Earth Unaware

By: Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Stephen Hoye, Arthur Morey, Vikas Adam, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, Roxanne Hernandez

Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A hundred years before Ender's Game, humans thought they were alone in the galaxy. Humanity was slowly making their way out from Earth to the planets and asteroids of the Solar System, exploring and mining and founding colonies.

The mining ship El Cavador is far out from Earth, in the deeps of the Kuiper Belt, beyond Pluto. Other mining ships, and the families that live on them, are few and far between this far out. So when El Cavador's telescopes pick up a fast-moving object coming in-system, it's hard to know what to make of it. It's massive and moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light.

But the ship has other problems. Their systems are old and failing. The family is getting too big. There are claim-jumping corporates bringing Asteroid Belt tactics to the Kuiper Belt. Worrying about a distant object that might or might not be an alien ship seems…not important.

They're wrong. It's the most important thing that has happened to the human race in a million years. This is humanity's first contact with an alien race. The First Formic War is about to begin.
Earth Unaware is the first novel in The First Formic War series by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston.

©2012 Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The somber basso voice of Stefan Rudnicki and two well-chosen players march through the story, with a young man's voice particularly effective in segments featuring the angst-ridden teenager. This is an outstanding job, with more to come.” —AudioFile Magazine

“As the narration passes from character to character, the talented cast... easily keeps listeners intrigued with skillful characterizations that feature unique voices, accents, and dialects. And by the time the huge alien ship arrives and the story kicks into high gear, listeners will be utterly captivated by this exciting adventure.” —Publishers Weekly

good book enjoyable to read, but...

It doesn't have a good grasp on physics in space. It talks about speed throughout so poorly. Like if they need to do a space walk they slow down to do it. What?!? It isn't a damn sail boat. Even just saying a speed doesn't make sense unless a background is given. One time two ships were docking, they were saying how dangerous it was because the ships were moving fast, but that was in the same direction. Their relative speed to each other is what matters not the speed in relation to the destination. The iss is traveling very quickly in relation to the earth, but that doesn't make the docking of any ship more dangerous, because the speed in relation to the other ship is what matters. There were many instances of this sort of thing.
Other than the bad science the story is entertaining. I going to continue reading this series, because it is a good story, but I am also probably going to continue to complain about SCIENCE.

Reading Chronologically - A Great Read!

My neighbor recommend this series and I decided to read it chronologically. I don’t know much about Ender’s Game, the Formic wars, or what comes after Ender’s game so I went against convention and decided to listen chronologically.

I really loved this story and cannot wait to read the next in the series; so much so I already purchased the next 6 books in chronological order it’s that good.

The multiple narrators took a few chapters to adjust to; the character Lem Jukes took longer than most. I must say though, the selection of the narrators was brilliant and done in a way that truly enhances the reading and quality of the Audiobook.

Excellent plot work

Rushed ending left a lot to upload when reading book 2. Characters were a bit incomplete: and could have been better developed.

Earth Unaware is a must listen for Ender fans

Where does Earth Unaware rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Earth Unaware is one of the better audio books that I have listen to. Orson Scott Card is a master writer and the audio book performance is brilliant. It utilizes multiple people to deliver an element of realism lacked often in audio books.

Any additional comments?

When I downloaded this audio book I did not know it was part of the “Ender” series. I just knew that Orson Scott Card wrote it and he has not disappointed me in the past. After about an hour into it I realized that it was a prequel to “Ender’s Game”. I recommend this audio book to both long time “Ender” fans and people who have never enjoyed the many works of Orson Scott Card. I believe this audio book will make a great gateway book for those wanting to explore Orson Scott Card’s universe. Reading the rest of the “Ender” series is not a prerequisite for this book.

This book will whet your appetite - Come hungry!

Earth Unaware is the first in the First Formic War series - as a result this is like a very distant prequel to Ender's Game. I can honestly say that Ender's Game and the subsequent books following it was the first Sci-Fi series that I latched onto when I was a kid. I've since heard the audio version - and I can say that these books are wonderfully performed and Orson Scott Card's writing style, by his own admission, translates extremely well when read aloud. The production decision to jump from reader to reader as the story changes point of view in each chapter is a good one- and all of these readers are excellent. This book ends in a cliff hanger and as a result I immediately downloaded the second book - see my review of that - Earth Afire - also here on Audible.

Orson Scott Card Does It Again!

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

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. It is just as good as the books that it is meant to come before in the Ender series. It is very well written and with a very positive and I think realistic view of the human condition.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Earth Unaware?

I loved the part where Wit whips the regular troops using only 9 of his MOPS. This combined with the fact that Wit has rejected the future hero of the Formic Wars, Mazer Rakem, to become a MOP.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The performance of the narrators is excellent throughout the book. They bring just the right emotions and flavor to the story to make things seem even more vibrant that when I read this on my own.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I enjoyed listening to this book a few minutes at a time. It allowed me to savor the experience.

For a book with aliens this is one of the best

I love the way the book is put to gather and the way the story floes. It is quite a bit different form what I am use to but really good. I would recommend it to everyone. Especially if they love space Syfy.

A pleasant look back.

What did you love best about Earth Unaware?

I've read the entire series by Orson Scott Card (as of 2014) and recently was reminded by a friend about the new prequels. This book goes into great depth, sculpting the universe with plausible technology and lore. The conceivability of the story makes it even more engaging.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

To be honest, the narration in this book as a bit.. Off? The voice actor would switch, but the speaker would be the same - causing some confusion on my part at times in the story. But, narrators always bring more depth to a story, especially when they can convey believable emotion. It got intense, and the next two books in the series did not suffer from confusing voice actor switches.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listen to most of my books in one large sparse sitting, the story had me engaged and listening any free moment I had.

Fantastic

Haven't heard a good book like this in 7 years. So great that I am as addicted to this as I am games. I even prefer this over my music while at work.

Awesome story

Do yourself a favor and just get it; it is really a good story. #Ender