Rating: 
Summary: Enchantment
Review: _Enchantment_ is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a Russian twist. When he is little and still living in Russia, Ivan is drawn to a certain spot in the woods near his cousin's house. This gives him his first sighting of the princess. Years later, while researching for his dissertation on, what else, fairy tales, he returns to the spot, frees the princess and is transported back 1100 years. He and Katerina, the princess, eventually head back to present day, then once more to the ninth century to defeat the evil Baba Yaga.This was my first Card book and I love it. Retold fairy tales are a particular favorite of mine, and this one did not disappoint. Baba Yaga is truly evil and the little interludes from her point of view are monstrous fun. Her relationship with Bear is comical and engaging. I absolutely fell in love with Ivan. He is caring and sensitive to others' needs. He's not a pushover, really, he just doesn't like to hurt people. His consideration for Katerina is heroic and achingly sweet when you see how she treats him. When it is called for, though, he stands up for himself. Katerina is less likeable. She treats Ivan with barely concealed contempt because he has trouble living in her world and living up to her idea of manhood. Still, that is to be expected considering that she is a princess and the ninth century is very different from today. Ivan and Katerina's journey into love is believable and incredibly romantic. All of the secondary characters are very well-fleshed out. The story is captivating and rarely slow. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good fairy tale, romance, or adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Unenchanted...
Review: Orson Scott Card is a fine writer, with beautiful descritpions who brings forth a fresh look to the familiar and (often hard to re-tell) story of Sleeping Beauty. The story starts out following Ivan, born in Russia during the height of communism a ten-year-old Ivan stumbles upon a beautiful maiden sleeping frozen in time on a stone slab in the midst of an ancient forest in the heart of Russia. Years later after Ivan and his parents have long since departed Russia and have raised their son in America. A grown up Ivan returns to Russia only to rediscover an unspoken promise made to the sleeping maiden to rescue her and marry her. Only Ivan's very much in love and engaged to another woman back home in America! Stumbling between a very ancient Russia held under the thumb of the mythical witch Baba Yaga and her ensnared god-husband a gigantic Bear the spirit of Russia. Ivan must become the right man to marry the sleeping Princess and ultimately battle Baba Yaga herself. While no one can deny Card is a beautiful story teller, with a knack for decscription that neither weighs one down but also gives the reader the impression there are right there in the middle of Russia traversing with Ivan. Where Orson fails ultimately is characterization and giving us rather realistically drawn characters but also realistic in their unappeal. Ivan often comes off as whiny, unsympathetic and bit of a push-over, it's unbelievable how Ivan lets others around him litterally push him from one adventure to the next without putting up a fight. A constant angsty "Me-against the world" teenaged battle isn't desired but some kind of character backbone is wished for by this reader. Ivan puts up some what of a fight when he learns that by simply stumbling upon the sleeping princess Katarina he unintentionally made a promise to her, but later simply grudgingly accepts his fate and rather sadly and promptly forgets his fiance back at home. Whilst Card paints an excellent view of mideval Russia. Perhaps a bit better and clearer then a communist U.S.S.R and post comunist Russia. He fails to deliver any sympathy for the people of ancient Russia or the mighty princess that Ivan and everyone are supposed to be so enchanted by. Katarina is probably what ruined the book upon this reader, she is once selfish, demanding, close-minded, horribly stubborn yet (as Card practically shoves upon us) a good ruler who cares for her all people and also (as he constantly shoves in our faces, even by Ivan) that's she's very very beautiful and innocent looking. So of course, because she's so beautiful we must instantly be enchanted by her. Her semi-spoiled behavior is understandable as she is a princess who is doated upon by her Father and her rather frustrating behavor and reaction to Ivan when he crosses over to Ancient Russia, as he comes from a time (and a place) very much removed from the fuedal era people around him. But this is where Card fails, he fails to "Show" on the part of Katarina, instead he tells. Instead of showing what a wonderful ruler she is or why we should truely support her throughout the novel he simply tells us. She is redeemed slightly when she travels to American with Ivan and starts to cool down on her constant critism of him but still fails to capture this readers attention or sympathy. Baba Yaga and her husband however, though obviously the antagonists of the story are beautifully done. Despite Baba Yaga being painted as "EVIL EVIL EVIL", she manages to capture this readers interest and hold it throughout. Even after the end. Other characters in this novel, like a cliched Hallmark movie have their own special "quirks" but lack some enderaing qualities that truely make them stick out in this readers mind. Even the news that *SPOILER* that Ivan's Uncle is in fact an ancient Russian god himself *SPOILER*. Failed to really endure him or his wife or the rest of his family onto this reader. Whilest Card does a spelnded job bringing a new and fresh light to the old fairy tale Sleeping Beauty (This readers personal favorite). He fails on the part of creating enduring characters to really prop this book up to the Five stars it should deserve. Since finding a truely good Sleeping Beauty retelling is hard to find, while this book sticks out better then some it's still not quite the best that it could be. This reader, herself was decidedly UN-enchanted by Enchantment. ~Jade Kith
Rating: 
Summary: Why 2 scenes of eyeball extraction in the first 90 pages?
Review: I bought this, my first OSC book, based on his reputation as a writer, the back cover blurbs, and the cover art which hinted at nothing of the violence that just made me have to put the book down. I would have liked to continue if just for the interesting history, but as I prefer to keep graphic violent images from clogging my imagination I just don't want to bother. After the second eyeball gouging scene I could not bear further cringing and said 'enough'.
Aside from the violence, the story was just barely engaging enough to keep me turning the pages. I found the main character shallow and not particularly interesting; there was nothing to make me care about what happened to him, not to even find out how he developed as a person, and so not much of a reason to continue reading. I found Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy (books that are shelved in the young adult fiction section) immensely deeper, more imaginative, engaging and meaningful. The writing in this Card novel will not urge me to pick up another of his books, at least without warnings of what kind of violence he includes in his storytelling. If I wanted that kind of experience I'd read horror novels, not sci-fi/fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: incredible
Review: I knew before I was even halfway through this that this would be my favorite Card book to date. And it is. Even after working through the Ender series and a couple of stand-alone novels, this still put me in awe. What can I say? Card has found that crossroads that everyone wishes for but few can reach: the intersection where supreme technical writing ability, research, and knowledge meets with engaging, "catchy," suspenseful fun-in-reading that spells gold for both the writer and the reader. Card has done a fantastic (as usual) job of showing parts of various cultures that American readers might not know so well (Judaism, Russia in general, ancient times). I think a large portion of his appeal lies in this: he shows us vivid pictures of things we don't experience in our everyday lives. He gives us the perfect escape, somehow making the unbelievable into normality. It's the kind of work that alternately makes me, as an aspiring fiction writer, want to give up because I know I'll never reach this level or feel supremely inspired and want to chug away at the keyboard all day. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: good book
Review: This was a good book about an enchanted princess in the middle of time bridge. It wasn't really my type of book, but it kept me interested. It's kind of hard to follow sometimes but you get back on track. Over all, it was pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: Sleeping Beauty Retold
Review: I LOVED this story. I rarely read fantasy, but a friend recommended the book to me and once I started, I couldn't put it down. A beautiful story with fantastic characters. A quick and easy read for men and women! You can't go wrong with this book!
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Fantasy
Review: This is intelligent fantasy at it's best. I love the way Orson Scott Card portrays women; strong minded, not the usual "damsel-in-distress" you see in most fantasy novels. Great, easy read, for when you need some escapism!
Rating:
Summary: Card at his best, creating moral dilemmas & keeping us happy
Review: Great fantasy, not an elf, dwarf or quest in sight. Leave it to Card to create an alien moral dilemma in ninth century Carpathia that makes you examine your own life. And you thought Capathia was where the bad guy from Ghostbusters II came from! Get some culture. Read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A work of genius typical of Orson Scott Card
Review: This book stands out so much from other "timetravel" books that I think I will never be able to read another without thinking how typical it is. The characters are so real that you can truly empathize with them, even minor charaters like Sergei and the priest he worked for. The book doesen't feel like a fantasy or a love story, both of which it has parts of. It feels REAL, like something that could happen to you. And the characters feel just like you would feel if it did.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of THE BEST Of Orson Scott Cards Books
Review: Altough i have read some of cards other works i did not enjoy them as well as i enjoyed this. read no matter what u will really enjoy it.
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