Ruins

Pathfinder, Book 2

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Orson Scott Card, Stefan Rudnicki, Kirby Heyborne, Emily Janice Card

Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Features a new exclusive introduction read by author Orson Scott Card.

From the author of Ender’s Game, the major motion picture!

A complex fate. A deadly path. Book two in the New York Times bestselling series Publishers Weekly calls “an epic in the best sense.”

When Rigg and his friends crossed the Wall between the only world they knew and a world they could not imagine, he hoped he was leading them to safety. But the dangers in this new wallfold are more difficult to see. Rigg, Umbo, and Param know that they cannot trust the expendable, Vadesh - a machine shaped like a human, created to deceive - but they are no longer certain that they can even trust one another. But they will have little choice. Because although Rigg can decipher the paths of the past, he can’t yet see the horror that lies ahead: A destructive force with deadly intentions is hurtling toward Garden. If Rigg, Umbo, and Param can’t work together to alter the past, there will be no future.

The adventure, suspense, and time travel continue in this second installment in the critically acclaimed New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling Pathfinder series.

©2012 Orson Scott Card (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Not as good as the first but still enjoyable

Any additional comments?

I ended up reading this because I had already gotten through the first book and really wanted to find out more about what happened. I have very mixed feelings about this book because I really did enjoy the plot twists and sci-fi elements of it. However, there was so much time wasted on “character development,” a.k.a. the young people are immature and insecure except for Rigg who is unassailably perfect. I was left feeling, “eh… I might read the next one if I have nothing else to read,” but I certainly would not reread it.

Great sequel!

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

Ranks mid to top

What other book might you compare Ruins to and why?

Pathfinder, it is the sequel

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene between Rig and the original settler

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

I have no tag line

Really Enjoyed this book!

What made the experience of listening to Ruins the most enjoyable?

Ok. So, this book was enjoyable because it picked right back up where book one left off. There was continuity of the story and even though the plot got a little muddied, I still found it immensely enjoyable.

What did you like best about this story?

I had a real fondness and connection to Rigg and the other characters too. But, Rigg, brought me to tears on several occasions when I didn't expect it. He was the kid I wanted to pat on the back and say; Go for it! You're doing great.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listenend to these narrators (Auditors, as I like to call them) before. I love the way they worked together and made the story pop. It really kept my interest when they do the voices for each character. In Chapter 11 there was a variance from the way the character was supposed to sound which caught me by surprise but it only happened once and so what.. No one is ever perfect. Not even when you have an editing team...

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

I can see this being made into a movie. I have already addressed this in a previous review but I would like to see "fresh faces". I don't know of any actors / actress's who fit the description for these characters right now. However, my "tag line' would be: The World is bigger than you ever thought..

Not OSC's best; mostly engaging with a weak ending

Would you consider the audio edition of Ruins to be better than the print version?

Yes. The multiple narrators of this quality increase the enjoyment of the work.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was weak and unsatisfying. I think this reflects an overall superficiality in some parts of the book.

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

OSC's nack for capturing key emotions remains in tact. A few scenes really grabbed me, but compared with Speaker for the Dead or even a few of the Ender Series, this is weak.

Any additional comments?

When compared with, for example, the depth of thought and development that occurred in the Ender Series sequels, this book is superficial. It's almost like he outlined the series with some great ideas, but for some reason (probably the press of having to publish), he can't develop the details to the extent he did in earlier series.

Again OSC does not disapoint!!!!

What made the experience of listening to Ruins the most enjoyable?

The pace of the story and the unpredictability of the story

What other book might you compare Ruins to and why?

The obvious answer is Pathfinder but the 2 books are in a class of their own.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Rudnikki Is my favorite reader and having 2 others really pulls the stories together.

The story drags but it's still a good listen.

Would you consider the audio edition of Ruins to be better than the print version?

This installment was not as good as the first book . the narration is good though and the story is still interesting. Hopefully things will pickup in the next release.

Would you be willing to try another book from Orson Scott Card? Why or why not?

Yes, overall, l think he is a good story teller

Card’s Work Goes to Where Other Writers are Afraid to Go!

The blending of genres, characters, and plot combined with great performances and unexpected twists keep you on your toes the whole time :)

Lots of discussion and back to the past knots

So I couldn't wait for this book, but it is just a complicated and knotted segway to the next book which isn't available... in which more and more trips forward and back cause more and more complications with time travel. You'd need a diagram to remember who went where, when in time and why... and the constant discussions of why we should go where and how to undo what they have done by going back in the first place. i.e. Oops killed wrong guy, let me go back and undo it. At this rate it will be a 10 book series and like another reader... I suggest you wait til the book 3 is out before reading this one or you will need to re-read this one prior to reading that one, unless of course you can time travel back to the prior reading taking a copy of book 3... which will save OSC a lot of writing time if your paths cross and you deliver it to him, so he can begin on book 4. P.S. read Treason, his first novel and a divided world... complete in one book.

I'd wait for 3 before starting 2

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I knew from the about half way through the book that I wasn't going to be happy with lack of resolution with this book, and considered stopping then to wait for book 3 to come out. I'm certainly going to recommend to my kids that they wait for book 3 to be available before starting the series, as there are just too many annoying open items and it is frustrating to wait a year or two to try to remember them and pick up and continue.

Any additional comments?

Read like a Young Adult novel, certainly appropriate for family listening if you don't mind poo jokes.

Great story, but...

I love Orson Scott card, I really do. But in this book, the juvenile bickering and arguing that goes on forever and ever and ever, drove me absolutely insane. I love the story, the premise, the twists and turns. But, my goodness, if those two boys don't stop their arguing, I'm going to kill one of them myself and, they won't be coming back!