Whenever I travel, I like to bring several books.Before my last trip, I was looking through my mother's bookcase and found TheCall of Earth by Orson Scott Card, one of my favorite authors. Intrigued by thetitle and strange cover, I packed it (and its sequel).

The book beginssimply enough with the third-born son of a wealthy family. The setting isreminiscent of the 1400s, but actually takes place 40 million years in the futureon a planet known as Harmony. Humans had been forced to leave Earth (the reasonis unclear) and one of the planets they settled was Harmony. There, humans createa gigantic computer known as the Oversoul to preside over the planet. Oversouluses a network of satellites to guide humans, who have been genetically modifiedto understand its speech. Whenever human thoughts begin to focus on airplanes orchariots or wheels, the Oversoul deters them, keeping them from descending intothe fate of their ancestors.

The book, however, does not thrive merely onan interesting future for humanity. Instead it is as a parable for followingGod's word. The patriarch of the rich family leaves behind his fortune when theOversoul calls him into the desert to serve its mission. Part of his family doesnot believe in the message, but they follow him anyway.

As the seriesunfolds, the reader begins to understand the plot more and will appreciate itsgreatness. I am on the fifth volume and the whole series has achieved what it setout to do: teach people about God (represented by the Oversoul) and God's will,which we don't always understand and don't always want to follow.