Treason

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Lanik Mueller is a "rad" - radical regenerative - a freak who can regenerate injured flesh...and trade extra body parts to the Offworld oppressors for iron. On a planet without hard metals, or the means of escape, iron offers the promise of freedom through the chance to build a spacecraft.

But it is a promise which may never be fulfilled, as Lanik uncovers a treacherous conspiracy beyond his imagination. Now charged with a mission of conquest - and exile - Lanik devises a bold and dangerous plan to finally break the vicious chain of rivalry and bloodshed that enslaves the people of the planet Treason.

©1988 Orson Scott Card (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Card provides a colorful dramatization of ethical issues and questions of identity against a backdrop of bizarrely fascinating races." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Exemplifies Card's talent for creating disturbingly compelling, beautifully written stories." ( Library Journal)

Entirely enjoyable

First off, I am not a huge science fiction buff, but I like to read some scifi once in a while, just for a change of pace.
I loved Ender's Game when I read it years ago, but found that the sequels were a little slow and boring. I'm referring to Speaker for the Dead and Xenophobe.
"Treason" is the best Orson Scott Card scifi book I've read since Ender's Game. It is actually a story he wrote long ago, but is distinctly in Card's excellent storytelling style.
The book moves along well from the beginning, with fascinating places and characters, and has a thought-provoking theme. It was utterly enjoyable, an easy, yet intelligent, read (listen), and I didn't put it down until it was finished.
Oh yes, and the narration of Stefan Rudnicki is excellent as always.

Better than Ender

This is probably one of the best audio books I've listened to in the science fiction genre. I listened to Ender's Game & Shadow before this one and really enjoyed both of those two. But this book combines science (fiction), space/time, metaphysics, and a bunch of other concepts fairly neatly into one story. The story starts out a little slow for me but it may be that I'm less interested in genetics than in other areas covered in the book. It picks up nicely after that.

Definite 5 stars...

EVERY WHORE IN MUELLER IS A VIRGIN

YOU DON'T CUT OFF YOUR FEET, JUST WHEN YOUR STARTING A RACE
When ever I want to make sure I have a good read, I turn to early Card or his short stories. Before Ender's Game there was A Planet Called Treason, written by a Young Orson, who was filled with all kinds of ideas. There are a ton of them in this one book, probably more than any of his other books. Some like this book better than Ender's Game. I still like Ender better, but this is a close third, although entirely different. I like Seventh Son second. This book is closer to the type of writing in Seventh Son. Card does not have just one idea that he expands upon, this has several, with new ones cropping up throughout the book. A large part of it is like a travel log, which has lead others to say it is a bunch of short stories. I see that, but it all is tied in together nicely.

This is a rewrite of a book that never needed rewritten. Audible used to have both versions., but no more.

Do, I like this book?
I have read both hard copies of both versions. I have listened now twice to the original and twice to the updated version. If he writes a sequel or another version, I will listen to that to.

I have always been a fan of Rudnicki.
He is a slower reader with a rich deep baritone voice. Some think he is too slow. I say slow down and just enjoy.

Huge fan!!

I am a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, and have passed this book to many of my friends, so I was excited to find it was released on audible.

Card is an amazing story teller and I love how they read like a movie and there is no unnecessary descriptions. He has an amazing imagination and I have read everything of his that I could get my hands on in the past 10 years.

This book in particular is one of my favorites because I enjoyed learning about each community and wondered what the next unique developed talent would be!

The reader, Stefan Rudnicki, sometimes annoys me because his voice is so deep that the resonance literally hurts my ears. He narrates most of Card's books, so I have had to just deal with it and I didn't think it was so bad in this book. In fact, I thought he did probably his best job with this book so far.

I couldn't figure out which cameo was Card because I have only listed to it once... Next time I will definitely listen closer to try to pick him out!! If anyone figures out which character he is, do tell!

Lastly, I just love Card's support of audio books and enjoy listening to his background on the books. I am always left wanting to know more about him and how he thinks. He is a true artist!! If I was more of a writer myself I would take one of his writing classes to uncover how he does it!!

Love this book and highly recommend it along with Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, and Song Master.

Deja Vu

Would you try another book from Orson Scott Card and/or Stefan Rudnicki?

Yes as long as there are no blacks figuring prominently in it as a race or clan.. As an African of the diaspora I have run into Card's black savage/slave motif before. Tossing in a Hitler and Himmler( or was I dreaming?) into the mix before the character is well on his way to exile just had me stop the audiobook in its tracks. I think I will stick with his Enderverse and the parallel books of Bean and Petra's adventures.

What was most disappointing about Orson Scott Card’s story?

The beginning. See above.

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

Stefan delivers...always. I will be sad to miss his performance here.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance. As I read the beginning I had a flashback of another Scott Card book with blacks swinging through the trees defecating while in mid flight and I just can't shake the image. I really don't care how good the book will get or how he does the blacks 'justice' in his depiction of them....any more than I am eager to stumble over the latest Scott Card faux pas and get ejected from the narrative and back into the real world. I enjoy being transported...not ejected . Lost my taste for continuing this book. As I get older I tolerate this nonsense less and less.. I no longer make justifications for why authors write a certain way just so I can finish a book. Something annoys me...I stop the book in its tracks as I did with this one. Permanently. When I qualify for exchanging it...for another audiobook...I will. I am too old for this stuff.

Any additional comments?

I have been reading sci fi-fantasy since 1966...and it still is my preferred form of fiction. But I am in my fifties now and intend to be very, very selective from now on.

couldn't finish. slavery, savage blacks???

then the main character had two horses named after Nazi's. It was to, too much

Can't believe I missed this

Card is one of my favorite authors and Enders game is what got me into Science fiction in the first place. I can't believe I hadn't read this before but I'm so glad I found it now. I didn't even realize it was written in 1979 until the end of the book! It reminds me a lot of cards more recent series "pathfinder" but it much shorter. I highly recommend for any science fiction fan.

Good story, great narrator.

Loved Ender... Treason, not so much. It is clearly a good solid story that just came off a bit flat for me. I found it a bit rambling and disjointed; it never just grabbed me. OSC has stated that, if he could have done a rewrite, the first person perspective is the first thing he would change. The story line is interesting and extremely creative but did not hold my interest as much as I was expecting. Stefan Rudnicki is one of my top five narrators and his strong narration was the saving grace for me. I'm still a big OSC fan and, based on other reviews, understand that my opinion of Treason does not run with the majority. Can't win 'em all.

Savage blacks swinging through trees....???

Am I supposed to venture past this to see how the main character evolves in some way?

Sorry, but I can't waste my time on this.

Not what expected - but quite good!

I guess the picture of what looks like a space ship on the cover art - and a poor understanding taken from the plot summary - led me to think this was a more conventional science fiction story. There is nothing conventional about it - but then it IS Orson Scott Card after all. While I have never heard the Ender series everyone seems to think is so great, I have heard other Card novels and he is always original. You really have to suspend disbelief on this one, but the story, characters and narration all make that possible.

Treason. A unique read.

A truly imaginative adventure; beautifully written and read. Loved it. A new favourite author.

Weird but compelling.

One of the most oddly compelling books I've had, ever. Well written and narrated, and leaves me with a well, strange feeling about it!

Starts off weird, but transforms to intriguing.

very original as always with Orson. Starts off weird, but transforms to intriguing. loved it by the end.

A surprisingly good story, it just gets better and better

This review is based on Audible’s recording.

Gradually, as I listened to more and more of this novel, my opinion of it rose. It really is very good, maybe even almost as good as Ender’s Game. Written in the first person, what begins as a fairly banal sci-fi space opera set in a somewhat fantastical world deepens and matures. All is not as it seems, with twist after twist until the end, and the story ultimately becomes the journey of one man to adulthood and self-understanding. A fascinating and pleasant tale.

Classic sci fi

Classic sci fi in the vein of Asimov and Heinlein. A story about the human condition rather than a space opera

Excellent, much better than anticipated

It is difficult to reconcile that this story is more than 30 years old as sci-fi has more difficulties than most works of fiction of not aging well. But a good story, simply told has a timeless quality.
The only quibble that I could have is the narrator at times can be a bit monotonous but never in a way that removes enjoyment of the story line.

Weird and odd

Just an weird story, I had a really hard time finishing this book.
There’s no deeper story, no meaning. Just weird.

Four hours in I thought “yes! Now it begins to get good. And the plot thickens…” it didn’t.. not for me.

Unlistenable Nonsense

Tried to persevere and give this the benefit of the doubt as I'm a big fantasy and sci-fi fan. However, you can save yourself the effort. It's akin to self-published, unedited fan-fiction of the lowest order. And the reader's attempts at accents? Don't get me started...
Avoid.

it's one of my favourite Orson Scott Card books.

it's one of my favourite Orson Scott Card books.
it's sort of always stayed with me, as a thought.

A challenging story

I first read this book as a teenager but found the story much more challenging as an adult. The story itself is excellent but I find some of its aspects troubling. At what point do the ends justify the means?