What do you think?
Rate this book
Mither Mages #2
The Gate Thief
In this sequel to The Lost Gate, bestselling author Orson Scott Card continues his fantastic tale of the Mages of Westil who live in exile on Earth.
Here on Earth, Danny North is still in high school, yet he holds in his heart and mind all the stolen outselves of thirteen centuries of gatemages. The Families still want to kill him if they can't control him…and they can't control him. He is far too powerful.
And on Westil, Wad is now nearly powerless—he lost everything to Danny in their struggle. Even if he can survive the revenge of his enemies, he still must somehow make peace with the Gatemage Daniel North.
For when Danny took that power from Loki, he also took the responsibility for the Great Gates. And when he comes face-to-face with the mages who call themselves Bel and Ishtoreth, he will come to understand just why Loki closed the gates all those centuries ago.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2013
397 people are currently reading
5489 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
891 books20.7k 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,201 reviews
April 16, 2013
And another series crashes and burns.
I really liked the first book in the "series" of books The Lost Gate and was greatly looking forward to the next book, this one. It opened well and I was drawn back into the story of the young Gate mage and his friends...for a while.
This book gets bogged down in teenage angst, emotional baggage and also an attempt to include a philosophical/theological view while burying it in the story.
Didn't work.
I've read books by Mr. Card that I like very much and I've read books that I couldn't get through. I finished this one (though I did skip a bit during some of the attempts at "heart rending" conversation).
On a couple of occasions the problem with the books was/is that Mr.Card's LDS beliefs tend to come heavily to the fore and swamp the story. that's sort of what happens here. The story which started out as an interesting take (though not totally original it was still a good take on the "old gods were powerful beings with magic" it was shaping up well) on mythology. It was a YA type novel of a young man from a family descended from the Norse deities who'd lost most of their power. The protagonist was the "persecuted" member of the family who turns out not only to be the most powerful but also the key to the others getting their full power back.
This novel stumbles badly and lost my interest. With debates on who loves who, what is love and then the nature of Bell the enemy and expansion on how these "gods" work and so on it simply gets...well, blah.
So enjoy if you like it. I didn't really dislike it. It gets a 2 because at first i really liked it. It just bogged down and lost it's focus (at least I thought it did). I don't plan to follow the series from here. This will be a matter of taste I guess, not for me.
I really liked the first book in the "series" of books The Lost Gate and was greatly looking forward to the next book, this one. It opened well and I was drawn back into the story of the young Gate mage and his friends...for a while.
This book gets bogged down in teenage angst, emotional baggage and also an attempt to include a philosophical/theological view while burying it in the story.
Didn't work.
I've read books by Mr. Card that I like very much and I've read books that I couldn't get through. I finished this one (though I did skip a bit during some of the attempts at "heart rending" conversation).
On a couple of occasions the problem with the books was/is that Mr.Card's LDS beliefs tend to come heavily to the fore and swamp the story. that's sort of what happens here. The story which started out as an interesting take (though not totally original it was still a good take on the "old gods were powerful beings with magic" it was shaping up well) on mythology. It was a YA type novel of a young man from a family descended from the Norse deities who'd lost most of their power. The protagonist was the "persecuted" member of the family who turns out not only to be the most powerful but also the key to the others getting their full power back.
This novel stumbles badly and lost my interest. With debates on who loves who, what is love and then the nature of Bell the enemy and expansion on how these "gods" work and so on it simply gets...well, blah.
So enjoy if you like it. I didn't really dislike it. It gets a 2 because at first i really liked it. It just bogged down and lost it's focus (at least I thought it did). I don't plan to follow the series from here. This will be a matter of taste I guess, not for me.
May 6, 2013
Card weaves a fantastic world with a great overarching plot (as only he can do), but then he fills in the rest of the novel with garbage. The majority of this novel was about a teenage boy trying to resist the sexual advances of his friends. Card's afterword made it clear that he was trying to be true to the irresistible qualities of ancient deities. But why ruin a good story for that? Besides being out of place and drawn out to the extreme, it also ruined all of the female characters in the story who just became desperate girls flinging themselves at the protagonist.
I almost stopped reading this book altogether a few times because of how inappropriate some of the content was and despite the great ending to this book (and set up for the sequel), I'm not sure that I will end up finishing the series. I'm mostly shocked that Card branded this as a young adult novel. I have very seldom been disappointed in one of Card's many novels; it's too bad I have to add this one to that very short list.
I almost stopped reading this book altogether a few times because of how inappropriate some of the content was and despite the great ending to this book (and set up for the sequel), I'm not sure that I will end up finishing the series. I'm mostly shocked that Card branded this as a young adult novel. I have very seldom been disappointed in one of Card's many novels; it's too bad I have to add this one to that very short list.
August 30, 2017
I think Orson Scott Card is doing a fantastic job writing good-kid YA. It's really hard. Most of the YA out there is full of stupid kids doing stupid things and while Danny fits the bill, he's still a sight better than most. He's dependable and loyal and he does the right thing even when it would be so easy to just fall into the traps that everyone lays out for him.
I'm talking about sex.
I mean, truly, Danny's now the definition of a god, with super-uber gate-magic powers that not only let him use his imagination and trickery, but they also heal the people that go through them. That's pretty beast, especially since he can make a million of the gates. He's a god among gods. God-Punk at its best. :)
But sex is the downfall of all the gods, is it not? Just look at Zeus. And yet, Danny is trying not to be *that*. Admirable, don't you think?
Alas, this isn't the entire book, but it's an important part. The rest is all about the coming war with Seth, the Dragon, with Satan, with Bel, while all the while having to deal or not deal with the rest of the underpowered mortal-gods as they go through the Great Gate that amps up all their powers, while all the while trying to protect his normal friends. Danny's pretty heroic, but he's still just a kid, and a lot of the dialog is very HS.
In the end, I'm really happy with the shape of this story. I love most of the writing and I think it's really gorgeous when it comes to clarity and how well it explains the magic system and just how huge the stakes are. Stolen souls across time? Yup. Worthy of a tale of gods on Earth. :)
Above all, though, I love just how much comparative religion there is in here and how nicely it dovetails into the action. :)
I'm having a blast with this series. Very easy read, emotional, and a lot of high standards while the rest of humanity and gods wallow in the muck. :) It's pretty awesome, in fact.
(And if you're worried this is just another religious tract, don't worry. It's no more religious than, say, OSC's Speaker For The Dead.) Morals, yes. Hammer over head? No. Just decisions and trying to do the right thing. :)
I'm talking about sex.
I mean, truly, Danny's now the definition of a god, with super-uber gate-magic powers that not only let him use his imagination and trickery, but they also heal the people that go through them. That's pretty beast, especially since he can make a million of the gates. He's a god among gods. God-Punk at its best. :)
But sex is the downfall of all the gods, is it not? Just look at Zeus. And yet, Danny is trying not to be *that*. Admirable, don't you think?
Alas, this isn't the entire book, but it's an important part. The rest is all about the coming war with Seth, the Dragon, with Satan, with Bel, while all the while having to deal or not deal with the rest of the underpowered mortal-gods as they go through the Great Gate that amps up all their powers, while all the while trying to protect his normal friends. Danny's pretty heroic, but he's still just a kid, and a lot of the dialog is very HS.
In the end, I'm really happy with the shape of this story. I love most of the writing and I think it's really gorgeous when it comes to clarity and how well it explains the magic system and just how huge the stakes are. Stolen souls across time? Yup. Worthy of a tale of gods on Earth. :)
Above all, though, I love just how much comparative religion there is in here and how nicely it dovetails into the action. :)
I'm having a blast with this series. Very easy read, emotional, and a lot of high standards while the rest of humanity and gods wallow in the muck. :) It's pretty awesome, in fact.
(And if you're worried this is just another religious tract, don't worry. It's no more religious than, say, OSC's Speaker For The Dead.) Morals, yes. Hammer over head? No. Just decisions and trying to do the right thing. :)
July 9, 2016
Well, this is a difficult one. I liked the story and thought it was a good continuation of book 1, but there are also a few things that stuck in my throat about The gate thief.
Let me tell you that I'm generally not very interested in an author's personal views, as long as his books are good. So far, I've enjoyed most of OSC's works, despite the fact that all his heroes are male, all his books experience a dearth of women or girls, and the ones that are there tend to be inferior to the men. I've managed to step over all that, because Ender's game. Because Pathfinder. And yes, because The lost gate.
But then I'm reading The gate thief. First, all the drowther (read:muggle) girls want to sleep with Danny North, the main character. Eye-roll worthy, but ok, whatever. Then, Danny compares the girls to man-mages in his mind. Man-mages are considered the most evil of mages, because they manipulate and control people. Riiiight. Not having fun here. And then, the most brilliant thing of all, Danny's almost-girlfriend, the one girl who is genuinely interested in him and not just in having his babies says to him: It's an instinct, Danny. We want to be pregnant when our man goes off to war."
Ugh, ugh, ugh! That line just made me sick.
In his afterword, OSC claims he put all of this in, because there are so many examples in myths of gods sleeping with women, and that even in the real world, there are women who fall for guys with power. Fine. Then put ONE woman like that in, or two, but all of them? And there is really no excuse for the above quote.
I want to finish the series and see how it all ends, but I really hope OSC tones it down from here on, because I don't need books that make me want to throw up in my life...
Let me tell you that I'm generally not very interested in an author's personal views, as long as his books are good. So far, I've enjoyed most of OSC's works, despite the fact that all his heroes are male, all his books experience a dearth of women or girls, and the ones that are there tend to be inferior to the men. I've managed to step over all that, because Ender's game. Because Pathfinder. And yes, because The lost gate.
But then I'm reading The gate thief. First, all the drowther (read:muggle) girls want to sleep with Danny North, the main character. Eye-roll worthy, but ok, whatever. Then, Danny compares the girls to man-mages in his mind. Man-mages are considered the most evil of mages, because they manipulate and control people. Riiiight. Not having fun here. And then, the most brilliant thing of all, Danny's almost-girlfriend, the one girl who is genuinely interested in him and not just in having his babies says to him: It's an instinct, Danny. We want to be pregnant when our man goes off to war."
Ugh, ugh, ugh! That line just made me sick.
In his afterword, OSC claims he put all of this in, because there are so many examples in myths of gods sleeping with women, and that even in the real world, there are women who fall for guys with power. Fine. Then put ONE woman like that in, or two, but all of them? And there is really no excuse for the above quote.
I want to finish the series and see how it all ends, but I really hope OSC tones it down from here on, because I don't need books that make me want to throw up in my life...
December 27, 2014
I'd love to give this book a higher rating. It has a great premise, and cool moments, but so much of the book was mind numbingly boring I wanted to give up. It seemed like every other page was:
And then Dan learned that his gate magic X could let him do Y but only when he first did A and Wad let him see B. But then he figured out if Z1 was doing Z2 he could lift the gate so that A1 could see B1 but not A1. But this was only the beginning because OH MY FRAKING GOD HOW CAN YOU MAKE TELEPORTATION MAGIC BORING!?!?!?!?!?
And then Dan learned that his gate magic X could let him do Y but only when he first did A and Wad let him see B. But then he figured out if Z1 was doing Z2 he could lift the gate so that A1 could see B1 but not A1. But this was only the beginning because OH MY FRAKING GOD HOW CAN YOU MAKE TELEPORTATION MAGIC BORING!?!?!?!?!?
July 2, 2019
I haven't finished this book yet. I'm very near the end but something has just happened and I felt compelled to let you all know immediately. I enjoyed The Lost Gate, despite the women being a bit shit in it and the very teenage boy viewpoint. I was hanging in there with The Gate Thief, I really was. I am interested in the story, I liked the two stories in the The Lost Gate and wanted to see what happened. But every single woman in this story is a stereotype. Every single one. Lesley is a soft-hearted mum. Vivi (I have no idea what her name is, I'm listening to the audiobook, which is read very well by two actors) is bitchy and obsessed with things, women call other women bitches, every single one of them bar Lesley want to sleep with the teenage protagonist, his teenage friends talk like they've been written by a horny middle aged man and refer to their 'knockers' (very weird to hear a man say in an American accent in the audiobook, by they way) and then claim 'no one says 'knockers'' - very odd banter, not convincingly teenage at all but obviously this dude loves knockers, AND THEN
THIS JUST HAPPENED:
Danny's teenage kind of girlfriend (I'm being kind and trying not to spoil it for you but it doesn't really matter because apparently he is irresistible and all women care about is power, so he gets felt up by or kissed or pursued by every woman ever) who he has kissed only twice and who has just said she loves him:
"You're going off to war. When you told us what you'd spent all night doing I thought 'what if something had gone wrong? What if (SPOILER-FREE CHARACTER) had trapped him or tricked him and he simply never came back?' And instead of crying when I thought that, my hands just instinctively went to my belly (ME: SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE FUCK), my empty uterus (ME: NOPE). It's an instinct, Danny (ME: *white hot rage building coupled with disbelief). We want to be pregnant when our man goes off to war."
And I said "FUCK OFF" out loud, stopped playback and came to write this review. Who knows if I'll ever find out what happens? I'm too mad to listen right now. Thankfully, I borrowed this audiobook from the library and didn't pay a penny for it. Thank you for your time.
THIS JUST HAPPENED:
Danny's teenage kind of girlfriend (I'm being kind and trying not to spoil it for you but it doesn't really matter because apparently he is irresistible and all women care about is power, so he gets felt up by or kissed or pursued by every woman ever) who he has kissed only twice and who has just said she loves him:
"You're going off to war. When you told us what you'd spent all night doing I thought 'what if something had gone wrong? What if (SPOILER-FREE CHARACTER) had trapped him or tricked him and he simply never came back?' And instead of crying when I thought that, my hands just instinctively went to my belly (ME: SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE FUCK), my empty uterus (ME: NOPE). It's an instinct, Danny (ME: *white hot rage building coupled with disbelief). We want to be pregnant when our man goes off to war."
And I said "FUCK OFF" out loud, stopped playback and came to write this review. Who knows if I'll ever find out what happens? I'm too mad to listen right now. Thankfully, I borrowed this audiobook from the library and didn't pay a penny for it. Thank you for your time.
November 25, 2014
This is the second installment in the Mither Mages series and actually quite an improvement. I thought the first book (Don't get too overwhelmed with that over-inclusive review) was good and even great in places, but fell short in a number of ways.
The Gate Thief takes the interesting ideas of the first book, The Lost Gate, and puts them to good use. The only problem with this has a little to do with Brandon Sanderson's first law of magic systems:
I have to admit, I was extremely impressed with how much the magic system played a part in the plot of this book. In order to do this, Card has to explain in quite a bit of detail how that magic system works and why it matters.
In the afterward, Card explains how he started writing this book and then when it was getting close to his due date for the manuscript, he was just realizing what he had done needed to be completely reworked. I have to say it paid off. What could have been a phone in was actually a really interesting read that depended heavily on the magic, which if you think about too much is really quite amazing.
One thing I did notice is this book, much more than the first, relies heavily on Mormon doctrine and anymore, as I just realized as I tried to explain, would reveal some rather large spoilers.
I think this series is shaping up quite well. I'm looking forward to more, even if it takes a couple extra years.
4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)
The Gate Thief takes the interesting ideas of the first book, The Lost Gate, and puts them to good use. The only problem with this has a little to do with Brandon Sanderson's first law of magic systems:
Sanderson’s First Law of Magics: An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic.
I have to admit, I was extremely impressed with how much the magic system played a part in the plot of this book. In order to do this, Card has to explain in quite a bit of detail how that magic system works and why it matters.
In the afterward, Card explains how he started writing this book and then when it was getting close to his due date for the manuscript, he was just realizing what he had done needed to be completely reworked. I have to say it paid off. What could have been a phone in was actually a really interesting read that depended heavily on the magic, which if you think about too much is really quite amazing.
One thing I did notice is this book, much more than the first, relies heavily on Mormon doctrine and anymore, as I just realized as I tried to explain, would reveal some rather large spoilers.
I think this series is shaping up quite well. I'm looking forward to more, even if it takes a couple extra years.
4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)
March 20, 2013
One star is lost for OSC not being able to resist putting his negative feelings about gay people into the book.
One star is lost for bashing on YA literature about 10-15 times and suggesting that every YA book ever made is crap compared to Card's "far superior" "adult fiction."
The other 3 stars are for his excellent storytelling. Card is a master of his craft, but he is also an arrogant, privileged ass.
One star is lost for bashing on YA literature about 10-15 times and suggesting that every YA book ever made is crap compared to Card's "far superior" "adult fiction."
The other 3 stars are for his excellent storytelling. Card is a master of his craft, but he is also an arrogant, privileged ass.
April 13, 2013
Journeyed up its own ass with exposition because the story got much too obsessed with its own lore. As a result the book dragged terribly and the conclusion was much too predictable. Characters became pure expository explainers, sitting in a room doing nothing to advance the plot while alternately emoting their motivations or blathering half-cracked mythology.
October 28, 2013
I thought it had a great great plot line, it was actually quite brilliant, but like some of the other books he's written it had a lot of sexual references. There was one sex scene in the book that I thought was pretty bad. Now granted there was a reason for it I (wont tell you). Also he was a teenage boy but in my opinion that still doesn't want to justify the sex.
June 9, 2014
Tedious book. Mildly intriguing in parts, but the book gets slogged down with so much ka and ba explanation that it becomes kind of boring. It's definitely not a page turner for me. I felt like I was having to force myself to finish; I might not have except I wanted to see if anything actually happened in this book. It finally did in the last fifteen pages.
May 16, 2021
This one picks up from the last book in the Mithermage series. This was a decent story and gets more into Danny's character development which aids the plot. Card gives the story life with the unique magic system from the first book and keeps the expectation. Overall a decent story without having to overthink or analysis anything. Definitely grab this one if you enjoyed the first book. Thanks!
March 7, 2018
Started off well, then slumped terribly. RTC to come.......
March 30, 2013
To me, a 2-star book is one that I managed to read all the way thru despite being tempted to throw in the towel, then in the end it proved not worth the effort. This is one of those boox.
Don't get me wrong: I love much of what Card writes, and I've read everything he's ever published. But sometimes he gets off on a tangent, and this is one of those times. It's a sequel to The Lost Gate, which was better because it lacked all the angst and breast-beating of this one, and actually told a story.
Don't get me wrong: I love much of what Card writes, and I've read everything he's ever published. But sometimes he gets off on a tangent, and this is one of those times. It's a sequel to The Lost Gate, which was better because it lacked all the angst and breast-beating of this one, and actually told a story.
May 10, 2013
Move over Stephenie Meyer...there is another Mormon author edging in on the adolescent soft porn market. While I have read and generally enjoy Cards books, this one was too much of a departure*. The main Characters all seem to be obsessed with Sex. Yes, I know that the book is about ancient mythical gods who were quite promiscuous, and that actual teens are obsesses with Sex, but that doesn't mean Card has a responsibility to graphically illustrate this. If it _has_ to part of the story fine... but at least 30% of this book deals directly with Sex. Within these pages, you'll find such gems as "I want you inside me", "but though I didn't want to, I said yes", "at the moment of release", "I want you to put a baby in me", "He's not gay or maybe he is" just to name a few.
Another thing that derailed this story was the main characters over fascination with being a high school student. Fine, Danny starts this book by trying to hide with the normal kids, and have a normal life. But then everything goes nuts, his power increases, and he's the most powerful person on Earth. Right after making a treaty with the volatile families who are at moment coming to kill him and his friends, he stresses about "having missed a whole day of school" and "having to make assignments up later". What? Clearly, his tole as a Gate Father is going to supersede his need to pretend to be in high school.
I found it annoying that Card was trying to jam in current popular cultural references, which he usually does not. "I uploaded it to YouTube", "I guess you didn't get the 'How I Met Your Mother' reference" or "We have a black president". I see what he's trying to do there...draw me in with relevant references... but don't. Go ahead an model your fantasy world after mine, but leave the specifics out of it.
I really sense Cards jealousy of Meyers here. I'd actually feel better if this book was a result of a gentleman's wager. Something like "Oh ya?! Meyer isn't so great. I bet I can write a shallow book about teenage sex and Mormons will still buy it by the case! In fact, they'll sell my teen porn book at Deseret Book." Card, let me know if this is the case, and we can all have a good laugh.
*(I wanted to acknowledge that I know Card is no stranger to having controversial language and sexual themes in his books. I am not as the Zoobies say, shocked and appalled by this. Cuss words and references to sex pepper most of his books. Enders Jeesh loves to swear...and did you ever read "A Planet Called Treason"? Sex and sexual organs and transgender issues galore. Fahgedaboutit.)
Another thing that derailed this story was the main characters over fascination with being a high school student. Fine, Danny starts this book by trying to hide with the normal kids, and have a normal life. But then everything goes nuts, his power increases, and he's the most powerful person on Earth. Right after making a treaty with the volatile families who are at moment coming to kill him and his friends, he stresses about "having missed a whole day of school" and "having to make assignments up later". What? Clearly, his tole as a Gate Father is going to supersede his need to pretend to be in high school.
I found it annoying that Card was trying to jam in current popular cultural references, which he usually does not. "I uploaded it to YouTube", "I guess you didn't get the 'How I Met Your Mother' reference" or "We have a black president". I see what he's trying to do there...draw me in with relevant references... but don't. Go ahead an model your fantasy world after mine, but leave the specifics out of it.
I really sense Cards jealousy of Meyers here. I'd actually feel better if this book was a result of a gentleman's wager. Something like "Oh ya?! Meyer isn't so great. I bet I can write a shallow book about teenage sex and Mormons will still buy it by the case! In fact, they'll sell my teen porn book at Deseret Book." Card, let me know if this is the case, and we can all have a good laugh.
*(I wanted to acknowledge that I know Card is no stranger to having controversial language and sexual themes in his books. I am not as the Zoobies say, shocked and appalled by this. Cuss words and references to sex pepper most of his books. Enders Jeesh loves to swear...and did you ever read "A Planet Called Treason"? Sex and sexual organs and transgender issues galore. Fahgedaboutit.)
June 13, 2013
**Disclaimer** After I found out about what a douche OSC was being IRL, I removed him from my favorite authors list and swore I wouldn't support him with my money. So this book came from the library and I didn't feel bad about reading it. But regardless of my feelings about OSC's irl assholery, that is not tainting my review of this book, even though I'm mad about the fact that I'm going to miss the Ender movie.
_____________________________________________________
Review:
6/13/13 WTF has happened to OSC? If you have read any of his earlier works like the Ender series, or Alvin Maker, or even The Women of Genesis, then you know that he is capable of truly very good writing.
This book sucked.
The writing about teenagers was so bad it made me cringe. Truly, OSC, teenagers do not now nor have they ever acted this way.
The story could have been good, but it got sucked down into an I'm-going-to-explain-all-this-shit-that-doesn't-need-explaining-in-minute-detail vortex that ate it's soul. Also not much happens except at the beginning and the end of the book. The entire middle is full of explanation and horny teenage girls trying to touch our protagonist's junk.
In conclusion there is just one thing I'd like to say directly to Orson Scott Card: Writing bad books and being a tool is no way to go through life son.
6/8/13 I'm about 3/4th of the way through and there are a couple of things.
1) Explaining things. In dialogue. Second book I've read in a row that messes that up. In hard Scifi, I enjoy a good bit of explanation, not always in dialogue though, but I understand that these things are important, and the possibility of it is intriguing. In a fantasy world where things *can not* be possible irl, then I don't need to know the delicate inner workings of every single thing that contributes to... every single thing. That's the beauty. It's magic.
2) Teenagers. I'm offended on behalf of all teenagers, and especially those slutty teenage girls out there. You know how I know OSC is old? I read his book about teenagers. Seriously, they go from having conversations that would more likely occur between a bunch of 10 year olds to all of the girls trying to get in the lead protagonist's pants in the space of minutes.
_____________________________________________________
Review:
6/13/13 WTF has happened to OSC? If you have read any of his earlier works like the Ender series, or Alvin Maker, or even The Women of Genesis, then you know that he is capable of truly very good writing.
This book sucked.
The writing about teenagers was so bad it made me cringe. Truly, OSC, teenagers do not now nor have they ever acted this way.
The story could have been good, but it got sucked down into an I'm-going-to-explain-all-this-shit-that-doesn't-need-explaining-in-minute-detail vortex that ate it's soul. Also not much happens except at the beginning and the end of the book. The entire middle is full of explanation and horny teenage girls trying to touch our protagonist's junk.
In conclusion there is just one thing I'd like to say directly to Orson Scott Card: Writing bad books and being a tool is no way to go through life son.
6/8/13 I'm about 3/4th of the way through and there are a couple of things.
1) Explaining things. In dialogue. Second book I've read in a row that messes that up. In hard Scifi, I enjoy a good bit of explanation, not always in dialogue though, but I understand that these things are important, and the possibility of it is intriguing. In a fantasy world where things *can not* be possible irl, then I don't need to know the delicate inner workings of every single thing that contributes to... every single thing. That's the beauty. It's magic.
2) Teenagers. I'm offended on behalf of all teenagers, and especially those slutty teenage girls out there. You know how I know OSC is old? I read his book about teenagers. Seriously, they go from having conversations that would more likely occur between a bunch of 10 year olds to all of the girls trying to get in the lead protagonist's pants in the space of minutes.
March 22, 2013
Fantastic second book in this series. Cant wait for the last one!
June 18, 2013
I'm hoping the third book is as polished as the first.
Like many other reviewers noted,
Also, apparently being gay should be treated as a pejorative. Please. NOM has done nothing good for you or your work, Mr. Card.
Like many other reviewers noted,
Also, apparently being gay should be treated as a pejorative. Please. NOM has done nothing good for you or your work, Mr. Card.
October 16, 2017
Comenzamos diciendo que es una segunda parte, de “La Puerta Oculta”. Y además acaba cuando le sale del orto, con cuelgue total.
Y ya para contar todo lo malo decir que hay dos capítulos donde el Sr. Card se explaya intentando justificar el sistema de magia, que si el “ka” y el “ba” y las partes del alma y del cuerpo. Que se lo podía haber evitado, vamos. Que no hace falta para el desarrollo del asunto y es pelín
Y tras estas partes negativas, todo lo demás muy bien. Los personajes un poco flojetes para lo que esperaba de Card pero lo compensa con unas transiciones narrativas buenas que te llevan en volandas del principio al fin.
De todas formas no hace falta leer nada de esto: como en muchas segundas partes te la leerás si te ha gustado la primera. Como a mí lo hizo pues aquí estoy escribiendo esto. ¿La tercer parte la leeré cuando salga? Pues sí, pero tampoco es que la espere con ansia.
Se queda con tres estrellas. Altas, pero no llega a cuatro. Lo acabé hace tres días y el regusto que me deja no es nada del otro jueves.
Y ya para contar todo lo malo decir que hay dos capítulos donde el Sr. Card se explaya intentando justificar el sistema de magia, que si el “ka” y el “ba” y las partes del alma y del cuerpo. Que se lo podía haber evitado, vamos. Que no hace falta para el desarrollo del asunto y es pelín
Y tras estas partes negativas, todo lo demás muy bien. Los personajes un poco flojetes para lo que esperaba de Card pero lo compensa con unas transiciones narrativas buenas que te llevan en volandas del principio al fin.
De todas formas no hace falta leer nada de esto: como en muchas segundas partes te la leerás si te ha gustado la primera. Como a mí lo hizo pues aquí estoy escribiendo esto. ¿La tercer parte la leeré cuando salga? Pues sí, pero tampoco es que la espere con ansia.
Se queda con tres estrellas. Altas, pero no llega a cuatro. Lo acabé hace tres días y el regusto que me deja no es nada del otro jueves.
March 18, 2021
Orson Scott Card is clearly a raging misogynist. It is so apparent in all his books, but it was disgusting in this one; all the (teenage, like 16-year-old) girls wanted to be impregnated because this one guy has powers.
I really liked Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow when I was young, but the sequels were incredibly disappointing. This book was even worse. I think Card is a good world-builder, but he's not a good storyteller. He doesn't know where to take the story and it gets boring with little payoff. I have no interest in trying to read the last book in the series, not only was this book tough to get through, I can't see how the next book is satisfying in any way to read. Wouldn't recommend.
I really liked Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow when I was young, but the sequels were incredibly disappointing. This book was even worse. I think Card is a good world-builder, but he's not a good storyteller. He doesn't know where to take the story and it gets boring with little payoff. I have no interest in trying to read the last book in the series, not only was this book tough to get through, I can't see how the next book is satisfying in any way to read. Wouldn't recommend.
April 17, 2012
I really liked this book and look forward to the next one in the series!
November 12, 2019
I didn't finish this and I never will. This is not how teenagers talk or behave "She doesn't really love you, she just wants your god-baby in her belly". Actually, no one talks like that.
June 30, 2013
Well, I hate to do it because I like Orson Scott Card, but I fairly detested this book. To be fair, however, I wasn't aware this was a sequel to a previous Mithermages book. But wouldn't it be helpful if the front cover indicated that this was #2? Unfortunately, I figured this out simply by reading and realizing that half the significant memories the characters had were not even in The Gate Thief. Nevertheless, I continued reading and these are my impressions of this book:
Firstly- magic, magic, magic- there's so much magic in this novel that it seemed a little cheap. Like there was an answer to everything. Just use the oh-so-convenient magic (usually that of the main character, Danny North).
Also, the main character was way too perfect. He seemed too invincible, smart, witty, charming, and infinitely too sexually attractive to all women. I could not relate to this character in the least. In fact, he seemed a little smart-ass and I found myself disliking him by the end.
I found the connection of Greek gods and goddesses, high-school teenagers with magic abilities, and Lucifer and his minions from the New Testament to be WAY out there. This is purely my opinion- but I enjoy fantasies that take place in their own world. It seemed like The Gate Thief tried too hard to connect basic beliefs I already have with fictional elements. Perhaps Card did this to evoke a stronger emotional attachment to the characters? I don't know- but it failed.
Perhaps I don't understand what it's like to pass through a gate in this story- but anyone who has ever played the video game, Portal, knows that if you fall through one portal into another which leads back to the one you just fell through, you will reach terminal velocity. From my understanding, terminal velocity is the speed at which your body will fall where it can no longer fall any faster. So my question is this, can someone who is falling at the speed of terminal velocity fall harmlessly into a pile of straw in a typical barn? Meaning, they don't die or get hurt in any way? I have my doubts this would be possible. Apparently, Card would disagree with me (see page 75).
And finally, I confess- I did not understand most of the terminology in this book. Perhaps it was better explained in the first novel of the series- but as for The Gate Thief, I was completely lost. I have no idea what an 'outself' or 'inself' is. I haven't the slightest idea about the meaning of a 'clant.' And a 'heartbound'...? And for that matter, I don't understand why gatemages are limited to a certain number of gates and they can actually give their gates away or try to "eat" other gates. If they're so magical, why can't they create an infinite number of gates?
Ultimately, this book was a disappointment. Again, I feel like I could have been spared the pain of reading this novel if only they would have printed, "#2 in the Mithermages series" on the front cover. But I liked the character named, 'Wad' and the world of 'Westil.'
Firstly- magic, magic, magic- there's so much magic in this novel that it seemed a little cheap. Like there was an answer to everything. Just use the oh-so-convenient magic (usually that of the main character, Danny North).
Also, the main character was way too perfect. He seemed too invincible, smart, witty, charming, and infinitely too sexually attractive to all women. I could not relate to this character in the least. In fact, he seemed a little smart-ass and I found myself disliking him by the end.
I found the connection of Greek gods and goddesses, high-school teenagers with magic abilities, and Lucifer and his minions from the New Testament to be WAY out there. This is purely my opinion- but I enjoy fantasies that take place in their own world. It seemed like The Gate Thief tried too hard to connect basic beliefs I already have with fictional elements. Perhaps Card did this to evoke a stronger emotional attachment to the characters? I don't know- but it failed.
Perhaps I don't understand what it's like to pass through a gate in this story- but anyone who has ever played the video game, Portal, knows that if you fall through one portal into another which leads back to the one you just fell through, you will reach terminal velocity. From my understanding, terminal velocity is the speed at which your body will fall where it can no longer fall any faster. So my question is this, can someone who is falling at the speed of terminal velocity fall harmlessly into a pile of straw in a typical barn? Meaning, they don't die or get hurt in any way? I have my doubts this would be possible. Apparently, Card would disagree with me (see page 75).
And finally, I confess- I did not understand most of the terminology in this book. Perhaps it was better explained in the first novel of the series- but as for The Gate Thief, I was completely lost. I have no idea what an 'outself' or 'inself' is. I haven't the slightest idea about the meaning of a 'clant.' And a 'heartbound'...? And for that matter, I don't understand why gatemages are limited to a certain number of gates and they can actually give their gates away or try to "eat" other gates. If they're so magical, why can't they create an infinite number of gates?
Ultimately, this book was a disappointment. Again, I feel like I could have been spared the pain of reading this novel if only they would have printed, "#2 in the Mithermages series" on the front cover. But I liked the character named, 'Wad' and the world of 'Westil.'
April 18, 2013
Like Pathfinder, this series gets more philosophical in the second book and a lot less happens. In the first, Danny was discovering his powers, balancing his power with responsibility and a thirst for friendship. Now he just uses his friends to bounce ideas off, and they pretty much talk for the whole book. Moral issues are an interesting and important part of having superpowers, often not explored enough, but there does need to be a balance, and discussion should flow naturally from the situations presented, instead of in dry dialogue. One of the most frustrating things was that every girl was trying to throw herself at Danny. Maybe plausible, once they knew he had powers, although it was stretching, but the most frustrating part was the reasons given for it. They just wanted to get pregnant, have his baby, because he was powerful and they were attracted to power. These are adolescent girls, I really don't think that even if they wanted to have sex with him, it would be about getting pregnant. Even if there is the subconscious biological urge, most girls wouldn't articulate these ideas. Danny resists, which I don't have a problem with, since sex is a cause of so many problems in the world today, but the way he does it is so unbelievable. He is so divorced from his emotions, with his head thinking pure logic, and we don't feel the struggle. In that type of situation, there would be a lot of confusion, trying to be good morally, wanting to give in emotionally, and logic probably wouldn't enter, just would knock timidly from the outside while emotions wrestled. Time after time, the situation goes like this: Danny finds himself alone with girl. Girl moves forward, making obvious advances, saying she wants to have his baby. Danny thinks: oh, this is biological, she just evolved this way. Oh, I evolved to respond to this. My body would be pleased. But this is wrong. She doesn't know what she's doing. Teleport away. Safe! It felt like an insult to women everywhere, to suggest they would all throw themselves on anyone with a bit of power. Still, other ideas were interesting, and when there was action, it was entertaining enough, plus the revelations got you hooked. I would have liked having other powers explored more, instead of just gating. The final conflict was anticlimatic. With all of this, I will probably read the last book when it comes out, hoping it gets back to action instead of pondering. Orson Scott Card's writing is good, I just wish he would focus more on content and story.
May 22, 2013
This was... awful. The characters were all over the place, with no part that seemed to last more than a scene. The dialogue was completely unbelievable, particularly the high school students. The long, rambling expositions on "ba" and "ka" were not only boring, but unnecessary. The entire plot with Baal was unnecessary and yet Card seemed to feel (based on what he wrote in the Afterward) that it was the main part of the story. It was the least interesting, least compelling, least well explained, and would have been a stronger story without it.
It pains me to say anything negative about Card, whose work I have adored for years, but this was so, so bad. I won't be reading the next book in this series.
It pains me to say anything negative about Card, whose work I have adored for years, but this was so, so bad. I won't be reading the next book in this series.
January 2, 2021
Updated from 4 to 2 stars. After reading Gatefather it is clear this book sets up a dismissal of sexual assault. Before reading Gatefather I had thought if it did not have as many female characters it would be a 1 or 2 star for me. Most of the girls can't keep their hands off Danny. Most of the characters are 2d but if anything the female side characters are a bit more explained. It got 4 stars though because I had really got into it and wanted to know what happens and I liked the way mythology is woven into the story so overall it done well telling an interesting story in a setting from an interesting premise.
March 23, 2013
The best thing I can say about this one is that, with heavy Editting, it might make a half decent ya book, though Card openly despises them so there is that. Overall it felt very weak and the ending was incredibly abrupt. Also I have to say that Card's homophobia cropped up pretty oddly, with characters randomly proclaiming they weren't gay or really did like to look at breasts.
March 5, 2019
Really the only negative thing I have to say is that I literally hate how EVERY single female character wanted to sleep with Danny North. Other than that I really enjoyed this second installment of the Mither Mages series.
March 4, 2022
Teenage boy fantasy drivel. There is more time spent describing the bodies of teenage girls and the effect they have on the teenage hero than anything else plot related. And of course they're all inexplicably smitten with the teenage hero, who is too noble and important to give in to such frivolity. Fantasy fiction indeed.
July 1, 2013
There was one scene in the first book ("The Lost Gate") that seemed totally out of place. It was quite sexual, and seemed totally unrelated to the plot. It got a lot of commentary in the reviews. If you didn't like that bit, you may want to be advised before picking this one up. There's a lot more to come.
The idea that teen girls might want to sleep with their friend who is not only a nice guy but also a super-powerful Norse god makes sense, but it really took over in some parts, and made a lot of characters boring, and interrupted the action. The idea may have been important to the plot, but I didn't need to be constantly reminded about it.
I also thought the enemy was too much. A melding of every most evil being from a variety of religions just seemed, well ... too evil to want to read about in a fantasy novel. Or maybe it just seemed too close in some ways to what some (myself included) believe is the truth.
The thing I liked in this book was that Danny (the protagonist) was really good. He always tried to do what was right. I'm happy to have a hero with a strong will and strong principles. He did everything he could not to kill people, and resisted his teenage impulses to sleep with the girls who threw themselves at him.
While I've been in awe of Mr Card's storytelling abilities many times, I can't really recommend this series. If you want some great OSC reading, you may have to go back to the Enderverse. (If you haven't read "First Meetings," that's one of my favorites.)
The idea that teen girls might want to sleep with their friend who is not only a nice guy but also a super-powerful Norse god makes sense, but it really took over in some parts, and made a lot of characters boring, and interrupted the action. The idea may have been important to the plot, but I didn't need to be constantly reminded about it.
I also thought the enemy was too much. A melding of every most evil being from a variety of religions just seemed, well ... too evil to want to read about in a fantasy novel. Or maybe it just seemed too close in some ways to what some (myself included) believe is the truth.
The thing I liked in this book was that Danny (the protagonist) was really good. He always tried to do what was right. I'm happy to have a hero with a strong will and strong principles. He did everything he could not to kill people, and resisted his teenage impulses to sleep with the girls who threw themselves at him.
While I've been in awe of Mr Card's storytelling abilities many times, I can't really recommend this series. If you want some great OSC reading, you may have to go back to the Enderverse. (If you haven't read "First Meetings," that's one of my favorites.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,201 reviews