Hidden Empire: The Empire Duet, Part 2

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Orson Scott Card, Rusty Humphries

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

In this sequel to Card's best-selling novel Empire, Averell Torrent has become president of the United States, with enormous political and popular support, and, if people only realized it, a tight grip on the reins of both political parties. He has launched America into a get-tough, this-world-is-our-empire foreign policy stance.

But Captain Bartholomew Coleman, known as Cole to his friends and enemies alike, sees the danger Torrent poses to American democracy and the potential disasters involved in his foreign military adventures. He quickly runs afoul of the president, and on the run, he and a few friends and allies seek proof of how Torrent orchestrated the political takeover - by assassinating a president and nearly starting a civil war.

©2009 Orson Scott Card (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

card has outdone his excellent work on Ender

This is the most profound and right on today's polarised climate I have read. I can't wait for the series or single by Card

A Great Sequel

As a sequel to Part 1, this is a fantastic follow-up. However, it is not quite as good as the first one. The conspiracy heightens, but is not quite as realistic. I would still recommend this to everyone who enjoys political conspiracy.

Fun and fabulous!

A great book. Well read, hard to turn off. I HIGHLY recommend "Hidden Empire"!

Fantastic!

I loved the first Empire book. And even though Orson Scott Card is a favorite author of mine I never start a book with expectations on previous works in the series or by the author... but this one is absolutely as great as the first in the series and I can't wait for Mr. Card to bless us all with the next.

Wonderful!

I didn't know there was a second installment and continuation of the first book "Empire". This book is great and covers a lot of ground. I particularly like the thoughts on what it is to take up the Christian calling of service. I also like the nature of the characters. I like heroes and the fact that the heroes are true heroes not half good and half bad.

Red State vs. Blue State-> Benevolent Dicatator?

Orson Scott Card does nothing if he doesn't thoroughly analyze a topic through his novels. Some may be pure fiction, such as time travel analyzed in Pathfinder and Ruins, stand-ins for the non-fictional such as the Ender series where he analyzes hatred of and hostility towards those who are different (Ender's Game), then dealing with the consequences of how you treat those who are "other", alien or different than you. In Empire and Hidden Empire, Mr. Card reflects on the political chasm of those who are conservative and those who are liberal (red state vs. blue state), a civil war that results from the chasm and a potential leader who views the only solution to that and other global problems is to become a benevolent dictator, albeit one who keeps the form of democracy.

As is my typical practices, I went between the Kindle and Audible versions of Empire but the Audible version only of Hidden Empire. Mr. Card provides the narrative introduction to each chapter while Stefan Rudnicki narrates the core of the story. Mr. Rudnicki is a consummate narrator and he brings his golden voice, deft pacing and perfect inflections to bear on these stories. He ranges from a Southern soldier and an eastern-seaboard house wives / political wonk to an Hispanic soldier and a Nigerian boy; now that's range. An amazing job, as always. Rusty Humphries joins the narration effort in Hidden Empire and does fine job essentially playing himself. If you enjoy audio books, you'll like this version.

For full review: wp.me/p2XCwQ-Yu

A Must Read Sequel!

What made the experience of listening to Hidden Empire: The Empire Duet, Part 2 the most enjoyable?

Hidden empire took the initial storyline constructed in Empire and moves to a conclusion. Fitting its author, the conclusion cannot be guessed though Card does a great job of offering foreshadowing points that you connect in retrospect.

One enjoyable part of the series is the manner in which he builds conflict among the numerous factions and clearly articulates his premise.

What did you like best about this story?

This story brought my sadness to teams, smirks of happiness and the whole gambit of emotions in between. Card delivered on the series. Definitely a must read.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

There were three voices in this performance -- one of the Card's voice.

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

Yes, I listened to it in two sittings. It is approximately 11 hours long, so hunker down and get some popcorn.

Not bad, but too much political preaching.

I've been a fan of OSC for years. I even think Empire is a good action/near future novel, though the idea of a liberal-incited civil war strained my willing suspension of disbelief (any political scientist will tell you that American liberals are far too divided and contentious to band together in any such endeavor--that, and they don't tend to like violence or firearms). However, if you must read Hidden Empire, check it out from your local library or buy it with a credit if you've got them to spare; it's an OK book, but you don't really want to spend money on it. Hidden Empire is packed with what amounts to preaching and terribly overt political propaganda. Rather than use them as flavoring, Card allows his personal leanings to become the main course of this novel; the characters and what should be the main action are relegated to sides and garnish. His one self-professed "liberal" character--a political/policy analyst no less--watches Fox for the "serious" news (MSNBC is staffed by condescending, Christian-hating traitors) and *****spoilers*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************allows her thirteen-year-old son to accompany her to nurse the plague-ridden in strife-torn Nigeria after he convinces her it's the Christian thing to do. Had she gone without him, she would have seemed noble, brave, and virtuous; allowing him to go makes her seem like an unfit mother and a religious nut, which is inconsistent with that character. Cole, the hero of the civil war, becomes a knowing and willing backer of tyranny, which is arguably inconsistent with that character. And would Rube's jeesh so stupidly undertake the suicide mission to assassinate the President?

Entertaining

This book had a couple surprising turns and ends a little differently than you'd expect. However, it was not as good as the first. I'm not sure if OSC plans to continue the story, but in some ways it feels unfinished. I guess we shall wait and see.

great read till endin which was a bit of letdown.

decent read but the ending is a bit sad and a letdown. third book would be nice