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Pathfinder #2
Ruins
Rigg has the power to change the past. But nothing can prepare him for the future...
The adventure, suspense, and time travel continue in this second installment in the critically acclaimed New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling Pathfinder series.
14 pages, Audiobook
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Orson Scott Card
848 books20.9k followersOrson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 899 reviews
November 19, 2012
Oof, this was a tough one. I actually forced myself to finish this after putting it down day after day. I remember really enjoy Pathfinder, but this one was a clunker. I think Orson Scott Card is a brilliant writer but sometimes brilliance does not translate well on the page. And sometimes writer's views on things get a little heavy handed. This is one such book. Card has put a lot of political and religious rhetoric into this book. Sure he weaves it into the story, but you can tell these are his views that he is pushing on the reader. It takes away from the enjoyment of reading. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I have no problem with them writing about those opinions and views even if they differ from my own. However, I don't expect them to be pushed on me in a sci-fi book. If I wanted to read about politics and religion I would, but I wanted something else from Ruins.
The rhetoric was not my only problem with this book. This book picks up after the events in Pathfinder. Our troop of heroes has passed through the wall and find themselves in a different world. They have to figure out what is going on in each of the wallfolds they visit and figure out what to do about the visitors from earth who are on their way. They are exploring their time shifting/traveling powers and becoming stronger. However, they are also the biggest bunch of whiny babies I have ever read. I found that I couldn't stand a single one of them. It is nothing but jealousy, envy, impetuousness, struggling for power for this group. No one acts as they should; they go back and forth on their feelings for each other. There are constant struggles to be the top dog of the group. These people were supposed to be friends; they came through some terrible events and yet all the seemed to care about was themselves. I didn't find any redeeming qualities in these characters and it really wasn't until the last few pages that they actually started working together. I also had a huge problem with how this was written. There is a lot of exposition in this book and not a lot of dialog. And the dialog is often filled with pages of exposition. A character will speak and then the other character will take two pages analyzing and griping about what was said before finally responding. Seriously! It got old really fast.
I am a fan of Card's work. I loved Ender's Game and actually want to reread it again. But I think his writing is uneven across books. He gets a little too wrapped up in getting his "message" out that he forgets to just write a good story.
The rhetoric was not my only problem with this book. This book picks up after the events in Pathfinder. Our troop of heroes has passed through the wall and find themselves in a different world. They have to figure out what is going on in each of the wallfolds they visit and figure out what to do about the visitors from earth who are on their way. They are exploring their time shifting/traveling powers and becoming stronger. However, they are also the biggest bunch of whiny babies I have ever read. I found that I couldn't stand a single one of them. It is nothing but jealousy, envy, impetuousness, struggling for power for this group. No one acts as they should; they go back and forth on their feelings for each other. There are constant struggles to be the top dog of the group. These people were supposed to be friends; they came through some terrible events and yet all the seemed to care about was themselves. I didn't find any redeeming qualities in these characters and it really wasn't until the last few pages that they actually started working together. I also had a huge problem with how this was written. There is a lot of exposition in this book and not a lot of dialog. And the dialog is often filled with pages of exposition. A character will speak and then the other character will take two pages analyzing and griping about what was said before finally responding. Seriously! It got old really fast.
I am a fan of Card's work. I loved Ender's Game and actually want to reread it again. But I think his writing is uneven across books. He gets a little too wrapped up in getting his "message" out that he forgets to just write a good story.
January 13, 2013
I think that a lot of the criticism of this book is unfounded. First, it's Orson Scott Card, and for whatever reason his writing style just sucks me in regardless of content. Unless it's several books into the Alvin Maker series. As such I'm somewhat biased.
However, this is one of Card's more complicated timelines with a lot of deep content. To include, according to everyone else, religious views and political views that Card pushes on the reader who is not able to detach their thoughts from the that of the author. That's probably a little harsh, but it just seemed ridiculous to me.
There's a lot of semi-philosophical content in here. However it flows very well, fits the characters, makes you think, creates excellent cross character dialogue, as well as the story more interesting. When I read the book I was able to not feel influenced by the ideas and viewpoints of each individual character, or the characters as a whole. These themes are almost required by the nature of the content. The characters will have to stumble through the implications of the things they can do versus the things they should do.
There is also a decent amount of 'whining' as one reviewer put it. It fits though. You will find yourself yelling in your head at the stupidity of their thought process, and being amused at the countering thoughts of the individual they were upset with. If you're ever been in a deployed environment you've seen it before though. You spend so much time around people that they just upset you, constantly. In this way, Card has imitated live very well.
Bottom line, it's well written, the character interaction doesn't get boring, there are plenty of surprises, and I'm very much looking forward to the next installment.
My only gripe was that when it ended I thought my kindle was broke. It just seemed like the end of a chapter.
However, this is one of Card's more complicated timelines with a lot of deep content. To include, according to everyone else, religious views and political views that Card pushes on the reader who is not able to detach their thoughts from the that of the author. That's probably a little harsh, but it just seemed ridiculous to me.
There's a lot of semi-philosophical content in here. However it flows very well, fits the characters, makes you think, creates excellent cross character dialogue, as well as the story more interesting. When I read the book I was able to not feel influenced by the ideas and viewpoints of each individual character, or the characters as a whole. These themes are almost required by the nature of the content. The characters will have to stumble through the implications of the things they can do versus the things they should do.
There is also a decent amount of 'whining' as one reviewer put it. It fits though. You will find yourself yelling in your head at the stupidity of their thought process, and being amused at the countering thoughts of the individual they were upset with. If you're ever been in a deployed environment you've seen it before though. You spend so much time around people that they just upset you, constantly. In this way, Card has imitated live very well.
Bottom line, it's well written, the character interaction doesn't get boring, there are plenty of surprises, and I'm very much looking forward to the next installment.
My only gripe was that when it ended I thought my kindle was broke. It just seemed like the end of a chapter.
November 9, 2012
This book was amazing! The story is so deep and richly complex that I was very glad to find out that it is not the last book in the series (although for a time it seemed like things could have wrapped up in this book). Card's characters have their usual richness and philosophical depth and their personal conflicts are almost as engaging as the overall conflict.
I can't praise Card enough for how he manages time-travel. It is a wonder that he keeps track of all of the threads and effects, but it is clear that he does and always with logical outcomes. I am looking forward to the next installment and hope this series remains one of Card's priorities.
I can't praise Card enough for how he manages time-travel. It is a wonder that he keeps track of all of the threads and effects, but it is clear that he does and always with logical outcomes. I am looking forward to the next installment and hope this series remains one of Card's priorities.
May 13, 2015
Ruins confused me.
At the end of Pathfinder, our gang of time-travelers had passed through the Wall, with all the possibilities of a new Wallfold ahead of them. The premise of an untrustworthy robot was a reasonably good one. Then the facemask thing happened, and I got confused.
Now, I'm a reasonably intelligent person. I've read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, including most of Card's other novels, and rarely found myself not understanding anything that happened. But pretty much from the point that Vadesh started talking about crazy bug facemasks, I was confused, and the confusion never really cleared up. I spent most of the rest of the 500-some pages just trying to understand what exactly was going on, and what the characters were going to do about it.
It didn't help that all the main characters were whiny brats. I've read enough OSC to know that he knows that not all teens spend all their time whining, which is why I'm unsure as to why he wrote all these characters whining all the time. Surely even one of them (perhaps the supposedly-mature-and-worldly-Rigg?) could take a break from the whining for a minute to realize that there are more important things going on? Even the adult characters are whiny brats! Why? None of them were anywhere near this whiny in Pathfinder.
As a rule, I don't love the concept of time travel. Very rarely is an author capable of avoiding time travel paradoxes that confuse the storyline or render the events of the story irrelevant, and OSC is no exception. I found myself wondering with every bad event why time travel was not used to prevent or solve the event, and with only a couple exceptions, it is never explained adequately as to why the event was not solved with time travel. Eventually in the story, it is revealed that history has happened and will happen repeatedly due to time-traveling mice (I think?), and that between the gang's time travel and the mice, it's entirely possible that all the events of the story happened over and over and over again as they try to fix the mistakes that lead to Garden's eventual destruction. To me, this makes the narrator unreliable--I never know what exactly happened or why because people keep time-traveling on me to change events. Add in the various bugs and mutations of the wallfolds, and the whining, and you get a very confused reader.
Pathfinder left me with so much promise, but Ruins takes all that away. The abuse of time travel in the story makes for a plot more convoluted than justifiable. The ending, such as it is, isn't so much an ending as it is a pausing of the plot. I get the feeling that OSC just ran out of pages, because that's the only way I can explain the ending. It's not like I could actually explain what was going on in the ending, because of the convoluted time travel plot I don't really want to read the next book, as I doubt it'll clear anything up for me, but I feel like I have to see the series through to the bitter end since I liked the first book. Here's to a less convoluted, confusing, time-travel-paradox-riddled third book!
At the end of Pathfinder, our gang of time-travelers had passed through the Wall, with all the possibilities of a new Wallfold ahead of them. The premise of an untrustworthy robot was a reasonably good one. Then the facemask thing happened, and I got confused.
Now, I'm a reasonably intelligent person. I've read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, including most of Card's other novels, and rarely found myself not understanding anything that happened. But pretty much from the point that Vadesh started talking about crazy bug facemasks, I was confused, and the confusion never really cleared up. I spent most of the rest of the 500-some pages just trying to understand what exactly was going on, and what the characters were going to do about it.
It didn't help that all the main characters were whiny brats. I've read enough OSC to know that he knows that not all teens spend all their time whining, which is why I'm unsure as to why he wrote all these characters whining all the time. Surely even one of them (perhaps the supposedly-mature-and-worldly-Rigg?) could take a break from the whining for a minute to realize that there are more important things going on? Even the adult characters are whiny brats! Why? None of them were anywhere near this whiny in Pathfinder.
As a rule, I don't love the concept of time travel. Very rarely is an author capable of avoiding time travel paradoxes that confuse the storyline or render the events of the story irrelevant, and OSC is no exception. I found myself wondering with every bad event why time travel was not used to prevent or solve the event, and with only a couple exceptions, it is never explained adequately as to why the event was not solved with time travel. Eventually in the story, it is revealed that history has happened and will happen repeatedly due to time-traveling mice (I think?), and that between the gang's time travel and the mice, it's entirely possible that all the events of the story happened over and over and over again as they try to fix the mistakes that lead to Garden's eventual destruction. To me, this makes the narrator unreliable--I never know what exactly happened or why because people keep time-traveling on me to change events. Add in the various bugs and mutations of the wallfolds, and the whining, and you get a very confused reader.
Pathfinder left me with so much promise, but Ruins takes all that away. The abuse of time travel in the story makes for a plot more convoluted than justifiable. The ending, such as it is, isn't so much an ending as it is a pausing of the plot. I get the feeling that OSC just ran out of pages, because that's the only way I can explain the ending. It's not like I could actually explain what was going on in the ending, because of the convoluted time travel plot I don't really want to read the next book, as I doubt it'll clear anything up for me, but I feel like I have to see the series through to the bitter end since I liked the first book. Here's to a less convoluted, confusing, time-travel-paradox-riddled third book!
January 9, 2013
Oh my I don't know how I read this whole book but I did, and to put it plainly is sucks...
I enjoyed Pathfinder #1... but this book was just bad...
Whats wrong with it you ask...
First the characters whine way to much, and they don't stop whining... and all they do is whine entire chapters are filled with nothing but whining
Second the characters become unlikable... because of the whining...
Third the preaching... wow there are pages and pages of the preaching about the authors opinion... and some of it seems very out of place, by this I mean that the characters are lecturing and you know there lecturing (preaching), and the subject the character is "preaching" is pounded over your head with a sledgehammer. Sometimes this is justified by the story because of all the whining characters, and other times its not justified because its all thoughts in the characters head.
The story itself takes a nose dive, and repeats itself... first the characters don't trust those they encounter, then they pretend to trust them, then they find out there lying, they do something stupid, they meet new people or deal with the consequences of there stupidity loop this about 20 times and you get the whole story... All this of course takes a backseat with the conflict and whining going on in the main group...
If you like whining, (lots of it), then buy all means this book its for you...
If you don't like whining and liked Pathfinder your better off imagining what happens to the characters yourself, it would undoubtedly be better then wasting your time reading this.
I enjoyed Pathfinder #1... but this book was just bad...
Whats wrong with it you ask...
First the characters whine way to much, and they don't stop whining... and all they do is whine entire chapters are filled with nothing but whining
Second the characters become unlikable... because of the whining...
Third the preaching... wow there are pages and pages of the preaching about the authors opinion... and some of it seems very out of place, by this I mean that the characters are lecturing and you know there lecturing (preaching), and the subject the character is "preaching" is pounded over your head with a sledgehammer. Sometimes this is justified by the story because of all the whining characters, and other times its not justified because its all thoughts in the characters head.
The story itself takes a nose dive, and repeats itself... first the characters don't trust those they encounter, then they pretend to trust them, then they find out there lying, they do something stupid, they meet new people or deal with the consequences of there stupidity loop this about 20 times and you get the whole story... All this of course takes a backseat with the conflict and whining going on in the main group...
If you like whining, (lots of it), then buy all means this book its for you...
If you don't like whining and liked Pathfinder your better off imagining what happens to the characters yourself, it would undoubtedly be better then wasting your time reading this.
August 21, 2018
Abandonado al 65%.
Sin ningún tipo de ritmo, la novela se atasca y regodea en infinitos pensamientos de los protagonistas sobre las paradojas temporales, sobre sus relaciones con los otros miembros del grupo, sobre el “ me quiere o no me quiere” o sobre cualquier estupidez que se le pase por el tarro al Sr. Card.
Un coñazo, vamos.
Sin ningún tipo de ritmo, la novela se atasca y regodea en infinitos pensamientos de los protagonistas sobre las paradojas temporales, sobre sus relaciones con los otros miembros del grupo, sobre el “ me quiere o no me quiere” o sobre cualquier estupidez que se le pase por el tarro al Sr. Card.
Un coñazo, vamos.
October 23, 2012
I started to read Ruins less than a day after I finished Pathfinder. Now, that’s 672 pages of time travel, followed by 544 more pages of time travel. These books are quite heavy, and require paying lots of attention.
I didn’t quite pay enough attention. The time abilities are so complicated, and since OSC said he made sure to defy all normal rules of time travel in fiction/theory, well, my small knowledge in the matter became null. For the most part I got what was going on, but if I had to explain it to someone, I don’t think I would be able to remember most of the semantics. (So that’s a good excuse for you to read it, right?)
There are more religious…views? values? in Ruins. Maybe not more, but more prominent, I noticed more. At least that’s how I interpreted it. An example is when he explained how there were only a few thousand years of human history on Earth. And the fact that there is only one main character that’s a girl doesn’t do well in my opinion either. Parem is the princess, and a stinking spoiled one at that. She is written to be very weak and dependent on her companions; when walking, she is unused to the exercise and tends to complain and get carried a lot. Oh, but all four boys in the party are all amazing and strong. Yeah, not so cool. A few other minor things, but I’m not going to dwell.
I don’t mean offence, please. Just as a non-religion person and feminist, I couldn’t just ignore it.
Something I missed from Pathfinder: At the beginning of each chapter of Pathfinder (and Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow for that matter), there is that other-fontly mysterious point of view that lasts from a paragraph to a page and a half. I really liked those. It kept me reading onto the next chapter, and trying to figure out how it related to the main story. Ruins didn’t have it! But, I got over it eventually.
More technology is introduced, including more information on the starships and expendables. It’s fun to see how Rigg and co. react to the strange words and seeing what simple objects fascinate them. We also meet more fascinating colonies in other Wallfolds…not all that friendly!
Okay…geek moment here…slight spoiler, but it’s not that bad. There are MICE in here. Does that mean anything to any other geeks out there? That’s right, they are the masterminds! Not the only ones, but basically they become a huge part of the story, and are super smart and control the world. Ah, thanks for that little Douglas Adams tribute there, Card. I really appreciate that!
I also really like the way philosophical/ethical questions pop in Rigg’s decisions all the time. It makes the story that more thought provoking and exciting. Especially concerning the facemasks; don’t worry, you learn about those in the first chapter.
So even though I had to reread a few passages when some timeslicing/jumping/whatever went on, you get used to all the technobabble soon enough.
I am curious how many books plan to be in the series.
Four stars!
I didn’t quite pay enough attention. The time abilities are so complicated, and since OSC said he made sure to defy all normal rules of time travel in fiction/theory, well, my small knowledge in the matter became null. For the most part I got what was going on, but if I had to explain it to someone, I don’t think I would be able to remember most of the semantics. (So that’s a good excuse for you to read it, right?)
There are more religious…views? values? in Ruins. Maybe not more, but more prominent, I noticed more. At least that’s how I interpreted it. An example is when he explained how there were only a few thousand years of human history on Earth. And the fact that there is only one main character that’s a girl doesn’t do well in my opinion either. Parem is the princess, and a stinking spoiled one at that. She is written to be very weak and dependent on her companions; when walking, she is unused to the exercise and tends to complain and get carried a lot. Oh, but all four boys in the party are all amazing and strong. Yeah, not so cool. A few other minor things, but I’m not going to dwell.
I don’t mean offence, please. Just as a non-religion person and feminist, I couldn’t just ignore it.
Something I missed from Pathfinder: At the beginning of each chapter of Pathfinder (and Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow for that matter), there is that other-fontly mysterious point of view that lasts from a paragraph to a page and a half. I really liked those. It kept me reading onto the next chapter, and trying to figure out how it related to the main story. Ruins didn’t have it! But, I got over it eventually.
More technology is introduced, including more information on the starships and expendables. It’s fun to see how Rigg and co. react to the strange words and seeing what simple objects fascinate them. We also meet more fascinating colonies in other Wallfolds…not all that friendly!
Okay…geek moment here…slight spoiler, but it’s not that bad. There are MICE in here. Does that mean anything to any other geeks out there? That’s right, they are the masterminds! Not the only ones, but basically they become a huge part of the story, and are super smart and control the world. Ah, thanks for that little Douglas Adams tribute there, Card. I really appreciate that!
I also really like the way philosophical/ethical questions pop in Rigg’s decisions all the time. It makes the story that more thought provoking and exciting. Especially concerning the facemasks; don’t worry, you learn about those in the first chapter.
So even though I had to reread a few passages when some timeslicing/jumping/whatever went on, you get used to all the technobabble soon enough.
I am curious how many books plan to be in the series.
Four stars!
December 12, 2012
Ruins is Orson Scott Card's followup to Pathfinder. Rigg and his companions have passed through the Wall and entered a world much bigger than anything we saw in the previous book. Beyond that, I won't try to describe the story because, one, it would sound absurd in summary form, and two, it's so complicated I'm not sure I could explain it if I wanted to. But Card's gift is that he can ground the most fantastical stories by telling them through the eyes of his very relatable characters. The meat of the story is in the relationships, in the dialogue and the introspection as Rigg's group faces one unfathomable problem after another. It's good people trying to do what they think is right, butting heads and failing more often than not because they're real, flawed people, and because no one really knows what's right in the first place.
In Pathfinder, Rigg, Umbo, and Param discovered their various time traveling talents, and much of Ruins is about developing those skills and discovering the implications of them. The big flaw of many time travel stories is that, if you can go back and change something that went wrong, why wouldn't you? The reason, of course, is that if it were that simple there would be no story. Not here; in Ruins going back to fix things is virtually the entire story. Rigg and his companions are constantly flitting about through time, often creating more problems than they anticipated. Sometimes all the talk of time travel and mechanics is a bit overwhelming, but if you just sit back and accept that it works as they say it makes for an exciting read.
For all that, the story is really about trust, about truth and lies, and about how to act and make decisions even when you don't know if you can trust anything you think is true. The one thing that is certain is that something terrible will happen to their world if they don't find a way to stop it.
My main beef with the book is how abrupt the ending is. Pathfinder was plenty open ended, but at least the major problems introduced in it were resolved by the end. Ruins had me flipping pages to see if I had missed something; it just sort of stops in the middle of a scene. It's frustrating, but I guess what it really means is that I'm invested in the story and can't wait to see what happens next.
In Pathfinder, Rigg, Umbo, and Param discovered their various time traveling talents, and much of Ruins is about developing those skills and discovering the implications of them. The big flaw of many time travel stories is that, if you can go back and change something that went wrong, why wouldn't you? The reason, of course, is that if it were that simple there would be no story. Not here; in Ruins going back to fix things is virtually the entire story. Rigg and his companions are constantly flitting about through time, often creating more problems than they anticipated. Sometimes all the talk of time travel and mechanics is a bit overwhelming, but if you just sit back and accept that it works as they say it makes for an exciting read.
For all that, the story is really about trust, about truth and lies, and about how to act and make decisions even when you don't know if you can trust anything you think is true. The one thing that is certain is that something terrible will happen to their world if they don't find a way to stop it.
My main beef with the book is how abrupt the ending is. Pathfinder was plenty open ended, but at least the major problems introduced in it were resolved by the end. Ruins had me flipping pages to see if I had missed something; it just sort of stops in the middle of a scene. It's frustrating, but I guess what it really means is that I'm invested in the story and can't wait to see what happens next.
November 25, 2012
I was so excited to read this book because I really enjoyed Pathfinder. It was disappointment. There was so much philosophy and theories- not to mention the confusion of the time travel. The characters were constantly lecturing each other with these grand thoughts and ideas. Most of the characters were extremely annoying- especially Param, and unlike Umbo, she never redeems herself. This reminds me a little of the Ender Series, in how the first book draws you in with great characters and plot, but the rest of the series is all philosophy. He did switch up the talking piggys to talking mice.
Note to self: skip the rest of this series.
Note to self: skip the rest of this series.
November 25, 2012
In French class I could never roll my "r's" properly so my teacher would have me practice holding my lips together and blowing air out to make a sputtering sound. I never could make my lips sound like a motor boat. I ended up spitting all over the desk and sputtering all right. Sputtering... I can't take it anymore. I'm sputtering at this book the same line. I finished it, but was relieved when it ended. If you love philosophy, physics science, genetics, epidemiology, sociology, biology and lots and lots and lots of internal monologue than you won't sputter over this book. I needed more action and less yadda, yadda, yadda. Don't get me wrong, the yadda was interesting in parts. But other times it left my head spinning.
Rigg, Param, Umbo, Olivenko, and Loaf have escaped being murdered by the queen by going through the wallfold into one of the 19 territories that split in a time travel experiment. Rigg, Param, and Umbro have learned how to better use their gifts of time travel and they spend time exploring the colony of Odinfold. As they argue with each other and try to learn from their flaws, others are trying to kill them. They do not know who to trust and who not to as they try to save the world. They must learn to trust each other before they can make any progress on their quest.
The world building is brilliant and is one of the reasons I kept turning the pages. The effects of parasites and disease on cultures was done really well, not to mention the different scenarios involving the different territories was complex and intertwined with other plot elements. I admire how the author tackles the complexities of parallel societies and how they evolved over time.
My complaint is the characters. They change internally which adds tension, but the author tells and doesn't show. At times the characters sound preachy and the three young characters sound too much alike. I wanted their voices to be more distinct, like Loaf. His tell-it-like-it-is sarcastic voice is quite distinct from the others. I also got sick of the three teenagers arguing ad nauseum. And having too many philosophical merry-go-round discussions. I finally started skimming those parts because they were exhausting and didn't accomplish anything in the end. When one of the character's explains he hates philosophy because you talk and talk and talk but in the end you don't know any more than when you started I was nodding my head in agreement. Or nodding off to sleep.
I do wish I could walk through a wallfold and learn a language like the characters in the book. I ended up dropping French class and never learned to roll my "r's." I switched to Norwegian. Yah, I can talk like dat, you betcha. Maybe this book was too sophisticated for my brain. Try it! Decide for yourself.
Rigg, Param, Umbo, Olivenko, and Loaf have escaped being murdered by the queen by going through the wallfold into one of the 19 territories that split in a time travel experiment. Rigg, Param, and Umbro have learned how to better use their gifts of time travel and they spend time exploring the colony of Odinfold. As they argue with each other and try to learn from their flaws, others are trying to kill them. They do not know who to trust and who not to as they try to save the world. They must learn to trust each other before they can make any progress on their quest.
The world building is brilliant and is one of the reasons I kept turning the pages. The effects of parasites and disease on cultures was done really well, not to mention the different scenarios involving the different territories was complex and intertwined with other plot elements. I admire how the author tackles the complexities of parallel societies and how they evolved over time.
My complaint is the characters. They change internally which adds tension, but the author tells and doesn't show. At times the characters sound preachy and the three young characters sound too much alike. I wanted their voices to be more distinct, like Loaf. His tell-it-like-it-is sarcastic voice is quite distinct from the others. I also got sick of the three teenagers arguing ad nauseum. And having too many philosophical merry-go-round discussions. I finally started skimming those parts because they were exhausting and didn't accomplish anything in the end. When one of the character's explains he hates philosophy because you talk and talk and talk but in the end you don't know any more than when you started I was nodding my head in agreement. Or nodding off to sleep.
I do wish I could walk through a wallfold and learn a language like the characters in the book. I ended up dropping French class and never learned to roll my "r's." I switched to Norwegian. Yah, I can talk like dat, you betcha. Maybe this book was too sophisticated for my brain. Try it! Decide for yourself.
January 16, 2021
Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
Great narration but lopsided story.
The story would have been better if there was less "mental angst" shown. Lots of circular arguments or each of the characters having the same problem & expressing it the same way. If you cut that out, the book would lose 1/3 of the page count.
I like the concepts for the story but the events that unfold are not handled well and the ending for this book was abrupt.
Many negative YA elements.
Currently on Audible Plus
Great narration but lopsided story.
The story would have been better if there was less "mental angst" shown. Lots of circular arguments or each of the characters having the same problem & expressing it the same way. If you cut that out, the book would lose 1/3 of the page count.
I like the concepts for the story but the events that unfold are not handled well and the ending for this book was abrupt.
Many negative YA elements.
February 7, 2013
There are a few times when we can see O.S.C brilliance, though they are to few and to far between to make this book anything more then an 1 star rating.
With Ruins it becomes clear what O.S.C is trying to create. He is trying to tell a story of species facing genocide. One cant help thinking that he tells us an alternative story of Enders game. This time we are the Buggers and we are trying to stop humanity from destroying us. Rigg tries fill the shoes of Ender Wiggin.
Ender wasnt allowed to make mistakes but since these characters can rewind time every time they make a mistake O.S.C uses their ability plenty.... :/ It destroys for me a major part of charater building since they dont learn from mistakes, they just magically make mistakes go away with the lesson that accompanies a mistake. You can probably guess how warped a character would become with old age with that ability right? You think they are bad now? They will be worse in the 3rd sequel.
It also feels like he is reusing his old characters by simply adding a brat element to them.
Riggs = Ender
Param = Valentine
Umbo = Peter
Loaf = Enders Father
Olivenko = Enders Mother
After reading Ruins I think most readers would agree how easy its to identify this books brat characters with the mature characters from the Ender Saga.
Sad thing is that one can tell O.S.C doesnt like these new "improved/modern" characters any more then the readers do and it shows clearly in their strained dialoge/interaction with eachother and the reader. If you dont like preaching then ffs dont create characters that need preaching!
There is of course additional elements mixed into the story, lessons mixed with both religious and political messages. They where more heavy then the Ender Saga. O.S.C seems to have caught on to religion in his old age, more then he ever did in his youth. Before, O.S.C was inspired by religion, now he is influenced by it. The brainwashing finally got to him.(Or he has a priest as an editor...)
Im quite sure that alot the of readers dont approve of hitting children to make them behave/stfu even if they want to. Thats one of the lesson the reader gets spoon-feed with as the 100% Approved & Certified & Encouraged method of taking care of unruly kids.
The time travling properties the characters have are mostly used to push forward the story as a tool and can sometimes be abit confusing to follow since it disrupts the flow of the storytelling. For the careful reader you will find alot of paradoxes and some missed cause/effect things that O.S.C hasnt though all that much about. I think he uses it to much to tell a good story to be honest.
With the Deus Ex machina powers they have the story could be solved with a couple of pages if applied properly. This will probably be another bug-bear for most readers over puberty.
Please comment!
With Ruins it becomes clear what O.S.C is trying to create. He is trying to tell a story of species facing genocide. One cant help thinking that he tells us an alternative story of Enders game. This time we are the Buggers and we are trying to stop humanity from destroying us. Rigg tries fill the shoes of Ender Wiggin.
Ender wasnt allowed to make mistakes but since these characters can rewind time every time they make a mistake O.S.C uses their ability plenty.... :/ It destroys for me a major part of charater building since they dont learn from mistakes, they just magically make mistakes go away with the lesson that accompanies a mistake. You can probably guess how warped a character would become with old age with that ability right? You think they are bad now? They will be worse in the 3rd sequel.
It also feels like he is reusing his old characters by simply adding a brat element to them.
Riggs = Ender
Param = Valentine
Umbo = Peter
Loaf = Enders Father
Olivenko = Enders Mother
After reading Ruins I think most readers would agree how easy its to identify this books brat characters with the mature characters from the Ender Saga.
Sad thing is that one can tell O.S.C doesnt like these new "improved/modern" characters any more then the readers do and it shows clearly in their strained dialoge/interaction with eachother and the reader. If you dont like preaching then ffs dont create characters that need preaching!
There is of course additional elements mixed into the story, lessons mixed with both religious and political messages. They where more heavy then the Ender Saga. O.S.C seems to have caught on to religion in his old age, more then he ever did in his youth. Before, O.S.C was inspired by religion, now he is influenced by it. The brainwashing finally got to him.(Or he has a priest as an editor...)
Im quite sure that alot the of readers dont approve of hitting children to make them behave/stfu even if they want to. Thats one of the lesson the reader gets spoon-feed with as the 100% Approved & Certified & Encouraged method of taking care of unruly kids.
The time travling properties the characters have are mostly used to push forward the story as a tool and can sometimes be abit confusing to follow since it disrupts the flow of the storytelling. For the careful reader you will find alot of paradoxes and some missed cause/effect things that O.S.C hasnt though all that much about. I think he uses it to much to tell a good story to be honest.
With the Deus Ex machina powers they have the story could be solved with a couple of pages if applied properly. This will probably be another bug-bear for most readers over puberty.
Please comment!
March 27, 2013
I found this book to be a good sequel to Pathfinder. I do understand some other readers disdain for the characters bickering. I however, was not bothered by their childish thoughts and outbursts because they are in fact children. I think Orson Scott Card takes his time creating internal monologue for all the characters, which might seem tedious to read and get through, but I found it to be a nice way to make the characters seem the most real. Umbo deals with jealousy and resentment while Rigg struggles with the responsibility that is thrown upon him. All things are dealt with in a way that would happen realistically. Yes, I do think the the characters get annoying, but I think it builds on the characters. I did find Param's character to be annoying, but I in no way found it to be a political standpoint against women. It is explained thoroughly that she is the way she is because of her royal upbringing, which in fact makes complete sense. She was bred to rule, how could she at 15 or something, with no other parent, act otherwise? I also enjoyed, even though this is a young adult book, that it didn't fall into the standard conflict of young romance. It doesn't dismiss the possibility, but it doesn't make it the main conflict which is so relieving. I found the story to be just as captivating as Pathfinder, and much less confusing. I also was not swayed by OSC's opinions on religion or politics. I thought the way each character thought was cohesive to the character. I didn't find it preachy at all. In fact, i had completely forgotten that some of the reviews mentioned it until I came here to write mine. To me, it's a different planet, yes they are humans but genetically altered. I didn't find the human existence of 11000 years to be a sign of creationism, because that's when the humans landed on the Garden. I guess if you want to read that far into it, it can be construed as religious intent, but I thought it was subtle unlike most of the reviewers. I also like to separate the authors real life and their written work if it's at all possible. He wasn't outrightly telling me to become Mormon through his characters, and I in no way felt inclined to do so by reading this book. I enjoyed it. It does however end with a cliff hanger and having been released so recently, I can't anticipate the next book for a while. I'm excited for the follow up and to see how everything turns out. Though nothing necessarily gets resolved in this book, much is learned and the anticipation for the end grows. I enjoyed it thoroughly, though it was easier to put down than Pathfinder.
July 19, 2014
Thoughts so far: blah blah blahty blah...you seriously can't go more than a paragraph without the characters getting into a new ten-page argument (either philosophical or childish). So boring and annoying! It buries the cool take on time travel in tedium. Also...all of the arguments are essentially repeats of previous arguments, and all of the characters are so flat and soooooo annoying. Everyone is always blushing ALL the FREAKING time. Doesn't Card have another reaction he can use?
Ok, seriously, now Rigg is philosophizing about what makes something beautiful. There is no point. None. I want some action. Not all philosophy. DO something beyond musing, you stupid, boring characters.
OK, now I'm done. And...ugh. Really? These characters aren't complex. They're flat mouthpieces...puppets...for Card to pretend that they're complex by having them spout different parts of his time traveling ideas and have arguments that he thinks are entertaining because they're just so "precocious," and he feels clever. But it's only entertaining if they actually have a personality and are fully developed characters, which they're not.
Ok, seriously, now Rigg is philosophizing about what makes something beautiful. There is no point. None. I want some action. Not all philosophy. DO something beyond musing, you stupid, boring characters.
OK, now I'm done. And...ugh. Really? These characters aren't complex. They're flat mouthpieces...puppets...for Card to pretend that they're complex by having them spout different parts of his time traveling ideas and have arguments that he thinks are entertaining because they're just so "precocious," and he feels clever. But it's only entertaining if they actually have a personality and are fully developed characters, which they're not.
January 10, 2013
Horroble, horrible sequel. I had to force myself to finish. The characters regress to a childish mindset and do nothing but squabble over petty, irrelevent things and the older companions become static to a point where you don't have to read the dialogue, you already know how they'll react, not to mention this completely erases the characters we came to know in the previous book as if they were cloned without their personalities intact.
I read a SUMMARY of this book after I finished reading the actual book and found much more satisfaction from that than dredging along listening to the children whine for hundreds of pages without advancing the plot in any meaningful way.
Do yourself a favor, read Pathfinder, love it, but just wiki this one.
I read a SUMMARY of this book after I finished reading the actual book and found much more satisfaction from that than dredging along listening to the children whine for hundreds of pages without advancing the plot in any meaningful way.
Do yourself a favor, read Pathfinder, love it, but just wiki this one.
June 4, 2013
A bit of a disappointment after Pathfinder (perhaps I rate it lower than deserved because of the disappointment). Feels like a second book in a trilogy - not much really happens, the end is vague, and there is too much bickering amongst the characters. Hopefully the next book in the series will also follow the standard trilogy pattern and provide more excitement and closure.
Although I generally enjoy a multi-character personal narrative with views into their internal thought process, somehow it became tedious in this book. Perhaps it was because so repeatative. The characters didn't gain depth from it, they just harped on the same thing over and over. I understand that three of the characters are teenagers, and many of the feelings they have were realistic (teeneagers can be whiny, childish, and quick to misinterpret - heck, we call can), but it seemed that each character had one defining, unwavering view - until they suddenly changed; they didn't seem to have thoughts related to things other than that which most bothered them. And it made Param's character in particular disappointingly dislikable.
There was also an abundance of philosophical discussions between the characters, which also could have been interesting and thought provoking, but somehow seemed more like attempts to be preachy or just "smart", perhaps simply because there was so much of it. Time would slow for a bit for the characters to philosophize; thus breaking the flow of action and losing momentum of the storyline.
The time travel and "powers" that the characters have get a bit out of hand (where can they go from here in the rest of the series) but I can't resist a time travel plot. I'm sure there were plenty of holes and paradoxes, but I like that it doesn't necessarily stick to more traditional "rules" and it is used well to drive the story.
The differences between each of the wallfolds is interesting; I hope we visit other wallfolds in the rest of the series. I was, however, disturbed by the fact that none of the wallfolds really seemed to develop (with perhaps the exception of Odinfold and language development). In more time than Earth's current recorded history no significant technology was developed in the folds we've seen? Ramfold seemed stuck in an Elizabethian-type era. Vadesh evolved the facemasks and Odinfold the mice, but that was all by machines and based upon skills brought from Earth. Larsfold went into the water and bonded with alien creatures but didn't seem to significantly change in culture or technology. In 11,000 years? Seems sad.
Despite my complaints, I couldn't put it down and look forward to the next installment.
Although I generally enjoy a multi-character personal narrative with views into their internal thought process, somehow it became tedious in this book. Perhaps it was because so repeatative. The characters didn't gain depth from it, they just harped on the same thing over and over. I understand that three of the characters are teenagers, and many of the feelings they have were realistic (teeneagers can be whiny, childish, and quick to misinterpret - heck, we call can), but it seemed that each character had one defining, unwavering view - until they suddenly changed; they didn't seem to have thoughts related to things other than that which most bothered them. And it made Param's character in particular disappointingly dislikable.
There was also an abundance of philosophical discussions between the characters, which also could have been interesting and thought provoking, but somehow seemed more like attempts to be preachy or just "smart", perhaps simply because there was so much of it. Time would slow for a bit for the characters to philosophize; thus breaking the flow of action and losing momentum of the storyline.
The time travel and "powers" that the characters have get a bit out of hand (where can they go from here in the rest of the series) but I can't resist a time travel plot. I'm sure there were plenty of holes and paradoxes, but I like that it doesn't necessarily stick to more traditional "rules" and it is used well to drive the story.
The differences between each of the wallfolds is interesting; I hope we visit other wallfolds in the rest of the series. I was, however, disturbed by the fact that none of the wallfolds really seemed to develop (with perhaps the exception of Odinfold and language development). In more time than Earth's current recorded history no significant technology was developed in the folds we've seen? Ramfold seemed stuck in an Elizabethian-type era. Vadesh evolved the facemasks and Odinfold the mice, but that was all by machines and based upon skills brought from Earth. Larsfold went into the water and bonded with alien creatures but didn't seem to significantly change in culture or technology. In 11,000 years? Seems sad.
Despite my complaints, I couldn't put it down and look forward to the next installment.
January 29, 2013
I am a big fan of Card, but this book just did not get it for me. The previous book which is the lead-in to this one was good and laid the groundwork for a great followup book. It told us that the ships arrived on the planet Garden and we learned that 19 separate worlds were created. But as the group made their way out of the first one, they never went to any more than two other worlds. Now unless Card plans a couple follow up books to continue the tale, this book lost a grand opportunity to provide great tales of exploring and discovering in all or most of the other worlds.
Things like all of the mice, whom we are told are the the generically alter equivalent of humans, are never explained, their purpose or goals. The main characters spend way too much time arguing back and forth about who likes who and who should be in charge of the expedition.
The book ends up in the air with the main character, Riggs, confronting the pilot of the original ship, Odin, and a copy of himself. And that's where we are left, with an unfinished story that provides no ending for any of the characters. The book just stops right there; no explanations at all.
Things like all of the mice, whom we are told are the the generically alter equivalent of humans, are never explained, their purpose or goals. The main characters spend way too much time arguing back and forth about who likes who and who should be in charge of the expedition.
The book ends up in the air with the main character, Riggs, confronting the pilot of the original ship, Odin, and a copy of himself. And that's where we are left, with an unfinished story that provides no ending for any of the characters. The book just stops right there; no explanations at all.
July 26, 2014
As much as I disliked pathfinder, I actually rather enjoyed ruins. To me, the struggle to get through pathfinder seemingly was in order to introduce ruins. The world building and theory building was mainly to allow ruins to flow freely, which it did. I finally began to grasp exactly how the time travel aspects worked, and that meant I was able to engage with the characters and this made the novel rather enjoyable. The uniqueness of the said world, and the characters involved make this series an interesting one, and given the ending to this book, I will be picking up the third when it comes out.
August 6, 2017
I enjoyed this book. I am personally a philosophy and sci-fi nerd, so don’t read it if you hate philosophy and need a lot of action. In the first book, you don’t know that characters as well, but in this one Card really develops them a lot more. I ended up hating half of them. Umbo’s ceaseless grumbled kind of ruined it for me and Param was just unbearable. All of the incessant grumbling between the Rigg, Umbo and Param got on my nerves at times. Loaf seemed to be the only voice of reason and he is one of my favorite characters because of that. Loaf really developed a lot more in this book than in the first one. I hated the attempted romance between Olivenkio and Param. Maybe that was just because I despised her. I really enjoyed all of the dialogue and how he went into so much depth to get his point across. I had a lot of “Aha moments” in this book and I loved figuring out the mysteries of their world along with the characters. All of the time travel did confuse me at times. I had to go back and re-read some parts, but once I understood it, I was fascinated and I could not put the book down. I hated the ending. Card gets you so involved with everything that is going on. There are a huge amount of plot twists towards the end and then, he just cuts you off! I mean, come on! This was probably one of the worst cliffhangers I have ever read! Would it have really been so hard for him to add a couple more chapters to wrap things up? I was very disappointed with the ending but I am still really looking forward to the third installment in the series.
December 7, 2012
While the first book was very fresh and interesting, this one fails in every detail.
The story is moving with an amazingly slow pace, is predictable and has no novelty whatsoever.
But the worst of all are the character's introspections. The three main characters are constantly pondering their choices and no part of their running in circles is spared to the reader. It really made me want to put the book down numerous times.
I can't help the feeling that this is yet another series designed solely for money. The whole story could have been wrapped up in a few extra chapters of the first book and it would have been good. This whole book gives a feeling of being written only to fill extra pages with words - for the sole reason of creating extra book the people will pay for because they liked the first.
I understand the author has to make a living, but why does it have to be so obvious? Where is the creativity?
The story is moving with an amazingly slow pace, is predictable and has no novelty whatsoever.
But the worst of all are the character's introspections. The three main characters are constantly pondering their choices and no part of their running in circles is spared to the reader. It really made me want to put the book down numerous times.
I can't help the feeling that this is yet another series designed solely for money. The whole story could have been wrapped up in a few extra chapters of the first book and it would have been good. This whole book gives a feeling of being written only to fill extra pages with words - for the sole reason of creating extra book the people will pay for because they liked the first.
I understand the author has to make a living, but why does it have to be so obvious? Where is the creativity?
December 26, 2012
Och. What is it about this series that hurts my brain so much? The first third dragged but then it got seriously interesting and then I tore through it.
So excellent! I really do find that Card may have bent more of his brain energy towards this series than the somewhat declining Ender's Game series. So good!
So excellent! I really do find that Card may have bent more of his brain energy towards this series than the somewhat declining Ender's Game series. So good!
December 1, 2023
2023: A bit too philosophical, and drags on
2013: This book was okay, and I usually expect good to great from Orson Scott Card.
This truly has the "second book syndrome."
Quite a let down after the first book
2013: This book was okay, and I usually expect good to great from Orson Scott Card.
This truly has the "second book syndrome."
Quite a let down after the first book
November 16, 2015
I loved it! The dialogue was great!
May 13, 2016
A great sequel- not 100% sure I loved the ending but will see what happens in the next book.
September 9, 2015
Crossing the wall from Ramfold to Vadeshfold at the conclusion of Pathfinder is only the start of a new set of problems for thirteen-year-old Rigg Sessamekesh and his band of allies. What they learn in Vadeshfold helps Rigg solve the confusing mystery of his bizarrely split parentage, having been raised by the fur trader Ram though his secret biological father was of royal lineage. But knowing that Ram was only an android programmed to herd Rigg and his friends to this next stage of the game raises troubling questions. As Rigg takes a short breather after the life-or-death chase he, thirteen-year-old Umbo, Rigg's teenage sister Param, and their adult protectors Olivenko and Loaf just survived, he's given no time to process the latest events of their adventure before Vadesh, the android expendable from this wallfold, appears on the scene. Vadesh is identical to the man Rigg knew as his father, Ram, but Rigg senses this expendable isn't to be trusted. Unlike Ramfold, Vadeshfold is disturbingly void of human occupation, and Vadesh's patchwork explanations for the vacancy don't hold water. To figure out his next goal, Rigg will have to outwit Vadesh for the information that will lead to the next right set of choices. It's a lot for a thirteen-year-old to handle, but Rigg has trained his entire life on the planet Garden for the trials confronting him now. Years of rote memorization, esoteric academic exercises, and physical and mental toughening in the woods with Ram, all seemingly useless for a young fur trader supposedly set to follow in his father's footsteps, have provided Rigg with the skills he'll need to crack the code and best Vadesh in time to plan the next move for his unlikely caravan of loyal followers. But what will Rigg uncover in Vadeshfold?
Apparent informational outliers are strewn everywhere in Ruins as Rigg and his friends explore the eerily quiet confines of Vadeshfold, investigating the story behind the story Vadesh told them. Umbo finds a jewel lying around from the Sessamekesh royal collection of nineteen, which are designed to be used together to control passage between the wallfolds on Garden. Rigg soon learns the power of the talismanic knife he possesses, with nineteen jewels in the hilt that correlate to the wallfold jewels. On a hunch, Rigg finds his way into the control area of a starship in Vadeshfold, and through a careful series of questions to Vadesh, he discerns what the knife gives him authority to do on the ship, and how much control he can exert over Vadesh and the expendables of other wallfolds. With the threat constantly looming of violent retribution at the hands of untrustworthy Vadesh, and no certainty that the expendable isn't shading the truth or outright lying to him, Rigg cautiously feels his way in Vadeshfold, keenly attuned to the scent of truth when the wind carries it. To doubt the words and intentions of everyone is the only way to survive in this brave new world.
"We are the beasts that scheme, the predators that predict. We live by the lie, not by the truth; we study the truth only to shape more convincing lies that will bend other people to our will."
—Ruins, P. 334
In typical Orson Scott Card fashion, Ruins hoards "Ah-ha!" moments like the literary mint has stopped producing them, turning our perception of the story's paradigm upside down repeatedly. The sophisticated physics and logistics of Cardian time-travel are bewildering enough as is, but we're asked to follow the chess game further still in this second book of the Pathfinder trilogy, and the smartest of literates is likely to have his or her mind muddled now and then. Human and interspecies ethics, time-space mechanics and quantum theory and beyond, gymnastics of logic that demonstrate the contortionist mental flexibility of the author, and story twists on twists on twists that we couldn't have conceived of are a package deal with this book, as only Orson Scott Card routinely delivers them. Rigg's leadership will be tested: Is he qualified to lead a group with such an eclectic spread of fine talents as the quartet he has with him? Why does Rigg always end up giving the orders, even though he doesn't desire to lead and his friends have leadership aspirations of their own? What of his sister, Param, raised a princess of a royal family in exile, forced from infancy to despise the crown and live in the shame of a fallen monarch, a girl whose time-travel ability complements Rigg's and Umbo's as she "slices" time and goes invisible to the ordinary human eye, a talent that gave her much-needed privacy in her mother's disgraced royal household all through her childhood and early teen years? As Param makes decisions in the real world for the first time in her life, traveling with a crowd of far less noble breeding (excepting Rigg) than she is accustomed, can she look past the prejudices of her lineage to discern her rightful place on Rigg's team, whatever it may be and to whomever it be expedient she render herself a helper? Loaf and Olivenko are the oldest members of the group, trained soldiers and intellects equal to the task of protecting Rigg and Param, but the two men are just as perplexed as to what is happening on the planet Garden, and are left questioning who is really in charge of this expedition.
In light of Rigg's heroics at the end of Pathfinder and take-charge attitude now that the wall has been breached and the five of them are safely in Vadeshfold away from their Ramfold pursuers, Umbo targets Rigg in his own mind, harboring growing resentment of what the uncrowned Sessamekesh heir is able to do that he cannot. Ram focused his time on Rigg, despite not being any more a genetic father to Rigg than he was to Umbo. Umbo might be just as good a leader as Rigg, mightn't he? And aren't his time-altering skills every bit as potent? As Umbo's anger simmers and their party of five moves toward discovering their ultimate purpose in Vadeshfold, a catastrophic reality comes to light: The Visitors, humans from planet Earth who settled Garden millennia ago, will return in only a few years to check on Garden's inhabitants. After this initial vetting, the Visitors will depart, then come back...as Destroyers, to annihilate life on Garden in its every form. Why would the Visitors destroy the people of their own colony planet, who greet the coming of the Visitors in nothing but peace? It is messages sent back through time from this bleak future after the Visitors' destruction that alert Rigg to the fate of Garden, and it's up to Rigg and his friends to engineer a way to prevent the Destroyers from doing their dark deed. Nine times already attempts have been made to alter the dismal future, and each try has ended in the same fiery purge from deep space. What can Rigg do differently to preserve the future of Garden?
I'm more convinced than ever after reading Ruins that Orson Scott Card has a brilliant mind, far beyond my own intelligence. His feel for the contours of story is more than I can comprehend, and his view of characters, deep psychology, and the outer limits of science are justifiably regarded with the highest esteem. The twists he conceals in his novels are more than clever "gotcha" moments borne of excellent planning: they are foundationally strong, profound observations of the human condition and why we do the things we do, what rationalizations we plead to condone ourselves and what it means when we accept a line of logic or morality but others affected by our subsequent behavior do not. It makes for fascinating, stringently challenging reading, and I love it, as difficult as it can be. Orson Scott Card's wisdom as a storyteller is beyond fault, powerful and illuminating of others as well as ourselves, and I want to highlight a few examples in this review. Early on as his resentment for Rigg boils, Umbo finds his feelings being redirected to the expendables lying to them all, and wonders if it really is the varied outside agents of frustration that disgust him, or if the problem is internal. "But was it them that he really resented? Was it anybody, really, that was making him feel this way? Or did he simply have these feelings and searched for someone outside himself to blame them on?" I've asked myself that question many times, usually without a satisfactory answer. It's validating, though, to see others ask it of themselves. Then there's this engaging piece, which speaks for itself: "It's a lot more fun to hear stories about other people than to live through them yourself...Because when somebody told you a story, he knew how it was going to come out. He wouldn't tell it to you if it wasn't worth telling, if it didn't amount to something. But when you're living through it, you don't know if it's going to come out well, or even matter at all. Maybe you come all this way and the story goes on down a tunnel and you're left behind, no longer part of it. Maybe you came back and warned yourself and saved yourself a serious beating—but that's what ended the story for you. No broken arm, no torn ear—but also doomed to...go on and on, wandering, exploring, all to no effect, accomplishing nothing because you listened to your beaten-up time-traveling self and took yourself right out of the story." There's a lot to muse over in those paragraphs, more than I can unpack here, and it's even more thought-provoking in the context of the narrative. Who but Orson Scott Card thinks to serve up such conundrums to his readers? There are a few writers who do, but not many.
Ah, here is Olivenko's rebuttal to the idea that surrendering to death after a lifetime of weariness and severe pain could be a welcome release: "And yet I don't want to do it...Not now, not ever. Miserable as I sometimes am in this life, I like being alive...I'm used to having these fingers do my bidding. I don't even have to ask them. Before I even think of what I want, before I could put my wishes into words, they're already obeying me. My feet, too. My eyes open when I want to see, and close when I want to sleep. Such obedient servants. I'd miss them." The soliloquy is a simple one, even humorous, but effective. It speaks to the reader on a visceral level of understanding. And to Param's followup question, "So you think some part of you will persist after death?" "'If not, I won't know it,' said Olivenko. 'And if so, then I'll miss my hands and feet and eyes and also lunch. I'll miss food. And sleep. And waking up.'" That's perfect. Don't ever change, Olivenko.
Orson Scott Card always was an uncompromising supporter of conservative virtues, with innovative, original thinking to support his beliefs, and some commentary of that nature appears in Ruins, particularly when Earth's proclivity for espousing a culture of tolerance is discussed. "'The whole literature of Earth is full of condemnation of people who hate others just for being strange and different,' said Rigg. 'Their histories are full of self-congratulation about how they've left such base impulses behind them. The worst thing their biographers and historians can say about a person is that he judges people on the basis of differences in their physical attributes, their languages, their cultures.'" That sounds good, but Rigg gives a reluctant addendum at Loaf's prodding: "Yes, I know. The very fact that they condemn xenophobia so harshly is proof that they hadn't overcome it at all." "An aspirational virtue, not an achievement", Olivenko adds. They're all correct, of course. Fear of personal differences extends to every dissenting viewpoint out there, not just those whose cause we care to champion. To rail against the intolerant, or the supposedly intolerant, is to expose our lack of tolerance of their worldview because we can't harmonize it with our own. With a few flicks of the pen, Orson Scott Card admonishes those with a xenophobic intolerance of intolerance, calling them to a higher standard of integrity. It's definitely an idea for further pondering.
"When changes come, we start with what we are right then, and then we work to try to become whoever we need to be."
—Olivenko, Ruins, P. 401
It excites the senses to read the rapid-fire exchange between Rigg, Umbo, Loaf, and Olivenko on the subject of virtual intelligence versus the might of the human mind. The speedy, eloquently plotted conversation includes this gem of reasoning from Loaf: "Humans make a machine, and then fool themselves into believing that their own brains are no better than the machines. This allows them to believe that their creation, the computer, is as brilliant as their own minds. But it's a ridiculous self-deception. Computers aren't even in the same league." I agree with that critique, spoken by a military man who has observed the ins and outs of human behavior long enough to opine from a position of authority. Just a few paragraphs later, he contributes the following string of pearlescent reasoning to the back-and-forth: "Life is the soul...Living things have souls, have minds, have thought. Living individuals have their own relationship to the planet they dwell on. Their past is dragged along with their world through space and time. But it persists. Long after the organism dies, its path remains, and all that it was can be recovered, every moment it lived through can be seen, can be revisited." Loaf's education and genetic grooming is lower than that of the others in the group, but he holds his own in any debate with the young prodigies. Loaf is a character of sometimes superb wit, wisdom, and conveyance.
Without any verbal agreement by the others, Rigg has taken on the burden of navigating them through the dangers of every wallfold, the lies of the expendables and of natives poised to deceive them for their own interests, the threats of the powerful and weak in equal measure. But such enormous responsibility exacts a heavy toll on the young Sessamekesh prince, as we see in the following lines when Rigg finds himself engulfed in solitude for a time, with no companion to lend support: "Yes, he was alone, but he needed to be alone; until now, he had not really understood how painful and heavy it was to have the needs of others always in his heart and on his mind." A rest for the weary hero is sometimes necessary, even before the final battle has been waged. The greatest of hearts cannot be turned only outward all the time.
It isn't easy to pinpoint a central theme of Ruins. The story covers so much ground, giving every issue the consideration it deserves, and that adds up to a novel of substance and meaning on an elevated plane from most young-adult works. Introspective readers will rejoice to bury themselves in the more than five hundred pages of this book, for it is a trying and demanding philosophical experience, but one which ultimately nourishes the souls of those valiant enough to make it through to the other side. Orson Scott Card is at or near his best in this second volume of the Pathfinder trilogy, a book equal to or better than the first. I will be there to finish Rigg's story in the third book, Visitors, a happily engaged reader counting himself lucky to have taken part in some small way in Orson Scott Card's legacy. I'm reminded of his observation in the Introduction to the 1991 edition of Ender's Game: "The story of Ender's Game is not this book, though it has that title emblazoned on it. The story is the one that you and I will construct together in your memory. If the story means anything to you at all, then when you remember it afterward, think of it, not as something I created, but rather as something that we made together." I believe that, heart and soul, about the books I read. I recommend Ruins today, tomorrow, and forever, and hope future readers will love it as much as I did. I bequeath it to you with the sincere hope that you take care of each other during your time together. May you both live long in mutual blessing.
Apparent informational outliers are strewn everywhere in Ruins as Rigg and his friends explore the eerily quiet confines of Vadeshfold, investigating the story behind the story Vadesh told them. Umbo finds a jewel lying around from the Sessamekesh royal collection of nineteen, which are designed to be used together to control passage between the wallfolds on Garden. Rigg soon learns the power of the talismanic knife he possesses, with nineteen jewels in the hilt that correlate to the wallfold jewels. On a hunch, Rigg finds his way into the control area of a starship in Vadeshfold, and through a careful series of questions to Vadesh, he discerns what the knife gives him authority to do on the ship, and how much control he can exert over Vadesh and the expendables of other wallfolds. With the threat constantly looming of violent retribution at the hands of untrustworthy Vadesh, and no certainty that the expendable isn't shading the truth or outright lying to him, Rigg cautiously feels his way in Vadeshfold, keenly attuned to the scent of truth when the wind carries it. To doubt the words and intentions of everyone is the only way to survive in this brave new world.
"We are the beasts that scheme, the predators that predict. We live by the lie, not by the truth; we study the truth only to shape more convincing lies that will bend other people to our will."
—Ruins, P. 334
In typical Orson Scott Card fashion, Ruins hoards "Ah-ha!" moments like the literary mint has stopped producing them, turning our perception of the story's paradigm upside down repeatedly. The sophisticated physics and logistics of Cardian time-travel are bewildering enough as is, but we're asked to follow the chess game further still in this second book of the Pathfinder trilogy, and the smartest of literates is likely to have his or her mind muddled now and then. Human and interspecies ethics, time-space mechanics and quantum theory and beyond, gymnastics of logic that demonstrate the contortionist mental flexibility of the author, and story twists on twists on twists that we couldn't have conceived of are a package deal with this book, as only Orson Scott Card routinely delivers them. Rigg's leadership will be tested: Is he qualified to lead a group with such an eclectic spread of fine talents as the quartet he has with him? Why does Rigg always end up giving the orders, even though he doesn't desire to lead and his friends have leadership aspirations of their own? What of his sister, Param, raised a princess of a royal family in exile, forced from infancy to despise the crown and live in the shame of a fallen monarch, a girl whose time-travel ability complements Rigg's and Umbo's as she "slices" time and goes invisible to the ordinary human eye, a talent that gave her much-needed privacy in her mother's disgraced royal household all through her childhood and early teen years? As Param makes decisions in the real world for the first time in her life, traveling with a crowd of far less noble breeding (excepting Rigg) than she is accustomed, can she look past the prejudices of her lineage to discern her rightful place on Rigg's team, whatever it may be and to whomever it be expedient she render herself a helper? Loaf and Olivenko are the oldest members of the group, trained soldiers and intellects equal to the task of protecting Rigg and Param, but the two men are just as perplexed as to what is happening on the planet Garden, and are left questioning who is really in charge of this expedition.
In light of Rigg's heroics at the end of Pathfinder and take-charge attitude now that the wall has been breached and the five of them are safely in Vadeshfold away from their Ramfold pursuers, Umbo targets Rigg in his own mind, harboring growing resentment of what the uncrowned Sessamekesh heir is able to do that he cannot. Ram focused his time on Rigg, despite not being any more a genetic father to Rigg than he was to Umbo. Umbo might be just as good a leader as Rigg, mightn't he? And aren't his time-altering skills every bit as potent? As Umbo's anger simmers and their party of five moves toward discovering their ultimate purpose in Vadeshfold, a catastrophic reality comes to light: The Visitors, humans from planet Earth who settled Garden millennia ago, will return in only a few years to check on Garden's inhabitants. After this initial vetting, the Visitors will depart, then come back...as Destroyers, to annihilate life on Garden in its every form. Why would the Visitors destroy the people of their own colony planet, who greet the coming of the Visitors in nothing but peace? It is messages sent back through time from this bleak future after the Visitors' destruction that alert Rigg to the fate of Garden, and it's up to Rigg and his friends to engineer a way to prevent the Destroyers from doing their dark deed. Nine times already attempts have been made to alter the dismal future, and each try has ended in the same fiery purge from deep space. What can Rigg do differently to preserve the future of Garden?
I'm more convinced than ever after reading Ruins that Orson Scott Card has a brilliant mind, far beyond my own intelligence. His feel for the contours of story is more than I can comprehend, and his view of characters, deep psychology, and the outer limits of science are justifiably regarded with the highest esteem. The twists he conceals in his novels are more than clever "gotcha" moments borne of excellent planning: they are foundationally strong, profound observations of the human condition and why we do the things we do, what rationalizations we plead to condone ourselves and what it means when we accept a line of logic or morality but others affected by our subsequent behavior do not. It makes for fascinating, stringently challenging reading, and I love it, as difficult as it can be. Orson Scott Card's wisdom as a storyteller is beyond fault, powerful and illuminating of others as well as ourselves, and I want to highlight a few examples in this review. Early on as his resentment for Rigg boils, Umbo finds his feelings being redirected to the expendables lying to them all, and wonders if it really is the varied outside agents of frustration that disgust him, or if the problem is internal. "But was it them that he really resented? Was it anybody, really, that was making him feel this way? Or did he simply have these feelings and searched for someone outside himself to blame them on?" I've asked myself that question many times, usually without a satisfactory answer. It's validating, though, to see others ask it of themselves. Then there's this engaging piece, which speaks for itself: "It's a lot more fun to hear stories about other people than to live through them yourself...Because when somebody told you a story, he knew how it was going to come out. He wouldn't tell it to you if it wasn't worth telling, if it didn't amount to something. But when you're living through it, you don't know if it's going to come out well, or even matter at all. Maybe you come all this way and the story goes on down a tunnel and you're left behind, no longer part of it. Maybe you came back and warned yourself and saved yourself a serious beating—but that's what ended the story for you. No broken arm, no torn ear—but also doomed to...go on and on, wandering, exploring, all to no effect, accomplishing nothing because you listened to your beaten-up time-traveling self and took yourself right out of the story." There's a lot to muse over in those paragraphs, more than I can unpack here, and it's even more thought-provoking in the context of the narrative. Who but Orson Scott Card thinks to serve up such conundrums to his readers? There are a few writers who do, but not many.
Ah, here is Olivenko's rebuttal to the idea that surrendering to death after a lifetime of weariness and severe pain could be a welcome release: "And yet I don't want to do it...Not now, not ever. Miserable as I sometimes am in this life, I like being alive...I'm used to having these fingers do my bidding. I don't even have to ask them. Before I even think of what I want, before I could put my wishes into words, they're already obeying me. My feet, too. My eyes open when I want to see, and close when I want to sleep. Such obedient servants. I'd miss them." The soliloquy is a simple one, even humorous, but effective. It speaks to the reader on a visceral level of understanding. And to Param's followup question, "So you think some part of you will persist after death?" "'If not, I won't know it,' said Olivenko. 'And if so, then I'll miss my hands and feet and eyes and also lunch. I'll miss food. And sleep. And waking up.'" That's perfect. Don't ever change, Olivenko.
Orson Scott Card always was an uncompromising supporter of conservative virtues, with innovative, original thinking to support his beliefs, and some commentary of that nature appears in Ruins, particularly when Earth's proclivity for espousing a culture of tolerance is discussed. "'The whole literature of Earth is full of condemnation of people who hate others just for being strange and different,' said Rigg. 'Their histories are full of self-congratulation about how they've left such base impulses behind them. The worst thing their biographers and historians can say about a person is that he judges people on the basis of differences in their physical attributes, their languages, their cultures.'" That sounds good, but Rigg gives a reluctant addendum at Loaf's prodding: "Yes, I know. The very fact that they condemn xenophobia so harshly is proof that they hadn't overcome it at all." "An aspirational virtue, not an achievement", Olivenko adds. They're all correct, of course. Fear of personal differences extends to every dissenting viewpoint out there, not just those whose cause we care to champion. To rail against the intolerant, or the supposedly intolerant, is to expose our lack of tolerance of their worldview because we can't harmonize it with our own. With a few flicks of the pen, Orson Scott Card admonishes those with a xenophobic intolerance of intolerance, calling them to a higher standard of integrity. It's definitely an idea for further pondering.
"When changes come, we start with what we are right then, and then we work to try to become whoever we need to be."
—Olivenko, Ruins, P. 401
It excites the senses to read the rapid-fire exchange between Rigg, Umbo, Loaf, and Olivenko on the subject of virtual intelligence versus the might of the human mind. The speedy, eloquently plotted conversation includes this gem of reasoning from Loaf: "Humans make a machine, and then fool themselves into believing that their own brains are no better than the machines. This allows them to believe that their creation, the computer, is as brilliant as their own minds. But it's a ridiculous self-deception. Computers aren't even in the same league." I agree with that critique, spoken by a military man who has observed the ins and outs of human behavior long enough to opine from a position of authority. Just a few paragraphs later, he contributes the following string of pearlescent reasoning to the back-and-forth: "Life is the soul...Living things have souls, have minds, have thought. Living individuals have their own relationship to the planet they dwell on. Their past is dragged along with their world through space and time. But it persists. Long after the organism dies, its path remains, and all that it was can be recovered, every moment it lived through can be seen, can be revisited." Loaf's education and genetic grooming is lower than that of the others in the group, but he holds his own in any debate with the young prodigies. Loaf is a character of sometimes superb wit, wisdom, and conveyance.
Without any verbal agreement by the others, Rigg has taken on the burden of navigating them through the dangers of every wallfold, the lies of the expendables and of natives poised to deceive them for their own interests, the threats of the powerful and weak in equal measure. But such enormous responsibility exacts a heavy toll on the young Sessamekesh prince, as we see in the following lines when Rigg finds himself engulfed in solitude for a time, with no companion to lend support: "Yes, he was alone, but he needed to be alone; until now, he had not really understood how painful and heavy it was to have the needs of others always in his heart and on his mind." A rest for the weary hero is sometimes necessary, even before the final battle has been waged. The greatest of hearts cannot be turned only outward all the time.
It isn't easy to pinpoint a central theme of Ruins. The story covers so much ground, giving every issue the consideration it deserves, and that adds up to a novel of substance and meaning on an elevated plane from most young-adult works. Introspective readers will rejoice to bury themselves in the more than five hundred pages of this book, for it is a trying and demanding philosophical experience, but one which ultimately nourishes the souls of those valiant enough to make it through to the other side. Orson Scott Card is at or near his best in this second volume of the Pathfinder trilogy, a book equal to or better than the first. I will be there to finish Rigg's story in the third book, Visitors, a happily engaged reader counting himself lucky to have taken part in some small way in Orson Scott Card's legacy. I'm reminded of his observation in the Introduction to the 1991 edition of Ender's Game: "The story of Ender's Game is not this book, though it has that title emblazoned on it. The story is the one that you and I will construct together in your memory. If the story means anything to you at all, then when you remember it afterward, think of it, not as something I created, but rather as something that we made together." I believe that, heart and soul, about the books I read. I recommend Ruins today, tomorrow, and forever, and hope future readers will love it as much as I did. I bequeath it to you with the sincere hope that you take care of each other during your time together. May you both live long in mutual blessing.
February 25, 2021
3.5 rounded up to 4
I read Pathfinder #1 a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it, so I picked up the audio for #2 and #3. Ruins picks where Pathfinder ended. Rigg, Umbo, Param, Loaf, and Olivenko are through the wall and talking to the expendable - Vadesh - for the wall fold they have entered. Turns out he's hiding a lot, but does tell them that all the humans are dead and that there's a fungus in the water that will attach to human faces and that once attached there is no way to remove it that doesn't kill both the fungus and the human. Turns out that Vadesh is a fan of the facemasks and has modified the fungus so that if a human can retain control, the human will benefit greatly from the facemask. A couple of the group end up with them and the benefits are real.
The group then goes to another wall fold where things are very different. This wall fold was permitted to develop technologically (none of the others were). One thing created were sentient mice. The mice have developed beyond what their creators know. Like the expendables, only worse, the mice lie, a lot. Collectively they are smarter than the humans. The humans in this wall fold have some interesting attributes. They also know (don't ask how) that Garden has been destroyed nine times and it may happen again in two years. They hope that Rigg and friends can either prevent the destruction this time or learn enough to prevent it the next time. (Yes, there is a lot of time traveling going on.)
Things get pretty complicated. Umbo twice exists in two bodies in the same place but the two new Umbos are killed before Umbo manages to gain control. Rigg ends up creating another of himself, who doesn't die. Param is killed by the mice but then Rigg and Umbo save her by going back in time to before she's killed and create a new timeline. (Yes, the time travel is confusing.)
This book was not as enjoyable as the first because Rigg, Umbo, and Param turn into pretty typical teenagers with respect to maturity. It is quite annoying; they whine a lot. Umbo in particular spends too much time talking to himself in his head.
Rigg thinks he's discovered the cause of destruction only to find that he just delayed it a very few minutes. As a result, he has to go back in time and undo what he did, which is when there end up being two of him.
While not as good as Pathfinder, #2 was good enough for me to immediately proceed to #3. If nothing else, the 4 stars is deserved by keeping my brain occupied while shoveling snow.
I read Pathfinder #1 a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it, so I picked up the audio for #2 and #3. Ruins picks where Pathfinder ended. Rigg, Umbo, Param, Loaf, and Olivenko are through the wall and talking to the expendable - Vadesh - for the wall fold they have entered. Turns out he's hiding a lot, but does tell them that all the humans are dead and that there's a fungus in the water that will attach to human faces and that once attached there is no way to remove it that doesn't kill both the fungus and the human. Turns out that Vadesh is a fan of the facemasks and has modified the fungus so that if a human can retain control, the human will benefit greatly from the facemask. A couple of the group end up with them and the benefits are real.
The group then goes to another wall fold where things are very different. This wall fold was permitted to develop technologically (none of the others were). One thing created were sentient mice. The mice have developed beyond what their creators know. Like the expendables, only worse, the mice lie, a lot. Collectively they are smarter than the humans. The humans in this wall fold have some interesting attributes. They also know (don't ask how) that Garden has been destroyed nine times and it may happen again in two years. They hope that Rigg and friends can either prevent the destruction this time or learn enough to prevent it the next time. (Yes, there is a lot of time traveling going on.)
Things get pretty complicated. Umbo twice exists in two bodies in the same place but the two new Umbos are killed before Umbo manages to gain control. Rigg ends up creating another of himself, who doesn't die. Param is killed by the mice but then Rigg and Umbo save her by going back in time to before she's killed and create a new timeline. (Yes, the time travel is confusing.)
This book was not as enjoyable as the first because Rigg, Umbo, and Param turn into pretty typical teenagers with respect to maturity. It is quite annoying; they whine a lot. Umbo in particular spends too much time talking to himself in his head.
Rigg thinks he's discovered the cause of destruction only to find that he just delayed it a very few minutes. As a result, he has to go back in time and undo what he did, which is when there end up being two of him.
While not as good as Pathfinder, #2 was good enough for me to immediately proceed to #3. If nothing else, the 4 stars is deserved by keeping my brain occupied while shoveling snow.
June 20, 2018
I really liked to first book so I was looking forward to getting into the second book in the series.
But where the first book moves a long at a good pace and you really come like the characters, the second book comes to a stand still and characters become annoying and petty.
The book has its moments, and there are some redeeming qualities towards the end, but not close to the enjoyment of the first book.
But where the first book moves a long at a good pace and you really come like the characters, the second book comes to a stand still and characters become annoying and petty.
The book has its moments, and there are some redeeming qualities towards the end, but not close to the enjoyment of the first book.
July 11, 2019
The book is very interesting, and contains a very descriptive interpretation of time travel. The plot is crazy and convoluted, and very interesting to watch unfold.
My main issue is it getting bogged down with friction between the characters that appear out of the blue.
Also, I’ve realized that the main characters in all of Card’s books are jerks to their friends.
My main issue is it getting bogged down with friction between the characters that appear out of the blue.
Also, I’ve realized that the main characters in all of Card’s books are jerks to their friends.
June 30, 2024
Ruins continues this series in such a perfect way, it works well to continue the characters growth and no one is left behind. The powers are explained and grown upon masterfully which leads to such confusing and amazing moments. This book also begins to fully explore the world and topics raised in the first one… it’s so good it’s criminal.
March 16, 2020
I'm really considering myself lucky as hell. All the books I've read this year are magnificent and I like every one of them with my whole heart. Let the luck be with me till the end).
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