A War of Gifts

For years science fiction lovers have enjoyed Orson Scott Card's stories spinning out of his ENDER'S GAME novels. In these books the human race is fighting for survival against an interstellar insect race and then fighting against itself. With able help from narrators Scott Brick and Stefan Rudnicki, Card continues to dip into the mythos with a glimpse into the lives of some of the Earth's generals in their youth. The stalwart Brick is known for delivering credible performances regardless of genre. He excels in this brief story about hyper-intelligent children placed in a rigorous "battle school" for training to become the Earth's generals and leaders. But the teachers go too far when they ban religion, planting the seeds for future problems. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

August 27, 2007
Card returns to his Hugo and Nebula award–winning Enderverse saga (after 2005's Shadow of the Giant
) with a heartwarming novella for the holidays. When Zeck Morgan, the young son of a puritanical minister, qualifies for admission into the International Fleet's Battle School, he is brought to the school against his will. Citing his pacifist religious beliefs, Zeck refuses to participate in any simulated war games, but when he sees a Dutch student give a friend a small present in celebration of Sinterklaas Day, he reports the violation of the school's rules against open religious observation and sparks an uproar over religious freedom and the significance of cultural traditions. Meanwhile, Zeck becomes a pariah until series hero Ender Wiggin finds a way to show him the real meaning of the holidays. Exploring themes of tolerance and compassion, this story about stuffing stockings is, fittingly, a perfect stocking stuffer for science fiction fans of all ages.

December 24, 2007
Adding to the ever-growing Enderverse, Card provides listeners with an amusing and sincere tale about religious observance just in time for the holidays. Like all Battle School students, Zeck has been torn from his family and religion to train in a school in outer space. Passively resisting his environment, Zeck must find a way to reconcile his beliefs with his actions and learn new things about himself that will challenge the life he knew. With Brick's lighter tone complementing Rudnicki's deep resonating voice, the two make an excellent pair as narrators. Often, their parts are split according to point of view, so that Brick narrates aspects of the story from the vantage point of Zeck and the other students while Rudniki embodies the adults, especially the militaristic leaders at the Battle School. Mostly, this shifting back and forth is done by sections of the book, and not in characters exchanging dialogue. However, very abruptly at one point in the story, the director decided to have Brick and Rudnicki exchange dialogue. If this were the standard throughout, it may well have worked, but since it happened only once and in mid-discussion between two characters, it feels out of place. Simultaneous release with the Tor Books hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 27).