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A War of Gifts: An Ender Story (Ender) | 
 enlarge | Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tor Books
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $5.75
You Save: $7.20 (56%)
New (39) Used (19) Collectible (10) from $5.51
Rating:  43 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Pages: 128
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 4.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 0765312824
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780765312822
Publication Date: October 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Orson Scott Card offers a Christmas gift to his millions of fans with this short novel set during Ender's first years at the Battle School where it is forbidden to celebrate religious holidays. The children come from many nations, many religions; while they are being trained for war, religious conflict between them is not on the curriculum. But Dink Meeker, one of the older students, doesn't see it that way. He thinks that giving gifts isn't exactly a religious observation, and on Sinterklaas Day he tucks a present into another student's shoe.
This small act of rebellion sets off a battle royal between the students and the staff, but some surprising alliances form when Ender comes up against a new student, Zeck Morgan. The War over Santa Claus will force everyone to make a choice.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...
 Not enough depth to call it a great book November 29, 2008
George (Bothell, WA, USA)
I got this book as a Christmas gift. At 126 pages it is the shortest book in the Ender series. Although the book is called an Ender Story there is very little of Ender in the book. Most of the book follows other boys in the battle school. One of the children is Zeck, a young boy that was selected for the battle school because of his photographic memory. Zeck was raised by a religious zealot that would punish him for not being pure enough.
Zeck is an outsider in the school because he has tried to hold strong to the principles that he was taught by his father. Zeck is unique at the battle school because he has a different record than any of the other kids. During the battle games he has zero kills, a record that he is personally very proud of.
When the kids start to give each other little gifts to help them remember the holidays that they were missing with there families Zeck gets in the way and tries to stop it. He hopes that his ploy will get him sent home to his family. Although it makes him very unpopular it does not get him sent home.
About this point Ender comes in with just the right words to smooth out the situation.
I read this book in one sitting as I flew on a two hour flight. I didn't even start the book at the start of the flight and was still able to finish it. It is not a long book but it is fun to read. The book does not add to the enders series, it is just a little side story. It was fun to read but I don't think that I will be telling everyone that it is a must read. If you have read the other books in the series and liked them you will most likely like this book also. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It is a good book and simple to read but does not have enough depth to be a great book.
 Raw fore edge September 26, 2008
Matjaž Ciglar (Slovenia)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought hard cover version to be more resilient to get worn out and to look nicer on the shelf. Unfortunately fore edge is not cut off and it looks really horrible.
This doest mean that is not possible to leaf through, it is only looks ugly.
Can't disassociate the author's politics August 21, 2008
K. Hogan (St. Louis, MO USA)
1 out of 10 found this review helpful
Given Card's recent radical comments about government and personal rights, I don't think I could ever enjoy another of his books
There are better alternatives out there August 3, 2008
M. Friedman (Los angeles, CA United States)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I've read a lot of Orson Scott Card's books, and have always found myself coming away from them a little frustrated. The ideas always seem to be interesting, but end up getting lost in mediocre storytelling. Card dwells on the same unique ideas so persistently, going back to the same well so often, that by the end of the book what I had originally found unique now just seems hackneyed. And now that I've found out Card is so outspoken politically with such (literally) fascist and discriminatory views, I don't even want his books in my house. I've sold them online and donated the money to a worthy charity.
If you find Card's story ideas at all interesting, I'd suggest the following authors for a more satisfying storytelling experience:
Neil Gaiman. Gaiman has the same unique flavor to his ideas, but he also has the execution to deliver an incredible story as well. His work is more on the fantasy side, like Card's Alvin Maker series. The only problem is that Gaiman writes so few books that I find myself becoming incredibly impatient waiting for his next story to come out.
Stephen Baxter and Isaac Asimov. Asimov's works can sometimes be a little less accessible then Card's, but Baxter's are not; they are just as easy a read. Both men are visionaries scientifically, and tell gripping, page turning stories. Both are sci-fi based, like Card's Ender Series.
Stephen King. Most people groan when I say how much I love King's writing, but universally I come to find out that those people have never read his Dark Tower series, just his horror. The seven books that comprise the Dark Tower story, widely considered King's Magnum Opus, are a truly unique blend of equal parts fantasy, sci-fi, and western. Note these are not in any way like King's horror writings, though once you've read the Dark Tower you'll see characters from it turn up in ancillary roles in many of his other books. The Dark Tower, like the Alvin series, is set is a world that is kind of our world, kind of not. The Dark Tower series is hands-down the best series I've ever read. Period.
I hope this helps some readers find some great stories they may have otherwise not found. Happy reading!
 Great short story... July 27, 2008
C. Bledsoe Jr. (Oakland, CA)
I wasn't really sure what to think of this book before I purchased it. I'm a huge fan of all of the Ender's Game books, and actually I'm currently reading Shadow Puppets.
Despite being very non-religious, personally, I found it to be a great story of tradition and beliefs with that childhood touch. It brings back a lot of characters in Battle School, but mainly focuses on Zeck, the child who refuses to participate in Battle School and Ender's power to "heal".
Anywho, I'm not much into writing book reports but I can say for a quick read of about 128 pages from my one of my favorite authors, it was absolutely great in my opinion.
I also quite enjoyed the signed first edition, with the rough edges on the paper and all =P
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