Rating: 
Summary: Devastating
Review: As always with Card his characters are very compelling...with every setback you mourn and with every triumph you cheer for the Fletchers in their struggle of being good people in a world where bad things happen all the time... I have read every book by Card that I could get my hands on since reading Pastwatch a few years ago, but this is the book that has by far affected me the most. It is my least favorite of his books because of what it did to me. Although I didn't intend it, I read the book in one sitting. When I had finished, I woke my husband with my sobbing (I have NEVER read a book that made me cry). As a relatively new parent, this book echoed my feelings about what it means to be a parent, the fears you have for your children along with the joys you have in your them. I was particularly moved by the arrival of Zap who reminded me of the pain my husband and I went through not knowing what was wrong with our child for the first 8 months of her life...As for Stevie, I still want him to say whats going on much much sooner....
Rating:
Summary: HOLY COW!
Review: Like the late Harry Carrey of the Chicago Cubs, I too feel excentric about a home run...esspecially this home run by Orson Scott Card. I first read OSC as a kid and haven't been able to put his books down ever since. I've read a lot of his books, but not all of them and if any of the books I haven't read are as...as...undescribable by words as this book, The Lost Boys, then I am in for a treat as are all of you. This book, although I rave about it to my peers, started off fairly slow and continued on that way for a good while as the everyday struggles of a family are charactarized in the first few hundred pages. Little do we know, however, that the entire book is giving very subtle hints as to what is actually going on...right 'under' their noses! Holy Cow! What a terrific ending to a great story. This book will most definately become a cult classic campfire spook tale told by fathers around the world...Holy Cow!
Rating:
Summary: Little Twist
Review: I was looking for another novel to read by Card, having only read Ender's Game and Enchantment. I wanted to find a good one that stood alone and would have me clinging on every page. This was it. The book is good all the way through, almost murder mysetry-esque, but very original and natural feeling. Then I got to the last several chapters and there was a neat little twist and... wow. I read it before I went to bed and felt a little creeped out. It's 5 days since I finished it and I still get scenes and little parts of the book running through my head, which means (to me) that it is another great book bby Card.
Rating:
Summary: A struggle to discern right from wrong
Review: This novel depicts an ordinary family undergoing a stressful time. Each character is beautifully drawn, and so real! The pettiness in the office and the church, the viciousness of some people, the madness of others -- all closing in. And al the time, we have Step an DeAnne trying to do what is right, trying to figure out what is right, their debates, their insecurities, and most of all their love for each other and their children. And against this compelling, realistic backdrop we have the story of the evil stalking the eldest boy... an excellent book! For many reasons, it reminds me of Rebecca by DuMaurier, with the sinister story overlaid with a veneer of boredom and insecurity. But in many ways, Lost Boys is actually better, for the philosophy and questions about religion and struggling to do right go much, much deeper.
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Performance
Review: I first picked up "Lost Boys" because of the author: I thought it would be interesting to read a non-science-fiction novel after reading a number of Orson Scott Card's more commonly known works and in short, it was entrancing. I finished the book in about a day and a half, neglecting most of the work I had hoped to get done over the weekend. I'll grant that the story starts off slowly, and the reader really doesn't figure out the true scope of what's going on until a good piece through the book, however, that time spent in introduction is hardly boring. We meet the main characters, and Card again shows his skill in building complex inhabitants for his novels. Also, we are immersed in a devout Mormon household. I came into the story really knowing nothing of Mormon culture, or even religion, for that matter, and just that facet of the story alone made for an interesting read. Eventually, we begin to see the bad guys come out, sometimes unexpectedly. Here again, Card does an excellent job with characterization, creating antagonists that will make you hate them.
The conclusion, though, is by far the best executed portion of the story. Despite the fact that you don't really figure out what's happening (or has happened) until the last few pages, the building tension and general creepiness builds consistently for a good part of the book until it all culminates in a very emotional release. Overall, this is a good read, and an interesting change up from Card's ordinary genre. While much more overtly religiously based than others of his works, the story retains its appeal, and still serves as a solid murder mystery/suspense novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as good as most of his books!
Review: I am a fan of the Ender series, also by Orson Scott Card, and I chose this book with the desire of reading some of his other works. I was not pleased. Card seems to be attempting to move into more mainstream and less sci-fi topics. It isn't working. Even this book, which is listed as "fiction," contains not-very-well-written elements of sci-fi, with subplots left hanging and unexplained. The characters are wonderfully written. Card has no problem developing his characters, giving them personality and individual motives. However, the plot into which he tries to force his characters fails miserably. Part mystery, part thriller, part sci-fi, Card's novel suffers in its lack of specificity. The subplots seem to have been randomly added for additional interested -- I kept waiting for each one to develop into a final conclusion, tied into the main plot (the missing boys). I wanted to know what happened with the father's job developing computer software. This was one of the more interesting parts of the book: reading about computer technology in the early 80s. I also wanted to know EXACTLY why Stevie could communicate with the missing boys. And how was he playing the computer game with the pirate ship, which didn't exist as a program? (Trying not to give away too much of the story.) These elements were left unfinished and unexplained, as if Card thought: "As long as I tie up my main plot, these other parts can remain a mystery, since I am a sci-fi writer anyway." Ah well. It certainly was gripping, if not the most cleverly-written book. I can understand why many people enjoyed it (both regular Orson Scott Card fans, and others).
Rating:
Summary: Slow Start But Powerful Finish
Review: I finished reading this book two days ago and I still can't stop thinking about it. I, like other reviewers, kept wondering when things were going to get moving in the beginning of the novel. Card could have knocked off some pages here or not made things so mundane. However, I'm glad I stuck it out. The ending was THE BEST. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I don't cry easily when I read. I don't think that I will EVER forget this book. This is the only review I have ever written here for any book, because no book has ever had this much of an effect on me. And I am ALWAYS reading.
Rating:
Summary: A little slow moving, but GREAT BOOK!
Review: The book was GREAT, but I have to agree with a couple other comments that it moved WAY too slow. Card could've ommitted a good 100-200 pages and it would be a much better book! I almost stopped reading it in the middle too. But I hung in there because I just don't do that, and dragged myself through the middle, and boy was it ever worth it! I was completely choked up at the end too, and tears were streaming down my face...
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I gave up too early...
Review: I read about 200 pages of this book, waiting for something interesting, ANYTHING interesting, to happen. It didn't. I chucked it. I hate doing that. It is a rare thing for me to not finish a book, even more rare for me to throw it away in disgust. This was one of those books. From some of the reviews, apparently I missed something miraculous. I don't believe that. After a hundred pages, I was thinking "Get to the point, Card, you're boring me." I gave him another hundred pages. No good. If you have the patience of a saint, and don't mind reading endless empty tripe, by all means buy this book. Better yet, have someone tell you what happens (or more accurately, doesn't happen) in the first 200 pages, and take it from there. Apparently, it gets better, although I think it would take a miracle to save this piece of doo-doo.
Rating:
Summary: one of my favorite books!
Review: This was orson scott card's first book i read by him and i think his best. this book has everything suspense, horror, romance, and even a little comedy.
Its about a new family with several children that moves into a small town. one of the younger sons tells hisparents about his friends who they think are imaginative. but the story is much more then that. i dont want to give anything away. all i have to say is i am a horror book fan and i loved this book. and this is the only book that has made me choked up and teary at the end.
i have recommended this book to my friends and family and evry person who has read it has loved it! do yourself a favor and read this book. you wont regret it. my only question is why hasnt this been made into a movie yet?
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