Ender’s World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After all the excitement of the other books I’ve been reading, this was a nice change of pace.

This book is a collection of essays around what the writers thought or experienced relating to the Ender’s Game series (mostly around the first book, Ender’s Game).

There were some fascinating stories here, especially the ones about how it is being used in the military.

Interspersed between the articles are Q&As with Scott Card about the stories and his intentions and such.

This is a great book to add to the collection for the fan who already has all the other books 😉

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Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this second book of the series, we finally get to know Mazer Rackham and see him in action.

The alien ship arrives at earth and the Formic war begins – not without some attempts at peace on the part of the humans, of course.

I loved the action and drama in this one. I couldn’t put it down.

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Earth Unaware by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At a recent conference I attended where Orson Scott Card spoke, he talked about the inception of this set of prequels to the Ender’s Game universe. I was so impressed that I had to go buy them. I also thought the co-author, Aaron Johnston, was awesome and did a great job in several presentations I attended where he presented.

This book, and the next one I read, are about the first Formic War. This is way before Ender or battle school or anything. It is definitely future to our current world (there are space miners out by the asteroid belt and people living on the moon and such), but it still feels like this could be a near future for us. I suppose it is because of the “real-ness” with which the authors (Scott Card said that Aaron did most of the groundwork and wrote it better than he would have, so I’ll just say Aaron) presented the people and activities.

This first book starts out in the far reaches of our solar system where miners are trying to make a living. We get to know a mining family and several members of the family very well, especially the boy, Victor. He is relatively young, but he is wise and mature beyond his years (one of Card’s hallmarks). He is also courageous and brave.

After some conflict with a corporate mining operation, and the loss of some lives because of it, the family struggles with the loss. But soon, they discover that something is coming their way, and it looks like it could be an alien spaceship.

They discover that the ship is destroying everything in its path – but why? And how can they stop it?

Victor is sent on a dangerous mission to warn earth of the impending disaster. Will he get there in time? And will anyone believe him?

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The Message by Lance Richardson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I got this as a gift for my birthday – I thought it was a little strange that this person would give it to me; usually I get books that are a little more grounded in doctrine.

I think that “The Message” of the book is important and valuable. Family and service are both very important. I liked the idea of a service vacation that the family experienced. I may even try something like that with my family.

I don’t normally read Near Death Experience books, so I don’t know if this one has anything in common with other similar works.

I do believe in Life After Death. I also believe that some people (generally prophets) have been shown what it is like.

I don’t know if “regular people” are experiencing something that is real or just the random firings of a brain in shock and pain while they are in a coma. Or maybe something in between. I am sure that the author saw what he says he did – I just don’t know whether it was real, or at least that all of it was real.

I did find some of the information contradicted what I’ve learned about heaven from scriptures and prophets, so I had a hard time getting past some of it.

It was interesting, and the author’s self-effacing attitude worked well for the genre.

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Wrong Number by Rachelle J. Christensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every time I go to the LTUE writer’s conference in February, I come out of it with 1 or 2 books from authors I meet there who I’ve never read before. Usually I’ve attended a session where they were part of a panel or something and I liked what they had to say.

And that is how I came across this book. I was not disappointed.

Rachelle tells a story of a young wife, Aubree, who receives a call that happens to be a wrong number. But that call leads her on a flight for her life in a tale of intrigue, danger, and murder. The story is full of suspense and shocking twists. I highly recommend it.

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The Dragonlord’s Heir by Christina Kenway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for a truthful review.

This is a story for all the 13-year-old boys out there who love dragons and would love to fight them.

There were some great action scenes where the boy, Logan, is working to get all the pieces of the dragon spear that will help him control the evil dragon Bolla. He has to do lots of Indiana Jones-type things from water filling up the room to jumping over lava. We also has an awesome fight against a dragon. What 13-year-old wouldn’t love to read about those things?

Logan is also a very typical boy of that age – so the author is spot on with the characterization – as he wants to be a grown up and have responsibilities, but he doesn’t yet have the wisdom to know how to tackle them. He is a little bit of a fish out of water here too because he learns at the start of the story that he is the Dragonlord’s heir (you get that from the title of the book – so that is not really a spoiler). In that way, this is a little like the Harry Potter franchise. It is also similar in that he has to go up against a “bad guy” and he must somehow come out on top. Where Harry uses his wits and friends to help him, Logan relies more on his own luck and naivete to get him through the day.

There are some problems with the book, as some other reviewers have pointed out. And I also recommend that Christina find a good editor to help her improve her writing and next book even more. She does have the beginnings of a nice story and interesting characters – especially the girl “puppy love interest”.

All in all, it is a nice read and I expect the next book to be even better!

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Porcelain Keys by Sarah Beard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I am part of Sarah’s writing group and think she is awesome 😉

I read parts of this over several months as Sarah would bring in new stuff for our writer’s group. Because I would miss a month or two or whatever, my memories of the story were a little disjointed.

So, I was amazed when I sat down to read the finished product.

This was a great YA romance story that kept me reading through the night. I laughed and cried and feared right along with the characters. It felt very real. I think this is because Sarah does not shy away from the complex feelings that come to the characters. There are no easy answers here about heartbreak or loss. But there are characters who have souls as rich and deep as can be imagined. And there is love.

This is the story of a teenage girl who has to deal with a drunken, abusive father and who has to come to terms with her growing interest in the new boy in town, all while exploring her yearnings for music.

I highly recommend this book!

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Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brandon has written another fantastic book. Brandon is well known for his fantasy and unique magic systems.

He takes it a step farther in this post-apocalyptic action novel with Super-Villians with amazing superpowers. The only people fighting them are the “Reckoners” who study these super-powered people and search out their weaknesses.

Steelheart is the name of one of the main villians and this is the story of how a boy who saw Steelheart bleed once searches for a way to kill him in revenge for the death of his father.

Setting: Some sort of cosmic burst gave some people extraordinary powers. And, in this world, absolute power corrupts absolutely. These super-people (called Epics) desire to rule over people and to crush their will. They have destroyed cities and created their own little kingdoms within a post-apocalyptic America. The story happens in what was once Chicago. The descriptions of the ruin and squalor are so realistic I had to keep looking out my window 🙂

Characters: David is a very interesting character. As a boy he saw Steelheart kill his father (this is not a Spoiler because it is on the jacket sleeve and it happens in the prologue). David studies the Epics and wants to become a Reckoner because he wants revenge. Brandon does not shy away from this motivation, even addressing it head-on with some dialogue between the characters. We also get to know some other characters – members of the Reckoners. Megan, who is beautiful and dangerous and close to David’s age. The leader of the group, a guy with a lot of science to help them in their fight. And other members of the team, an arms dealer, security people, and even a little bit about the Epics (not in first person POV, but in some unexpected ways).

Plot: The main plot is about trying to learn about Steelheart and his super-partners in order to try to kill them. There is also a plot line for romance and friendship and trust. Things get pretty complicated by the middle of the book. And by the end, you’ll be blown away as Brandon keeps ratcheting things up every step of the way. So, in some ways, it is superficially similar to caper plot of Mistborn. Yet, it is more about fighting your inner demons.

Conflict: Obviously, the biggest conflict is with the Reckoners and the Epics. And with David and Stellheart and the Reckoners. And then David’s revenge. And then the motivations of the team of Reckoners. And then the conflict between living with the known bad versus pushing for a change that could be worse. And . . . there’s a lot to thing about in this fairly short (by Brandon’s standards) book.

Text: I loved the different super-powers and how the weaknesses fit in with those. I loved the character interactions and the great dialogue as well.

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The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great parallel novel for The Princess and the Hound. It has been awhile since I read the first one, but this is really a self-contained novel so it did not matter. I was able to pick up on everything easily because of how clear and descriptive Mette is in her descriptions.

The basic plot is that a prince was turned into a bear as punishment for his deeds. Then a hound is turned into a princess and then a hound again (yeah, a little confusing, but it makes sense in the novel). They are sent back in time – in their human forms – to try to save the prince’s kingdom from a terrible evil magic that threatens everyone, and to save the kingdom from invaders and distrust of all magic.

It is a love story with two strong protagonists, which is where Mette truly shines in her writing.

It was a joy to read. I look forward to reading the next in this story universe (The Princess and the Snowbird).

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