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A War of Gifts

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From the #1 New York Times bestseller
At the Battle School, there is only one course of study: the strategy and tactics of war. Humanity is fighting an alien race, and we fight as one. Students are drawn from all nations, all races, all religions, taken from their families as children. There is no room for cultural differences, no room for religious observances, and there is certainly no room for Santa Claus.
But the young warriors disagree. When Dink Meeker leaves a Sinterklaaus Day gift in another Dutch student's shoe, that quiet act of rebellion becomes the first shot in a war of wills that the staff of the Battle School never bargained for.
Orson Scott Card's novel Ender's Game is the basis of the hit movie of the same name.
THE ENDER UNIVERSE
Ender series
Ender's Game / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind / Ender in Exile / Children of the Fleet
Ender's Shadow series
Ender's Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant / Shadows in Flight
The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
Earth Unaware / Earth Afire / Earth Awakens
The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
The Swarm / The Hive
Ender novellas
A War of Gifts / First Meetings

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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      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
    • Publisher's Weekly

      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.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      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).

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:730
  • Text Difficulty:3

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