A War of Gifts

This book is set in the Ender Universe (if that means nothing to you, go get a copy of Ender's Game right away). Though I've liked a lot of Mr. Card's books, I might not have picked it up if it wasn't written in this setting. I'm glad I read it. Mr. Card continually shows that he can handle topics in complex, satisfying ways. The themes tackled in this book - religion, Christmas, tolerance, child/adult relationships - are too often two-dimensionally handled by not only authors, but by people in real life. I've had more than my fill of saccharine "meaning of Christmas" stories, or barely concealed lectures about religions and tolerating them. Mr. Card never succumbs to the temptation to take it easy with these themes or his characters. His treatment of all these themes is nuanced, passionate, empathetic to all people, and so frankly awesome that I forgot that I was reading a book in a crowded dining area. This book made me cry - in a good way - in that crowded dining area. Let this amazing story affect you, too.

Zeck Morgan's dad is the minister of a church. However, just because the father is a minister, it does not mean he is nice. Truth is, the father is physically abusive to Zeck. Zeck does not understand this. Zeck believes his father is "purifying" him. Representatives of Battle School test Zeck, find he has photographic memory, and whisks him off to Battle School. Zeck learns what they want him to, but refuses to participate in "killing" targets in the war games. Even though one member of the Rat Army refuses to kill targets in the games, they are still in second place. At first everyone was upset that Zeck would not even try to help the team. Even so, they soon began to ignore Zeke. They did not really hate Zeke, they simply learned never to rely on him for anything. In Battle School, there is only one curriculum: the strategy and tactics of war. Since the children are gathered from all nations, all races, and all religions, it makes perfect sense that there is no open observance of any religion. In Battle School there is no room for cultural differences. When Zeke sees a member of the Rat Army quietly leave a Sinterklaas Day gift in another team member's shoe, he decides to take it up with Colonel Graff. Thus, a war of wills (and gifts) ensues, and it is a war that the staff of Battle School never prepared for. ***** If you look at this hardback book from the front cover, it is about 3/4 the size of a normal hardback book. There are approximately one hundred and twenty-five pages in it. That is why this book costs only about half the price of normal hardbacks. In this case, Orson Scott Card proves that size does not matter. If a reader sat down and read from cover-to-cover, as I did, it will take you around two hours, if that. However, I cannot begin to describe how awesome this story left me feeling. Once again, little Ender Wiggins shows his advanced maturity. The moral behind the tale is serious, very straight forward, and Card managed to tell it in a way that only he can. MAGNIFICENT! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I have never read any of the other books or stories in the Ender Series. I purchased this book because 1) I have just discovered Orson Scott Card (via Dragons of Darkness short story collection); 2) it was an autographed first edition [same price as the non-autographed edition - 11.00USD, no idea how many were done] AND 3) I am a big fan of the short-story genre and enjoy sci/fi fantasy. The Ender Series, as I understand it from this story, mainly takes place at a Battle School in space with the "young geniuses of the world" preparing for the coming war with an alien race that intends to wipe out humanity. Because the aliens are located so far away in the universe, however, Earth's "powers that be" have enough time to round up these children at a very young age (5 & 6 years old) and train them to adulthood as an elite military force. Because of their genius status, these kids do challenge authority by asking questions and staging non-violent organized activities. However, for you parents out there, the powers that be never give in to the children. They model adult behavior (maybe a bit harsh but this is a military school, after all) that provides room for the kids to learn their lessons via natural consequences and by working it out with each other, rather than intervening and lecturing them. They give them freedom within limits. Also, because they are geniuses, the dialogue is a bit older than a typical child of that age. This is the one area I struggled a bit with, although "out of the mouths of babes" did enter my mind (and my son has been known to say things I never would expect him to) so it's not completely unbelievable. I really liked bearing witness to how the kids would organize and work things through, within the boundaries they were given, and I wasn't able to second-guess the plot. Maybe that's because I don't know the Ender Series, but that's okay. Ender, by the way, is Ender Wiggins the young hero in this tale. He makes his appearance in this story about mid-way and he only has one big scene. There are really three primary characters - Zeck, Dink and Ender - with Zeck and Dink being the primary point of view characters. Ender has a supporting role here, even though we meet his mother and brother in the beginning. This is a story that is age-appropriate for young to old sci-fi fans. I think the target group IS - should be? - middle reader's, I'm not sure of that and my bookstore places them in the adult sci-fi section. I could easily see this as a gift to a 9-18 year-old reader, maybe even younger because there are characters aged that young, but only if the reading level is that of the middle-reader. I routinely sell the book across all ranges and I enjoyed the story even though I'm a few decades above nine. About the size of the story: Although this particular piece may not be long the quality of the tale can not be disputed. It has whet my appetite for more and I am going to move on to the other books in the Ender Series

A war of gifts... If you are a Fan of the "Ender Wiggins Saga" You won't need to be sold on this book at all, you'll just want it like I did, and be glad you bought it like I am. So, I'm going to sneak in the down side between the praises. First, be aware that this isn't even a Novella, it is a short story, bound in a hard back cover, with low grade pages. Second, part of this short story appears in OSC's Christmas story about Peter Wiggins on "The Intergalactic Medicine Show" E-Magazine. That is the only things negative that can be said about this book. "A War Of Gifts" is a wonderful side story to the Ender Saga. It deals with the importance of kindness, of protecting children, and of finding common ground. It makes a valid argument for the social value of the commercial holiday season, by reminding us of what is good about that, aside from the religious debate that it brings. That was really a ramble I know. So... again, this is a story for fans. It is a good story regardless, but really it is mostly relevant for Ender fans, and again, if you are a fan you will be pleased with the purchase, and if you know someone else who is a fan, this will be a great stocking stuffer!