Rating: 
Summary: A curious treasure
Review: Orson Scott Card has been acclaimed as one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, and he certainly shows it here. The novel reads not like something thought through and put on paper, but as a story told around a warm fire on a cold night.This is not to say the plot and characters are themselves without merit. To the contrary, Card weaves a fascinating tale of the power (and price) of mercy, both in the past and in the present. I would not recommend the book for the squeamish, however, as (like much of Card's early work) it contains several graphic (in a disturbing sense, not a sexual) scenes.
Rating:
Summary: A curious treasure
Review: Orson Scott Card has been acclaimed as one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, and he certainly shows it here. The novel reads not like something thought through and put on paper, but as a story told around a warm fire on a cold night. This is not to say the plot and characters are themselves without merit. To the contrary, Card weaves a fascinating tale of the power (and price) of mercy, both in the past and in the present. I would not recommend the book for the squeamish, however, as (like much of Card's early work) it contains several graphic (in a disturbing sense, not a sexual) scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting
Review: Orson Scott Card has written another angelic piece folded into the pages of a book. This novel shows fantasy with a twist of modernization. The tense in which he chose to wrote works beautifully with the mysterious plot. In the time of knights, dragons, and gods, there is a kingdom ruled by a tyrant known as King Nasilee. His young daughter, age seven at the beginning of the book, is named Asineth, known more formally as Little Queen or Queen Beauty. As tyrants are not known to rule for long, the kingdom is easily overtaken by the young Count Palicroval. Her father murdered before her eyes, Little Queen longs for revenge. Hatred burns within her veins as her own blood. Asineth shall get her revenge, and those who made her suffer will now feel the fruits of her suffering. The Gods fall into devastation, as Queen Beauty grows strong. But all may end well, for Hart has bred a son. Through Palicroval and a young farmer, Orem is born. Orem is only alive for one purpose. After achieving his goal, the gods may lose interest in him. But should he succeed, Asineth's haters may wish to gain revenge of their own. And the world may be stricken with grief, by this undying vengeance. I found this book enchanting. It contains a vast and complex plot with a small amount of sexual content, which makes it inappropriate for children. There are a few character deaths and a great deal of violence and gore. I would recommend this book for older and more advanced readers.
Rating:
Summary: Can read this over and over
Review: Orson Scott Card is a story teller of the highest quality. You can be assured when purchasing any of Card's books that it will be enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Haunting!
Review: So a few weeks ago I picked up this book at the Salvation Army. It was called "Hart's Hope" and had a funky cover and a nearly nonsensical description, so I had to have it, of course. And it was by Orson Scott Card, who I've heard of.
So like the first thing I noticed was that the book is told in these almost biblical sections, and is narrated like a letter from one character to another. And wow, was this the most gritty, graphic fantasy i've ever read.
This guy decides to take a mission from god to depose an evil King and make himself King. He takes the capital,and kills the King in front of his 12 year old daughter.Then he decides that to seal his position as king, he forcibly marries the 12 year old daughter, marches her through the town tied up and naked, then puts her on the giant alter of the town's god and publicly rapes her, then expresses his disgust for her attempts to cause her to be unforgotten by him. At that point it was expected that after his ceremonial rape of a child, he would then kill her, but as an act of "mercy", he does not despite dire warnings from his advisors. The story is about what becomes of the child, the unspeakable things she does to get power over everyone including her tormenter and the Gods themselves, and whether her revenge on her tormentor is justified. In the book, she is represented as the villian, and the King(the child-raper) is played as a long-suffering hero. In a calculated way-it all leads up to a delightfully ambiguous ending, that leaves the question of who is the real villain after all, and whether "neccesary evils" are really neccesary at all.
It really reminded me of the work of one of my favorite authors, Tanith Lee, in the themes and imagery it worked with. Kind of with the themes of Dark Gods, Pagan Gods, Imprisoned Gods, rape and its warping effects,Nature as a direct influence in people's lives, and the question : Are those who are broken as children really responsible for their actions?
This book had me thinking about those questions for a long time after I finished the book.
Rating:
Summary: magic
Review: this book is beautiful - it's pure magic caught between the pages of a book. Hart's Hope flows easily and it's just enchanting. The world OSC has created is unique, and while it deals with the usual hero has to save the world sort of plot, everything is given a new twist. Wonderful. i think if i'd read thsi when i was younger (i'm 19), i would have found it to be more haunting, but i wouldn't have understood it as well as i do now, and as it is, i was still left a little confused. or not confused per se, but really thinking. anyway, props to OSC, this was a really remarkable tale. i loved all the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Wow. Must read
Review: This is not your standard fantasy work. (nothing wrong with dragons and elves, but you won't find them here) The story is amazing. The book is written in the style of a long letter to one of the important, but little seen characters of the book. The question throughout the book is who is writing the letter, as the writer seems to be one of the characters described. Card pulls no punches in his prose. Very graphic at times.
Rating:
Summary: A richly layered allegory. Speaks to all levels of readers.
Review: This is the finest allegorical morality play I have read in many years. It ranks up there with "Pilgrim's Progress" and the Book of Job. The story is plainly told in a style suited for all levels of readers. I consider this book to be the most literary and sophisticated of all Mr. Card's works (and I have read virtually all of his books and short stories). This book moved me and left me feeling helpless. Greg Bear's "Forge of God" is the only other novel that has ever evoked in me the same response (although Bear's book is not quite of the same high merit). "Hart's Hope" should be required reading for all American Literature students in high school or college. It is a crime that this book is out of print. If any person can tell me where to get a hardbound copy, please let me know.
Rating:
Summary: Mercy is not always kind
Review: When a young Duke seeks to overthrow a vicious king for the good of the land, he is faced with performing atrocities of his own in obtaining his goal. The young daughter of the slain king is publically raped to seal the union of the Duke to the land; afterwards, he extends "mercy" to her and allows her to live. This act leads to three centuries of strife and despair, in which it is discovered that beauty is indeed only skin-deep, and that heroism is not limited by age, sex, or physical abilities. This is a story of love, betrayal, courage, and of the extent to which one will go to seek revenge. It also examines the question of whether the ends can ever justify the means.
Mr. Card's characters are finely-drawn as always.
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