Nerdly Book Review:
Empire
May 7, 2008 by Kyle BradyTags: Book, Empire, Orson Scott Card, Review
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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 to modern day conveniences and life only solidify the idea of this being a "near future" occurance... not just places and events, but the 2000 Presidential Election, iPods, Google Maps, etc.
Throughout the book, unexpected turns of plot and character development are seen... merging the lines between thrillers and SciFi, which makes for an exciting read. The whole plot is never really revealed (unlike most mystery/thriller novels that you can guess the plot), even at the end of the book that leaves room for a sequel... which is tangentially referenced in the last line of the Afterword.
However, for people who are at the extremes of the political or religious realm (both the strongly ideological and apathetic), this book is going to be a tough read. OSC doesn't directly express his personal beliefs of religion and government, but plays both sides of each story against each other... something that will not be interesting to those who don't care in real life, and will be frustrating to those who refuse to recognize the other side's legitimacy.
...which is exactly how the 2nd American Civil War starts in the book: strong beliefs, and a refusal to recognize any others.
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