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The Lost Gate (Mithermages #1)

by Orson Scott Card, Stefan Rudnicki, Emily Janice Card

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 7,530 ratings · 1,226 reviews

Growing up in a family compound in Virginia, Dan North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that the differences were secrets that could never be told. He believed that he alone of his family had no magical power. But he was wrong. Kidnapped from his high school by a rival family, he learns that he has the power to reopen the gates between Earth and...more

Audio, 12 pages

Published December 20th 2010 by Blackstone Audiobooks

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Jan 04, 2011 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, arcs

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

Ever since the first time I read ENDER’S GAME, Orson Scott Card had a way of grabbing my attention and pulling me out of my normal genre preferences. In recent years, while I would still pick up his titles as they caught my eye, nothing had been able to recapture that initial attraction. Reading THE LOST GATE was like rediscovering a high school crush and falling in love all over again. I laughed, I read quotes out loud, and stayed up to all hours of t...more Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

Ever since the first time I read ENDER’S GAME, Orson Scott Card had a way of grabbing my attention and pulling me out of my normal genre preferences. In recent years, while I would still pick up his titles as they caught my eye, nothing had been able to recapture that initial attraction. Reading THE LOST GATE was like rediscovering a high school crush and falling in love all over again. I laughed, I read quotes out loud, and stayed up to all hours of the night until I finished it.

The world building of THE LOST GATE is definitely what boosted my rating right up to five bats. Card, once again, has created a fascinating premise. He draws on familiar mythologies and archetypes before adding his own critical and plausible twists. If the gods and goddesses of yesteryear began to wane in power, yes, I could see some of them ending up in a family compound in Virginia. Don’t read “compound” and think Kennedy’s, though. Most of the North family is petty, cruel, and outright murderous. I think Danny is lucky to be considered a “drekka” (a magic-less person), despite the pain and suffering that came with the title. Being a drekka offers him the chance to develop outside his family’s expectations.

The juxtaposition of real world and fantasy was another one of my favorite things in this book. Danny would overcome fantastic, magical, life-threatening situations only to face being a thirteen year old kid alone in Wal-Mart. With no shoes. (The store greeter explaining the “No shirt, no shoes, no service” sign was both sad and funny). While there were times when Danny seemed bratty and reckless, Card always manages to gather these loose threads back into the narrative, and threw in a twist at the end that has me rethinking my impression of many of Danny’s earlier actions.

This is one of those books that is hard to pigeonhole into genre boundaries. Adult? Probably, despite the fact that the main character starts out as a thirteen-year-old boy, both his mindset and his experiences are pretty grown up. Fantasy? Sure, THE LOST GATE mentions gods and goddesses speaking to animals and making plants grow, fantastic abilities that any kid would want. However, Card also includes detailed mechanics that make this “magic” feel more like a tantalizing science, something to discover and understand alongside Danny. A lot of knowledge had been lost to the North family (or not shared with Danny), forcing him to piece things together from a variety of sources. As a reader I felt challenged and engaged, eager to figure out and discuss which of the theories and clues were going to fit together to form a workable magic structure.

There are so many other aspects of this book that I adored, not the least the parallel story woven in with Danny’s own. It kept me guessing until the end, unsure if I was reading distant history or current events in some far away land. THE LOST GATE is certainly the most engaging and thought provoking fantasy novel I’ve read in a long time, and one I’m going to enjoy passing on to friends and family to discuss.

Sexual Content: Danny is assaulted by a sexually aggressive woman.(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 laurenpie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Starts great, but doesn't hold up. What went wrong? Two things I think:

First, I didn't buy the tree-man's behavior. (view spoiler)

Second, and this I just couldn't get past, our main character...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crap, young-adult

Tedium, thy name is The Lost Gate.

This book promises a lot with its spectacular opening chapter (I even remember telling my mom after page 25 or so that "This is going to be a good one"; thanks to Orson Scott Card, I lied to my mother), but quickly fizzles like a cheap firework. The premise is one that's becoming hackneyed: the gods of the ancient world did and do exist. However, Card's novel provides a unique take: the gods of the ancients were actually beings from a world called Westil. In We...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-100-book-challenge, arcs-i-own, mundie-moms-review

2.5 stars

The Lost Gate is the first book I've read by Orson Scott Card. I've heard phenomenal things about his story telling and now I can understand why. Orson kept me engaged with his story with his detailed mythology and world building. I felt like I was apart of the world while reading about Danny's journey. I'll admit, I didn't feel a connection to his main character through out the whole story and at times some scenes were not at all what I was expecting, and little graphic, taking too muc...more 2.5 stars

The Lost Gate is the first book I've read by Orson Scott Card. I've heard phenomenal things about his story telling and now I can understand why. Orson kept me engaged with his story with his detailed mythology and world building. I felt like I was apart of the world while reading about Danny's journey. I'll admit, I didn't feel a connection to his main character through out the whole story and at times some scenes were not at all what I was expecting, and little graphic, taking too much away from the story for me.

Danny is a teenage mage in exhile with the rest of his family. Living in the real world, they all have a magical ability, except Danny, or so they thought. Known as a Drekka to his family (someone with out magical abilities), Danny is constantly picked on and left out of things. Danny soon discovers he's more powerful than any of them, as he's a Gatemage- someone who can make gates and open the gates to the other world that have since been closed. Danny's power forces him to flee his family and he is on the run in the human world. Gatemage's are rare, the most powerful and feared.

This once wholesome, at times smart mouth teen soon finds himself hanging with the wrong crowd. What I felt was a huge down fall with Danny's character was his continued lack of making the right choice. I felt his character went from one extreme to the next a little too quickly. He soon discovers he can break into places by making gates and doesn't give a second thought to burglary. This side does show why many Gatemage's don't live long, as they can let their power get to their heads and don't heed with caution. I know he's a teenage boy, but I felt the continued need to moon people, and lust over a girl were mentioned a little too much and took away from Danny's story. The scene were Danny was almost molested by a married women completely threw me for a loop and I'll admit totally shocked me.

I did enjoy learning the rich history of Danny's people, through his journey. The parallel dialogues was at first a little confusing as Orson switches from Danny's story to the one of Wad, who's on the planet Westil. Wad himself was a character I was most interested in, and maybe that's due to the air of mystery that surrounds him. I'm not sure if he's good or bad, but he is able to manipulate the courts so he's close to the King and Queen, and after serving them for some time he finds himself not only in love with the Queen but romantically linked to her as well (keeping it family friendly). I was much more engaged with Wad's story than Danny's. Wad is a powerful character and I'm looking forward to reading more of his story in the sequel.

While at times The Lost Gate can be a little complex and at times I felt a little lost with what was happening plot wise, I did enjoy the way in which Orson introduces "the gods" and the powers they have with the elements and things of the world, be it wind, animals, etc. As I said before, the world building was beyond what I was expecting. The characters, the settings and the history that make up The Lost Gate are a showcase for Orson's story telling talent.

I think The Lost Gate will appeal to YA readers who are fans of fantasy, as well as teenage boys (not saying girls won't), but Danny is a character many boys will be able to connect with. While I didn't get into the story as much as I wanted to, I am looking forward to reading the sequel. I would recommend this story for those 14 years and older, as there is some sexual content and very mild language.(less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Martha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy

I am of mixed minds about this book. It was a very fast and overall enjoyable read in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I've read other Orson Scott Card books (loved Ender's Game and some of the sequels) and this had many of the same characteristics - precocious boy (perhaps too precocious) coming into his own to save the world with his unique skills. While the plots move along quickly (there are two alternating plots in different worlds that naturally collide at the end),the big climax feels rushed and...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Virginia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sarah Poon, Adam Heine

Shelves: speculative-fiction, contain-ideas-that-have-stuck-w-me, read-2011

As always, what really sparkles in Card's books is his sarcastic and witty dialog. The rhythm of his words as his characters insult (with great affection) each other is always a highlight to me. That said, I enjoyed the book although I felt that a lot of it was a set-up for the later books. It's understandable since there is a lot of worldbuilding going on and a magic system that takes time to explain.

That's the other thing. I felt as if I could see the workings behind Card's thinking as he was...more

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Dec 31, 2010 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-read-wins

Wow, I just saw that I won this book yesterday, and it was on my door step this afternoon when I got home from work.. Now that is service! :)which is awesome, cause I am super excited for this one.. gonna start it right away! :)

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I have never read any of Orson Scott Card's stuff. when I found out I won this I did a little research, and have read good things about him as an Author.

I was no disappointed when diving into this book. It was...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-again

Card has created an interesting concept and a great magic system, but the book as a whole falls a little flat. Most of the character interaction was superficial and rushed. Danny's struggles to understand himself and his situation are circular and provide no actual character development. I often found myself comparing Danny to Card's other (great) young boy character struggling with heighten powers, Ender Wiggin. Danny just doesn't measure up, which is a shame. Card has proven that he can create...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Jon Parkinson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting world, but I didn't find the story-telling to be very compelling. Card gets way too bogged down in explaining, over-explaining, and explaining yet again the details of how things work. Also, as in most of his latest fiction, all of his characters sound the same.

There's also a scene that was entirely uncalled for, involving a sex-crazed 20-something girl jumping the 12 year old protagonist. It seemed like one of those scenes Hollywood throws in to get more viewers--you know, the scene...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Meghan R. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-fantasy, fiction, fiction-speculative

Oh Orson Scott Card, your issues with sex are visible from SPACE.

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May 15, 2013 Eric Pereira rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book reminds me of all my favorite YA novels I read at a earlier age (and still read today), with its strong and gifted lead, a hostile and careless world, an unknown mysterious baddy, and a pinch of romantic undertones. This book checks off every essential aspect needed in book for ages between 14-18...with one key difference...it's intended for a more mature audience, or at the very least it is more coarse and hoarse than other YA novels. The reason I say this is, the tone giving by the...more This book reminds me of all my favorite YA novels I read at a earlier age (and still read today), with its strong and gifted lead, a hostile and careless world, an unknown mysterious baddy, and a pinch of romantic undertones. This book checks off every essential aspect needed in book for ages between 14-18...with one key difference...it's intended for a more mature audience, or at the very least it is more coarse and hoarse than other YA novels. The reason I say this is, the tone giving by the main characters never feels idyllic or idealistic... while certainly Danny (one of the mains) is naive and childish at times, the book's transcendent tone speaks for an older audience than the books I read as a kid; it's unforgiving. Now I'm not saying this book is up there with the likes of Martin or King novels in its maturity, just that it's the 20 year-old graduating high-school version of YA books. It has enough of the real-world not to be boring or outlandish and laughable, but still retains, and feels like a YA book.

All-in-all, Danny's story is extremely compelling, and it gives you a sense of depth not usually seen in a book about teenage super-humans. Wad, the second main in this story, seems to be completely immersed in the world of strict, and brutal fantasy. His story starts off in a strange enough place, and by the end of this book, you'll be thinking how the heck did his character cover so much ground in such a short time-frame. But that might just be because his timeline skips whole months, while Danny's stays In a mostly day-to-day, week-to-week formula.
Both characters' stories are compelling and emotion-inducing, while Danny gets the larger share-hold, Wad's story still manages to be as interesting and compelling as his, while being different in many more aspects as they're the similar. If you are looking for a good summer fantasy story, with a history tie-in, that doesn't become too adolescent or contrive...this should be a good read for for you. It may play on memories of your younger years of YA filled summers and lunch breaks, but it also plays to your adult self in a way that keeps you enthralled and captivated in its world. (less)

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Apr 02, 2013 Sandra Strange rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

This novel is marketed as young adult, but it's more suited to adult fantasy readers, and provides a really fun entry into the genre. What if all of the gods really existed in an earlier world where certain families had all kinds of magical powers magnified when they slipped back and forth through gates between our earth and another one somewhere out in space? And what if somehow, the gates were closed, leaving these magical families isolated on earth, powers diminished with the generations, see...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Derric rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Danny is one of most interesting, relatable and unpredictable characters I have ever read about. Being able to get inside his head was great, for me this wasn't just a book, it was an experience. Danny, thinking he was a drekka (has no magic affiliation), felt like he didn't belong in the compound like everyone else. But he then finds out he is a gatemage, a strictly prohibited magery. Any gatemage found inside one of the family compounds is to be killed and a body part sent to each family to pr...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I wasn’t as enthralled in this story as I have been with the Ender books, I still really enjoyed this novel because Danny has the same kind of precocious characterization that made reading about the kids in the Ender books so enjoyable. The fantasy mythology in which this world exists is really interesting as well, particularly the aspects revealed when a secondary viewpoint character becomes a large focus in the second half of the novel. It becomes clear quickly that the plot is, in vario...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Wabiwasabi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Orson Scott Card has delivered some gripping and thought-provoking stories in his time but this isn't one of his best.

There's a lot Card wants to tackle in this book. He's dusting off a magic system that's been visited once or twice before, but never really fleshed out in a full length novel. He's also got a fresh angle that he wants to work (well, fresh to anyone who didn't read American Gods) where he recasts well-known mythological pantheons as battling families of mages. And then of course...more

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Feb 18, 2013 James Webb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A lot better than some reviews might suggest.
I had none of the problems with the character that I have seen mentioned. He isn't like Ender (which he isn't), and he might whine a bit, but less than 1% of most characters from Robin Hobb's work (although she pulls it off).
It has a bit of an American Gods feel to it, except the mages are more true to their namesakes than any of Gaiman's characters ever managed to be.

There are some adult scenes but they felt natural in the circumstances. In real life...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Krista Stevens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, adult, fantasy, boys

Card never ceases to amaze - I hope he donates his brain to science (when he dies 1,000 years from now because if anyone can figure out how to stay alive, it will be him) as his brain never stops wondering or thinking or supposing. This is not Ender's Game nor that world, but I still liked it. In this first of a series, 13-year-old Danny lives a secluded life with his 'magical-mage-ancient Norse family" in western Virginia secretly hiding their magical talents since they were cut off from their...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Elizabeth Botkin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I gave this book a mediocre rating for several reasons.

My initial criticism is that this book belongs in a teen or young adult section. I'm new to Orson Scott Card but was told great things about his writing prowess, that he was a prolific fantasy fiction writer, etc. Needless to say, like other readers who gave it a poor rating, I was underwhelmed. The plot premise is interesting, but character development and logic are lacking. However, it might be a nice intro to fantasy fiction for a younge...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Jared W rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Orson Scott Card wrote what has been the only disappointment I've ever read from the normally solid OSC. The idea is intriguing: all the 'gods' of worlds past are actually magicians from other worlds. As the magician travels back and forth through the "gates" between worlds, their power increases tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold. However, one of the 'gods,' Loki the Trickster was a Gate Magician who shut all of the gates between the worlds and left the gods stranded where they were forever...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Alanna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a bit late finishing this, since I was supposed to read it for book club last month, but better late than never, right?

I almost always enjoy Orson Scott Card, and this book was no exception, although it probably wasn't my favorite of his. I liked the idea behind all the magic and the different types of magic that a person (well, god) could have. And I enjoyed the double plots. I liked how Danny was trying to mature into a decent young man, trying to escape his natural trickster self. But I w...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Jaelyn Rae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was pretty good. I didn't know anything about the author or the series when I picked it up. It seems to pick up where the the movie Thor (I have never read any of the books/comics about the gods so I only have the movie as a reference) leaves off...well several decades into the future, but the story begins by talking about the effects of Loki closing the great gate.

I do feel that it lost a bit of momentum towards the middle of the book but not too bad. It was still enjoyable through t...more This book was pretty good. I didn't know anything about the author or the series when I picked it up. It seems to pick up where the the movie Thor (I have never read any of the books/comics about the gods so I only have the movie as a reference) leaves off...well several decades into the future, but the story begins by talking about the effects of Loki closing the great gate.

I do feel that it lost a bit of momentum towards the middle of the book but not too bad. It was still enjoyable through the end. There were a few chapters in the middle that could have been shortened considerably as they seemed to drag on.

I really liked the parallel story lines of what was happening on either side of the great gate. The biggest disappointment however, is Loki is now out of the picture but they never explained what happened to him. Also, the description blurb is very misleading. It is portrayed as a story about a family who makes all the other supernatural creatures. It basically repeats that little blurb in the very beginning and never talks about other supernatural creatures again except the Mages, which is what the people of the North family are. I would have liked to see more detail abut them actually creating the creatures, explaining how the creatures hide among the Drekers (normal people). Instead the cousins seem to be learning things like bending trees (much like The Furies in the Codex Alera Series) rather than creating creatures. The intro summary on Wiki is MUCH better, it gives a clear idea of what the book is about without giving too much away.

All in all, an enjoyable read for those who like High Fantasy. I would compare it to the Codex Alera Series (Jim Butcher) or the Enchanted Forest Series (Calling on Dragons, Talking with Dragons - Patricia Wrede). I will read the next one when it releases.

NOTE FOR PARENTS: ***Possible spoiler***

It does talk about rape a few times, in the context of a young girl making excessive advances on a young boy, which he said was like attempted rape. I thought I would mention that since it is usually classified as a YA adult book. Also there are a few sexual scenes, however the most explicit language is "spilling his seed" when making a baby. Finally it does say sh*t twice. Other than that the language is fairly clean. I did let my 10 yr old read it however we are pretty open about talking about sex, profanity, etc. Hope that helps!(less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Whitley Birks rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: almost-good, fantasy

I wanted to like this book. I really did. It started out so good that I couldn't put it down at bedtime. It had interesting mysteries and characters, and the main protagonist was actually intelligent and figuring things out on his own.

And then, about halfway through the book, it's like the author just gave up. There was no story anymore, just pages upon pages upon pages of characters sitting around and talking. It wasn't even interesting talking. They were trying to figure out how Danny's magic...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a crazy book! This was my first Orson Scott Card story I have read. I know. It's a crime. I love so many things about this book! The worlds he created are complex and exciting. I was there experiencing all with each of the characters. What an amazing imagination. The characters were so unique. The dialog was perfect. I loved the sarcasm, the banter and the witty dialog between characters throughout the story. What didn't work for me was Danny. I started out thinking he was sweet, but then h...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A great fantasy book by Orson Scott Card (although I wish I had known it was the first in a series & none of the others are published yet!). Unlike the rest/majority of his other work, this is set in current times. The gods are real (not immortal, but their lineages are still here). Their magic is the reason for ghost stories, legends of werewolves, pixies, fairies, etc. They keep themselves hidden because their gateway to Westil (another planet) was closed nearly 1400 years ago by Loki. Whi...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Maureen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I will admit, in the beginning I was unimpressed. First there was quite a lot of expository information, which I find incredibly annoying. I like books—especially fantasy—to really suck me in with their ability to show the world they have created. Danny North is a descendent of Norse gods trapped on Earth and separated from their world of power. They still have some power, though not much. The "Families" (different groups of god descendents) live in segregated compounds where they nurture their...more

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May 21, 2012 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Card tells the story of Danny North, the scion of a family of gods. Well, they were gods, but in the millennia since they were worshipped, they have begun to lose their power. This is because Loki, a title born by a member of the family with the gifts of a gatemage, stole all the gates back to the home planet of the gods. Without these power-renewing gates, the gods are beginning to fall into obscurity. Danny is their chance to return to power. But he may not want to help. Early on Card does a g...more

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Apr 12, 2012 J rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, usafe-library-system, science-fiction-fantasy-horror

So, I picked this book up on a whim at the library on the strength of the author's identity and totally got sucked into it.

Reminiscent of the Harry Potter/Percy Jackson series--except definitely for an older audience and this kid actually knows what's going on--it follows Danny North, born into a family of gods exiled to earth whose power has diminished to almost nothing over the centuries, as he grows into his powers to reopen the gates between earth and what is essentially Asgard, which Loki...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Ryan Lawler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Lost Gate is the first book in Orson Scott Card's Mithermage series published by Tor in 2011. This is the second book from Card within the space of three months and just like Pathfinder, The Lost Gate is the first book of a new YA fantasy series centered around a young boy trying to learn how to control and utilise his powerful gifts (which is also just like Ender's Game and Seventh Son). While characters may seem very familiar, they have been placed in a world full of wonder and originality...more The Lost Gate is the first book in Orson Scott Card's Mithermage series published by Tor in 2011. This is the second book from Card within the space of three months and just like Pathfinder, The Lost Gate is the first book of a new YA fantasy series centered around a young boy trying to learn how to control and utilise his powerful gifts (which is also just like Ender's Game and Seventh Son). While characters may seem very familiar, they have been placed in a world full of wonder and originality, and I have high expectations for future books in this series.

The Lost Gate is set on modern day earth and tells the story of Danny North, a young boy growing up in the family compound hidden away from the rest of the world where magic is common place. The North family along with a number of other prominent families around the world are not native to Earth, they are decendents of ancient mages from another planet called Westil and have been living on Earth for thousands of years as the gods from modern and ancient religion and mythology (the Norths represent the Norse gods). As Danny grows up he discovers that he has the powers of a Gate Mage, a powerful form of magery that was outlawed almost 1400 years prior and is enforced by the penalty of death. On the run and with no idea how the world works outside the compound, Danny's must learn how to wield his gift if is to survive.

Meanwhile on Westil, a concurrent story is also being told about a young boy who after 1400 years has finally been released from his imprisonment inside a tree. This young boy, who is also a Gate Mage, has no memory of his past before the imprisonment, but he is very good at Gate magery with complex manipulations coming to him quite easily. As he travels through Westil the boy senses that something is not right, that he has forgotten something very important and that the fate of the world may very well depend on whether he can recover that lost memory.

The major strength of this book is by far and away the magic system. While previous magic systems from Card may have been a bit hit and miss, this is certainly not the case for The Lost Gate where he has managed to coordinate a fine balance of originality, complexity, fantasy and realism in creating a system that provides a novel explanation for all religion, myths and legends recorded throughout history. The concept of the in-self and the out-self, that people are able to project their out-self in different ways in order to perform different magical abilities, is a brilliant concept that I feel is best embodied by Beast and Gate magery. It was also good to see that Card did not dumb down the technical details behind different forms of magery as he has been accused of doing in previous books, because while each form has its complexities (ie. Gate magery with its Great Gates and Gate Twisting), the technical details are reasonably straight forward and often help to progress the story.

For the most part I really liked this book. As you would expect from Orson Scott Card a lot of things were done right; the writing was solid, the pacing was great, and the characters, while similar to characters from other Card books, were fully fleshed out with their own unique complexities and idiosyncrasies to help make them stand out. I think that the concept of all religions, myths and legends being based on a central magic system not of this world is fantastic with an almost limitless potential to go anywhere. The problem for me was that the story itself in a number of parts was just not up to scratch; it was as if parts of the story had been sacrificed for world building and planning essential for future books. While I understand the need to lay a good foundation for the whole series, I dont think it needs to be done at the expense of the story and there are plenty of examples that demonstrate how to write a complete story while at the same time setting up for future books (for example The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson). The story seemed to be lacking in substance, borrowing a lot of material from a number of well known tropes without applying a great deal of originality. The story also seemed to be lacking in direction and while the main character may have physically achieved what he set out to do, I didnt get the feeling that the main character understood what he was doing, understood why he was doing it, or was in agreeance that he should be doing it at all. Despite all the positives, I was left feeling empty at the end because in my opinion nothing in the story was adequately resolved.

This is a solid and enjoyable piece of YA fiction that promises a lot from future books. After spending an entire book world building I expect the future books to be outstanding, and given the calibre of Orson Scott Card I am pretty confident that these expectations will be easily met.(less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Rosalyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book follows Danny North, of *the* North clan (a family of magicians who are apparently the descendents of the Norse Gods). Danny's place in the clan is tenuous, since his gift hasn't yet manifested itself and, at 11, it should have presented long since. A chance encounter with a young girl from another clan tells Danny that he does, in fact, have a gift: He's a gate-maker, a gift that will get him killed if his family finds out about it. Danny flees the compound, stumbles from one seemingly...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Benedict rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I used to feel that I could recommend anything (well, any fiction) Orson Scott Card wrote without reservation. Several things recently have given me back my capacity for reservation.

Lost Gate has a really interesting premise. It's no secret, so I don't mind saying that it's a lot of fun to think through the core dynamic of magic in this world: people (from these families from other worlds) are born with natural connections to different kinds of powers, and if they "serve" that power (mostly natu...more I used to feel that I could recommend anything (well, any fiction) Orson Scott Card wrote without reservation. Several things recently have given me back my capacity for reservation.

Lost Gate has a really interesting premise. It's no secret, so I don't mind saying that it's a lot of fun to think through the core dynamic of magic in this world: people (from these families from other worlds) are born with natural connections to different kinds of powers, and if they "serve" that power (mostly natural things), their bond to it and ability to wield it grow. Good solid fun, ripe for developmental metaphors and family dynamics, especially with the child protagonist (though they grow up so fast . . .).

But it seems unfocused compared to, say, Ender's Game. Or even the Homecoming Series, which might be forgiven some of its jerking plot pace given that its source material is written in the starkness of scripture.

Familiar Card themes are here: characters do stupid things and regret them, family is important, in a bonded-eternally sort of way (there's an obvious connection to some Mormon theology here, but Card doesn't ever seem to make that too explicit, so I've mostly been content to take it on face value), and children have a lively inner life and broader perspective than adults give them credit for. As in other books, Card is willing to write things like banter, punning, dialects and teasing into the characters, but it seemed a bit more forced or stale to me. Maybe I've read too much Card, but this was the first I'd picked up in a while. The protagonist has a good plot-connected reason for being snarky, but with that in mind, some of the passages read a bit more like, "Oh, the character's getting a bit too sincere; better come up with a joke for the situation."

The series is forthcoming, which is a different experience for me (I've mostly come to OSC books after the whole of a series is out), and I like where this left itself set up for a sequel, although the break seems a bit like the breaks in Roger Zelazny's "Chronicles of Amber" series -- the immediate problems are solved, but the framing ones are still pretty visible. I'll read on -- Card's observations about family dynamics are still sharp and keep my interest -- but to my read, there's a higher level to some of Card's stuff, including the first four Ender books, several of the Homecoming novels, and things like Rebekah.(less)

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About Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools.
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series Th...more

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