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    A War of Gifts: An Ender Story
    A War of Gifts: An Ender Story
    A War of Gifts: An Ender Story
    Audiobook2 hours

    A War of Gifts: An Ender Story

    Written by Orson Scott Card

    Narrated by Scott Brick and Stefan Rudnicki

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateOct 30, 2007
    ISBN9781427201997
    A War of Gifts: An Ender Story
    Author

    Orson Scott Card

    Orson Scott Card is best known for his science fiction novel Ender's Game and its many sequels that expand the Ender Universe into the far future and the near past. Those books are organized into the Ender Saga, which chronicles the life of Ender Wiggin; the Shadow Series, which follows on the novel Ender's Shadow and is set on Earth; and the Formic Wars series, written with co-author Aaron Johnston, which tells of the terrible first contact between humans and the alien "Buggers." Card has been a working writer since the 1970s. Beginning with dozens of plays and musical comedies produced in the 1960s and 70s, Card's first published fiction appeared in 1977--the short story "Gert Fram" in the July issue of The Ensign, and the novelette version of "Ender's Game" in the August issue of Analog. The novel-length version of Ender's Game, published in 1984 and continuously in print since then, became the basis of the 2013 film, starring Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin. Card was born in Washington state, and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he runs occasional writers' workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University. He is the author many science fiction and fantasy novels, including the American frontier fantasy series "The Tales of Alvin Maker" (beginning with Seventh Son), and stand-alone novels like Pastwatch and Hart's Hope. He has collaborated with his daughter Emily Card on a manga series, Laddertop. He has also written contemporary thrillers like Empire and historical novels like the monumental Saints and the religious novels Sarah and Rachel and Leah. Card's work also includes the Mithermages books (Lost Gate, Gate Thief), contemporary magical fantasy for readers both young and old. Card lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card. He and Kristine are the parents of five children and several grandchildren.

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    Reviews for A War of Gifts

    3.5/5

    441 ratings23 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Christmas at battle school, where religious observation is forbidden.
    • 4/5
      Set during Ender Wiggin's time at Battle School, this short novel centers on other characters. While Wiggin is an integral part to the story, he isn't the main character. The main character, Zeck, hails from a fundamentalist abusive home, and it is his growth, brought about by the subtle rebellion of Dink Meeker, that we follow. Although this lacks the depth of Card's other stories, it carries water and is most certainly worth reading.
    • 5/5
      Battle school's other side, a tale of ķids caring for kids. Nice listening, well written, and a lesson in psychology for us all. A great assition to Ender's Saga.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      'The War of Gifts' is a minor tale of the 'Enderverse' which tells of Christmas in the Battle School, and the experiences therein of Zack Morgan, child of intolerant fundamentalists and Battle School refusenik.

      An enjoyable but not remarkable addition to the Enderverse. Certainly not required reading.
    • 5/5
      Although short, this novella should not be discounted due to its length. This is an excellent and moving story involving one boy's struggle with his own demons and then overcoming them, with a rather powerful ending. Not recommended to anyone who thinks the book is about Ender, because it's not- Ender plays a part, but he's not the sole point.

      There is a lot of scripture quoting and it may be slightly annoying to those who aren't religious, but overall the novella packs a wallop and is highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      A Christmas special for Ender's Game haha twas pretty good
    • 5/5
      Short novelle. Psychobabble from supposed children. I loved it.
    • 4/5
      Set in the Ender universe, this is a quick read about gift giving around the "holiday" season. Despite his craven homophobia, Card can tell quite a story. By buying his stuff in the secondary market (read used), I sorta quell my moral quandary because any money I spend is not going directly to him.The theme of this book revolves around the question, when is a gift a religious celebration and when is it not? If someone gives a gift to celebrate a non-religious figure during a time considered to be religious by others, is that gift religious? And, if it is (or isn't), how does a school with a diversity of students, some of whom observe religious rituals, square that into the overriding concept of "equality for all."As always, Card fascinates with his discussion. I still get weirded out that the thoughtful dialogue comes from children, not adults. And I still hate that Card can be so thoughtful and yet be such a bigot.
    • 3/5
      ***WARNING -- SPOILERS AND RELIGIOUS OPINIONS***A War of Gifts is a novella set mostly in Battle School which serves to give us another taste of some familiar characters and also to give Card a chance to pontificate about religion for a while. Religion isn't allowed in Battle School, which is a good idea because so many cultures are represented there that someone would always be celebrating one religious holiday or another. However, one child is determined to keep his religion in his heart, even though it's totally an evil cult (unlike Card's Mormon religion), and has to be talked out of it by the god-like Ender. It was nice to revisit the Battle School gang, but the message of this story is one I could have done without.
    • 3/5
      You know that part in Good Will Hunting when Robin Williams finally gets Matt Damon to realize that his childhood abuse was not his fault? Yeah, this book is kind of like that except I didn't want to sleep with the main character (which would be illegal since he is 8) and I didn't get the visual of how weird looking Matt Damon is when he cries.

      What's that? You want an actual review? Well, FU. I think that's in the spirit of all the gift-giving and moral value reaffirmations that abound in this book.
    • 4/5
      A quick, 1 day read. Not overly compelling, but an interesting side story set in the Ender-verse during Ender's time at Battle School. While the theme revolves around religious observance, I found the narrative a bit unfocused overall as the focal point of the story seems to shift among three different characters. That's not necessarily a "bad" thing, but for a story of only 128 pages it needed to be much tighter in scope to really engross me.
    • 3/5
      Substance: Explores the question of where religion and culture intersect and diverge; the meaning of friendship, and vigorous intervention.Style: Despite all of Card's narrative preaching, Ender still connects.
    • 3/5
      Christmas at battle school, where religious observation is forbidden.
    • 5/5
      The Little BookwormA short novella from the Enderverse focuses on Dink Meeker and the small act of giving a Sinterklaas present to one of his friends. Little does he know that this is going to incite a war among the Battle School students. Zeke Morgan comes from a fundamentalist Christian family. His father preaches that everyone is full of sin and that is why they cannot hear the Lord's Word. He "purifies" Zeke, but knows nothing of Zeke's phenomental metal abilities until the Fleet come for Zeke to bring him to Battle School. There Zeke does his best to remain a pacifist, believing that God does not glory in war. But when Dink leaves his friend a Sinterklass present as a token of friendship, Zeke takes it upon himself to turn this simple act and turn it into something bigger. And Dink retaliates in return. But Ender Wiggin seeks to create an understanding in the Battle School between Dink and Zeke and the conflict they have bought to it.One of my favorite books is Ender's Game. And I love reading stories set in this world and getting to know more of Ender's world and his time spent in Battle School. It's stories like this that add to the over-all story and later are alluded to in Ender in Exile. A War of Gifts presents an excellent commentary on the true nature of religion and the religion that children will create around their parents and for their parents. Zeke's struggle to become pure is interesting one since he was only taught he was impure by his father. This leads to an incident where Ender can show what a great leader he is becoming, helping Zeke without Zeke really understand what is happening.
    • 3/5
      This is little more than a short story really. 128 pages in hardback is somehow being stretched to over 200 pages in the forthcoming paperback version - I can only suppose by adding pictures, big fonts or lots of white space. I read through the book in one sitting yesterday afternoon.Its not a bad story though. Zeck is raised in an abusive household where his father is some kind of freelance minister of religion who believes he is the only true pure person on earth. Zeck, being a small boy, internalises this philosophy despite his photographic memory and gift for reading people that would look like a savant tendency even in a mature adult.And then he is taken away to battle school, where his religion is outlawed and where he refuses to co-operate. The story is about coming of age, and healing of the past and of friendships too. And it is readable - good for anyone who has read all the Ender books. Probably not the place to start for anyone else, as too much of the scenario is undescribed. What and where is battle school? why can the IF steal children? who are the Formics? Who is Ender Wiggin? I think anyone who cannot answer these questions might be a little frustrated by this story. Thus a book for "Ender" series completists only.The story is also problematic in other ways. Card rattles out these abusive church scenarios too commonly (for anyone who has read a lot of his work). Not that I think he should not do it. People often abuse positions of trust and have inflated opinions of themselves which they prey off, so why should he not write about such things? But I found Zeck's father to be too fantastic. He is too obvious, and I think a character with much more false humility would have been more believable. The line "we are puritans, not fundamentalists" seemed to suggest that there is some kind of fundamentalist orthdoxy that describes that group, which is not true. Moreover they did not sound like puritans.Likewise these battle school kids are simply too deep! Geniuses they certainly are, but where did they get all that wisdom at the age of 8 or 9? The more I read of this series, the more poorly it reflects on some of the initial concepts - and I think Ender is a project that Card really should lay to rest, and move on to something new.So in summary, if you want a short and fun read with nothing too deep, and if you already enjoy Ender Wiggin books, and don't mind the fact this one is so short - then you will enjoy this book. Otherwise you might want to move along to something else.
    • 4/5
      This is very short, as it says on the cover, it is an Ender story, not a novel. This occurs just after Ender joins Battle School and before he takes over his own army. It features a bit character not previously featured in the story, and how Dink and Ender bring the boy in and change his life. Its exactly what you would expect from an Ender story, but it is still great to read.
    • 1/5
      Orson Scott Card is a decent enough writer and one of the few sci-fi writers still writing today that I read. BUT, enough is enough with the Ender series! Actually, I don't really mind sequels, but this retelling-from-a-different-perspective stuff just seems like a cash-in. The Battle School is an interesting setting and it's always stuck in my mind, but this story adds nothing to it that I didn't already get out of Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow. So, I'm left wondering why I read this.
    • 5/5
      Another addition to the Ender stories, and a welcome one at that. While it isn't exactly an important story to the over all arch of the Ender series, it is an important element to the character development within the Enderverse. We are given another glimpse into Battle School and the children who are there; at the same time, we are given a bit ofanother window into what Ender's family was going through after his departure, being shown that his mother missed him, his brother still envied him.My memory of Ender's Game is a bit fuzzy, but I want to say I remember the boy who wouldn't shoot his weapon in battle games, and this is his story, primarily. It is a quick and easy read, and a nice way to get back into the Ender story line... although the comics are a nice way to do that, too.This is a winter season read, which I enjoyed, even though it is now February. It will likely be a novella I pick up in the future in December, as a way to remind myself that gifts are not just for receiving... they do a lot for the happiness of the giver, too.
    • 5/5
      What a writer! The author, Orson Scott Card, has a superb skill in writing dialogue that demonstrates his moral, his point of view. This is an amazing story. At first I thought it was going to be a boring story of a very right wing, conservative, male god point of view, instead it is the story of something much deeper than any overt religion. The story is about behavior of human beings told from the point of view of children. Amazing!
    • 4/5
      This is a lovely little “gift” from Orson Scott Card for fans of the Ender series. The story is not so much about the interstellar war or even the Battle School in which promising young children are trained to be the future defenders of Earth. Instead, it is about the group dynamics back in the barracks. Dink Meeker, Ender Wiggin, and Colonel Graff all play major roles in this novella, as does a new character, Zeck Morgan. The main protagonist, however, is Saint Nick, in all his guises, from Santa Claus to Sinterklaas. This book takes only one evening’s investment to read, but it will be a lovely evening indeed.(JAF)
    • 4/5
      More a short story or novella than a novel, this book fits nicely into the Ender universe. I was surprised how quickly Card was able to evoke real empathy for the characters; perhaps because of the familiar setting.Overall, not as good as Ender's Game but worth reading if you enjoyed other books in this series.
    • 4/5
      This was a very quick read but I enjoyed the story. It's a Christmas story set in outer space, but really outer space has very little to do with it. It's a story about abuse, tolerance, and love. Perhaps a little overboard on sentiment near the end, but overall a good read.
    • 4/5
      This short novel introduces Zeck Morgan, the son of an overbearing Puritan preacher and an unwilling student in the battle school. When Dink Meeker and another Dutch student exchange gifts for Sinterklaas Day, the religious Zeck sees an opportunity to get out of battle school, but instead creates a war of gifts that requires the help of Ender Wiggin to end it. All in all, I enjoyed this story, but it was very short. I felt that Card tried too hard to tie everything up quickly; if he had let things play out for another fifty pages or so, the book would have been much more powerful. It was nice to see what other students in the battle school did and thought, and it was refreshing to read an Ender story that did not focus on him very much at all, at least until the very end. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the Ender Series, particularly the first book and the Shadow books.