Card has done it again! Pathfinder is everything you could ask for in a fantasy epic—compelling characters, expansive world-building and enough bizarre flair for even the most hardcore nerd. Two stories are intertwined in this satisfying read: that of Rigg, a newly orphaned quick-witted boy with an epic quest and a dangerous gift; and that of Ram, captain of a starship who finds himself amongst the most baffling paradoxes in the universe. Somehow, Card manages to mesh these two plots into a fascinating, well-paced novel that showcases his stellar wit and sense of parody. Unlike many novels that hand-wave bizarre physics, Pathfinder embraces the conundrums of time-travel with hilarious and brain-bending dialogue. The ending is particularly noteworthy, where science fiction, politics, fantasy, and adventure all fall into place to create a satisfying whole. More speculative fiction than clichéd seat-of-your-pants adventure, Pathfinder is the first in a new series that is bound to delight even the pickiest of fantasy/sci-fi readers.