Earth Afire

April 1, 2013
Scott and Johnston explore human ignorance and compassion through a tapestry of galactic warfare in the second volume of the Formic Wars trilogy, collectively a prequel to Ender’s Game. After the independent asteroid mining ship El Cavador is attacked, Victor Delgado escapes and joins State Official Imala in warning mining magnate Ukko Jukes and Earth’s scientists of approaching hostile insectlike aliens called Formics. While diplomats seek a peaceful solution, Rena, a matriarch from El Cavador, gathers her surviving people aboard a scavenger ship, and damnable villain Lem Jukes, Ukko’s son, plans to overtake the Formic ships and defy his father’s iron grip. Against this operatic backdrop, heroic Lt. Mazer Rackham and his special forces stand alone against the deadly insectoids. Card and Johnston craft cinematically detailed environments for their space miners, thieves, and outcasts, probing the inner mechanics and conflicts of various groups. Social upheavals and political ineptitude are realized through rich characterization and brisk action, marrying the genre staple of alien invasion with conflicts of conscience.

Starred review from July 29, 2013
With a stellar cast of narrators, this prequel to Card’s sci-fi classic Ender’s Game is a rollicking, rollercoaster ride of an adventure. Set more than 100 years before the events of the Ender Quintet, this second part of the trilogy describes the beginning of the Formic war. With a brutal invasion that catches Earth by surprise, the Formics establish a strong foothold in China and proceed to rain death and destruction on the planet. A diverse group of people, including both military personnel and civilians, struggles for survival and endeavors to fight back against the invading hoard. From the very beginning of this audio edition, the almost-nonstop action is delivered perfectly, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats. At the same time, the narrators manage to bring a large and diverse cast of characters to life with a sharply realized array of distinct voices and accents. The standout performance belongs to Stefan Rudnicki, who offers up a pitch-perfect rendition of Mazer Rackham, a New Zealand special ops officer, as he, along with a young refugee, labors across a war-torn Chinese countryside toward a nail-biting showdown with the invaders. The audiobook ends on a major cliffhanger, leaving listeners chomping at the bit for the next installment. A Tor hardcover.

In this second book of the Formic Wars trilogy (taking place 100 years before the time of ENDER'S GAME) a warlike, technically advanced alien race has been sighted in the solar system, headed straight for Earth. The gifted Stefan Rudnicki leads a team of talented narrators who do an excellent job of keeping vivid and focused the two-dozen or so characters and multiple locations (a mining ship in the outer Kuiper asteroid belt, the moon, and South China). Orson Scott Card remains a master storyteller, and each narrator is right there with him as he mixes hard science and psychological insights--right up to the cliff-hanger ending. Can't wait for the final installment, EARTH AWAKENS--due out in 2014. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine