The Carpet Makers (Orson Scott Card Present's S.)

by Andreas Eschbach

Since the time of prehistory, carpet makers have tied intricate knots to form carpets for the court of the Emperor. These carpets are made from the hairs of their makers' wives and daughters; they are so detailed and fragile that each carpet- maker finishes only one single carpet in his entire lifetime. This art has descended from father to son since the beginning of time itself. But, one day, the empire of the God Emperor vanish...and strangers begin to arrive from the stars in search of the hair carpets. What these strangers discover is beyond all belief, more than anything they could have ever imagined...

• ISBN10: 0765314908
• ISBN13: 9780765314901
• Publish Date: 21 February 2006 (first published 1 May 2005)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 13 December 2008
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

This book was a little weird; somewhat disjointed; it read almost like historical fiction but there was a heavy Science Fiction theme weaved into the story. Reminds me of the original Star Gate movie, mixing ancient (Middle Eastern) culture with a very strong Sci-Fi style. The novel starts off with what seems like a very basic story, but as you continue on it gets more complex and the world seems more sinister than expected.

The pre-historic carpet maker’s life seems a little weird, a tradition that didn’t seem to sit well with me; this could have been simply because I was expecting more out of their lives. These carpet makers make one carpet in their life time and their debts are passed on from generation to generation. But as you read further through this book you begin to understand their lifestyle a little better and while don’t wish to take up the tradition, I’ve come to accept it.

Overall the writing style was a little strange and took a while to get use to. I often found myself completely lost and not sure what is happening. It is quite possible some of the story got lost in translation but I felt like there was far too much in the story that never seemed to get resolved; I don’t want everything wrapped up in a neat bow but I would like some sense of closure, but I never got this here.

Well worth reading this book, it is quiet unusual and the journey was enjoyable. I think even readers that aren’t fans of Science Fiction may even enjoy this book.