A War of Gifts - Orson Scott Card
2 out of 5 - Would Not Recommend
I was not a fan. I don’t regret reading it, mostly because I knew of its existence and would have regretted never reading it, but I didn’t like it. Part of it may be due to the fact that this was a novella, but overall, I didn’t like the way the problems, which could have been fascinating if given more time, took up less space than they really should have. I appreciate the attempts to develop and show a proper character, but it didn’t go over too well for me. Letting Ender solve the main problem also felt like a cheat - Ender wasn’t involved in the plot overmuch to begin with! He was in a conversation, not really more. The novella did give a fun little snippet into Battle School, and presented an interesting view of Christianity (and religion vs. nationalism vs. culture). I would have liked to read more about those. Overall, the ending wasn’t super satisfying.
