Earth Awakens

By: Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

The story of The First Formic War continues in Earth Awakens.

Nearly 100 years before the events of Orson Scott Card's bestselling novel Ender's Game, humans were just beginning to step off Earth and out into the Solar System. A thin web of ships in both asteroid belts; a few stations; a corporate settlement on Luna. No one had seen any sign of other space-faring races; everyone expected that First Contact, if it came, would happen in the future, in the empty reaches between the stars. Then a young navigator on a distant mining ship saw something moving too fast, heading directly for our sun.

When the alien ship screamed through the solar system, it disrupted communications between the far-flung human mining ships and supply stations, and between them and Earth. So Earth and Luna were unaware that they had been invaded until the ship pulled into Earth orbit, and began landing terra-forming crews in China. Politics and pride slowed the response on Earth, and on Luna, corporate power struggles seemed more urgent than distant deaths. But there are a few men and women who see that if Earth doesn't wake up and pull together, the planet could be lost.

THE ENDER UNIVERSE

Ender series
Ender’s Game / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind / Ender in Exile / Children of the Fleet

Ender’s Shadow series
Ender’s Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant / Shadows in Flight

The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
Earth Unaware / Earth Afire / Earth Awakens

The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
The Swarm / The Hive

Ender novellas
A War of Gifts / First Meetings

Critic reviews

“The sections that feature highly intelligent, self-reliant children--Card's trademark--are as excellent as ever; elsewhere there's plenty of solid action, well-developed characters....Another solidly engrossing installment, where the aliens are really just a sideshow: What we're witnessing is how and why Ender's child armies came to be.” —Kirkus Reviews on Earth Afire

“While the reader knows who wins the war, the fate of the engaging characters in this story is up in the air. Thirty-five years after he introduced Ender to the world, it's great to see that Orson Scott Card is still making magic in this imaginative world.” —New York Journal of Books on Earth Afire

“The pacing and the vivid action scenes will satisfy hard-core military-SF buffs. At the same time, the characters and the ethical foundations under them are at the high level we have come to associate with Card. Laying their own foundations under Card's Ender Wiggins saga, the Formic Wars promise to add to Card's already high reputation and to his collaborator's as well.” —Booklist, starred review on Earth Afire

“Card and Johnston explore human ignorance and compassion through a tapestry of galactic warfare in the second volume of the Formic Wars trilogy.... Social upheavals and political ineptitude are realized through rich characterization and brisk action.” —Publishers Weekly on Earth Afire

Good read but not his best

Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite writers, but in these books, he seems to be giving his cowriter too much room to screw it up. Don't get me wrong, this is a must read for all Ender readers and its pretty good. But here's the main issue, although all of his books are a little loose with the science, in these three books, science is thrown out the window in places to add drama. There is plenty of Drama with the bugger invasion without upsetting readers who recognize when the science if off.

The books are great and I look forward to the next set where Mazor confronts the Bugger fleet but there are some inconsistencies you won't find in Cards earlier Ender books. Also, most of the narrators add to the book but some of the narration is overly dramatized and it can be a bit annoying.

small note on Maorii pronunciation

the letters wh make an f sound in Maori so the words whakapapa and fanau start with the f sound not a w sound

great listen

after reading the Ender series I was intrigued what the Formic series would be like. Excellent entertainment. I don't think many authors could achieve this seamless story line.

Nice long story.

Nice cast of characters that continues through the series. Pleasurable wrap up and foreshadowing of the stories to come.

Another Edgy Series in Ender's Universe

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I absolutely love this book. I would definitely recommend to a friend. There was one particular portion of the audiobook that skipped over a few words, but it did not affect the quality of the audiobook overall. I love how every series has the same performers. It gives a sense of continuity that would not otherwise occur.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mazer is by far my favorite. Then Vico, and then Lem. I love that we get to see Mazer fighting in the Formic Wars. Vico is hard to not love. His drive, and loyalty are phenomenal. Then there is Lem. He is a child of privelege who has a "father wants to control everything" complex.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

I think as far as narration is concerned everyone did a wonderful job, but I really liked Lem and Vico's performers. Even though Vico's performer was obviously much older than Vico's character was supposed to be, he gave perfect intonations for every mood Vico would have given off, and the age wasn't noticeable. Lem's performer was perfect as well. You could feel his pain in the dealings with his father. The performer elevated the story and made Lem a more likeable character than he would otherwise be.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire book was action packed, and genuinely believable.

Any additional comments?

I absolutely love that the characters' performers are the same in all of the Ender's Universe books. I can really appreciate the story line so much more with the consistency in this area.