Lost Boys

De: Orson Scott Card

Narrado por: Stefan Rudnicki

Step Fletcher, his pregnant wife DeAnne, and their three children move to Steuben, North Carolina, with high hopes. But Step's new job with a software company turns out to be a snake pit, and 8-year-old Stevie's school is worse. As Stevie retreats into himself, focusing more and more on a mysterious computer game and a growing troop of imaginary friends, the Fletchers' concern turns to terror. Young boys, whose names match a list of Stevie's nonexistent friends, have mysteriously vanished from Steuben. And as evil strikes out from the most trusted corners, it's suddenly clear that Stevie is next on the list.

©1992 Orson Scott Card (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

Audie Award Winner, Science-Fiction, 2005

"Card skillfully uses terror as a background to everyday family life. For Stephen King fans and those who like their suspense mixed with the supernatural." (Library Journal)

Great Characterization

Card always has had a skill of creating such well rounded and detailed characters. Everytime I am done with one of his stories I always feel as though I know his characters very well. Most people complain saying its nothing like enders game, but I think that the style card writes with is very similar. I am not mormon and not even a religious person in any shape or form, but this book left me feeling very "different" after reading it. I don't exactly know how to explain it, but the book feels like it will be in my mind for a while to come. As always, Stefan Rudnicki does a good job and gives voice to each character splendidly. Great Book, end of discussion.

I loved it.

I have read a lot of his books including The Ender series and Homecoming series. Its great to see he can write something so touching that reaches a personal level, probably why some don't like it. Its not just a fun read but it is a really good one.

excellent.

this was a great story. a shocking surprise at the end. very touching. nearly brought me to tears.

Life changes when you are a parent

For everyone that is a parent, and understands how dramatically your perspective on life changed when you became one, I think this explains the 5 star ratings, and the zeroes. The content is as the other reviews describe it (Mormon, common life, etc) however, it struck such a chord with me, I struggled between being unable to turn it off, and it having it wreak havoc in my mind. It has to be one of the most powerful books I have ever read. I am not an emotional person, but tears were streaming down my face when it ended.

Rings so true, entertaining, and spooky

This book is a fictional account of a Mormon family moving to North Carolina. I've read it a while ago and don't remember the details / names, but the story sticks. It's very bittersweet, but overall rings very true. I could have done without the Mormon's side, but it's actually not uninteresting to see the inside of the church. However, what range best in this story for me is the relationship between the family members (father/mother and children). Being a young father myself, I could appreciate and really delighted in those passages where the author analyzes the relationships. I felt that most of the material had nothing to do with the religious convictions but merely with the author being a humanist. The part about the work at the company is also interesting, not just because I am also a computer scientist, but for its early 80s hacker's feeling. All of this has gone so corporate now, but a lot of the inner politics haven't changed so much...

About an hour before the book is over, and you wonder where all these things he's been weaving are going, is where the spooky part begins, and you don't (at least I didn't) really see it coming till the end. I must say that part was very well done. I enjoyed it immensely. Be prepared to be sad, and emotionally fragile, by that time, because the author (and the excellent narration) really takes you thru the full emotional spectrum. I have no problem putting this book in my library among my favorite titles, even though I probably won't read it again.

Just a great Story

Lost Boys is very different than Card's sci-fi works; it shows the breadth he has a a story teller. I thought the story was gripping because as a parent it was easy to identify with the characters and all they were going through as a family - then everything that was just kind of going on in the background of the story erupts and the ending hits like a ton of bricks. Great story.

No Enders Game

Big fan of Card’s Enders series and have been exploring his other works. So far this book ranks on the lower side.

Card dives into a lot of the Mormon belief system in this book. There was much more religion and family values than progression of the story itself.

Approach the book as more of following a Mormon family through their challenges, views of life and experiences, and how they manage their family throughout.

The book was interesting and the story kept me involved but left me feeling like something was missing and unresolved story lines.

Not one of my favorites for Card.

Not your typical Card novel

I am a dunce and did not look at the category labels for this book. I very much enjoy Card's other works like the Micropowers books, his tiny novel "A Town Called Christmas", and Ender's Game. This is not like any of those, it is a horror novel inspired by Stephen King's Pet Cemetary. I am a weenie and got so creeped out 3 hours in that I had to google the synopsis to see if I could continue and then noped out of the book. If you enjoy horror I would tell you go for it. If you are completely gutless when it comes to horror, like myself, save yourself the trouble of nightmares. What I found much more horrifying about this book is the relatability of this family, the parellels to my life and the lives of those I know, and that the "evil" surrounding the family wasn't so much a supernatural presence as it is sickeningly terrible people. There is a pedophile in this book and after listening to his conversation (not graphic, mostly implied) I had to take a shower it was so disgusting. Gave it a high review because it's a great book for it's intended audience/category and the narrator does a wonderful job on this book and other's of Card's.

Compelling

I was compelled to listen to this book to the point that I often didn't get other things finished because I had to hear more. The story creates a good deal of suspense and you become extremely involved in the characters which are developed with care. I felt some loose ends were not tied up at the end of the story and after finishing have some questions about events that are unexplained and seem inconsistent to me. However, this did not take away from my immense enjoyment of this book. I highly recommend 'Lost Boys.'

Add to your MUST READ list today!

This is a tale by a master story teller. He shares the deep secrets found inside a suburban family as he describes their transplanted life to a new town with all their trials of adapting to new job, a new neighborhood and a new school. While the family is trying hard to cope with the job from hell and one of the children copes with being the the new kid at school ... there lurks in the background - just out of sight - an evil that you can't quite put your finger on. Several 'suspicious' characaters are brought into the the family's life and you think each one might be the source of the evil - but you're not quite sure.

The story is compelling. It feels like you are listening in on the family -- with all their human frailities and surprising strenghts. And as the story builds to the climax the ever circling evil gets closer and closer to the family. I swear it was almost like hearing spooky music at some points in the story. The tension mounts as you wonder when and how the evil presence will be unveiled. SInce other reviewers have already disclosed, the unveiling of the evil comes in the last few minutes of the story. It will hit you so hard, it's like the air is knocked out of your lungs. I finished this last week and still play the ending over and over in my mind.

Other reviewers mention the role the Morman faith plays in the story. This is material to the telling of the tale, just as Clint Eastwood's character in "Million Dollar Baby" had a tussle with his Roman Catholic faith - religion plays a role in this mystery. Don't let this dissuade you from the story... the religous element is key to unlocking the mystery.