The Lost Gate

Mithermages, Book 1

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Emily Janice Card

Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Orson Scott Card’s The Lost Gate is the first book in the Mithermages series from the New York Times bestselling author of Ender’s Game.

Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different—and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English—but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny’s cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.

Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.

©2011 Orson Scott Card (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[T]his ambitious tale is well crafted, highly detailed, and pleasantly accessible." (Publishers Weekly)

One of his best books

What made the experience of listening to The Lost Gate the most enjoyable?

I love Powers; whether it be magical or super powers I love these types of story's. What I love most about these story's is when the author takes the time to explore how the individual acquired and discovered his powers and how he is able to use them. Mr. Card is a master of this art and should have super hero authors taking notes.

What other book might you compare The Lost Gate to and why?

I felt a lot of connection to Pathfinder during some parts of the story but to readers not used to Orson Scott Card's writings you might find similarity to Harry Potter in some scenes.

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

My only regret with this book is that it flew by. I enjoy listening to books while I ride my Road Bike all over town and would listen for hours at a time. This book was far to short.

magical book

loved the book overall and i am looking forward to book 2. this book tells a fictional book about the gods and I love the different twist from what we already know.

Not My Favorite

I normally like Orson Scott Card books but this one was a little hard to finish. It didn't keep my attention, and I felt it jumped around a lot. Once you started to get into a character and their story it would switch and you would have to learn about a new character.

It was not until the end that you were shown how the characters related to one another, which I felt should have been revealed earlier.

However on a good note, the narration was really good and I appreciated how they delivered the story.

Another good story from Orson Scott Card

What did you love best about The Lost Gate?

The story and its themes, which are typical of Orson Scott Card.

What did you like best about this story?

The character development... people are not always who you think they are.

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

It helps the transition between characters and worlds

Really Good Story... Narration by a relative - not

Another interesting and compelling story from Orson Scott Card. I marvel at his ability to continually come up with fresh stories year after year. The listener might feel a little lost or confused early on and feel the need to go back and listen again to see if you missed something. Avoid the temptation to do that. All the pieces will come together as you listen further. The only real complaint I have about the book, (and it only applies to those of us listening to the audio version) was the female narration. Her name is Emily Janice Card and unless it's an amazing coincidence, she's probably related to the author. Sadly, her narration was not very good. Her inflections and tones felt forced and amateurish. Stefen Rudnicki was outstanding as usual. His voice seems to carry you deeper into the story whereas Emily Janice Card's voice was almost always an obstacle I had to consciously ignore in order to stay involved in the story. I will have to say though, she did a much better job in the sequel, Ruins. It still was far from great, but it was much better than this one.

Absolutely LOVED it!

What made the experience of listening to The Lost Gate the most enjoyable?

It was so well done, and it was a great story. I usually only listen during my commute, but I couldn't stop! I was listening every chance I had! I can't wait for the next book!

What other book might you compare The Lost Gate to and why?

It reminded me of the Lighthouse Land by Adrian Mckinty, but better!

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

I love the sound of their voices.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I literally laughed out loud several times. I really don't usually do that. I did also get teary eyed a time or two.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful! A new favorite!

Something new using familiar stuff!

This was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of fantasy or a fan of Card. The story has a feel to it of a fairy tale of old while combining modern life into the mix. The narration was very well done and the book answered just enough to satisfy while there is enough left open to want the next novel. The only problem i had was that the story was short. In all fairness we as readers are getting spoiled by the super novels that are generated these days... Jordan(Sanderson), Rothfus, Martin(when he finishes his books) so it may be my conditioning more that any wrong done by Card.

Interesting World, Dumb Characters

Any additional comments?

Card created a pretty unique world with and interesting take on all the world religions. The story and concept are what I liked the most. There are adult characters that are very intriguing who I think would make for much more interesting a story.What I didn't care too much for were the young characters and their interactions which is 90% of the book. The main character, Danny North, is morally ambiguous from the start but not very interesting. His friends in high school spend most of their time as a sounding board for Danny to make his moral judgments. This results in an inordinate amount of time spent listening to high schoolers stand around discussing logic and philosophies far beyond them interspersed with fart and sex jokes.The first book isn't that bad, but by the time you get to the third you find yourself wanting to hit fast forward through these interactions.

If you like fantasy and good writing!

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It was easy to get lost in and I finished it in what seemed like no time at all.

It's a light read, although it (like so many of Scott Card's books) deals with heavier subjects like abuse, poverty and even murder.

Really, I've been a fan of Orson Scott Card's ever since I read Ender's Game. This book might not be as intelligent as tjat one, but this is just as intriguing: an exiting new world with huden powers, believable, multi-dimensional characters, and with almost philosophical questions such as "the nature of space-time"... you just want to delve in deeper and deeper.

I can't wait to read the sequels...
This is definitely one of the better takes on Norse mythology fiction!

A good Listen

Well Performed, Well Written, entertaining and thoughtful. This is an Orson Scott Card classic. I really enjoyed it!!