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The Homecoming Series

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The Memory of Earth by Orson Scott Card
The Memory of Earth by Orson Scott Card

First of a five-book series from the author of Xenocide, the Alvin Maker tales, etc. Planet Harmony, settled 40 million years ago following the destruction of Earth, is overseen by the Oversoul, an intelligent computer able to communicate telepathically with certain of the inhabitants. Set up to prevent war and ensure the colony's survival, the Oversoul is now breaking down, and for repairs must journey to Earth (where, the Oversoul theorizes, a new civilization surely will have arisen by now). Needing help from Harmony, the Oversoul first contacts young student Nafai of the matriarchal city Basilica, hoping to persuade him and others of his family to secure the Index--an ancient machine that will enable the Oversoul to talk directly with everyone. A major complication is that as the Oversoul decays, the mental blocks it implanted in Harmony's people eons ago to prevent war are also breaking down; and soon the women of Basilica find themselves trapped in a power struggle between two hostile male armies.
The Call of Earth by Orson Scott Card
The Call of Earth by Orson Scott Card

As Harmony's Oversoul grows weaker, Moozh, a great warrior, uses forbidden technology to win control of an army and aims his troops at the city of Basilica, the strong fortress above the Plain.

First of all, this is a great book. While it's practically impossible to read unless you've read the one before it, that's how it is with most series'. The characterazations, both of good characters and "villians" are supurb, and the plot is both epic and believable. It continues almost exactly where book one left off, right after Nafai kills whats-his-name for the Oversoul. This story immediatly begins on a darker note as several new characters enter the story, and the Oversoul's true intentions begin to become clear... Anyway, I won't say anything else because I just can't bring myself to spoil it for you, but trust me, this is an awesome series! One thing that did bother me about though was while this series seemed to take an interest in the rights and interests of women, it seemed to take the other side halfway through the book, which was quite annoying. Besides that though this was a great book that I recommend to any sci-fi fan.
The Ships of Earth by Orson Scott Card
The Ships of Earth by Orson Scott Card

The third book of Card's Homecoming Saga takes the prophet Nafai and his oddly assorted band of pilgrims across the deserts of Harmony as they flee from ruined Basilica and its conquerors. Fumbling their way toward workable social arrangements for their new existence as they go, they are guided by the Oversoul and its vision of the need to return to Earth. There seems to be a bit of fumbling, or at any rate a good deal of talk, in Card's handling of this philosophical journey, but in its final stages, the book rises to great power as the little band of prophets approaches its goal. Even as good a writer as Card--one of the genuinely towering talents working in science fiction today--is not immune to middle-book-slump syndrome, but overall, this volume carries forward a superior story.
Earthfall by Orson Scott Card
Earthfall by Orson Scott Card

The fourth volume of Homecoming, Card's grand saga of the human race's far-future return to Earth, takes the characters on a century-long starship voyage back to the old planet. They find it inhabited by two sapient races, one evolved from rats, the other from bats. The two are constantly hostile to each other but also symbiotically linked by their reproductive process. Meanwhile, the long-standing rivalry between the statesmanlike Nafai and the dictatorial Elemak nearly wrecks the voyage, then leads to open violence on Earth, with consequences for relations with the other two sapient Earth races. In this book more strongly than ever, it seems that a lesser writer than Card could have neither conceived nor effectively executed this saga. His literary gifts and philosophical turn of mind continue to carry it on at a very high level, mandating that Earthfall go on the shelf with the rest of the saga.
Earthborn by Orson Scott Card
Earthborn by Orson Scott Card

Card concludes the Homecoming series about refugees from a far-future planet who return to repopulate Earth in the hope of repairing the Oversoul, a sapient computer. They found Earth virtually devoid of human life and populated by sapient races evolved from bats and rats. As this novel opens, the only one of the original voyagers still alive is aboard an orbiting starship. On Earth, numerous factions have arisen and become divided because of disagreements about forms of government and the rights of the "skypeople" and "diggers." All, however, are still seeking the Keeper of Earth. This complex situation, abetted by Card's superior characterization, offers more than enough conflict and questing to keep the yarn moving. The grand saga of human evolution is a demanding category of sf and fantasy, but Card has met its demands quite successfully.