A worthy prequel

I didn't think I'd enjoy the prequel to Ender's Game, and it doesn't come close to it. I need to put it out of the way.

That being said, this is a story that stands alone pretty well on its own. The multiple narrators, especially when they keep switching mid-chapter, can be confusing. And some narrators are more invested in the narration than others.

22 people found this helpful

The beginning- or a plot filler

Earth unaware is a prequel to the Ender series and I guess the listener/ reader could begin with this series and then move on to Ender Games; but having already listened to the entire Orson Scott Card’s series, listening to Earth Unaware gave me such an Ominous sense of foreboding; and, even though I know what was coming, it kept my ears glued to the story.
I believe it fills a void that was missing from “Ender Games.” It gives us a more detailed background story about earth and the characters that will play a major part in the war, before the Formic, or “Buggers” attack.
This is not a standalone book, of course, and there are many sub-plots left hanging for the next book in the series, but O.S.C. is such a polished and professional writer that it was a satisfying start. His character development is superior; and, as he eludes to in his authors notes, he writes each segment of the book as if it were a scene in a play making the dialogue come to life.
A word about the narration; I’m not usually a fan of an assembled cast, preferring one talented narrator, but I thought they all did a superb job.

83 people found this helpful

Good but no Ender and a lot of padding

I read the first three books in this prequel-series and they were good, but have a lot of padding. These three books could definitely have been one, significantly better, novel by cutting fluff. Even with the fluff these were better than most in the genre but nothing close to Ender's Game. If you love the series these are fine. but don't really stand on their own.

19 people found this helpful

Hard to finish

This was hard to finish. It consists of four different stories. The characters dither and dather, then eventually do something. It was so difficult to listen to because they don't do much without a whole lot of thinking beforehand. Half the book is the characters thinking this and thinking that and thinking more of this and even more of that, It's hard to visualize the story because you can't visualize someone's thoughts and fears and inner hopes and more of their most heartfelt desires. But we get them. All of them. The inner heartfelt desires are front and center of every character. I kept being reminded of papers I wrote in college, that needed a page of filler material to reach the minimum amount of words written. It feels like many many pages were written as filler space, just to reach a minimum number of pages. Add to that the jumping from one story to the next and you have a poor book. Sad because I'd love to know what happens in the first formal war but I'm not willing to go through another round of heartfelt desires. So sadly I won't be getting the next two books.

7 people found this helpful

Staggeringly stupid

To sum up how stupid this book is (please note, I am an Ender fan, and generally like Orson, who in this case probably just got paid to lend his name ) multiple times they feel the need to stop a spaceship so that they can get out and fix it.

Laughably stupid, badly written and poorly narrated. Shame to ruin a great possible prequel.

5 people found this helpful

Good Build-up

Any additional comments?

Orson Scott Card is a master of detail. I'm not sure how much he wrote vs. Aaron Johnston but it had a full OSC feel for sure. Like all OSC books, the details of the story are delivered in painstaking precision. Sometimes too much, sometimes just enough. You definitely get to know the characters.

This book is just a build up to the Formic invasion but we do get to see a little action. The narration was good and the various narrators were good at their respective parts. The weird part was when you were used to a certain character voiced by a certain narrator, then all-of-a-sudden, a different narrator is voicing them.

A good story. It will keep your interest even though (as with most OSC books) it is drawn out a tad too much IMO.

20 people found this helpful

Earth Unaware is a must listen for Ender fans

Where does Earth Unaware rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Earth Unaware is one of the better audio books that I have listen to. Orson Scott Card is a master writer and the audio book performance is brilliant. It utilizes multiple people to deliver an element of realism lacked often in audio books.

Any additional comments?

When I downloaded this audio book I did not know it was part of the “Ender” series. I just knew that Orson Scott Card wrote it and he has not disappointed me in the past. After about an hour into it I realized that it was a prequel to “Ender’s Game”. I recommend this audio book to both long time “Ender” fans and people who have never enjoyed the many works of Orson Scott Card. I believe this audio book will make a great gateway book for those wanting to explore Orson Scott Card’s universe. Reading the rest of the “Ender” series is not a prerequisite for this book.

24 people found this helpful

And then.....

I have been completely drawn into the Enderverse and was starting to get into what was going on in this book when it all ended abruptly. I thought that perhaps my download ended at a very bad point when I get to the interview of Orson Scott Card. Obviously this is the setup to the next book, and I will get the next one when it comes out, but I just felt the story was ripped out from under me. If I knew this I could have waited and got the entire series all at once. (who am I kidding, I will get these as they come out and wait almost patiently until the next installment) Other than all that I am ready for what happens next. The Formics are on their way to Earth after deadly encounters with miners at the fringe of the solar system. Where is Mazer when you need him?

29 people found this helpful

ummm....What??

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I love this series but this book was like a long intro. I agree with the other reviewer, I thought my download was messed up and there was another part to the book. I was rather disappointed due to the high quality that typically comes from Card. I honestly felt like I wasted 14hrs getting ready for a book that has yet to come. The book is like a typical "sequel book" where you know the next book is going to be great but you have to get through this one. I would wait before purchasing this book until the next one comes out. The title is extremely misleading because there is absolutely no war at all in this book. They spent an entire book trying to set up a plot for a book that doesn't exist yet. No climax or resolve in this book at all. It reminded me of the 2nd to last Harry Potter movie where all they did was wander around in the forest for a while - in watching it with the last movie it was good but as a stand alone bad. Have I mentioned how disappointed I am yet??

What could Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Actually have a book instead of just an intro.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators were wonderful as usual.

32 people found this helpful

A Story Unto Itself, Which I Really Enjoyed.

I read several reviews which gave me the impression that this story was somehow unfinished, that there was an unexpected cliff-hanger and/ or that this story ended abruptly without fulfilling the listener's expectations. I would like to assure people reading these reviews in order to make a decision about buying this book, that this is not the case. The title of this book is "Earth Unaware" and that is the story about which this book is written.

Is this book a set-up for the next book to come? Yes. Of course. But it is also a story that can stand alone in many ways. There is a lot to know about what was going on when the Formics show up and this book is the starting point.

To keep this review short, I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I have listened to all of the "Ender" and "Ender's Shadow" series and I liked this book more than some of those. The reading is fantastic, as usual. I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series.

18 people found this helpful