A War of Gifts

An Ender Story

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

The human race is at war with an insect-like alien race. The first battles went badly, and now Earth prepares to defend itself against the imminent threat of total destruction at the hands of an inscrutable alien enemy. All focus is on the development and training of generals who can fight such a war - and win.

The long distances of interstellar space have given hope to the defenders of Earth; they have time to train these future commanders from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School.

At Battle School, there is only one purpose, only one curriculum: the strategy and tactics of war. The children are drawn from all nations, all races, all religions. There is no room for cultural differences, no room for religious observances, and certainly no room for Santa Claus.

But the young warriors disagree. When one of them leaves a Sinterklaas Day gift in his best friend's shoe, that quiet act of rebellion becomes the first shot in a war of wills that the staff of Battle School never bargained for.

©2007 Orson Scott Card (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

"A heartwarming novella for the holidays....Exploring themes of tolerance and compassion, this story about stuffing stockings is, fittingly, a perfect stocking stuffer for science-fiction fans of all ages." ( Publishers Weekly)

What's not to like?

Would you listen to A War of Gifts again? Why?

If you are a devout follower of the Ender Series you will love this book. It is short. It is more of a vignette; a background extension into the characters in the series. I read some negative review regarding this book. Is it Enders Game? No, but why disparage it? I have listened (and re-listened) to all of the books and short stories (Intergalactic Medicine Show) in the series. I cannot get enough of this world. Mr. Card…if you keep writing…I will keep reading!!!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of A War of Gifts?

I love the further demonstration of the depth of Andrew (Ender) Wiggins.

What does Scott Brick and Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent narration. Definitely not monotone.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Please don't make a film. The movie version of Enders Game was a great disappointment to my daughter and myself. I would have been happier with a longer movie with character development or a multi-part movie.

Any additional comments?

Nope.

nice dig

another good reason for making religion a personal thing instead of forcing it on the people around you.

A nice little holiday story from the Enderverse

I always enjoy revisiting the Enderverse. If you feel the same way, this is a great little book. It's a sweet, short holiday story that takes place in the old, familiar Battle School and features Ender and the gang. It also introduces a new character, Zeck, and gives a little of his background.

It does get somewhat religious, but not enough for me to find it tiresome or offensive. If you've read the Ender series in depth, you're probably accustomed to the religious aspects of the books.

This story runs parallel with Ender's War and Ender's Shadow. If you haven't read at least one of those books, I highly recommend you do that first. If, however, you've read both of those and still want to hear more from the Battle School days, this is a neat book.

not good not bad

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

i thought the story was ok, but it doesn't make sence or add any thing to the endervers and when i finshed it i just sat there woundering why i wasted a credit on an ok story. on the other had as always the aditors did a great job.- dont by this try another ender book

Short and Sweet

Is the story too short
To spend a whole credit?
For the Ender enthusiast
You won’t regret it.

See your favorite characters
And learn someone new
He’s a treat to meet
And his story follows through

You’re in for some laughs
Inside the battle school
A War of Gifts
Is Card’s gift to you

Wholesome

A nice change of pace from the seriousness of cosntant conflict. There's still problems but it's nice to have a small story like this to change it up.

Too short

I thought this was a book when I used a credit for it. Turns out it's more of a short story or a novella. Performance is stellar as usual for these guys. Story isn't bad but pretty predictable.

Ender He is not alone! Good job DinK!

Would you consider the audio edition of A War of Gifts to be better than the print version?

Who cares!

What other book might you compare A War of Gifts to and why?

It's a couple of chapters in many other books so it is not a fair comparison.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick and Stefan Rudnicki ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Rock Steady!!!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

It's a honeycomb Dad!! Thats Sweet!!

A Christmas (Enderverse) Story

The only downside is how short it is. But it's still very well told and the progression of plot and character development is as always very well done.

could have been better

the performace was great as usual but i thought that the story could have been better. at least it could have followed the events till the Warsaw pact breakdown and the war on earth and how Zac dealt with it. what did he do when he was sent back... etc.