Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Empire
    Empire
    Empire
    Audiobook11 hours

    Empire

    Written by Orson Scott Card

    Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Orson Scott Card is a master storyteller, who has earned millions of fans and reams of praise for his previous science fiction and fantasy novels. Now he steps a little closer to the present day with this chilling look at a near future scenario of a new American Civil War.

    The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to be left alone.

    The battle rages between the high-technology weapons on one side, and militia foot-soldiers on the other, devastating the cities, and overrunning the countryside. But the vast majority, who only want the killing to stop and the nation to return to more peaceful days, have technology, weapons and strategic geniuses of their own.

    When the American dream shatters into violence, who can hold the people and the government together? And which side will you be on?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateNov 28, 2006
    ISBN9781427200082
    Empire
    Author

    Orson Scott Card

    Orson Scott Card is best known for his science fiction novel Ender's Game and its many sequels that expand the Ender Universe into the far future and the near past. Those books are organized into the Ender Saga, which chronicles the life of Ender Wiggin; the Shadow Series, which follows on the novel Ender's Shadow and is set on Earth; and the Formic Wars series, written with co-author Aaron Johnston, which tells of the terrible first contact between humans and the alien "Buggers." Card has been a working writer since the 1970s. Beginning with dozens of plays and musical comedies produced in the 1960s and 70s, Card's first published fiction appeared in 1977--the short story "Gert Fram" in the July issue of The Ensign, and the novelette version of "Ender's Game" in the August issue of Analog. The novel-length version of Ender's Game, published in 1984 and continuously in print since then, became the basis of the 2013 film, starring Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin. Card was born in Washington state, and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he runs occasional writers' workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University. He is the author many science fiction and fantasy novels, including the American frontier fantasy series "The Tales of Alvin Maker" (beginning with Seventh Son), and stand-alone novels like Pastwatch and Hart's Hope. He has collaborated with his daughter Emily Card on a manga series, Laddertop. He has also written contemporary thrillers like Empire and historical novels like the monumental Saints and the religious novels Sarah and Rachel and Leah. Card's work also includes the Mithermages books (Lost Gate, Gate Thief), contemporary magical fantasy for readers both young and old. Card lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card. He and Kristine are the parents of five children and several grandchildren.

    More audiobooks from Orson Scott Card

    Related to Empire

    Titles in the series (2)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Darby’s Shooter

      Aug 7, 2018

      Darby’s Shooter
      2 min read

    • Article

      Salute The Master Of Sword And Word

      Jun 29, 2023

      HOW MANY BRITISH GENERALS HAVE been able to write as well as they could fight? Strangely perhaps, quite a few. Field Marshal Sir Michael Carver (Dilemmas of the Desert War, The Seven Ages of the British Army etc), General Sir David Fraser (And We Sha

      6 min read

    • Article

      Winston Churchill:

      May 3, 2021

      Winston Churchill:
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Lonely Grave

      May 8, 2018

      Reuben Louis Goldberg—Rube Goldberg as the world knew him—did it all: He was an engineer, cartoonist, sculptor, author, inventor, and—for just a very brief time in 1919—a war correspondent. Born in San Francisco on July 4, 1883, Goldberg as a child w

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Sudden Change

      Jul 31, 2020

      The Sudden Change
      35 min read

    • Article

      A Speculative Succession

      Nov 24, 2020

      A Speculative Succession
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mad Mike And His Wild Geese

      Jan 1, 2019

      Mad Mike And His Wild Geese
      12 min read

    • Article

      More Smarts Than “Spoons”

      Aug 2, 2022

      More Smarts Than “Spoons”
      5 min read

    • Article

      Vandalizing History

      Feb 28, 2019

      Vandalizing History
      2 min read

    • Article

      Innocence Lost

      Feb 5, 2019

      Innocence Lost
      6 min read

    • Article

      What Freedom Costs

      Jun 10, 2019

      What Freedom Costs
      2 min read

    • Article

      My Evening With Grant

      Apr 12, 2022

      My Evening With Grant
      9 min read

    • Article

      Fire Away

      Oct 26, 2021

      Fire Away
      8 min read

    • Article

      Fire Away

      Oct 26, 2021

      Fire Away
      8 min read

    • Article

      Man at Arms

      Nov 1, 2021

      Man at Arms
      2 min read

    • Article

      Mail Pros And Cons

      Feb 21, 2023

      Mail Pros And Cons
      5 min read

    • Article

      Closing the Great Divide

      Dec 15, 2020

      Closing the Great Divide
      9 min read

    • Article

      Brother In Arms

      May 3, 2022

      Brother In Arms
      9 min read

    • Article

      Reflections On War

      May 17, 2018

      Reflections On War
      7 min read

    • Article

      Man Of A Thousand Faces

      Jul 14, 2022

      Man Of A Thousand Faces
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Empire

    3/5

    376 ratings33 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 1/5
      This is a bad book.I expected better of Card, to be honest. His work with the Ender books showed his sensitivity to the details of human interaction, his ability to address extremely complex social and philosophical issues, and a story-telling style that made even a "superhero" type of character seem relatable and vulnerable. This book, on the other hand, showed none of these things. The characters were all caricatured and shallow, what should have been an amazingly complex political scenario was flat and unbelievable, the storyline was formulaic and the ending was utterly unsurprising and unenlightening.The basic premise of the story is an interesting one, and I believe this novel could have been pulled off by a different author. Or by this author... under different circumstances.To write this story well, you have to really have a strong feeling for the complexity of both liberal and conservative ideologies. You have to understand different types of people who gravitate to both sides: both the good and the bad. You have to have a real feeling for what each side sees as being true and valuable about their own perspectives. Instead, this book contains cardboard military heros and crazed liberals taken straight from a Sean Hannity monologue. Orson Scott Card obviously listens to Fox News and Bill O'Reilly. But he just as obviously never listens to liberal or progressive television or radio. Or if he does, he doesn't understand it.I am both a science fiction junky and a political junky. I am exactly the type of person who would love to read this story, told correctly. But this book is not that story. That story would contain more about the complexity of the social movements and politics driving the revolution that is portrayed. That story would expose the reader to liberals and conservatives both who have internal conflict between their own ideologies and pragmatics of the world around them. That story would pull the reader in both directions, so that he would be able to see what conservatives see as good in themselves, and what liberals see as good in themselves.That story would not only be an interesting as a story, it would have the ability to open eyes.This story, on the other hand, comes across as a writing student executing an assignment. I don't mind that Card has an obvious personal political slant that comes through in the novel. What I mind is that he has no real feeling for the motivation that drives the ideologies that are in conflict in his world.
    • 4/5
      So this is an interesting book with a rather promising premise. It takes a lot of modern day politics into account. It also brings a lot of conspiracy theories into play. Following guys from the pentagon probably wasn't Card's brightest idea, but that's what he chose to do. Impressed enough to want to attempt the next book in the series, but not holding my breath anything improves.
    • 4/5
      The message is clear, especially in the first part of the book & the afterword by Card - the screamers on the left & right of our 2 party system are becoming the icons & dividing the country. Thus, Card portrays his opinion of one possible lead-in to an American Civil War II. Empire is a fun read. Lots of action. The narrator murders some location names and author believes that potatoes are grown in Northern Idaho (they're not--it's wheat and timber country). Further, authori's use of the word "jeesh" as a substitute for "team" reminds the reader of Ender's Game.
    • 3/5
      I really liked the beginning of this book, but I felt it petered off in the end.
    • 4/5
      I was a bit hesitant to begin this story, because of a number of negative reviews.. but I've been a fan of OSC for a long time.
      While I don't think this was OSC's best work, I very much enjoyed it.
      The key criticisms I'd read, said that the book was too political, and was just the author's way of expressing his views. Yes, it addressed a lot of political issues, but all the summaries and blurbs about the book made it clear that would be the case. Was it the author's way of expressing his views? Perhaps. If so, the views he expressed certainly don't belong to him alone. And there was nothing in the book that said "this is what will happen, if people don't mend their evil ways". It was portrayed as fiction, and it presents a near future scenario.
      Certainly worth the time to read this.
    • 1/5
      I... I'm stunned at how terrible this book is.
    • 1/5
      I'm a big fan of Card and picked this up only on that basis. The dust jacket blurb didn't sound promising but, hey, its Orson Scott Card. Well, very disappointed is what I am. The character dialog was not believable and the opening set-up wasn't making much sense. But I thought it really started going south when the mechanical soldiers showed up in New York and Our Heroes just happened to be there! The Liberal-Conservative conflict at the base of this story was hard for me to resolve in the beginning. Not because Card wasn't beating me over the head with it but because I kept thinking there has to be more to this story. It was an easy read so I kept at it. The afterword says Card wrote this as the setting of a video game. Well, I guess it was plotted like a video game. I don't really know anything about Card's politics. He comes across as a right wing nut case in the afterward which explains the right wing nut case conspiracy theory of the book.
    • 3/5
      For an ordinary author this is a good book, but by Orson Scott Card's standards, this book is only average.
    • 4/5
      This gets 4 stars, not so much for the story (3 stars) as the message. The message is clear, especially in the first part of the book & the afterword by Card - the screamers on the left & right of our 2 party system are becoming the icons & dividing the country. Moderates aren't tolerated. If you don't fully agree with one side, then you must support the other & you're an idiot not worthy of an opinion.

      As ludicrous as it is, it's all too true. I see it frequently because I disagree with hot button topics on both sides. The country really is divided along urban/rural lines & most people don't really care - they just want to be left alone.

      This is told from a moderate Republican point of view, but doesn't spare fanatics on either side & often pokes fun at both, e.g. the good guys rely on Fox News almost exclusively. Many times names are left out, but the inference is obvious. Card points out in the afterword that this story was thought of else where & he doesn't think this is the way it would really happen. It's a cautionary tale not an attempt at reality.

      The story was quite good in the subtle machinations until about halfway through & then the scenario got a bit ludicrous. Well before a long internal dialog gives away the ending, most will guess it. Still, it's a good one & all too plausible, especially in light of the historical examples given.

      There's a lot of action, most of which was fun. The heroes were a bit too much the only game in town, but I suppose that was better than a cast of thousands. There were a couple of real shockers along the way, too.

      All in all, it was quite a good read. I realize this is just the first in a series, but I'm not sure I'm interested in reading further. It stands quite well alone.
    • 2/5
      A HUGELY disappointing book. The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because the concept of modern civil war on American soil is not only disturbingly fascinating, but also not 100% implausible. But the execution, ultimately, leaves you cold. Card is famous, for better or worse, for doing a lot of "message" books, but here I'm not even sure what the message IS. That we should all get along? That we should arm ourselves, just in case? That this country is ripe for a dictatorial takeover? OK, so it fails as a "message" book. Another thing Card does well, as a rule, is characterization, making you understand and care for characters who are different from you. Failure on that front again- the main characters are cardboard cutouts, and the few interesting ones are completely enigmatic by the end of the story. Yes, some of the action sequences and the sci-fi parts are interesting, but not enough to recommend this book- not by a long shot.

      By the way, if you are thinking of reading the sequel in hopes that it gets better, DON'T. Everything you disliked about this book gets magnified in the sequel. And what gets me is that I know Card is better than that; hence the disappointment.
    • 3/5
      Empire opens with intrigue and promises to draw the reader in for a captivating look at a potential future for America, but it slows in the middle and fizzles at the end.

      Orson Scott Card here envisions the potential downfall of America’s stability, and he creates a unique path to the nation’s collapse. In the book, political incivility reaches new heights as Right and Left collide in violent hostilities. As Card himself describes at the end of the book, modern political discourse has gotten so full of vitriol that it does not have too far to go before it may spill over into violent actions. This book stands as a fictional representation of what such a conflict would look like.

      Ultimately, Empire slides too far into political commentary and the story’s plot devolves from intriguing to farcical by the book’s conclusion. Card has done a great job to envision a novel picture of America’s future, but the book feels rushed and poorly-written as it nears its end.
    • 4/5
      This imaginative novel of the near future is both a fast-paced thriller and an interesting, original thought experiment on where the current polarization of our society might take us. Which makes it a powerful commentary on the poor state of civil discourse in the USA today.
    • 2/5
      Reading this essentially because the book flap lied to me regarding its plot. It's interesting, but not really a novel - more of a historical/political thought experiment in story form. Which if you're going to write something like this set so close to the present is not a bad thing; if he'd written an actual novel, it would be harder for the reader to think critically about its ideas. However, it's not really art.
    • 1/5
      Oh, Orson, how far you have fallen. Instead of the brilliance that was Ender's Game, you now write a Tea Partier's political doomsday fantasy/sub-par action movie. A shame. Hopefully you'll recover from this.
    • 5/5
      Really enjoyed this story, well written, good pace, believable plot line with some twists and unexpected turns which kept the story interesting.

      There's also shooting. And explosions.
    • 4/5
      Not bad for a book written to go along with a video game. Very suspenseful and thought provoking, and more enjoyable than I usually find stories with as much political opinion as is found here.
    • 3/5
      Interesting story. It has a lot of action and paints a possible scenario for an American civil war. I enjoy the author's intellect and thoughtful considerations of motives, political views, and possible actions of characters in the story. It might make an interesting movie.
    • 4/5
      Reads very much like a Tom Clancy book in terms of the pace and character development. The major distinction is that where Clancy tends to brush over anything political - which 15-20 years ago was possible - Card centres on politics, particularly the peripheral manifestations of it (newsmedia, stray zillionaires, etc.). All things considered, the thing that struck me most was another trait in common with [earlier] Clancy: It's not that much of a stretch.
    • 3/5
      Card does better when he deals with the magical and fantastical, but it is still a good story. Card is able to create a story that is attainable and understandable, especially in today's political environment. The real issue is that the characters are a bit two-dimensional to me. There are the perfect soldiers who seem to have little backstory, but who run the line of right and left with no problem. It is too easy, too simplistic with the rest of the story going on behind the characters. There is no inner-conflict within the characters, nothing that makes them real to me.While I believe that there is promise in the story that is being built in the final pages, especially, I do wonder if there is enough promise for me to get past the first 30 pages of the next Empire saga. I want to know if Cole and his comrades are able to bring down the next big bad, but I don't know if I want to know it enough to make it through another 300 pages.Eh.
    • 3/5
      Fun and fanciful. Though, it reads more like a movie script and will probably make a better movie than a book.Afterward by Card is very insightful and worth reading.
    • 4/5
      Card writing like Tom Clancy. Surprisingly satisfying. The occasional bits of Card style sort of surprised me into remembering that the book was written by Card and not someone else.As per his standards, the characters were very likable. Very fast pacing, and heavy on the politics.
    • 4/5
      Great story idea and treatment of the action and characters. Unfortunately very believable in today's political climate.
    • 3/5
      In my view, Orson Scott Card is one of the finest authors of today. He has produced landmark novels in the science fiction and fantasy genres. This makes it all the more disappointing that I did not enjoy Empire.Empire is billed as a companion to an upcoming (then, the game has since been released) video game series. Orson Scott Card makes a valiant attempt to bring a deep story to the book, that is often lacking in shallow video game plots. The novel posits the conditions that would have to arise for a modern day Civil War. It explains how such a war could take place in the current divisive political atmosphere in America. Given the fact that Orson Scott Card is conservative on many issues and openly writes in favor of his views, tackling such a politically charged book was quite brave. The truth is, Card makes a point to be fair to liberals and conservatives and everyone in between. His book does not demonize either side, and there are villains and heroes of every political persuasion. Card makes several impassioned arguments in favor of reasonable discourse and against fanaticism through the mouths of his characters. It's the message we need now more than ever.So why didn't I like it? Surprisingly, the storyline and characters didn't work for me. Card's two greatest strengths, his understanding of human nature and his ability to weave a gripping tale, were both missing in Empire. It read like Card was phoning it in, except when the characters were discussing political issues. Moments when major characters are suddenly killed off, or a new villain is revealed felt forced, rather than enriching the story.Empire has an admirable message. But Card has written so much better. I can't recommend this book.
    • 2/5
      Empire, by Orson Scott Card, is a script for a video game masquerading as a novel, and unfortunately, not a very good script at that. Though meant to be an action-packed thrill-ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next, this novel is much more likely to put you to sleep. Empire is a surprising failure of a novel from an author from whom one expects much, much more.Card wrote the novel at the instigation of Donald Mustard, who wanted Card to develop a video game script that depicted a plausible set of events that could lead to an American Civil War. Mustard's game, also to be titled Empire, sought a situation in which the democratic republic in the United States is threatened with the possibility of dissolving and being replaced by an American empire.In Empire, Card develops such a plot, though it fails miserably at accomplishing the goal of plausibility. The situation and circumstances that Card uses to develop the process by which America finds itself in a state of Civil War are patently absurd, and seem more likely to have been baked up by some political extremist or conspiracy theorist. Card is most comfortable to writing in the science fiction genre where readers expect the author to bend the credulity of technological capability as a given backdrop. However, such bending of credulity only goes so far when dealing with novels set in the present day, and Card takes it way too far. Unfortunately, that is the least of this book's problems.The novel starts out well enough, though. Card creates an intriguing main character in Major Reuben Malich, a Princeton educated special forces member who appears to be on the fast track on his career in the army. He encounters a professor at Princeton named Averell Torrent, with whom Malich has a number of entertaining exchanges and who asks Major Malich if he is interested in helping protect against threats to the United States government from within. This exchange eventually leads to Major Malich taking a job at the Pentagon where he thinks up plots that could exploit holes in national security by day and secretly involved in under-the-table deals aimed at thwarting security risks by night. To aid in his work, Malich enlists the help of Captain Bartholomew Coleman. However, unfortunately for Malich and Coleman, some of Malich's own work comes back to haunt him as the plans he developed as part of his job at the Pentagon are used in an assassination attempt on the President.The scenes through this part of the novel are well-written and feature a good deal of character development of both Malich and Coleman. Coleman, in particular, has a particularly delightful scene where he means Major Malich's wife and is rewarded with cookies while trying to track down the location of his boss. Unfortunately, once the war actually starts, the character development, and, as far as that goes, the plot development, comes to a screeching halt. Scenes that should reveal character and build suspense are nothing more than cookie cutter scenes that would only be exciting if one were actually fighting the battles as part of a video game.Card is a master story teller, but unfortunately, in Empire, his story started unraveling as it gets to what should be the meat of the plot. Rather than building to a catharsis, the plot fizzles into almost unreadable drivel by the end. Card should have left this plot as a script for the video game and forgotten about publishing the novel, or better yet, forgotten about both.
    • 2/5
      Orson Scott Card has written many excellent books. This is not one of them.It is clear from the author's Afterword, that the book was contrived to fit with a video game, and that roughly describes the sophistication of this plot which is well below Card's normal standard.Reuben Malich is a major in the US Army working on secret assignments in Washington. He is joined by captain Bartholomew Coleman (Cole) just as an act of treachery takes a plan he wrote for the president's protection to carry out an assassination on the same. The success of this and other operations triggers a civil war, where members of the American democratic party, still smarting over the appointment of George Bush as president, when Al Gore won the vote - start a civil war.In his afterword, Card indicates that it was all to easy to conceive of events that would lead to a civil war - but like "Shadow of the Hegemon", we see in this book that Card does not really do politics too well. For him, great events can be flawlessly shaped by the outrageous plans of a few. Compare with Tolstoy who says that those few are merely puppets of the greater circumstances, and you see the flaws in this plot laid bare. Frankly the whole plot is preposterous, and lacks the depth and strength of feeling required to make the preposterous plausible.Could a stable democracy like the USA have another civil war? Certaily it is possible - but not over anything so petty as in this book! Civil wars have to be fomented over a period of time, a sharp division, and a growing sense of outrage that allows people to conceive of actions that are otherwise treasonable. The mistake that Card makes is to think that the differences between American Republicans and American Democrats are large enough for anyone to fight over. For anyone to destroy their deomcracy and country over. Much as they may dislike the other side, it is clear that the deomcratic ideal trumps the other ideology in their mind.He almost recognises this early in the book, where in a university class discussion, Major Malich makes that very point in a voice we recognises as one of reason. He simply ignores the "conservative v liberal" debate and answers more intelligently as though those distinctions have no real existence of themselves. But then Card blows it by making the issues something that people really are willing to fight with bullets over - and it is not all clear why! To me there is a fundamental misunderstanding of the American political situation there.I was reminded of "Shadow of the Hegemon" that read more like a game of "Risk" than anything close to real politics. And thus this book might make a reasonable game plot, but its not an intelligent book plot.But so what? If it makes an enjoyable plot, what does it matter if the politics in Card's books are so black and white - so simplistic?But there are other problems with this book too. One annoyance for someone who has probably read all of Card's books and short stories, is that he has recycled language, characters and plot elements from other works - and to poor effect. For instance, for me the word "jeesh" now refers to battle school kids - not a mature army combat unit. Ideas such as the double password on the PDA came from the short story "Dogwalker". And it went on!Someone new to Card though would miss those references, but might still hate this book because the dialogue is so unconvincing. They might hate it because the plot is rather predictable (other than the odd choice to kill off ... well maybe I shouldn't say to avoid spoilers - but anyone reading the book is likely to know what I mean and agree it's an odd choice).One of the things I have historically liked about Card is the way he focuses his books widely, incorporating foreign languages and cultures. Also the way he makes you think about issues. But in this book his cultural references are right out of an American right wing chat room, and show a remarkable lack of critical thinking!When I read "European news media tells you what to think. American news media shows you enough so you make your own opinions", I was flabergasted, as should any other european who has numbed their mind watching the news on visits to that country! Not that I have a vested interest in news media, and not that I have any rosy spectacled view of European orgaisations. It just made me think that I was reading some American neo-con and not the Orson Scott Card who I have respected for very many years.It seems to me that in recent years there has been a marked decline in the quality of Card's output. I suspect that this is an excellent writer with just too many projects with too short deadlines on the go.Card completists (like me) will read this book whatever I say. Anyone else - avoid this one.
    • 3/5
      I would not say this is one of Orson Scott Card's best works. Although the book is fast paced and adventuresome I found the plot a little beyond belief. However, I believe the purpose of the book was not the plot itself, but to convey Card's fears of the threat apparent in the ever-increasing disparity between the two political parties in the United States. In this respect Card does a good job, but it caused the believability of the plot to suffer some. It's a good thriller and a quick read and will make you ponder the stability of a country divided into two hateful political camps.
    • 4/5
      Capitalizing on current events. Points out problems of extreme fanaticism arising from partisanship in both US parties.
    • 4/5
      Card takes us through a civil war that could indeed happen "now". I enjoyed his polotics and the part where one of the main character's ends up on the O'Reilly Factor. Despite all the fun in this book, there is a very important message Card gives us: THE LEFT AND RIGHT ARE INSANE! I don't know if Card would agree with me, but I believe it is because the insane elite have created a Left and Right to hold us polarized and in their Machiavellian grip. Control is the Goal. Should civil war happen, I believe it would not be between the Left and Right, as portrayed here; but between the Military Industrial Complex and the American People. I'm glad to report, as of today, our Republic is still standing, albeit weakly. Read this and then go watch Alex Jones' "End Game", "9/11 The Road to Tyranny", "Washington, You're Fired", "Loose Change Final Cut", and all the rest. Read Card's book, then Watch it! Watch it! Watch it! Watch it unfold!
    • 2/5
      This novel is a quick, but timely read. Card presents a political scenario in which the culture wars that currently divide the United States erupt into Civil War. Although the writing is not as full and engaging as Ender's Game or Pastwatch, the presentation of political possibilites is right on the money. If you plan to read this one, read it now. I suspect that this novel will not age as well as some of his have. And be sure to read the author's afterword because Card's discussion about why he chose to write about the death of the republic is truly fascinating.
    • 4/5
      Compelling novel with a very salient and topical storyline. Once again OSC demonstrates his sublime understanding of history and current events without force-feeding you his politics. The man can weave a damn good story.