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)

Classic Orson Scott Card

Would you listen to The Lost Gate again? Why?

This is a really well written story with so much depth and such a unique twist over most fantasy.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the connection between the modern world and the mither world.

Which character – as performed by Stefan Rudnicki and Emily Janice Card – was your favorite?

Vivi was a really great character and I enjoyed her but I think my favorite was Danny.

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

I couldn't put it down it was absolutely fun to listen too.

Loved this series!!!

Any additional comments?

I loved this entire series!! I didn't want to stop listening and was sad when it was over.

Stefan brought me to this book!

Since I love Stefan Rudnicki's voice, I often look for books he has narrated. While doing that I found this fun coming of age magic user book. I am so glad it did. I also discovered Emily Janice Card - now I watch for books she has read. What a great way to find Authors I have not read before. We live in a very rural area and have no book stores nearby, the closest is 2 hours away. So we depend on our Library and the internet. I have listened to other books by Orson Scott Card since finding this one.

As good as the Alvin Maker series

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

It moved along well, stayed interesting and had good characters, and was unpredictable.

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

The early Alvin Maker series felt a lot like this book.

Which character – as performed by Stefan Rudnicki and Emily Janice Card – was your favorite?

No one character really stands out for me. They were all good.

Any additional comments?

A good listen that I'm sure I'll come back to several more times.

A good trillogy - Worth the read if you like OSC

Would you listen to The Lost Gate again? Why?

This trilogy is one of OSC’s better works. I get annoyed with the paragraph after paragraph of character introspection that OSC has gravitated towards. The “character development” adds nothing to the story except to make what should be one great book into three boring books. Except for a couple of chapters this story is clean and moves along well.

That being said it felt like OSC didn’t know how to end the story. There were loose ends left open, and the magic system felt like it was breaking down into nonsense. None of the loose ends were plot flaws and in the end the magic system held up though, so it is a good read.

If you like OSC I recommend this trilogy

needs an ending

Great all the way through to the last chapter, then its cut short, like the author forgot to include the last chaper. Infact it could have had a few more chapters. Waist of time, and frankly, it pissed me off.

stick with it.....it gets better

Story started out slow but it definitely improved.

I will probably listen to the next one in the series.

Very Good Book, Bad Performance

Would you listen to The Lost Gate again? Why?

No. The individual performers aren't bad, but having them switch off every chapter is a jarring experience for the reader. In a very odd way, it's as if you get used to one voice, tuning out all the noise as you're walking around the city, and then it changes. This has the effect of forcing you to retune your senses and losing context. It's just a severe interruption of the suspension of disbelief.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the story of this book. It's a fantastic tale pulling mythology into moder times with a pretty unique system of magic. The story line is in depth and immediately interesting.

can't wait to read book two!

Loved it. This is the first sci-fi/mythology/ fantasy book I have ever read but wow, what a riveting story! I enjoy how the author incorporated the story of the Westilians with present day Earth and can't wait to read the second book! The narration was flawless and I liked that there were 2 different narrators, each for different storylines.

BEST OF CARD

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

GREAT READ. NARRATORS DO A MARVELOUS JOB RELATING CHARACTERS. HARD TO PUT DOWN. MUCH, MUCH BETTER THAN ENDERS GAME. STORY FLOWS. PERSONALITIES ARE CRISP. PLOT IS GREAT. MAKES YOU WISH THERE ARE MORE TO READ OF THE STORY!