It presents the story of Moses as history with flesh-and-blood characters. It presents a God that is more involved than in other works (like "Saints") because Moses is God's prophet and receives direct revelation. It presents a story full of Mormon theology, but also fully warns the reader of such in the introduction. And it is emotionally powerful if read as the story of a family, separated by powers beyond themselves, trying to r

Warning: NOT Sci Fi!

Even if you loved "Ender's Game" or some of Card's other science fiction or fantasy, you might have no interest whatsoever in this book. But if you love the subtle and overt religious themes in Card's writing, I highly recommend this book. (His "Saints" is good too.) "Stone Tables" is a novelization of the life of Moses, using what we "know" about Moses from the Bible and other sources and creatively filling in the details. (I especially liked Card's explanation of Moses's speech impediment.) I found this a spiritually nourishing book, particularly Jethro's discussions with Moses about prayer and Moses's advice to Aaron on being a servant of God. Thank you, Orson Scott Card!