Book Report - 'A War of Gifts - An Ender Story' by Orson Scott Card
When I recently wanted to revisit the Ender's Game series, the first book wasn't immediately available in audiobook form from the library, but they did have "A War of Gifts." I'm not one to read interim novellas while I'm working through a series for the first time, but I read the first four books of Ender's Game years ago and really enjoyed it. With a pretty good familiarity of the series, I figured it might be a good time to read one of those shorter in-between stories.
As I have never officially covered "Ender's Game" or its series, I think it's important to provide context there. The first book is incredible, and I would easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction. The second book, "Speaker for the Dead," is an excellent follow up to Battle School and showcases Ender's growth. Now... "Xenocide" is kinda awful. Perhaps it isn't bad on its own, but within the series, it is clearly the weak link. However, "Children of the Mind" wraps up a lot of plot points that "Xenocide" introduces, and it puts the series in a place where one can easily leave the series on a good resolution. I haven't read "Ender in Exile" or "Ender's Shadow," so I can't confirm how those are.
My recommendation is thus: Read the first book. If you like it, read the second book. If you're fine with how the second book ends and you don't care to read any more, leave it there. The end of "Speaker for the Dead" is solid, and it doesn't open any conflicts that you need a resolution for immediately. If you decide to read further, you HAVE to read both "Xenocide" and "Children of the Mind." I was really tempted to stop after the third book, but the fourth book made it worthwhile to finish. If I continue the series later, I'll have to provide more details at that point. For now, we're talking about "A War of Gifts."
At only two hours in total duration, "A War of Gifts" was exceedingly short. However, I think that brevity actually worked in its favor. Where full length books often have several story arcs that need to be wrapped up by the end, this novella didn't have the opportunity to stray from a single central plot.
Although Ender Wiggin is obviously the main character of "Ender's Game," this book follows Zeck Morgan, another student at Battle School. His hyper-religious background makes him unwilling to participate in combat, thus causing strife between himself and the rest of his group. This is exacerbated when some Dutch students celebrate Sinterklaas, where Zeck has previously been penalized for practicing his religious obligations.
I started on "A War of Gifts" with no knowledge of its ties to Christmas and the other winter holidays, but it was a surprisingly apt read for December. I had never heard of Sinterklaas, and didn't realize the distinction between Sinterklaas and Christmas, nor that some cultures celebrate both. A German lady that I worked with was surprised to hear that no one else on the team celebrated Sinterklaas, and we were all blown away that her kids get not one, but TWO holidays in December to receive gifts.
Another happy coincidence was representation on the banned books list. "Ender's Game" is number 84 on the list of most banned books between 2010 and 2019. Although it is only the first book of the series, I have to assume those banning it didn't want you reading ANY of the books in the series, or anything by Orson Scott Card for that matter. Hence, you should read it even HARDER.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed "A War of Gifts," and how relatable it was. Coming from a strongly evangelical household, I had to work through a lot of religious... tension to get where I am today and become comfortable with my beliefs and how they reconcile with science. Seeing a (albeit fictional) character work through some of the same things and come out on the other side seemingly better, I felt seen.
If you've read "Ender's Game" and want a small crumb of additional Battle School story, you'll probably enjoy "A War of Gifts." If you haven't yet read anything in the series, I certainly wouldn't start with this novella, but it's short enough that you may be able to read it as a teaser and see if you want to learn more about Ender and his tale. In either case, it's very short and easy to get through very quickly.
Resources:Card, O. S., Brick, S., & Rudnicki, S. (2015). _A war of gifts: An ender story_. Macmillan Audio ; Distributed by Recorded Books.
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