Orson Scott Card can definitely write a good story and I've always said he has quite an imagination. In this book, you can almost see his Mormon background coming through as the undertones were definitely shades of a higher power. And through this, it gave me plenty to think about, one particular idea that I blogged about the other night - why a person really does need challenges in one's life. As much a fan of Card as I am, this book did experience tedium in some places but it was usually short-lived and the plot and storyline outweighed your desire to flip ahead.