Ender's Game

Title: Ender's Game

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 324

Genre: Science Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Andrew (Ender) Wiggins was born from decades of genetic experimentation in an effort to breed a human who is capable of leading humanity's battles against the Buggers.  Ender is selected for battle school and while there he spends his life learning the Buggers tactics and figuring out how to beat them.

My Review: I read the Ender's Game series back in Junior High and I had remembered that I had quite enjoyed it, but I couldn't remember much else about it.  Most of the book is dedicated to Ender's experiences and growth in the battle school, including numerous training battles and that can get a little tedious, but I found that I enjoyed it. Now I can watch the movie and re-read the rest of the books in the series.

Rachel & Leah

Title: Rachel & Leah

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Rachel and her tender-eyed older sister Leah are the daughters of Lord Laban, brother of Rebecca (who married Isaac, the son of Abraham). Rachel dreams of meeting a man at a well as a young teenager. He kisses her and asks Laban if he may serve 7 years for her hand in marriage. The young man was Jacob, the brother of Esau. For those who recall the story from Genesis, Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, but the situation surrounding his marriage makes a great story.

My Review: Orson Scott Card is an author that has churned out books at an amazing pace throughout his career. Everything from fantasy (Ender's Game), thrillers (The Abyss), to religious based (Sarah, Rachel & Leah). Amazingly, his books based on the Women of Genesis are just as good as his more well-known other books. As very-little information is given in the Bible about the specifics of the relationships between Rachel and Leah and their handmaidens Zilpah and Bilhah, Card must use his imagination to fill in the gaps. He weaves a story that is very believable and structured around the specifics given in the Bible. I was very disappointed that the story ended right at Jacob's wedding, but the author's epilogue indicated that the book would have to be completed in a trilogy and not one book as he had originally planned. Unfortunately, that was 5 years ago and he has not yet completed the next book and Card had a stroke a few months ago that may or may not inhibit his ability to complete the series at all.

Enchantment

Title: Enchantment

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 387

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: The subtitle of the book reads: "A classic fantasy with a modern twist" and that seems to be a pretty good description of the book. Ivan was born in the Ukraine when it was still under Soviet rule. His family finds a way to leave the Soviet Union and emigrate to the United States. When Ivan is a graduate student working on his dissertation about old Slavic folktales he returns to visit and study in the Ukraine. Once there, he wakes an enchanted 9th century princess placed under a spell by Baba Yaga with a kiss (ala Sleeping Beauty) and then finds their lives intertwined across a millennium.

Disclaimer: While I wouldn't call the book dirty, it does have some fairly frank discussions about sexuality.

My Review: Alison recommended this book to me a few years ago and then was surprised that I was reading this book because she didn't really like it. First off, this book was really strange. A large chunk of the story takes place in Russia and is based upon popular Slavic folktales. I'm not sure if I liked the book because of its Russian and Slavic folklore references or because it was a good book. I actually took a class in college on Slavic Folklore and was able to relate to many of the stories and tales that the book is built upon. At the beginning of the book I felt like Card was really struggling to make the story believable (and I realize that the book is a fantasy), but by the middle of the book the story begins to mesh and flow a little better. I found the book to be very clever.

From the Book: "(p. 20) Before we are citizens, he thought, we are children, and it is as children that we come to understand freedom and authority, liberty and duty. I have done my duty. I have bowed to authority. Mostly. And now, like Russia, I can set aside those burdens for a little while and see what happens."

"(p. 83) You get used to being naked, that's the first thing that Ivan discovered. Crashing through thick brush with branches snagging at your bare skin, you stop worrying about who's looking and spend your time trying to keep yourself from being flayed alive. He got shy again when they entered the village, but once he decided simply to let the gawkers gawk, he found himself much more interested in what he was seeing than what they were."

Sarah

Title: Sarah

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 390

Genre: Historical Fiction

Letter Grade: A

Synopsis: This is the story of the prophet Abraham's wife Sarah. Card follows her from a young child to when Abraham leads their only son Isaac to the hills to be sacrificed. He describes Sarai's marriage to Abram, their life in the wilderness and time in Egypt. After their time in Egypt, they return to the land of Canaan and descriptions of the wickedness of Sodom and the righteousness of Salem (Melchizidek's city) ensue. Sarai's emotions and feelings are brought to life throughout the book as she struggles to find out why she has not been blessed with children and to accept that God wishes her to give her handmaiden to Abraham.

My Review: I really, really enjoyed this book. I have read a handful of other books by Orson Scott Card but they were all science fiction books. I was impressed with how this one turned out. Sarah is an example of faith and obedience that everybody can appreciate. Because Card is a Mormon, his views and the liberties that he takes with what little is written in Genesis and the book of Abraham is very believable. Although, the book is fictional, Card has made the book of Genesis come alive for me.