book data
1,389 ratings,
3.34
average rating, 249 reviews
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published
November 27th 2007
(first published 2006)
by Tor Books
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
literary awards
Prometheus Award Best Novel nominee (2007)
isbn
0765355221
(isbn13: 9780765355225)
description
The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has co...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1,781)
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avg 3.34
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in April, 2008
recommended to Tim by:
Orson Scott Card
I have to say that Orson Scott Card has got to be one of the most intelligent authors I have read. He is very sensible and knows how to get to the real issues. I really liked the story of Empire however the way in which this story is told I did not like. I recently attended one of Cards lectures on how he writes and how he comes up with ideas for stories and I found out that he doesn't ever write a second draft. He rewrites his first draft several times because he believes that the actual li...more
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Read in May, 2008
Going into this book, I wasn't sure what to expect: the wild success of the Enderverse books, full of action, invention, and characters that you identify with? Or should I expect more of a religious twist like with "Homecoming" books... more ideological without as much action, and characters that are rather flat and dull?
As it turns out, a mix of both. "Empire" is an exciting thriller/action-mystery novel... with flavor that only OSC could give it. References ...more
As it turns out, a mix of both. "Empire" is an exciting thriller/action-mystery novel... with flavor that only OSC could give it. References ...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Orson Scott Card lovers
An interesting exploration in American potentials. Yet applying Orson Scott Card's usual character perfection to a world much closer to our own is slightly out of place. Worth a read once for being a thriller, psychological thriller, and Yet Another Scott Card Book, it leads you to think about where our political extremism is headed. If you watch alongside Ken Burns' Civil War documentary, it strikes impressive similarities.
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Read in January, 2009
I'm proud to say that this book is the fruition of a dream of my brother's, Donald and Geremy. They came up with the idea for a Video game, which is currently in production and will be out later in 2009, but Orson Scott Card loved the idea and wanted to write the book. So after much consultation with the Mustard's, the book was written, the first in a trilogy. It is important to know that it is only the beginning of the story, otherwise the ending will feel very unsatisfactory. My major grie...more
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Read in December, 2006
recommends it for:
Right wing fanatics, People who like Tom Clancy Op Center books
This is the story of a group of left wing militants who try to take of the US with high tech weaponry.
This book was not very good. Card is a good writer, but this is not his best writing. The characters are static and unbelievable. It reads like a script to an action movie: it is fast paced and there is a lot of action.
Also, this book is fair and balanced like fox news. The left wing extreme in this book holds beliefs that only a small, unmobilized percentage of the p...more
This book was not very good. Card is a good writer, but this is not his best writing. The characters are static and unbelievable. It reads like a script to an action movie: it is fast paced and there is a lot of action.
Also, this book is fair and balanced like fox news. The left wing extreme in this book holds beliefs that only a small, unmobilized percentage of the p...more
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It was recomended that I read this book because it deals with politics. Though this is something I am interested in this book seemed entirely too one sided. It was more a polemic than a novel, and its attempts to be non-baised were far outweighed by the moments of its blatant one sidedness. If you are a strong supporter of the right and think that our patriotic duty is to not question either the president or the military then you would like this book. If, on the other hand, you think that th...more
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Read in May, 2008
I could not finish the book, and stopped half way through. It gets one star because it wasn't the worst thing a person could read. It was just one of the worst books I've read in a while. I feel like my IQ dropped steadily with each page I read. I haven't read anything else of Card's books, but I think he really should stay away from political themes. It just made me wanna puke. Sure, it's just fiction, but I actually felt Card was sharing his political views in the book just as much as he share...more
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Read in February, 2009
Not one of his best. This one is convoluted and proves that Card should not try to write the techno-thriller. It also proves that he should stay out of politics. I didn't like too much that he never answers (only hints at) one of the main questions of the book. I also didn't care at all for the ending.
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I enjoyed this completely improbable version of America where militant partisan feeling drives the nation once again to civil war. This takes the form of a leftist rebellion during the middle years of the Bush administration (after his and most of his administration's deaths in the first section) that conquers New York and some other liberal states. That sounds like a recipe for outcry from the Left, but as the characters stress over and over, it could have been a right-wing military coup just a...more
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Read in March, 2009
Orson Scott Card proves to me he can write amazing things outside of the Ender series. This novel deals with conspiracy, presidential assassination (not refered to as George W. Bush, but definitely implied), the beginnings of an american civil war, and the man who must find the truth in order to clear his name and restore the United States to balance.
The balance of what? That's the real issue, the meat of the story, the moral. The author speaks, after the conclusion of the novel, ...more
The balance of what? That's the real issue, the meat of the story, the moral. The author speaks, after the conclusion of the novel, ...more
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Read in November, 2008
I've read reams of science fiction over the years, but this is the first Orson Scott Card book I've read. Odd for a sci-fi geek I know, but it just worked out that way. A friend gave me the book. What that means is that I had no prior bias when I read the book. I knew nothing about the author's politics or how good/bad any prior books are, so I'm basing my review on the actual story and my thoughts while reading it.
It became obvious early on that it was a "right leaning" st...more
It became obvious early on that it was a "right leaning" st...more
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Read in June, 2009
Way too political for my taste. People disenchanted with the current state of our nation's political system may not agree with the premise of this book or the main characters' core values. Card spends too much time on the blue-red seesaw, landing on the red side a little longer than the blue, but I can appreciate that he at least tries to keep them balanced. The characters were the usual bare bones style you get with an action plot, and I missed the more subtle aspects of Card's more character-d...more
Read in February, 2009
A what if book taking of on the current polarization of the far left and right of the political spectrum. An unknown group makes a successful attempt on the President by rocket fire into the White House, killing the President and much of his cabinet while at the same time the VP is killed in an automobile accident. Within a day New York is taken over by an a group calling itself the Progressive Restoration party and armed with futuristic weaponry. What follows is the story of a small group, ...more
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Read in May, 2009
An interesting thought experiment on what would happen if the current rhetorical and often visceral war of words between the Right and the Left became an actual shooting war. The style and content is reminiscient of a Dirk Pitt novel by Clive Cussler.
Interestingly, the end of the book intimates that the a national security advisor may have engineeered his way into the White House by playing this civil war from both sides - giving the ideas to and organizing the rebels behind the sce...more
Interestingly, the end of the book intimates that the a national security advisor may have engineeered his way into the White House by playing this civil war from both sides - giving the ideas to and organizing the rebels behind the sce...more
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Read in July, 2008
I had high hopes for this book, and it ended up being just a bit too violent for my taste at the time. The premise is/was fascinating, and I wish there was clear-play for books sometimes, because I still wish I could read it.
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Read in April, 2009
As my first experience with Card, I wasn't very fond of the paranoid approach. Standing on it's own, it had an interesting view into one of our possible futures, albeit unlikely future, in my opinion. I heartily agree that people incorrectly compare the US to Rome. It was a good feeling to have already thought that if there was an appropriate comparison, it would have been to the Rome before the Ceasars, and then to examine that thought more in a novel.
I was very impressed with Card...more
I was very impressed with Card...more
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Read in December, 2008
The beginning of Empire was so good that I recommended it to a friend. At about the same point in the book, we both were like "What the hell!".
Reading this was a lot like going for a hike and unexpectedly encountering a muddy area. Now you know that many paths such as these often lead to hidden treasures and this is only some mud we're talking about. Even if there is no treasure at the end, the people your hiking with are pleasant enough company. So you trudge on hoping th...more
Reading this was a lot like going for a hike and unexpectedly encountering a muddy area. Now you know that many paths such as these often lead to hidden treasures and this is only some mud we're talking about. Even if there is no treasure at the end, the people your hiking with are pleasant enough company. So you trudge on hoping th...more
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From this book, I learned that Orson Scott Card is actually very politically minded. He made a valiant attempt at painting a fair picture of conservative and liberal sections of our society, but you can still tell he's been watching a bit too much Bill O'Reilly.
The theme of the book seems to be that the more divided we become into "Red" and "Blue" groups in society, the easier it will be for us to be taken advantage of and give up our democracy to a dictator. It...more
The theme of the book seems to be that the more divided we become into "Red" and "Blue" groups in society, the easier it will be for us to be taken advantage of and give up our democracy to a dictator. It...more
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Read in January, 2009
I was excited to read Empire by Orson Scott Card. I love the Ender books, and he seems like a man I can trust. The idea of a near-future Second Civil War also appeals to me. Unfortunately, I did not know that this book was written as a tie-in to an as yet still unpublished video game.
How did it hold up? I’ll say right away that the novel wasn’t everything I was hoping for, but it still told a pretty good story.
2 Characters
Satisfactory
I felt like only one charact...more
How did it hold up? I’ll say right away that the novel wasn’t everything I was hoping for, but it still told a pretty good story.
2 Characters
Satisfactory
I felt like only one charact...more
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Read in April, 2009
I almost stopped reading when I got to the point where they talked about how wonderful and lovable W was, and how the liberal Lefties were conspirators who he was protecting. Meanwhile, I've been reading Harpers torture coverage for the past month or so. I did like the comment about how the 'inside man' couldn't have been a left-winger, because there were no left-wingers in the Bush White House.
I almost stopped again when Card threw in 'jeesh', and a third time when Nick was anointed...more
I almost stopped again when Card threw in 'jeesh', and a third time when Nick was anointed...more
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quotes from this book
"The society whose citizens are willing to stand and fight is the one with the best chance of surviving long enough for history to even notice."
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