Zanna's Gift

A very Short (150 pages) Christmas story by Orson Scott Card that was written years ago under a seudonym. Very good historical fiction about a family dealing with grief and lose and the gift of their 4 year old daughter that helps them begin healing. Excelent inspirational fiction. Of course everything by Orson Scott Card tends to be excellent.

Mormonville

Mormonville is a novel written about an outsider trying to infiltrate the Mormon Church and to write a tell all book about them. It is an interesting premise and leads to a careful examination of Mormon society and the culture it creates especially within Utah. It is a very good sceptical view of Mormon society written by someone from within that society and it does not condescend towards the members of the LDS Church. It is a very uplifting story of someone who moves from sceptic to a true believer and develops a profound faith. Very good fiction for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and those investigating the Church.

Ender in Exile

Orson Scott Card's continued return to Ender Wiggin's Universe is something I have deeply enjoyed again and again. This is the 9th novel that contributes to this series which also includes several graphic novels and several short stories. I guess since Ender's Game this has been Card's most commercially seccessful work, it makes sense that he will return again and again, and I do not mind a bit. It has been very satisfying to revisit with characters I have previously met. One of the interesting things about these books is that they have not really been writen in order. There are technically 4 stories within these nine books. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow tell the story of the Battle School and the Third war with the Formics. Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets and Shadow of the Giant are the story of the wars on Earth following the extermination of the Formics. Ender in Exile is a stand alone story that overlaps and follows several of the stroylines in the book previously mentioned. Finally Speaker for the Dead, Zenocide, and Children of the Mind bring together Ender and the 3 known centient species centuries after the earlier stories.

These stories are all very interesting and even though my favorite continues to be Ender's Game they are all very good books that I will read again and again.

Fury and Light (The Great and Terrible Book 4)

This book continues the devastation began in Book 3 and depicts the United States in the depths of a disaster that completely incapacitates everyone. This unique perspective on how the last days could play out is very intriguing and I hope that things begin to resolve in the next novel. (See my post on The Second Sun)