Lost Boys : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Minority View - But possibly Card's worst novel ever
Review: All I could think about as I read this was that it was a not so thinly disguised propaganda piece for the Mormon faith (Card's own). The book goes in for far to strong an explanation of the church's heirarchy and various functions, history, and traditions and the story the novel is supposed to be about gets definite short shrift with a very unsatisfactory, rushed, and cliched ending. Note that I have nothing against the Mormon faith itself and actually quite enjoyed FOLK OF THE FRINGE which also had a strong Mormon content. All in all, LOST BOYS is a huge disapointment due to false billing. One of the very few books I have ever thrown away.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: Master storyteller O.S. Card puts together a fascinating, often upsetting, look at family life in North Carolina. The surprise ending is particularly powerful.

Rating:
Summary: strangely long but the pages were turning
Review: The book WAS long, but still I kept turning the pages. Tells you something about Card's ability as a writer. The ending was incredible. I cried.

Rating:
Summary: The best horror/fantasy/thriller ever!
Review: What can i say, O. S. Card's Lost Boys ranks very high on my list of great works of literature. A great beginning, that draws you in, and little hooks that keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end. I must say though, because i am not a fan of fantasy, the ending was a bit much, but i still recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone. If you liked this book, but wanted to get more into the antagonists head, (i use the word antagonist to not give clues as to who the bad person is) i recommend Billy, by Whitley Strieber, the URL at Amazon for the book is if you want a book that has less charicter development, more scares, and in general is more freaky then Lost boys. I hope anyone who wished Lost Boys was a bit more thrilling reads Billy.

Rating:
Summary: didn't go anywhere
Review: This book went on for 400 hundred pages before it started toget to what it was about. I read the back of it when I first boughtit, not bad but it didn't live up to description. The ended was rushed and somewhat sterile, "Stevie, your dead?! Oh, well." The ending would of been sad if it was treated different. It seemed to be about a married couple protecting their kids, the first one dies and they don't know about it for three days. The mom was anal about everything and over bearing for her kids. The only good thing about this book was the cover.

Rating:
Summary: The ending will shock, amaze, and uplift you.
Review: This book rates as one of my favorite of all time. I am in awe of Orson Scott Card's ability to draw the reader into the lives of his characters. The family in this novel are as real to me as my next door neighbors. As you read the last 2 chapters of this book you will experience strong emotions - shock, sadness, then comfort and peace.

Rating:
Summary: HEARTBREAKING
Review: Anyone who doesn't cry before they even finish this book is made of stone. I thought this boy was so unselfish and giving to sacrifice himself to find out the truth and to lead this boys back to their parents even though they were dead at least they found out what really happened to them. Also it stopped the killer from doing this to more boys.

Rating:
Summary: Surprise ending, but is it worth the effort?
Review: Although it's nice to read a book in which religious people are not depicted as blithering idiots, 'Lost Boys' is not a particularly good book, which is surprising because Card is such a talented writer. I liked the style of having each chapter beginning with the same two words, so each chapter was almost like a mini-story. However, it is far too long for the plot, and I disliked the many dead-end story lines, such as Stevie's evil teacher and Step's dead-end job. Many of the characters simply aren't realistic, and I initially found it difficult to care about many of them. Step's whining about having to work for someone else was particularly annoying. The end arrives abruptly, or rather, the only sense of impending climax is knowing the book ends in less than 30 pages so something has to happen.

Rating:
Summary: Great story and exceptional character development
Review: I read this book about 5 years ago and I will never forget it. Often a horror or suspense novel will be peopled with cardboard cutouts, while many of the more introspective novels seem to focus on the characters to the detriment of plot. In Lost Boys, I could picture this very believable family and still be enthralled by the suspense as it grew. A veteran horror reader, I was still surprised by the ending.

Rating:
Summary: A twist at the end
Review: An unexpected, though excellent book by Card. A thriller with a surprise ending. Not Card's best book ever, but worth a read or two.