Hidden Empire

November 2, 2009
Card combines flag-waving, political diatribe and Christian fervor in this bombastic sequel to 2007's Empire
. The young American Empire is confronted with its first major crisis since the Progressive War: the appearance in Africa of a highly communicable and lethal disease. America quarantines the entire continent, while pompous President Torrent dispatches an elite team of supersoldiers to help slow the disease's spread. Young Mark Malich is compelled by his Christian principles to volunteer to help the benighted African natives, but he winds up in a Nigerian hospital targeted for destruction by malevolent Sudanese soldiers, leading to questions about Torrent's true goals. An evil dictator is named Idi De Gaulle, the bad guys machine-gun live babies, and FOX News gets prominent placement, but the only people likely to pick this up are those who share Card's politics, rendering subtlety less necessary.

The second book in Card's science-fiction/fantasy epic picks up right where the first left off, with political hotshot Averill Torrent having taken command of the highest office in the land and dreaming of creating a global empire. To do so, he sends a crack team, headed by Captain Bart Coleman, to Africa to contain a viral outbreak. The cast of narrators offers a stirring reading complemented by every enhancement in the book: sound effects, musical score, and audio layering. Rudnicki is a star in the lead role, narrating in a commanding tone that allows slight hints of emotional instability to penetrate the character's cool exterior. It all creates a theatrical listening experience to which sci-fi fans will surely return. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

February 15, 2010
With this sequel, Card returns to the near-future world he first introduced in "Empire" (2006), also available from Macmillan Audio and BBC Audiobooks America. Here, power-hungry U.S. President Averell Torrent orders a quarantine of Africa to control a pandemic plague, a move that positions him to use his country's technological supremacy to create a worldwide American empire. Audie Award winner Stefan Rudnicki, nationally syndicated talk-show host Rusty Humphries, and the author himself read, all delivering superb performances. The intricate plot supplemented with futuristic technoaction may not appeal to listeners who disagree with Card's take on power politics or his conservative philosophy; the title is essential for Card's fans, however. [The Tor hc was described as "a fast-paced, well-crafted sf thriller," "LJ" 11/15/09.Ed.]Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH

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