Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 42
 get it from the library June 10, 2008
T. Burket (Potomac, MD United States)
The story is reasonable, if a bit preachy for my taste, with moralizing throughout without going over the top. At a thin size with small pages, the novella was a quick read of maybe an hour and thus was just fine for a library book. Don't even think about reading this standalone, without EG as background.
The climactic scene with Ender and Zeck was brief, with a quick wrap-up and that was it. Ender plays yet another role as a young Jesus, showing the way ahead for the young, confused disciple. OSC explores some ideas on tolerance and free expression in an intolerant and controlled environment, the Battle School. Is Zeck actually practicing religion when he sees everything through a religious lens, even if outwardly quiet and isolated? The story has a sprinkling of basic topics for contemplation.
Forget algebra, physics, combat and even the Buggers: OSC reminds us that those pesky humans, even when little geniuses, remain the most difficult challenge of them all.
 The More You Pay... The More It's Worth May 5, 2008
Jay R. Chase (Houston, Texas)
The story was excellent... fit into the Enderverse well, continued to flesh out existing characters, brought us a new one, and turned out to be a neat little Christmas present to us from OSC!!
Personally, I don't care about the length of the story... more concerned with the quality. I thought this was top notch!!
One caveat... this story would probably be a disappointment if one had not already read the other Ender's books.
So, if you are a fan of the Ender's Series, I highly recommend this book!
All the best,
Jay
A War of Gifts April 27, 2008
Janice Lawson (Silverton, Oregon USA)
This was a surprise! It wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be, but I really, really liked it! It's so well written, the premise is outstanding, and it made me want to read more of these stories.
 Great short Ender Story April 10, 2008
Sue M. Smith
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed reading this short story from the Ender series of Orson Scott Card. I would have liked yet another full length novel, but this was a very nice tidbit. I would recommend it to all Ender/Orson Scott Card fans.
A solid, if short, tale for Ender fans March 30, 2008
Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This standalone novella by Card, set in his Ender universe, is surprisingly deep. It's nominally a Christmas story, but without the "Jingle Jingle!" you expect from such stories. It's also somewhat dark, in that the lead character is a troubled boy (who doesn't believe he's troubled) sent to the Battle School, where he interacts with Ender (who's in the Rat Army -- that should help Ender's Game fans identify the timeline). But it's also light, in a way; the story emphasizes good values, such as friendship, the consequences of our actions, and the sometimes-difficult task of helping someone else.
If you haven't read Ender's Game (and please do; it's a superb novel), you _could_ read this as a standalone. The basic facts about the Battle School and why it's composed of children are dumped in the reader's lap. But I think you'd feel you were missing something.
It's not quite a kid's book. If you're familiar with Ender's Game (and an adult who is contemplating choosing this for a child probably would be), you already know that the universe isn't written for children -- even if the protagonists are age 6 when they start. You might still want to get it for a kid, but I recommend that a grownup read it through before making such a decision.
I liked the story. It revisited Ender at a time when he was most interesting -- without the complexities of later books.
|
