Product Description
A powerful secret. A dangerous path.

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg's strange talent for seeing the paths of people's pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him--secrets about Rigg's own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Rigg’s birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent…or forfeit control of his destiny. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (35)

Love Card, but this book was a little bleh
Orson Scott Card, to me, is a master of understanding human nature.This book was entertaining but lacking that essential Card quality that makes his books outstanding.It's a good read but if you are looking for the depth and brilliance of the Ender series or even the plot twists and greatness of the original Empire you will be disappointed.I look forward to the master returning in his next book :)

It's OK, but Don't Buy It
Like many who've reviewed this book, I've been a fan of OSC for years.I even think Empire is a good action/near future novel, though the idea of a liberal-incited civil war strained my willing suspension of disbelief (any political scientist will tell you that American liberals are far too divided and contentious to band together in any such endeavor--that, and they don't tend to like violence or firearms).However, if you must read Hidden Empire, check it out from your local library or borrow it from a friend; it's an OK read, but you don't want to spend money on it.

As many reviewers have already observed, Hidden Empire is packed with what amounts to preaching and terribly overt political propaganda.Rather than use them as flavoring, Card allows his personal leanings to become the main course of this novel; the characters and what should be the main action are relegated to sides and garnish.His one self-professed "liberal" character--a political/policy analyst no less--watches Fox for the "serious" news (MSNBC is staffed by condescending, Christian-hating traitors) and

*****spoilers*****


allows her thirteen-year-old son to accompany her to nurse the plague-ridden in strife-torn Nigeria after he convinces her it's the Christian thing to do.Had she gone without him, she would have seemed noble, brave, and virtuous; allowing him to go makes her seem like an unfit mother and a religious nut, which is inconsistent with that character.Cole, the hero of the civil war, becomes a knowing and willing backer of tyranny, which is arguably inconsistent with that character.And would Rube's jeesh so stupidly undertake the suicide mission to assassinate the President?

Preaching Christian Values is One Thing, But...
You'd think you would know what to expect if you read through Empire, which itself was a painful read with its vilifying of the US left wing, legitimizing of FoxNews, mischaracterization of US Military personnel, and a disturbingly bitter afterword from the author. The sequel manages to ratchet the bizarre conservatism up a notch however, with the most egregious example being a section where the most intelligent characters in the novel all discuss how everyone with half a brain knows that "global warming" is nothing but a big conspiracy theory unsupported by any science whatsoever. That was the point at which I could suffer no more.

It would be one thing if he had set out to create this alternate reality on purpose, but it's clear from his afterwords and online musings that this is what he believes the world is like, which to be quite frank is absolutely batty and difficult to ignore. Orson Scott Card has, with his incessant injection of his social and political views into his works, tainted my fond memories of Ender's Game and Speaker For The Dead.

A failure on all grounds
I have been an OSC fan for many years and consider Ender's Game and Pastwatch two of my favorite SF novels. But the last three OSC novels I have read have been dreadful and this was the worst. Ender in Exile - dismal but I thought, hey, the overall series is great and if the guy who created it wants to milk it a bit more that's OK; Empire - 4 stars for concept and motivation, 2 stars for execution (the writing was weak for OSC but I was willing to give him a pass as it was a back-story for a third-rate video game. And now Hidden Empire. This is a sequel to Empire and it has all of the former's faults and no redeeming virtues. The plotting is wooden, the characters are one-dimensional, the moral dilemmas not credible and the arguments around sophomoric. I like novels with strongly motivated religious characters, but I did not get this from Hidden Empire. Instead I got platitudes and rants. Some reviewers claim that the book is well researched. I read a great deal about Africa and issues (have not yet had a chance to travel there though, so discount anything I say about it) and nothing in the book resonated with me. If it was a better book I would send it to friends who live in Ghana, but I won't inflict this one on anybody. Sorry I bought it. I promise to recycle though.

In the afterward to Empire OSC had wonderful comments on the polarization of US political discourse. It is a powerful statement and I encourage everyone to read it. But in this book he has given up any effort to ground open discourse between people with different views. Sigh. It will be quite a few years before I try an OSC book again, three strikes and you're out. I will go back and reread some of the older ones.

No story is really finished.
Hidden Empire, by Orson Scott Card, is a worthy sequel to his fine exposition Empire, a discussion of the transition of the United States of America ("America") from a creaky republic to a true empire, in the manner of Rome from Julius Caesar to Constantine. The entire cast is properly developed from the earlier book, and sufficient new characters are introduced to properly develop Mr. Card's ideas. This is a valuable addition to the modern socio-political library, and is timely in its discussion of the noisy extremes which have so seized America's current political discourse, to the great damage of all aspects of American life outside of "politics." ... Read more

Product Description
Using the lore and the folk-magic of the men and women who settled North America, Orson Scott Card has created an alternate world where magic works, and where that magic has colored the entire history of the colonies. Charms and beseechings, hexes and potions, all have a place in the lives of the people of this world. Dowsers find water, the second sight warns of dangers to come, and a torch can read a person's future---or their heart.
In this world where "knacks" abound, Alvin, the seventh son of a seventh son, is a very special man indeed. He's a Maker; he has the knack of understanding how things are put together, how to create them, repair them, keep them whole, or tear them down. He can heal hearts as well as bones, he build a house, he can calm the waters or blow up a storm. And he can teach his knack to others, to the measure of their own talent.

Alvin has been trying to avert the terrible war that his wife, Peggy, a torch of extraordinary power, has seen down the life-lines of every American. Now she has sent him down the Mizzippy to the city of New Orleans, or Nueva Barcelona as they call it under Spanish occupation. Alvin doesn't know exactly why he's there, but when he and his brother-in-law, Arthur Stuart, find lodgings with a family of abolitionists who know Peggy, he suspects he'll find out soon.

But Nueva Barcelona is about to experience a plague, and Alvin's efforts to protect his friends by keeping them healthy will create more danger than he could ever have suspected. And in saving the poor people of the city, Alvin will be put to the greatest test of his life---a test that will draw on all his power. For the time has come for him to turn to his old friend Tenskwa-Tawa, the Red Prophet who controls the lands to the west of the Mizzippy. Now Alvin must take the first steps on the road to the Crystal City that was shown to him in a vision so long ago.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Sounds like the unmaker unmade the story
I read straight through all six books because they were that good...until I got to the sixth.It almost felt as though Card made it up as he went along; as though there was a disconnect to what had come before.Too much was left hanging and not completed.I felt cheated. Even if at the time, Card planned another series to go into the future, it was poor.

The subplots were weak, some sidetracks into different ventures went nowhere, which, in my mind, did nothing but flesh out the alternative history, and the story meandered around until they SUDDENLY reached the promised land .Alternative Histories naturally change history and portray another reality.However, I think Card failed dismally in how he portrayed Abe Lincoln. For me, it didn't work.Maybe because some people should be left alone.

After the whole buildup of searching for how to build the Crystal City, the book had a weak ending.I understand that life gets in the way of miracles, but by the time everyone was in place, the city was being built, the golden plow had revealed its purpose, there could at least have beensomethingexciting to mark the event.Instead, Alvin spends time moaning about how things are going to fail, Peggy cries because she sees his future, but won't tell him, (What else is new?), and Calvin shows up completely unchanged.Or maybe, as readers, we're supposed to supply our own ending...like Arthur Steward will become powerful enough that he will overcome the evil brother Calvin and save Alvin's life, even though Alvin'sfull of bullet holes.

Sounds likethe unmaker wrote the sixth book.

great condition and service!
The book was in great condition (I think it was new) and got here fast! I'd buy again in a heartbeat!

Brings closure to a series that had started to loose its way
A lot of people obviously had a negative reaction to this final volume in the saga of Alvin Maker.Instead, I'd like to applaud Card for this difficult effort to wrap up a complex and much-loved series.I know it wasn't an easy task, but it was absolutely demanded by fans of this wonderfully imaginative world.While much of the wonder of the story has faded, and this ending certainly seems rushed towards an easy conclusion, this is still a good book, providing adequate closure to the series.Here's props to OSC for finding a way to tie up all the loose ends and finally bringing this story to a close.

As most of the readers of the series know, this story wasn't initially planned to get as far as it has.After the first three books, Card let the story rest and didn't know if he'd ever come back to it.After much encouragement by fans of the series, he decided to bring it back.At some point after that, he must have decided to bring it all the way to a conclusion.I know it is hard to believe, but when Card initially wrote about the vision of the Crystal City in Red Prophet, he didn't really have a firm idea of where that promise would really lead, much less how he would actually get his young character Alvin there.Similarly, many of the other grand events that were foreshadowed throughout the series were not fully formed ideas when they were promised, and left Card with a daunting task to complete this series in a fulfilling way.

In THE CRYSTAL CITY, the plot is obviously directed and limited towards a definite conclusion to the overall story.The previous couple of books, notably Heartfire, seemed to aimlessly wander, introducing new plot threads and characters that really didn't add anything to the series as a whole, but rather seemed to be filler for a series that the author wasn't sure where to take or how to finish.Finally, in this book, Card had made up his mind to finish the story and just did it.No fooling around, no stretching it out, just completing the story.

This book does come across as rushed, set on a crash-course for the inevitable ending that no reader doubted could be much different than it turned out.And there was an obvious effort to wrap up loose ends of the story in the most efficient (or easiest) way possible.And sure there are a few plot threads from the previous books that were radically altered or just allowed to fade into the forgotten.But this book at least brings a satisfactory closing to a much-loved series.

So, with THE CRYSTAL CITY, Card successfully brings his beloved story to an end, mercifully putting a series that had lost its inspiration to rest.Fans of the series should enjoy the closure to the story.Readers new to the series are encouraged to pick up Seventh Son, and let the magic begin.

great series
I really enjoyed this whole series.Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite writers today!I fell in love with his writing with the Ender sci-fi series, but I also enjoy reading his fantasy works, as well.He is able to pull me into his stories immediately.I don't want to put his books down, having to know what is going to happen to my favorite characters.

Eh.
I love, love, love Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker series, but he is just pushing it now. It's time to let it go man! This book isn't a complete waste of time, but it's not something I would read instead of say, doing laundry. It's just not that good. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in trade paperback for the first time!With Children of the Mind, Card returns to the story of Ender Wiggin: hero of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Enders Game, the original Speaker for the Dead, and the hated Xenocide who murdered an entire planet. Now his adopted world, Lusitania, is threatened by the same planet-destroying weapon that he himself used so many thousands of years before. Enders oldest friend, Jane, the computer intelligence that has evolved with him over 3000 years, is about to be killed by the Starways Congress, which has finally discovered her existence and fears her control of the galaxy-wide interlocked network of computers and ansibles.Jane can save the three sentient races of Lusitaniathe Pequeninos, the Hive Queens daughters, and the human colony. She has learned how to move ships outside the universe, and then instantly back to a different world, abolishing the light-speed limit. But it takes all the processing power available to her, and the Starways Congress is shutting down the Net world by world.Amazon.com Review
Children of the Mind, fourth in the Ender series, isthe conclusion of the story begun in the third book, Xenocide.Theauthor unravels Ender's life and reweaves the threads into unexpectednew patterns, including an apparent reincarnation of his threateningolder brother, Peter, not to mention another "sister"Valentine.Multiple storylines entwine, as the threat of theLusitania-bound fleet looms ever nearer.The self-aware computer,Jane, who has always been more than she seemed, faces death at humanhands even as she approaches godhood.At the same time, thecharacters hurry to investigate the origins of the descolada virusbefore they lose their ability to travel instantaneously between thestars.There is plenty of action and romance to season the text'sanalyses of Japanese culture and the flux and ebb of civilizations.But does the author really mean to imply that Ender's wife literallybores him to death? --Brooks Peck ... Read more

Customer Reviews (211)

Quartet's Conclusion
This is really a tremendous book. Though it can be seen as simply a continuation of Xenocide, picking up right where that novel let off, the tone is actually quite different. It's as deep philosophically, but it's punchier at the same time - I found myself reading this much faster than the preceding novel. Additionally, I found the conclusion very satisfying, especially since Card took this story to the very limits of credibility. The very delicately balanced plot could easily have fallen apart, but Card does keep it together long enough to bring everything home, resolving each of the characters' plot lines.

As the back of the book says, this story concerns itself with the ethical evolution of humanity. That's a hefty challenge to take on, but Card does a commendable job not only to bring up some fascinating and difficult questions but to try answering them as well. I do think Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead are better novels overall, but Xenocide and Children of the Mind come very close to that level and are worthy components of the Ender Quartet. This is top-notch science fiction, tackling questions and issues in a futuristic universe, exploring what it means to be human, or not human, and doing it with great emotional involvement. I highly recommend this.

book as promised
Book was received in a timely manner and was in the condition advertised.Would buy from this seller again.

Read 'Enders Game' and stop there
This is an awful book and (luckily) the last in the Ender Quartet.

Ender Wiggin plays almost no part in it at all, and instead his `children' are central. Ender is dying and because of a quantum-physics crap-fest nightmare with a super-computer named Jane (who has taken him `In' and `Out' of space time, allowing for faster than light travel), his personality is split between three people.

The story follows a plethora of characters, none of whom the reader has any reason to care about. They are all two dimensional and completely unbelievable. In the midst of interstellar warfare and dramatic tension, they leap constantly into long diatribes and dialogues whereby they psycho-analyze themselves, their traveling companions, Ender Wiggin, and the moral complications of the situations they have found themselves in. There is no subtlety. There is no action. There are only malformed characters and a convoluted plot that leaves you wishing all three species would be annihilated.

Not recommended. Read 'Enders Game' and stop there.

Children of the Mind
This Book is insightful as well as entertaining and takes the reader on an adventure into the possibilities of other worlds and creation. It engages the reader such that one feel invested and involved in the destination of 'good' ultimately triumphing.
I loved it, as did my children.

Birngs the undertones of the first three to the surface
There were times, reading the first three books in the Ender series, where I wanted to skip page after page of Battle School talk. Sure, I like strategy and I like the occasional shoot-em-up, but what attracted me to Card's series was the undertones - the explorations of humanity. Ender embodied both the perfect weapon - able to destroy an entire species without a second thought. But Ender also embodied immense compassion. This book really highlights the significance of who Ender is outside of the Battle School.

Maybe Card could have combined Xenocide (the last of the first three books) with Children of the Mind - but I really didn't mind the extra reading - and I suspect his publishers also didn't mind the additional sales! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (235)

Those darn Liberals and their Mech Suits.
First off, I do give credit to Card for the subject matter. Having seen the frothing hate swing from Bush to Obama, I've started to wonder if some kind of civil war is our fate.That was my main reason for picking up this book from the library.

The problem with Card's take on the subject, is that he feels the answer to the problem is to accept Conservative ways and reject Liberalism.

Key points in the world of Empire

-99.99% of the armed services are noble and honorable Conservatives
-100% of Liberals loathe all members of the armed services
-Liberals are so ignorant and gullible (because they believe in things like global warming), that they would be easily manipulated into triggering a civil war
-Liberals are so inept at the art of fighting (since there are no Liberal soldiers, of course), that they would need to rely heavily on insanely advance technology to even come close to matching the skill and heroism of Conservatives, and yet they still lose, badly
-Conservative soldiers would pine and feel an intense burden at having to fire on fellow Americans, while Liberals would gleefully slaughter anyone standing in the way of their mad agenda, especially members of the armed services
-The heads of the Washington Post would openly discuss with the Conservative soldier, how they're intending to spin his story to the Left and smear him and the military, while Fox News takes great lengths to provide a truly balanced forum for unbias reporting

Card continued to imply thoughtout the book that both sides were to blame, and a lot of people giving this a 5 star review say we missed that point. To them I ask, find me one Conservative villian in this book. Liberal bad guys were everywhere:

-The staff of the Washington Post
-The main character's secretary
-The general pretending to be a Conservative, and threatening a coup, to make Conservatives look bad
-The soldiers and Mech drivers who invade New York
-Canada (they encourage us to accept the Liberal takeover)

I can't think of one single Conservative bad guy in the book.In fact, the only good Liberal in the book is the wife of the main character, and she's really the Colmes to every other character's Hannity.Her purpose there is to show that a truly wise Liberal would know deep down that Conservatives are right about everything.That doesn't scream 'non-bias' to me.

Card's very obvious tilt toward the Right aside, the story is so horrible as it is.

Mech suits and hoverbikes?

Seriously, mech suits and hoverbikes?

.......

Really?

The whole concept of the book, with the 'neutral' character manipulating his way to being the unopposed candidate for president is laughable. You're writing a story about the division between our politics, and you think, even after a civil war, both sides would start falling all over themselves to work together to ensure that the same guy gets elected president

Plus, the Mech suits and hoverbikes, never forget them.

All said, one of the worst written stories I've ever read.

Enjoyable read
Based on my own system of - How often I put the book down - this was a fun and enjoyable book. Good pace and fairly likeable characters.The plot does require a few leaps, but again, this is fiction.If you're offended by anything that might trend slightly conservative, then I guess this will not be the book for you.However, I'm not sold that a political statement is really where Card was going with this.At any rate, thin skinned reviewers are pretty humorous to me when the vast majority of screed out there is liberal leaning.

Wanted to like it.......
OSC is/was? one of my favorite writers. I have read just about everything he has written since I first read "The Folk of the Fringe". This book is terrible. Poorly written with unbelievable plot and lousy dialogue.No point going on there are enough bad reviews here that got it right,so disappointing......

Apologist for the Administration that Most Owes America an Apology
I never thought I would be giving anything by Orson Scott Card less than four stars minimum, but this thinly disguised defense of America's most indefensible administration is most unworthy of the Orson Scott Card who wrote Ender's Game (Ender, Book 1) and Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5) (both five stars).

I know that an apologist is one who defends, not one who apologizes, but the pun in the title of this review was irresistible.And for this book, Card owes his readers an apology.

But most of all, ex-President Cheney and his talking puppet owe Americans an apology.

. . An apology for lying to us as a matter of policy.
. . An apology for fraudulently maneuvering America into starting an unjustified war.
. . An apology for the deaths of thousands of Americans and far more thousands of Iraqis.
. . an apology for making the world more dangerous in the name of making it safer.
. . an apology for besmirching the good name of the United states of America.
. . An apology for abrogating the rights "guaranteed" by our Constitution.
. . An Apology for rampant incompetence and corruption.
. . and the list goes on and on.

watziznaym@gmail.com

Novel 2 Afterward 4
I'd like to begin by reviewing the novel, not the author's politics. OSC has written two of my favorite recent SF novels, Enders Game and the truly wonderful Pastwatch. They are both five star books. Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow are all excellent books as well, solid four stars. But OSC also knows how to milk a franchise and some of his books are wooden and contrived, striving to do their duty and plodding in plot and action. Sadly, this is one of those. The characters are pretty much stereotypes and the plot predictable where it is not random. Given that this was written as the backstory for a pretty sorry game, I suppose that is not surprising.

I am interested enough in the premise that I will probably go out this evening and get the sequel. Looking at the US from the outside the lack of intelligent debate between left and right, the inability of people on either side to hear each other, and the savage attacks on people looking for a third way are very disturbing. OSC's afterward should be widely read independent of the novel.

Given OSC's position in the afterward, which I read before the novel, I was surprized that it was about as balanced as Fox News. All of the negative characters and actions are taken by the left wing. Even the ranting right-wing general is actually a stooge for left-wing forces. And the 'intelligent' professor who ends up as president is a nasty piece of work lacking in original thought. The right-wing characters and 'moderates' are sympathetic, but there are no actual left wing characters. Not much balance here, lots of spin. I suppose that we don't really know who carried out the assassination, and that this may be a right-wing group. I hope to find out this evening.

The novel also lacks any intelligent debate of the issues and policy choices facing the US. I was really hoping for something here. The crisis facing the US is not just the result of the policy choices to date. We are coming to the end of the oil economy and the US has taken on huge debt and at the same time needs to renew and reinvent basic infrastructure. Demographics make a major economic restructuring inevitable, and the risk of climate change needs to be addressed (to say 'the science is settled' is misleading, to say there is no risk is a simple lie), industrialized agriculture is failing ... A novel of ideas should have some ideas in it.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (44)

I am a bit of a Fan Boy
I have read every book Orson Scott Card has published, am subscribed to his IGMB web site, and all because of Ender's Game.That being said, I got this book as soon as I found out about it.I must say that it was quite an interesting read, and that the adventures were thrilling to follow.Like many have said, it was definitely an early book, without some of the polish that Orson uses in later books, but it was a very enjoyable book.

Will be very much enjoyed by anyone who liked just about any of the writing of Orson Scott card.

Second favorite book ever
This book was just outstanding. It opened my mind to ideas I couldn't fathom on my own. The plot and characters were always interesting and there were almost no dull moments which most books have.

-Jeff

Card is great as ususal
A topical, thought provoking story of near future history in US. Card develops characters, keeps the story flowing, and does his ususal great job of story telling.

Underated
This is one of the best stories I have ever read in Science Fiction/Fantasy.I think it is majorly overlooked as one of Card's best because it lacks his usual strength of Characterization.But, overall this is one of the best STORIES I have read.It is great tale of the nature of humanity and the struggle to overcome all obstacles.Read it, you will not regret it.

Great and easy read for OSC fans.
I have read almost everything Orson Scott Card has written.In between Ender's Game releases, I decided to read other stand alone novels by Card.This book isa nice and quick read.It will keep you reading up until the end.I do, however, recommend that most readers who have NOT read any Card before, read the Ender's Game series first. ... Read more

Product Description
Born into a time and place where a woman speaks her mind at her peril, and reared as a motherless child by a doting father, Rebekah grew up to be a stunning, headstrong beauty.She was chosen by God for a special destiny.

Rebekah leaves her father's house to marry Isaac, the studious young son of the Patriarch Abraham, only to find herself caught up in a series of painful rivalries, first between her husband and his brother Ishmael, and later between her sons Jacob and Esau.Her struggles to find her place in the family of Abraham are a true test of her faith, but through it all she finds her own relationship with God and does her best to serve His cause in the lives of those she loves.

In Rebekah, Orson Scott Card has created an astonishing personality, complex and intriguing, and her story will engage your heart as it captures your imagination.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

I enjoyed it!
I have read the bad reviews of this book, Rebekah, but it was one of my favorites. I felt like I really knew the character of Rebekah. I could not put it down and read it pretty quickly. I didn't feel that she was a weak woman character at all.I felt that the author being a man wrote about a woman accurately. I always keep my Bible close by to compare facts as much as I can, so I keep it straight in my mind what is actually written in the Scriptures and what is fictional.

R.A. Zilber
The writing is flat and lacks insight.

Not only are the Women of Genesis series written in a mechanical wooden style, the facts are twisted,
and the stories are vulgarized.

The new rebekah
I have been studing the women of the torah/bible for some time now. When I see a book about the women of the torahI am interested to see what the author has to say about this certain woman. I am very glad I bought this novel. Orson brings the story to life and he makes it interesting how it could of have been. I like his interpetion of the story in thebible. It's an excellent read and I enjoyed it very much. Keep up the good work.

Rebekah
Loved this book--also Sarah and Rachael & Leah--very well written---stayed very close to the Bible version

A good book
I received this book on time and in wonderful condition.I am enjoying it quite well. Angela Miller ... Read more

Product Description
As one of the most consistently exciting writers to emerge in the last twenty-five years, Orson Scott Card has been honored with numerous awards, immersing readers in dazzling worlds only he could create. Now, in Enchantment, Card works his magic as never before, transforming the timeless story of Sleeping Beauty into an original fantasy brimming with romance and adventure.

The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek's farm.

Now, years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest--or convince himself it was merely a frightened boy's fantasy. Compelled to return to his native land, Ivan finds the clearing just as he left it.

This time he does not run. This time he awakens the beauty with a kiss . . . and steps into a world that vanished a thousand years ago.

A rich tapestry of clashing worlds and cultures, Enchantment is a powerfully original novel of a love and destiny that transcend centuries . . . and the dark force that stalks them across the ages.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review
Enchantment is the story of a Ukraine-born, Americangrad student who finds himself transported to the ninth century toplay the prince in a Russian version of SleepingBeauty. Early in the story, he muses that in a French orEnglish retelling of the tale, the prince and princess would livehappily ever after. But, "only a fool would want to live through theRussian version of any fairy tale."

Although his fears turn out tobe warranted, as he and his cursed princess contend with thediabolical witch Baba Yaga--easily Russia's best pre-Khrushchevvillain--to save the princess's kingdom, Enchantment isultimately a sweet story. Mixing magic and modernity, the acclaimedOrson Scott Card (Ender's Game) haswoven threads of history, religion, and myth together into aconvincing, time-hopping tale that is part love story, partadventure. Enchantment's heroes, "Prince" Ivan and PrincessKaterina, must deal with cross-cultural mores, ancient gods,treacherous kinsmen (and fianceés), and ultimately Baba Yagaherself.

Card has a knack for coming across like your nerdy dad attimes, when he runs on too long or makes some particularlywince-inducing observation or reference ("Daaad, Bruce Cockburn isnot cool!"). But, as you might expect of a good dad, as uncoolas he might be, Card still manages to tell a good bedtimestory. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (192)

Enchanted
America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 1: Feeling Lucky

Even though "Enchanted" is not hard science fiction, it is one of Card's best books.It just goes to show a good author can write any genre.

An Enchanting Story
After recently reading a chic lit novel loosely based on Cinderella, one of my wonderful friends loaned me a fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card called Enchantment. My apprehension immediately turned into excitement when I found out what this novel is about.

Ivan, a grad student from America is transported to the Nineteenth Century to save Princess Katerina from the curse brought upon by the evil witch (who is a popular Russian folklore figure) known as Baba Yaga. The curse put Katerina to sleep. She will only wake up if the man who kisses her also proposes marriage since this means that they are meant to be together. In other words, Ivan was transported to the Russian version of Sleeping Beauty. This is such a well told story filled with excitement, adventure and fantasy. Ivan and Katerina traveled from past to future to beat the curse and ultimately the evil witch. At what seemed to be a lengthy novel proved to be engaging and fast paced.

[...]

Perfection
This is probably Orson Scott Card's best book. It's not necessarily my favorite of his--although it is one of my favorite books--but all the aspects of his writing, from pacing to plot to prose, are excellent in Enchantment in a way that I very rarely see. Added to this excellence, as if that isn't enough, are some themes and ideas that really speak to me, including mythology and folk tales, philology, fairy-tales re-imagined, literacy, Judaism, academia, and more.

The story is basically a re-imagining of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but with a Russian flavor. It's part Russian historical fiction, part Slavic folklore, part fairy tale, part modern fantasy, as Ivan, a student of Russian folklore, crosses from the present to the past and back again, falls for a beautiful woman, and makes history (or is that mythology?) as he battles one of the villains of Russian folklore.

The title is probably the worst part of the book, aside from this version's cover, because both of them give an incorrect impression that there's a lack of depth and darkness of the book, and makes it look...sparkly. And flowery. Well, it's not.

Different than other Card books, a little dark, but good
OK, this book could be summed up in one line "Sleeping Beauty in Ukraine, a Modern Day Prince, Wicked fairy is played by Baba Yaga."But that doesn't do justice to this book. In fact, it's not a "modern re-telling" at all (which are often Very Bad) although certainly Sleeping Beauty forms a (admitted) basis for the book.

First- it is narrated by several of the characters- mainly "the Prince", the Princess and Baba Yaga.OSC does so seamlessly and very well. Next- it's almost all about what comes after that famous kiss, how does a modern man fit into a Dark Ages Russian Kingdom? Without slipping too easily into Connecticut Yankee mode, of course!

Baba Yaga is truly horribly evil. Our Prince and Princess, OTOH, are done fairly realistically not as one dimensional goody-two-shoes heroes.

It's a fairly fat book, at 400+ pages, but it's a fast page turner of a book, which is always nice. If you're not a fast reader like I am, maybe it might be a little long.

My "Baba" told me stories of the dreaded Baba Yaga and her Hut, and since she wasn't one to coddle us kids, I had nightmares for years. Card's Baba Yaga was thus recognizable by me.

I have to say it is considerably different than OSC's other books in several ways, so fans of his should approach it with a little caution, and not expect "Alvin Maker in Russia".The magic is somewhat similar mind you.

Overall it's an easy and fun read, with quite a bit of hidden depth.

Deflty Handled, Fast Paced Fantasy Romance
This novel is an abrupt departure from the remainder of Orson Scott Card's novels. While it retains more than a little touch of fantasy, it is set in a mostly modern setting. I enjoyed his portrayal of cross-cultural communication mishaps, as well as the humor with which he presented Baba Yaga.

Card also manages the multiple story-lines and viewpoints quite well, giving us a fresh perspective on almost every scene in the novel. This deft handling of characters and stories provides a fast-pace feel even in places where the story is slower.

Overall, the story flows rather quickly, although some scenes seem to drag a bit. The characters are sometimes a bit unbelievable, although the more unrealistic characteristics are explained away with ease, if you're willing to accept the explanation. Card enjoys theorizing about the linear relational affects of time travel, with characters musing about how their past and present lives will intersect given certain actions.

Ivan and Katerina's relationship develops slowly, but begins taking off with the crossing of worlds. Destiny has a strong hand in pushing them together, seemingly setting up their entire lifetimes so that they may meet, divide, and conquer all threats surround them. The world of historic Russia comes to life with vivid descriptions from the viewpoint of Ivan the Scholar.

I recommend this novel as a light read for pure entertainment value alone. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (111)

ender in exile
i bought my first "ender" in a second-hand bookstore and that began
my oddysey.what a great series! i started reading scifi in the
1950's when i 10 yrs old and it has been a lifetime interest.somehow i missed Orson Scott Card.this is a tightly written novel
of a boy, a group of gifted children and a civilization in trouble.
this sounds corny and overblown but with Mr.Card you become a brother,a group member and part of this world in every way.I am now in the process of acquiring the rest of his books.Start with
"ender's game".it will be well worth yours effort.your imagination will love it.

It's ok
I've read all of the Ender books that Card has written, but this one just feels like he's running out of steam or that this should have been part of one of his other books. I finished reading it and thought "what was the point?" It provides some exposition and fills in some gaps left by the other stories, but the plot is pretty thin. If you're an Ender fan, read it, you;ll get something out of it, but if you're not, go with one of the other books in the series.

Wrapping up both Ender's Game and the Shadow series
I was really happy to have a new book about Ender Wiggin, one of my favorite characters of all time. Although large sections of this book weren't actually about Ender, the book as a whole was very interesting--and not really what I'd anticipated.

Even though we read the basic story of Ender becoming the Speaker for the Dead at the end of Ender's Game, this book filled in all the details, and the details really made the story. There were also some new storylines: some that began on Ender's colony before he arrived, some back on Earth, one that took place during his flight, and one that involved another colony and characters from the Shadow series (I thought this last storyline would need its own book to resolve--and maybe it should have had it).

There were a few times that the pacing felt off, sometimes going too fast, sometimes too slow, and it can be difficult so see beloved characters grow up, but I definitely enjoyed this book. It didn't mean as much to me or touch me the way Ender's Game (Ender, Book 1) did, or even as much as Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5) did, but it's still an Ender book.

A great read for anyone who has read the original series.
The addition of another charector and her experiences with a maniupulative Mother was somewhat surprising.I liked that the story delves back into the mind of Ender before he was completely grown up and basically boring.He's basically struggling with maturity in this story while being borne with yet another set of extraordinary responsibilitys.Not a whole lot of action in this one but a good story with some neat turn of events.He filled in a lot of the gaps that I didn't even realize existed in the first series.I liked it and am glad I invested the time to read it.

Damn good book.
Highly recommended.Read it immediately after Ender's Game.Orson Scott Card has said that this book takes place between chapters 14 and 15 of Ender's Game.Filled in a lot of blanks, but not just to convey information, it was a fine story in it's own right.

Great book. ... Read more

Product Description
Meet Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the unforgettable boy-hero of Ender's Game--winner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel--and enter his Universe through this collection of stories.

"The Polish Boy" is John Paul Wiggin, the future father of Ender. In the years between the first two Bugger Wars, the Hegemony is desperate to recruit brilliant military commanders to repel the alien invasion. They may have found their man--or boy--in John Paul Wiggin....

In "Teacher's Pest"-a novella written especially for this collection--a brilliant but arrogant John Paul Wiggin, now a university student, matches wits with an equally brilliant graduate student.

"The Investment Counselor" is set after the end of the Bugger Wars. Banished from Earth and slandered as a mass murderer, twenty-year-old Andrew Wiggin wanders incognito from planet to planet as a fugitive--until a blackmailing tax inspector compromises his identity and threatens to expose Ender the Xeoncide.

Also reprinted here is the original award-winning novella, "Ender's Game," which first appeared in 1977.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Disappointed Again
This is not as bad as War of Gifts, but it is not the great either. I love the Ender Game series, it has such depth and intelligent dialogue, but this book just seemed to be made rather quickly so it can make money(with the Ender branding).

In truth it added very little to the Ender Universe, except for the last story("Investment Counselor"), that was the best one out of them all.

All in all unless your a die heart fan, this is a waste of time, but I am all for reading books instead of watching TV.

Lovely
This book was really great. It fascinated me in the details of John-Paul's past, how Ender's parents came to be, and the challenges facing someone who's conquered space but still has more to learn. Thanks Mr.Card.

sci-fi perfection!
I happily happened apon "Ender's Game" when my daughter had to read it for her high school Honors English course. I fell so completely in love with the story that I promptly tore through the rest of the series. "First Meetings in Ender's Universe" is like finding the carmel in the center of the chocolate candy. The "Ender's" series is delectable all on its own, but this just makes it absolutely scrumptious!

Juvenile fiction that's passable for Ender's universe
A collection of short stories set around characters in Ender's universe. Card couldn't think of enough new material, so he "Reader's Digested" the original novel to have enough pages to print. Some of the other stories are interesting, but nothing really above average. It's an ok addition to round out a bit more of a picture of that universe, but nothing special.

First Meetings
Greater elaboration of the characters and situations that play in the series of Ender books. ... Read more

Product Description
Sarai was a child of ten years, wise for her age but not yet a woman, when she first met Abram. He appeared before her in her father's house, filthy from the desert, tired and thirsty. But as the dirt of travel was washed from his body, the sight of him filled her heart. And when Abram promises Sarai to return in ten years to take her for his wife, her fate was sealed.

Abram kept his promise, and Sarai kept hers they were wed, and so joined the royal house of Ur with the high priesthood of the Hebrews. So began a lifetime of great joy together, and greater peril: and with the blessing of their God, a great nation would be built around the core of their love.

Bestselling author Orson Scott Card uses his fertile imagination, and uncanny insight into human nature, to tell the story of a unique woman--one who is beautiful, tough, smart, and resourceful in an era when women had little power, and are scarce in the historical record. Sarah, child of the desert, wife of Abraham, takes on vivid reality as a woman desirable to kings, a devoted wife, and a faithful follower of the God of Abraham, chosen to experience an incomparable miracle.
Amazon.com Review
From New York Times bestselling author Orson Scott Card comes the finely crafted novel of Sarah, about a beautiful and courageous Jewish woman who changed the course of history through her faith, wisdom, and commitment to her husband, Abraham. As a man writing from a woman's perspective, Card nevertheless shows great perspicacity. Sarah's range of emotions is credible, including her fear as she pretends to be Abraham's sister in order to fool the Egyptian pharaoh Neb-Towi-Re, and her pain as she deals with her barrenness. Later, the kindness Sarah showers on Hagar, her personal handmaid, conflicts believably with her agonizing jealousy over her decision to let Abraham father a child with Hagar. Card's research for the book results in detailed descriptions that help make it memorable, from the practice of religion and styles of dress to the accounts of desert and city life. He succeeds in offering a memorable tale for both those who are interested in biblical women as part of their faith and readers who just enjoy a good story. --Cindy Crosby ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Review of Card's 'Sarah'
Like many other reviewers, I was surprised to find that Card was a practicing Mormon. I would have never guessed as such, consider the titles of his other works. Admittedly, I'd never read a Card novel; I'd only reshelved them many, many times.

Further, I was surprised to see how carefully Card researched his novel! Approaching this work, I took it for an apologetic, fictional biography of Sarah and Abraham. However, I was pleased to find that he had successfully blended biblical history with the evidence of modern archaeology. I emphasize the word 'blended'--he dips his brush in both pallets, and admits doing so. After all, why take great care for mere fiction? Card's 'Sarah' is religious yet scholarly, and simple yet never patronizing. I should note that the work is in no way preachy. It is neither apologetic, nor 'feminist'. It truly adds to Genesis, and throws no sand in the face of archaeology. I look forward reading the other titles in the 'Women of Genesis' series.

good book on sarah
This was the 2nd book I read about Sarah and it was very good. The writing is captivating and of course the subject is great. I felt like the author had a good handle of the real history and combined that with interesting story telling. I liked it a lot better than the other Sarah book. and would refer this one to others.
Still not the Red Tent but a keeper.

Sarah: The Woman of Genesis
Great read, makes the Bible stories much more interesting. Well written and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I recommend it!
Wonderful storytelling, as always with Card. This was a great way to get you thinking about the women in the Bible, and the faith it took for them to live a life devoted to God and their husbands.

I very much enjoyed Card's comments at the end explaining how he researched the stories, and why he changed things in order to make a biblical story into a novel.Even if it's fictional, it's fun to take a peak into an ancient world and it gives one a thoughtful perspective, and maybe even some motivation to be more faithful.
I'm a better person for having read this book.

Too much religious whacko crap
I was looking for science fiction. Instead I got a double handful of religious crap. Someone already wrote this story. If I wanted to read this crap, I'd read the original, not that the original is any better.

I don't mind that Card wasted his time with this book, but it should come with a warning label: Warning - Religious crap.

Then I would know not to spend my time and money on it. ... Read more

Product Description
From the author of Ender’s Game, an unforgettable story about young Alvin Maker: the seventh son of a seventh son. Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with the power. He must learn to use his gift wisely. But dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (85)

Get a Life, Publisher
Utterly ridiculous that the publisher requires you buy this paperback before purchasing the remainder of the series on eBook

Not a Badly Written Book for an Anti-gay Bigot
Decent storytelling, but I just couldn't get out of my mind the rather extreme right-wing, pro-war and anti-gay statements and positions of Orson Scott Card. I had never read anything by Card before, and deep into the book I googled him, as I often do when reading a new author. Seems he is a rather controversial man, and based on what I found on the internet, his political and spiritual values are far from my own. I read fiction for pleasure, but also hopefully to expand my mind, heart and imagination in a positive way. For this reason, I try to steer clear of authors known to be bigots and warmongers. Knowing that some of a fiction writer's basic values are antithetical to mine does often negatively color the experience of reading that writer's work. If you are also taken out of a story because you find the author's political and spiritual views upsetting, I recommend you give this book a pass.

Not Available on Kindle even though the other 5 are??!!??
I think this is an excellent book, as well as the series being great; however, after purchasing my new AmazonKindle, I discovered that I could download the Alvin Maker series Volumes II through VI, but not Volume I - Seventh Son.How does that make any sense at all?I am extremely frustrated about this.

fiction, Orson Scott Card
First of an interesting series. I got bored with the complexity of the series after 3rd or 4th book. The premise is the special powers of a seventh son of a seventh son and his challenges in using those powers. Also fascinating because he divides up the U.S. as different nations instead of a united nation. His divisions make sense and his characters, as always, are very good, even the women (which is usually hard for a man.)

Interesting, But Incomplete
Orson Scott Card shows his strength, once again, at portraying important children well, but to little overall effect in this volume.Everything seems to be set-up for something else, not included in this story.Peggy is established as an interesting child, then dropped for much of the book.Alvin's powers and his character are revealed in the last two thirds of the book, but he doesn't really get to do anything.Reverend Thrower and Taleswapper are interesting, if a bit strongly characterized, but their introductions and motivations are all a bit abrupt and a bit mysterious at the same time.We are given an alternate America, but one which is different for reasons not important to the story, as far as we see here.While there are compelling segments and characterizations, this book is incomplete--mere exposition for books to come, leaving me unsatisfied and unwilling to pursue the rest of the tale. ... Read more

Product Description
A Sequel to The New York Times Bestselling Enders's Shadow

Bestselling author Orson Scott Card brings to life a new chapter in the saga of Ender's Earth.

Earth and its society has been changed irrevocably in the aftermath of Ender Wiggin's victory over the Formics--the unity enforced upon the warring nations by an alien enemy has shattered. Nations are rising again, seeking territory and influence, and most of all, seeking to control the skills and loyalty of the children from the Battle School.

But one person has a better idea. Peter Wiggin, Ender's older, more ruthless, brother, sees that any hope for the future of Earth lies in restoring a sense of unity and purpose. And he has an irresistible call on the loyalty of Earth's young warriors. With Bean at his side, the two will reshape our future.

Here is the continuing story of Bean and Petra, and the rest of Ender's Dragon Army, as they take their places in the new government of Earth.
Amazon.com Review
In Shadow Puppets, Orson Scott Card continues the storyline of Shadow of the Hegemon, following the exploits of the Battle School children, prodigies who have returned to an Earth thrown into chaos after the unifying force of the alien invasion they stopped in Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow has dissipated.

Foremost among these whiz kids is the brilliant Bean who, in Shadow of the Hegemon, rescued his comrades from his nemesis--the dastardly Achilles. Now, the down-but-not-out evil genius is again scheming towards global domination and vengeance against the irrepressible Bean. It's up to Bean and his newfound love, Petra, to outwit the young psychopath and save the world. Meanwhile, the other Battle School children are called to serve again as an expansionist China threatens the stability of post-Bugger War Earth.

Shadow Puppets is, for better or worse, exactly what readers have come to expect from Card. There are thought-provoking musings on geopolitics, war, courage, arrogance, good versus evil, and the concept of children wise beyond their years dealing with grave responsibility. Unfortunately, many of these furnishings are looking a little frayed around the edges, but fans will enjoy an exciting, fast-paced plot and a suspense-filled conclusion. --Jeremy Pugh ... Read more

Customer Reviews (141)

Hard to read in light of Card's political leanings
Shadow Puppets continues the story of Bean, a genetically engineered prodigy who navigates a gauntlet of political intrigue and personal danger while attempting to save the world from a sociopathic adversary.If you've read some of the reviews on this site, you probably already know that.It's probably also safe to say that if you enjoyed Ender's Shadow and Shadow of the Hegemon, you won't be disappointed with this effort.That said, it's become very hard for me to overlook the grist of Card's personal beliefs, despite the entertaining quality of his stories.

Before I continue, let me make it clear that I believe all individuals have the liberty to express their opinions, whether or not I agree with them.This is a book review, and as such, I am only bringing attention to the author's beliefs because they show up repeatedly in his writing and undermined the quality of my reading experience.If you happen to share Mr. Card's opinions, then you won't share any of the misgivings I experienced and are likely to enjoy the story immensely.

The crux of my problem lies within some of Card's Mormon-centric views about family and homosexuality that, while not omnipresent throughout his work, form the basis for some "purpose of life" quandaries that motivate his characters' behavior.Before I continue, let's make it clear that this isn't a baseless accusation - googling the words Scott, Card, homosexuality, and family values yields a wealth of information, including articles he has written for the Latter-day Saints that include titles like "The Hypocrites of Homosexuality".

You may have noticed touches of this sentiment sprinkled throughout the Ender's series - the instinctual drive toward getting married and starting a family that overwhelms many of the main characters (Valentine, Ender, Ender's children, Bean, etc.); the anger characters exhibit toward laws governing reproductive rights; the setting up of cynical characters like Ender and Bean (paper tigers) who receive spiritual wisdom and subsequent enlightenment from ancillary characters speaking in Card's voice.

If you didn't notice these things and think I'm just speculating blindly, note following advice given to Bean by an old Russian scientist (who may or may not be gay) who laments that he pursued academic achievement over the will to procreate:

"Even men who do not desire women, even women who do not desire men, this does not exempt them from the deepest desire of all, the desire to be an inextricable part of the human race...it's hard-wired into all of us.Not just sexual desire - that can be twisted any which way, and it often is...it's a deep hunger to find a person from that strange, terrifyingly other sex and make a life together...there's still a hunger for this.For actual marriage, two unlike creatures becoming, as best they can, one."
"[This is] The thing that makes us civilized or at least civilizable.And those who are cut off from it by their own desires, by those twists and bends that turn them in another way...those who are cut off because they think they want to be cut off, they are still hungry for it - hungrier than ever, especially if they deny it."

And you know what?In Card's written universe, these words are absolutely true.Inevitably, protagonists who want the happy ending must, must, must go forth, marry, and have progeny or else die alone and forgotten.And this truth makes it hard for me to continue reading his work.

Less Appealing Modern World Political Backdrop
While I'm still enjoying following the future of the characters of Ender's Shadow and Ender's Game, I'm not really enjoying the setting. Contemporary-feeling world politics and war just aren't working for me. It's like a juvenile version of Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum. I'm such a fan of the characters, I'm afraid that I'm in for the long haul, but sequels should be good enough that you'd want to read them on their own for their stories, and Shadow Puppets falls short of that for me.

Shadow Puppets are very, very boring.
This book is excruicatingly bad.All the characters speak with the same exact style of voice.A half-formal, half-scarcastic (but never genuinely funny) monotone.Card's earlier works in the Ender series were great, with characters you can care about.Here, it feels like we're at a dinner party with George Lucas and Orson Scott Card talking about their past triumphs, revisiting them, and in the end ruining them through boredom and pretentiousness.I can't believe how much yapping there is about stupid political situations.It could have worked if they didn't sound utterly made up, with a "And then the main characters were 100% right and guessed all the right answers" tacked on at the end.

And the audiobook version:The characters speak as if everything they say is super-important and must be said in a whiny whisper.Chapters are separated by the cheesiest music I have every heard this side of an elevator.

Going down hill fast
I liked Ender's Game, and was ho-hum on the rest of the Ender series.
I loved Ender's Shadow, and thought Shadow of the Hegemon was good.

I did not care for Shadow Puppets much at all. The entire Peter Wiggin part of the story is awful!Is this the same character as in the previous books?The character who's clear thinking, logic, ability to appeal to the emotions of the people captivated the population with essays and arguments using the pseudonyms Locke and Demosthenes?No!This Peter Wiggin is extraordinarily self doubting, highly immature, and emotional.Strangely, after masterminding Locke and Demosthenes and always being a few steps ahead of everyone, he now can almost not make a move without help, consultation, an enormous amount of prodding, and a great deal of whining.

For me, it was mostly a waste of time and money.I will be buying the next in the series shortly and hoping it is much better.

pale puppets - audio edition
First, on the book itself, I think the Shadow series really pales in comparison to the Ender books (I know I should judge it sorely on its own merits but frankly, I would have stopped at Ender's Shadow if it weren't for the promise of Card's earlier books) because the human element, faced with innocence by Ender et al, feels missing in this series or at least feels very artificial/manufactured.

The scifi political aspect as well seems lacking in scope -- I know, he's talking about global impact so how's that lacking? I'm not sure but to say that it seems like those under the sway of new regimes are mostly unaffected (basically, I felt that things like the 'Wall of India' seemed like a throw in) and there is very little buy in for the reader to empathize with the struggle. That the technology in use feels very simple and dated (and very gimmicky) -- things like the ansible are never used -- are there no direct peer to peer communications like IMs... I mean I get random anonymous IM/texts spam now so wouldn't that make more sense than emails for timeliness? The technology available when Card wrote this book (2002) was already moving past simple email and it now seems almost anachronistic to use it heavily especially when he's already established an instant method of communications in earlier books.

Power brokers that were and are still in place before Ender's victory are largely not integral to the plot. There is really a lack of the power struggle of the major powers beyond those of the three main characters (and a slight spoiler... the 'new leader' of a re-unified nation who seems to be done as an after thought at the last quarter of the book)... it's definitely a bit thin when I make a comparison to the Foundation politics, (I made this invariable comparison because in his forward to Ender's Game, Card points to Asimov's series as an inspiration and knew he didn't want to do a something similar, yet here is this series) because everything happens just in the nick of time or really without any margins for error but it doesn't have Asimov's reason why everything happens in a predicted manner.

Specifically to the audio edition, I personally dislike the choices for two of the readers. The woman voice sounds too smug most of the time, but that's bearable compared to the person doing Peter's parts who sounds very old and constantly whiny... basically, it sounds like they got a Woody Allen impersonator reading these parts. While there is conflicted inner turmoil, to me, Scott wrote a lot of conviction into Peter's thoughts which does not come through with this particular voice actor.

Anyway, I would only recommend this book as a continuation of the Ender universe but I feel that, as a stand alone series and a book, it isn't particularly engaging. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of science fiction tales by the author of Lost Boys presents the Hugo Award-winning "Eye for Eye," as well as an autobiography by the author. Original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

classic OSC
"Cruel Miracles" (one section of "Maps in a Mirror," a huge hardcover that contains practically every short story OSC wrote up to its publication) is a good introduction to OSC, and very rewarding for long-time enthusiasts.Its stories deal with religious and ethical issues, which are, of course, a major theme in his writing.It also covers other standard territory: the gifted child, the troubled family, and the slow understanding of an alien culture.

No story in this volume is bad, though I personally found "Saint Amy's Tale" a bit confused and not equal to the others."Saving Grace" and "Kingsmeat," on the other hand, are very powerful, and the award-winning "Eye for an Eye" is a moving character study.

Be warned: this book is not always pleasant to read; it contains some extremely disturbing images, especially in "Kingsmeat."But as an examination of the power of religion (for good or otherwise), it is invaluable.

Something to believe in
In Cruel Miracles, Card touches upon the subject of religion, and his touch is not gentle. One might say that the book emphasizes the importance of religion and faith, but it also emphasizes the need to examine oneself(and others) constantly, not follow rules and regulations like sheep, as ifblind faith is a commandment. The story I liked best is Saving Grace,although the revelations about TV preachers there may be hard to swallow;then again, those revelations are one of the things that contribute to thestory's impact. The other is the realistic view of the rugged life of thepeople on the other side of the screen. While Saving Grace is best, bothEye for Eye and Holy are very close seconds, and the rest of the storiesare not lightweights whatsoever. Thus, this book is one of the best I haveever had the pleasure of reading, and well worth buying. I recommend it toany science fiction/fantasy reader, and also to those who wish to pondermorality in religion a bit deeper than usual. ... Read more

Product Description
The Tales of Alvin Maker series continues in volume three, Prentice Alvin.Young Alvin returns to the town of his birth, and begins his apprenticeship with Makepeace Smith, committing seven years of his life in exchange for the skills and knowledge of a blacksmith.But Alvin must also learn to control and use his own talent, that of a Maker, else his destiny will be unfulfilled.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

great fantasy series
I enjoyed the whole Alvin Maker fantasy series.Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite writers!

Progressing Well
Prentice Alvin is a wonderful edition to the tales of Alvin Maker. There is less action than in the first two books, because this book is meant to progress the characters more. Alvin practices and improves his making skills. All while he is prenticed to a terrible master. The unmaker gets more creative in his plots to get rid of Alvin. And the Hatrack community gets some new additions. If you liked the first two books, than you must read this one.

Golden Plow Jumps the Shark
Prentice Alvin is the third book about Alvin Maker (nee Miller) set in an alternate American frontier where folk magic and hexes are real. In this story, teenaged Alvin finally makes it to Hatrack River township to begin his apprenticeship to the town blacksmith and meets the love of his life, Peggy Guester, the torch girl who saw his birth and has been protecting him from supernatural attempts on his life. Alvin also becomes the protector / father figure for Arthur Stuart, a young man born into slavery.

Card tries to incorporate Alvin's progression towards his fate as a demi-god promised in book one, but it reads like a square peg being forced into a round hole. And the whole business with the golden plow... well, as they say about television shows, this is where Alvin Maker jumps the shark.

Smaller scope, less impressive story
The Alvin Maker series starts to lose a little steam in this third installment, which directs Alvin's attention to the problem of slavery in Card's alternate America.Finally beginning his apprenticeship, Alvin befriends an abolitionist family, especially Arthur, the mixed-race boy they adopt.Peggy the Torch also takes center stage for a while, although her choices are such that we wonder if it's really such an advantage being able to see the future.As Alvin has learned in the prior volume, Red Prophet, saving the world is a tall order, perhaps more than he can accomplish by himself.So he endures his apprenticeship to the unpleasant Master Makepeace Smith, while continuing his academic education through the agency of a mysterious schoolmarm, and refrains from using his growing magical power.

Related to the slavery issue is the problem of the outsider trying to fit in to society.Alvin and Peggy hide their extraordinary powers so as not to attract unwanted attention to themselves.Arthur, unable to hide his difference, has to undergo radical change in order to live a free man.Alvin accepts the abuse of his Master, perhaps as a pale echo of slavery, or perhaps as an indictment of the apprentice system and servitude generally.And ultimately, they all pay a price.

But if great power bestows great responsibility, our heroes fail the test.By hiding their powers under a bushel, Alvin and Peggy minimize themselves, and perhaps that's their goal.But by masquerading as ordinary people pursuing pedestrian lives, they become substantially less interesting to the typical sci-fi fantasy reader (and possibly others as well) and while Card may be making his point, he isn't necessarily telling a great story.The Alvin of Prentice seems to have little in common with the Alvin of Red Prophet, and what's more he's taking a step backwards, whereas good storytelling requires a progression.After the brutal massacre in Prophet, this small, personal story just doesn't have the impact we've come to expect.Looking back, it seems clear that Prentice should have been the second volume and Prophet the third, but clearly this series wasn't plotted out ahead of time, and Card's just letting the story formulate as he goes along.There's enough adventure and dramatic tension in this book to make it a decent read, and the series overall is powerful enough to keep us going, but this volume is not quite up to Card's usually high standards.

Focus on character development..Excellent continuation.
In this third book of the Alvin Maker series, we see Alvin grow into a man.Comparatively, the first two books took place over a shorter time span and put more effort into developing the fascinating world Card has created.In PRENTICE ALVIN, there is much more emphasis on character development and maturation.Characters really come into their own in this book as well as develop some very intriguing relationships among themselves.Interactions between Alvin, Peggy, Arthur Stuart, Makepeace Smith, and others make this book a joy to read and gives you a depth of understanding of those characters that make them come to life.

The bulk of the book describes events that happen during Alvin's apprenticeship to the blacksmith of Hatrack River.The Unmaker returns to hound and molest Alvin, and a few characters from the first two books are brought back and built up.Cavil Planter is a new a very interesting character that has disillusioned himself into thinking that he is doing to work of the Lord while committing heinous crimes.Central to the story is the introduction of the pickanniny mimic Arthur Stuart, who will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the series.

The book is fast and entertaining, with the same great characters you love and a couple more that are sure to please.I can't wait to read the next installment! ... Read more

Product Description
The Oversoul of the colony planet Harmony selected the family of Wetchik to carry it back to long-lost Earth. Now grown to a tribe in the years of their journey to Harmony's hidden starport, they are ready at last to take a ship to the stars. But from the beginning there has been bitter dispute between Nafai and Elemak, Wetchick's youngest son and his oldest.

On board the starship Bailica, the children of the tribe will become pawns in the struggle. Two factions are each making secret plans to awaken the children, and themselves, early from the cold-sleep capsules in which they will pass the long decades of the journey. Each side hopes to gain years of influence on the minds of the children, winning their loyalty in the struggle for control of reclaimed Earth.

But the Oversoul is truly in control of this journey. It has downloaded a complete copy of itself to the Ship's computers. And only Nafai, who wears the Cloak of the Starmaster by the Oversoul's command, really understand what this will mean to all their plans for the future.
Amazon.com Review
High above the planet Harmony, the Oversoul watches, programmed fortymillion years ago to guard the human settlement from all threats,especially themselves. In the latest in the Hugo- and Nebula award-winning author's Homecomingseries, the great artificialintelligence has lost control of the population, forbidden technologyhas been rediscovered, war has broken out, and the only repair lieslight years distant on a lost and ruined Earth.

"There seemslittle doubt that the whole series will prove as readable--and asmorally committed--as we've come to expect from Card." --Locus ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Disappointing
This book was a real disappointment. It's only positive feature was it passed the time whenever I had difficulty sleeping. The book never went anywhere. Two stars is probably generous.

Enjoyed by Card Readers
Card is a master at deep characters.This book is no different.It presents very human conflicts that pull the reader in, and make you want to talk to and empathize with the characters.While I doubt most readers can really appreciate it without having read the prior books in the series, it is another in one of Card's best tales.

Homecoming series
Loved the whole Homecoming Series (am currently enjoying book 5, Earthborn)Love all of Orson Scott Card's works, both his sci-fi, as well as his fantasy stuff.

Earthborn
This is a wonderful book.I recently discovered Orson Scott Card and he is a wonderful storyteller.I'm now reading my second series by him.Thank goodness Amazon was able to get the book immediately to me when it was not available at my local store.

It Ran Out of Steam
I've liked a lot of the science fiction that Card has written but, I now realize that when he writes a multi-volume series like the Ender series or the Alvin Maker series, I tend to lose interest after the first book or two and this series is no exception; I never made it past the middle of book 4 of 5.

I thought his plot did not offer any great surprises and that he telegraphed his punches-- such as they were--long before they landed.I see that Card has written a lot of material concerning various people in the Bible.The strong parallels with various biblical themes found in this series just didn't appeal to me and, frankly, I did not think that his writing was up to the task of successfully incorporating these themes in a way that was powerful enough to justify their use.

Card's portrayal of the nature of the key relationship between the good younger brother, Nafai, and his evil older brother, Elemak, really irritated me and struck me as being very unrealistic.Unrealistic because, although Nafai experiences several instances in which Elemak first plots to kill their father and then tries to kill him, in which Elemak tortures and beats Nefai severely and although Nafai knows--without a doubt--that his older, evil brother is constantly plotting his death, knows of his murderous hatred and rage, knows of his plotting a dictatorial take-over of the expedition to Earth and knows that Elemak's reign would be a catastrophe for the effort to return to Earth, the younger brother meekly accepts it all. Nafai never tries to eliminate this threat to his father and mother, to himself and his wife and child and to the whole purpose of the expedition to Earth. Nefai's incredible restraint in the face of constant plotting, murderous rage and physical abuse by his psychotic brother just strikes me as extremely unrealistic.I assume all turns out well in the end but, I was not interested enough--despite the investment of time it took to read almost 4 of the 5 books in this series--to stick around to find out.

For me, and, I suspect for a lot of other people, five volumes is too much of a slog.


... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Awkward but very rewarding
The author seems to have had a lot of trouble deciding what type of book he wanted to write. Hot Sleep begins as a fairly typical future-urban coming-of-age tale of a telepath. It soon degenerates into a B-grade thriller, then jets off into space and ultimately becomes a future history. Despite this, it ultimately comes together to form a very impressive first novel, with the truly epic scope that only science fiction has ever been able to do well, and a beautifully haunting ending. While it's a pity about some of the early parts, the book has a wonderful unity of vision, and it reminded me, as so few books I have read recently, why I love reading sf.

LOVE THIS ONE - HAUNTING
As pointed out by another reviewer, this is a difficult book to find.I have had a copy for several years now and have reread it several times.I promise you, if you can find a copy, and you read it, you will not be sorry.Wonderful story line which is absolutely haunting.This is one of those books that will stick with you for a long, long time.

If you ever find it, get it
This is an excellent book. The book based on it, The Worthing Saga, doesn't even compare. This book is extremely hard to come across, so if you ever DO find it, my suggestion is to grab it quickly before anyone else does. ... Read more

Product Description
The War is over, won by Ender Wiggin and his team of brilliant child-warriors.The enemy is destroyed, the human race is saved.Ender himself refuses to return to the planet, but his crew has gone home to their families, scattered across the globe.The battle school is no more.

But with the external threat gone, the Earth has become a battlefield once more. The children of the Battle School are more than heros; they are potential weapons that can bring power to the countries that control them.One by one, all of Ender's Dragon Army are kidnapped. Only Bean escapes; and he turns for help to Ender's brother Peter.

Peter Wiggin, Ender's older brother, has already been manipulating the politics of Earth from behind the scenes.With Bean's help, he will eventually rule the world.
Amazon.com Review
Orson Scott Card finally explores what happened on earth after the war with the Buggers in the sixth book of his Ender series, Shadow of the Hegemon. This novel is the continuation of the story of Bean, which began with Ender's Shadow, a parallel novel to Card's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender's Game.

While Ender heads off to a faraway planet, Bean and the other brilliant children who helped Ender save the earth from alien invaders have become war heroes and have finally been sent home to live with their parents. While the children try to fit back in with the family and friends they haven't known for nearly a decade, someone's worried about their safety. Peter Wiggins, Ender's brother, has foreseen that the talented children are in danger of being killed or kidnapped. His fears are quickly realized, and only Bean manages to escape. Bean knows he must save the others and protect humanity from a new evil that has arisen, an evil from his past. But just as he played second to Ender during the Bugger war, Bean must again step into the shadow of another, the one who will be Hegemon.

In Shadow of the Hegemon, Card can't help but fall back into old patterns. But while the theme is the same as in previous books--brilliant, tragic children with the fate of the human race resting on their shoulders--Shadow of the Hegemon does a wonderful job of continuing Bean's tale against a backdrop of the politics and intrigue of a fragile earth. While the novel is accessible, new readers to the series would be wise to begin with Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow. --Kathie Huddleston ... Read more

Customer Reviews (239)

Great Book
This story follows Bean and Peter Wiggin after all of the battle school graduates come home to earth and find that world war is about to break out. Old rivalries reignite between nations and things get really twisted when the dark nemesis Achilles is found working for any ambitious country willing to hire him for his genius battle strategies for world domination. Achilles is so evil that one of the main characters says, "The Chinese no doubt think they are using him, but I know Achilles, and my guess is that within a year, the Chinese leaders will find themselves dead or taking orders from him." Bean and Peter team up to try and bring world peace to the warring nations, while at the same time avoid assassination.

This book is definitely science fiction and occasionally hard to swallow since most of the characters are younger than 15 years old. The battle school kids are too smart, and are so perceptive of other characters that they almost appear to read minds. It is a little unbelievable and could certainly be a weakness. Another weakness of this book is the fact that you never see or hear what the parents are doing. The story follows the battle school graduates closely, and when the children are reunited with their parents, the parents were not taken into confidence. The kids are adults in children bodies. If you can get over the fact that these kids are calling all the shots, then it is a great story.

Orson Scott Card does a great job showing the battle strategies through the eyes of children. He also does a good job of character development and throws in tons of inner turmoil. It is a pretty easy read and I didn't find the plot too hard to follow even though it moves quickly. It has a lot of military action and draws you in with subtle comic relief from the characters. At some points it has mystery and you find yourself trying to figure out the "who-done-it" along with the characters.

This book follows some of the characters you already know from Enders Game and Enders Shadow. It is best read after Enders Shadow since it picks up right where Enders Shadow leaves off, but you could read it after either one. I recommend this because this book throws you at the characters and the plot right away. This is a great series that I propose to those who enjoy a fun action story.

Flawed but worthwhile for fans of Ender's Shadow
Continuation of the Ender saga, occurs just after the events of Ender's Shadow.

Novel is somewhat worthwhile for three reasons.

Mainly, Ender's Shadow was such a good book that it's inherently interesting to find out what happened to Bean, not to mention Achilles. There is a lot of action involving these two, so it should satisfy curiousity as to their fates.

Second, the Ender universe is probably the last refuge of the meritocratic vision at one time popularized by Asimov, Heinlein, and other authors from the last century. The notions that people on "the net" as Card terms it are going to be swayed by reasoned arguments or that nations will fight over gaining access to bright kids with high test scores, is laughable but endearing. (Parodied in xkcd #635). Meritocratic ideals have long fled the real world, but it's still pleasantly nostalgic to read about this alternate reality where they matter, since they're virtually extinct from modern fiction as well.

Finally, the byzantine political machinations are somewhat interesting, and in particular Achilles' plans are notable.

The novel is nowhere near as strong as Game or Shadow, however. The writing is overly simplistic; the style of the prose is insipid and boring. There is much, much too much dialogue, most of it monotonous. Sometimes characters launch into ridiculous, lengthy and dull speeches for no clear reason, indeed even when there's obviously not time for that. There's one particularly cloying speech by Sister Carlotta where she suddenly describes her whole philosophy of life for pages and pages. The characters, except for Achilles, are drawn on the sappy and uninteresting side as well. Some of the plot developments - the attempts at Bean - are either cliched or not realistic. Bean himself doesn't really do much that clever here.

Overall, there is just a lot of "filler" in the novel, long pointless conversations, and I found myself skimming or speed-reading near the end. Nevertheless, despite its flaws, fans of the Ender saga may find it worth reading.

What's next for Bean, Peter and Achilles
This sequel to Ender's Shadow was a lot of fun. It serves better at any rate as a sequel to Shadow than it does as a sequel to Ender's Game. Orson Scott Card does a great job in developing Bean further and he's very consistent with previous development. The novel is, of course, centered on Bean as he exploits his training and background from the International Fleet battle school as war breaks out on Earth.


Peter Wiggin, on the other hand, feels like a different person from the one described in Ender's Game. I think Card missed the greater opportunity here. The main character of the novel is already well-developed and we get to see him act in a dramatically different and exciting setting. Peter, on the other hand, is more thinly sketched. I wish he had been more fully and consistently developed. When he speaks or acts, it seems incredibly weak compared to his previous performance. His accomplishments are amazing, as we would expect from the character's prior setup, but he always accomplishes them offstage. It is simply stated that he has moved world governments in the background. I would have liked to see more of Peter, and particularly more of the Peter I know and fear. :-)

In addition to Bean, Achilles is also wonderfully developed. By contrast to Peter, he is developing into such a larger than life character that it stretches plausibility. That's easy to forgive though -- our heroes need a villain to fight. I can't wait for the next installment to watch the battle continue.

Good story, but audio strangeness and music are annoying
This is a good continuations of Ender's Shadow, but not quite at the same level as Ender's Shadow.A major annoyance throughout is every time one of the voice actors says the word "Hegemon" it is dubbed over with some other person's voice saying the word, which kills the flow of the story.The dubbed voice is not even close to whichever voice actor is speaking.At first I believed that it was momentary glitch in the media. until it repeated again, and again throughout the story.Also, someone should really have rethought the music to this as well.

In the above I have hit all of the bad points of the audio book that I notice.It is still well worth the money, a good story, and I don't regret buying it.

Find time to read the book
Most reviews I've read on this page address the book itself, not the audiobook.Not a mention of recording quality, production, or any aspects of the recording.Card mentions repeatedly at the end that audiobook is his preferred way to present his works, but if this is the best they come up with I disagree.FIND THE TIME TO READ THE BOOK.To me these little things in the recordings progressively became more annoying: the recording sounds very tinny, and for some reason "the hegemon" is recorded out of context?; continued mispronunciation of the antagonist throughout the book; and cheesy, poorly thought out musical "interludes" that become more invasive and jarring.Buy the used book and enjoy this great book for a fraction of the cost of this audiobook. ... Read more

Product Description
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.

Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.
Amazon.com Review
Ender Wiggin, the hero and scapegoat of mass alien destruction in Ender's Game, receives a chanceat redemption in this novel. Ender, who proclaimed as a mistake his successin wiping out an alien race, wins the opportunity to cope better with asecond race, discovered by Portuguese colonists on the planet Lusitania.Orson Scott Card infuses this long, ambitious tale with intellect by castinghis characters in social, religious and cultural contexts. Like itspredecessor, this book won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (440)

A worthy continuation of Ender's story
This book was a great continuation of the story of Ender. What was even more surprising was that it was a completely different type of story. One that also uses the characters to give us both sides of an ethical coin that Card flips back and forth with precision. I can see why this book was as critically successful as "Ender's Game", since he didn't do anything like a traditional sequel. I suppose that's what is so remarkable about it. The only drawback I can see is that he begins the book with a bunch of notes on pronounciation, which nearly caused me to put the story down. Just ignore them (unless your a linguist) and get to the story.

Speaker For the Dead
America's Galactic Foreign Legion: Book 1: Feeling Lucky (Volume 1)

This one is great.I love all Card books.I even love his non Hard Sci/Fi like "Enchanted."

Ender's Game for Grown-Ups
"Ender's Game" was certainly a fun book, but it read more like a child's daydream: you get to go into space and be in an army and fly around and shoot lasers. There were moral quandaries and a deeper look at humanity's darker side, but not too deep because it kept coming back to the kids shooting lasers at each other.

The sequel, Speaker for the Dead, is very different. While I first read Ender's Game in middle school, I can't imagine my fourteen-year-old self managing to get through Speaker. There are no lasers, or kids in cool space suits. It still stars Ender Wiggin, but this is an older Ender, plagued with guilt over his unwitting genocide of an entire species.

Ender now finds himself on the planet Lusitania, three thousand years after the events of the original book (isn't the theory of relativity a wonderful plot device?), no mere chance considering the planet is home to another alien species, the Pequinos. Ender has with him a souvenir from the previous book: the cocoon of a Bugger queen, one which can hopefully reverse his childhood mistake.

So you have some standard sci-fi stuff: a backwater colony planet, aliens, spaceships. But Speaker for the Dead is also very much about people, and relationships, which is a major divergence from the first book. The other main character is Novinha, trapped in an unhappy marriage and mother of six. Ender arrives and they immediately don't get along. The story is just as much about the people as it is about the aliens.

Whether or not you enjoy Speaker for the Dead is based on what you liked about Ender's Game. If you enjoyed the first book in the series because it was "cool" and featured armies of small children flying around in zero-gravity fighting in mock battles, don't bother with Speaker because it has none of that. But if you found yourself more interested in the narrative of Ender's Game, fascinated by the computer program that toyed with Ender's psyche, or the dual nature of Ender who was both ruthless tactician and ten-year-old boy, then go for Speaker of the Dead. This is the Ender's Game for grown-ups.

Not really a sequel
This could/should have been a completely different book from Ender's Game.I enjoyed it quite a bit save for all the crying.There was not that much religious over tones and not that much Portuguese as some other reviews led me to believe.The last fifty pages or so dragged on and on costing this book the fifth star rating.

I recommend this book as long as you are not expecting more of Ender's Game.

Barely worth two stars to me...BORING!
This book was a HUGE let down for me.I read, and thoroughly enjoyed Ender's Game, Ender in Exile, and Ender's Shadow.This is the first book in the Ender series I've read that I really struggled to even finish.Boring as hell.So much time spent on this alien race, trying to figure out their mating habits, then some stuff about some portugese catholics and how their religious beliefs are very much against the idea of a Speaker for the Dead....which by the way was a fact that was repeated MANY times...On top of the absolutely boring as hell plot, at no point did I find a reason to care much for the any of the characters involved.

I'm continuing on and reading more of the Ender series, since 3 out of 4 that I've read were 4 & 5 star books.That being said, I have no idea how this book got so many five star reviews.Usually I agree with the masses on book reviews, but this time I guess I'm swimming upstream because this book sucked.

BORING!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Peggy is a Torch, able to see the fire burning in each person's heart. She can follow the paths of each person's future, and know each person's most intimate secrets. From the moment of Alvin Maker's birth, when the Unmaker first strove to kill him, she has protected him.

Now they are married, and Peggy is a part of Alvin's heart as well as his life.

But Alvin's destiny has taken them on separate journeys. Alvin has gone north into New England, where knacks are considered witchcraft, and their use is punished with death.

Peggy has been drawn south, to the British Crown Colonies and the court of King Arthur Stuart in exile. For she has seen a terrible future bloom in the heartfires of every person in America, a future of war and destruction. One slender path exists that leads through the bloodshed, and it is Peggy's quest to set the world on the path to peace.
Amazon.com Review
This is the fifth novel in Orson Scott Card's popular Alvin the Makerseries, based on an alternate America where some people are born withknacks, which resemble magical abilities. The protagonist of the series,Alvin, is a maker who not only can fix things (such as restoring awounded bird to health with his doodlebug) but is also something of anatural leader. Alvin and his small band of followers are on a quest tobuild the Crystal City, a place where those who have knacks can live insafety from the people who sometimes burn them as witches.While Alvin visits the nearly holy province of New England to find outjust how cities work, his wife Margaret, traveling under the name Peggy,journeys to the kingdom of Camelot, which was formerly known as Charleston,South Carolina. There she hopes to persuade the exiled King Arthur to help her abolish the practice of slavery. Heartfire is an excellent midseries novel that's sure to delight fans of Alvin. --Craig E. Engler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

great fantasy series
Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite writers today.This Alvin Maker fantasy series did not disappoint me.I read one after the other until I finished them all.

No progress to the story, same great characters.
First I'd like to concur with many of the other reviewers here on Amazon.. the cover of this book is absolutely horrific.Besides being way to romance novel-like for any man to bring out in public, it also has no bearing on the story.Whatever is happening on the cover certainly doesn't portray any scene from the book, so my only question is "What the hell were the producers thinking, and how did OSC let this happen??"

But whatever, on to the book itself.Without a doubt this is the least inspiring and enjoyable book of the series so far.Mostly unimportant-seeming, the events chronicled here come off as being filler for the series.I'm not sure if Card just wasn't certain about where he needed to go with this story and had to publish something, or if he really believed a whole novel would be required to introduce a couple more characters and add detail to a bit more of his fantasy realm.Either way, this novel comes off as being short and inconsequential.The story as a whole doesn't seem moved forward very much from where it was after the third book in the series.

All that being said, I still give this book a generous rating because of Card's wonderful writing.The characters and their banter are still remarkably enjoyable, with Calvin, Arthur Stuart, Verily Cooper, and Honore Balzac providing most of the entertainment.You really find yourself caring for these fictional characters in this series, and that is no different in this book.Card obviously loves the characters he's created here, its just too bad he can't seem to determine what will happen to them.

You'll finish this book in just a couple of days, so its well worth your time, just don't expect it to bring too much progress to the story.

Can It Possibly Get Worse?
After slogging through the fourth book, I was wary of reading HEARTFIRE, the fifth book in the Alvin Maker series - but I bought the book and I was determined to finish it. If you consider reading this book, the Harlequin Romance-esque cover should be your first tip-off.

This book starts with newlyweds Alvin and Peggy separated with no real explanation given, Peggy has gone south to try and stop the coming war caused by slavery, and Alvin finds himself on trial - AGAIN. Basically an anti-slavery rant, the characters talk incessantly and nothing happens. Too boring for words.

There is another book after this one, can this series possibly get any worse?

No better than Journeyman, but we're still hoping...
Card's `Alvin Maker' series takes us down an alternate timeline to a pre-industrial America where magic, religion, and science compete for ascendancy. If you haven't read the first two volumes: `Seventh Son' and `Red Prophet' leave this page now and go check them out.Not only will further installments make little sense without that background, but they're nowhere near as good, and `Heartfire' is certainly no exception.The bottom line on the series is this - if you liked `Alvin Journeyman' you'll probably like `Heartfire', too.It features the same characters, and yet another courtroom drama, and no particular progress towards any specific goal.If you were disappointed enough by `Journeyman' that you're considering abandoning the series altogether, there's nothing in this book that you just have to come back for.

This reviewer has to admit to still being hooked despite the serious drop-off in quality since the series' inception.Card's "knack" lies in keeping us interested even when the plot doesn't seem to be gong anywhere.One still wants to know what comes next, perhaps optimistically thinking that he'll take us somewhere worthwhile if we just stick with him long enough.As of this writing, the series is still incomplete, so perhaps there's still hope.But the hope lies with Card's talent, and not in this scattered installment.

Great Book
It's getting colse to the end and I don't want it to end.Great book. ... Read more