Earth Afire

By: Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston

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

Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

One hundred years before Ender's Game, the aliens arrived on Earth with fire and death. Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston is the story of the First Formic War.

Victor Delgado beat the alien ship to Earth, but just barely. Not soon enough to convince skeptical governments that there was a threat. They didn't believe that until space stations and ships and colonies went up in sudden flame.

And when that happened, only Mazer Rackham and the Mobile Operations Police could move fast enough to meet the threat.

©2013 Orson Scott Card (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The gifted Stefan Rudnicki leads a team of talented narrators who do an excellent job of keeping vivid and focused the two-dozen or so characters and multiple locations…Orson Scott Card remains a master storyteller, and each narrator is right there with him as he mixes hard science and psychological insights – right up to the cliff-hanger ending.” —AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

“With a stellar cast of narrators, this prequel to Card's sci-fi classic Ender's Game is a rollicking, rollercoaster ride of an adventure…From the very beginning of this audio edition, the almost nonstop action is delivered perfectly, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats. At the same time, the narrators manage to bring a large and diverse cast of characters to life with a sharply realized array of distinct voices and accents.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Engaging

Get this book, but only if you have listened to Earth Unaware. Earth Afire could stand on its own, but it is better when you already know some of the characters. There are several plot lines and many characters in this book. Some characters like Victor and Mazer were introduced in the previous book. A major new character is Bingwen, a 10-year old Chinese boy who is wise beyond his years. I don't know how precocious Orson Scott Card was as a child, but it is clear he likes to write about extraordinary children. One plot line involving Rena and the other survivors of the El Cavador has no intersection with the other elements in this book. I prefer books where the story is resolved at the end, but this is the second part of a trilogy so the cliffhanger end is not a surprise.

Yes!

If you're looking at this book is should be because it's the next in the series. It's good just like the previous books, get it. If you have listened to the previous book start at the beginning. It's a fantastic series (so far).

Still Great

This is part 2 of the Enderverse prequel. This matches the entertainment value of part 1 and continues an interesting and entertaining story line. I look forward to part 3.

can't wait to hear the last book.

great book. great story. good performance. Can't wait to here how the story ends in the next book.

second book in the series , even better !!!

I really enjoyed this book. I've read it a couple times and listening to it is great. I love how they got the same actors or voice actors for these books I even think a lot of them did the original ender's books. I love the voice acting they really bring the characters to life these people deserve an Oscar Emmy they deserve all the acting accolades that other actors get their amazing.

the writing is amazing the story is great there are a couple points where I feel like it slow down a little bit. however those parts were still enjoyable I really can't wait to listen to the next book in the series. I've read that one before and I've listened to it before as well these are great audiobooks that you can go back and listen to multiple times. it's like visiting old friends. Orson Scott card and Aaron Johnston do impeccable work. this is a dream come true that they are writing these books on the stories. awesome!!!!

Great backstory

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

Great experience

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

Yes, the different narrators add personal touches to the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The different narrators

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

Gives each character their own voice (literally) :)

Clearly groundwork for queens series +

Here's revelations here about the nature of the Formix that make one want to know more about the queens. I expect great things from the queens series, like on the scale of Children of the Mind.

Just as good as the first of this series

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

Top 50

Who was your favorite character and why?

I am tired of this lame question

Which scene was your favorite?

This is a dumb question. It calls for a spoiler

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nope just the book itself

Any additional comments?

Can Audible come up with some intelligent questions? The book is great, the review process stinks.
If you loved Ender's Game, you will love this book and series.

loved it.

loved it. i am hooked on this series. i watched the movie but books are something else. I am getting more and more immersed in the story.