Don't pay attention to the reviews telling you this is too preachy---this guy knows exactly what he is talking about and hammers home the concept in a way that is respectful towards the men and women who spend their lives protecting this country. This is an awesome read, a topic that certainly is plausible in today's ridiculous climate of nasty political division and it made me want to cry. I found it difficult to turn off when I needed to. Great job by the reader as well. I have listened to many of his narrations and he is fantastic. He has read many of OSC's books as well as the Prince Roger MacClintock series by David Weber and John Ringo and as far as I'm concerned he can read any military action book and turn it into an enjoyment.

I am a big Orson Scott Card fan but this book is almost unrecognizable as his work. The characters are shallow, plot lines are left hanging, and you have to suspend your disbelief so may times it is ridiculous. Despite Card's comments at the end of the book the story mostly comes off as a right-wing rant that seems to be based on watching too much FOX news. The main point that Card misses is that most Americans are very patriotic when push comes to shove and the idea that they would turn against the central government is laughable. Indeed, the idea of attacking government is most closely associated with extreme right-wing groups rather than left-wing groups as Card portrays in this book. Card has many other excellent books to choose from; bypass this dreck.

I am about half-way through this book. Scott Card remains a good story teller, but, in this book, he really lets his right-wing stripes show. The story, which is not terribly compelling, is simply a vehicle for his rant. In and of itself,I would be OK with that, if the rant had anything intelligent or original to say. While followers of Rush Limbaugh and the like may really enjoy it, the rest of us get really bored of the tired cliche of the anti-military, anti-american left. I am a big fan of Orson Scott Card and have read many of his books, but this book is a dud. If Card was channeling "State of Fear" with "Empire," he succeeded.

This was a very good book from start to finish. Well done.

Card paints a picture of the future of America that is both scary and believable.

This was fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Orson Scott Card is a gifted writer and it really shows in this awesome book!