Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The previous novel in what may be a saga closed on a cliff-hanging note, as asteroid colonist Victor Delgado raced for earth, praying to arrive in time to warn of the oncoming Bugger invasion. In this book, earth starts falling off the cliff. Delgado is ahead of the Buggers but not by enough to convince earth's government that the sky is about to fall in. Then the Bugger ships arrive, and the sky is ablaze with burning space stations, ships, and glowing craters where colonies used to be. A peaceful earth has become virtually disarmed, and the Mobile Operational Police, under Mazer Rackham, have to convert themselves from a well-armed constabulary to a force capable of defending and even preserving earth in its first interstellar war. There is nothing sanitary about the fighting, although the pacing and the vivid action scenes will satisfy hard-core military-sf buffs. At the same time, the characters and the ethical foundations under them are at the high level we have come to associate with Card. Laying their own foundations under Card's Ender Wiggin saga, the Formic Wars promise to add to Card's already high reputation and to his collaborator's as well.--Green, Roland Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With a stellar cast of narrators, this prequel to Card's sci-fi classic Ender's Game is a rollicking, rollercoaster ride of an adventure. Set more than 100 years before the events of the Ender Quintet, this second part of the trilogy describes the beginning of the Formic war. With a brutal invasion that catches Earth by surprise, the Formics establish a strong foothold in China and proceed to rain death and destruction on the planet. A diverse group of people, including both military personnel and civilians, struggles for survival and endeavors to fight back against the invading hoard. From the very beginning of this audio edition, the almost-nonstop action is delivered perfectly, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats. At the same time, the narrators manage to bring a large and diverse cast of characters to life with a sharply realized array of distinct voices and accents. The standout performance belongs to Stefan Rudnicki, who offers up a pitch-perfect rendition of Mazer Rackham, a New Zealand special ops officer, as he, along with a young refugee, labors across a war-torn Chinese countryside toward a nail-biting showdown with the invaders. The audiobook ends on a major cliffhanger, leaving listeners chomping at the bit for the next installment. A Tor hardcover. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Victor Delgado arrived on Earth in time to warn the planet of the approaching alien ships, but not in time to convince the ruling powers that any danger existed. Only when the first ships arrived over China and destruction rained down from the skies did the world take notice, and only Lt. Mazer Rackham of the New Zealand Special Air Services (NZSAS), along with the Mobile Operations Police, is willing and able to cut through red tape and take direct action against the buglike aliens known as the Formics. Card's second novel (after Earth Unaware) in the series chronicling the world conflict that precedes the award-winning Ender's Game is an action-filled tale of fighting men (and a very few women) and ordinary people who come together in extraordinary circumstances. VERDICT Card's strengths lie in his storytelling skill and his ability to create likable, strong, yet flawed characters, and fans of his Ender stories should flock to this prequel series. [The film version of Ender's Game, starring Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, and Asa Butterfield, is scheduled for release this November.-Ed.] (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Second entry in the prequel series (Earth Unaware, 2012), set many years before the deeds of the Ender's Game novels. In China, young genius Bingwen ponders an Internet file seeming to show hostile insectlike aliens. The file was distributed by Victor Delgado, last survivor of a space mining family destroyed by those same invaders, in a futile and desperate effort to warn Earth of the approaching menace. Instead, Victor's treated like an unimportant minor criminal, while his evidence is ignored. Lem Jukes, meanwhile, heir to a powerful space mining corporation, with whom Victor tangled in space, reaches Earth just days ahead of the alien vessel. He knows precisely the danger the aliens represent and intends to use the situation to wrest control of the business away from his coldly indifferent father, Ukko. Despite everything, the authorities decide the Formics probably aren't hostile and send an official delegation into space. The Formics contemptuously blow the delegation to atoms and launch massive projectiles toward the planet. Mazer Rackham of New Zealand's Special Air Services happens to be in China on a training mission when the projectiles arrive and transform themselves into vast invulnerable fortresses, against which the Chinese defenders are helpless. Capt. Wit O'Toole's Mobile Operations Police desperately seek a way to enter China and join the battle against the Formics. The sections that feature highly intelligent, self-reliant children--Card's trademark--are as excellent as ever; elsewhere there's plenty of solid action, well-developed characters and prose that's often disappointingly clumsy. Another solidly engrossing installment, where the aliens are really just a sideshow: What we're witnessing is how and why Ender's child armies came to be.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
