posted
I have only read ender's game and shadow. I just finished A War of Gifts. I thought it was terrible.
Posts: 468 | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
I enjoyed it for what it was, a short story taking place during Ender's Game. If I had paid full price for a hard back, I would have returned it to the store that day though.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
Every franchise needs a Star Wars holiday special.
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posted
It would've been much more enjoyable if it wasn't so anvilicious. Even though I agreed with a lot of what it said (I've had similar conversations with pacifists I've known), the fact the entire book functions as a tract, and the fact that Card make Zeke's father such a ridiculous strawman really destroys what might have been a fun story.
...wait, did I just said anvilicious? You're a bad, bad influence, Blayne. You're already starting to rub off on me.
Posts: 2222 | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
I too thought the book was too expensive, but I did enjoy the story.
There are a lot of untold stories in the series. I suspect each person in Ender's group had their own unique story, nearly as interesting has Ender's or Bean's. We do get to see bits and pieces of those stories in the Shadow series, but for many of the characters, it is no more than a glimpse.
So, I enjoyed a story that wasn't complete centered around Ender.
As to the 'Father', I thought that was quite a twist. One would assume the 'father' as a misguided fanatic, but I wouldn't have guess just how misguided or in what way.
We don't even know if what we think we know is true. This could be some Ender manipulation. This could be all guess on Ender's part, but a guess that fits the evidence sufficiently that Zeck accepted it as true, even though he had no way of verifying it.
I'm a bit bothered by the implication that Zeck, from that point on, gradually becomes a 'good little soldier'. But, I suspect given the environment he was in, it was a tide that inevitably had to turn.
Still, I paid the too much money ages ago, and now that I have the book, I'm glad I've got it. But, it was a lot of money for every little book.
posted
If by 'good little soldier' you mean that it's implied that he stops trying to get himself shipped home, which he couldn't succeed at anyway, then yeah.
He probably starts competing in the game, yeah, but that doesn't make him an obediant drone or anything.
Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
War of Gifts was awful. The characters seemed forced, the premise was silly, and Ender was treated much like Neo in Matrices 2 and 3.
Posts: 1156 | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote:Originally posted by airmanfour: War of Gifts was awful. The characters seemed forced, the premise was silly, and Ender was treated much like Neo in Matrices 2 and 3.
I thought the premise had potential but I agree that the characters seem forced. I was disappointed in the rather abrupt ending which consisted of ***minor spoiler*** a suspiciously accurate psychoanalysis by Ender mixed with a suspiciously quick defanatization by Zeck.
However, I enjoyed the story overall. The fast pace of the story left plenty of room for my imagination to fill in and add details so I wasn't too bothered by poorly implemented aspects of the plot.
edit: I find that one of the most compelling aspects of the Enderverse is that it provides a great platform for my imagination. In some sense, A War of Gifts was doomed to succeed from the beginning for me.
Posts: 1327 | Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
I liked War of Gifts. Sure, it was a little cheesy and didn't exactly fit in accurately with Ender's Shadow OR Ender's Game, but still, it was pretty nifty.
Of course, I only bought it on audio from audible, and I got it super cheap, so maybe I'd feel differently if I'd spent lots of money on it.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
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I revisit this book on occasion. It's short and provides a nice kick to my imagination. It ain't perfect but I haven't reread the whole series in ages so I appreciate the quick hit. I've gotten my money's worth Posts: 1327 | Registered: Aug 2007
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