Sonderbooks

Sonderbooks Book Review of

A War of Gifts

by Orson Scott Card


Home Stand-outs Blog Knitting About
A War of Gifts
An Ender Story

by Orson Scott Card

Review posted February 8, 2009.
Tor, Tom Doherty Associates, New York, 2007. 126 pages.

Here's a Christmas story that takes you into Ender's world. We follow the story of Zeck, who's been brought up to believe that Santa is a form of Satan. When Zeck is sent to Battle School, he refuses to participate or ever fire a weapon, because he also believes that War is not a valid field of study.

Then a Dutch boy puts out his shoe for Sinterklaas, and gets a Sinterklaas poem. This starts a trend of the students, where religion is forbidden, finding subversive ways to celebrate Christmas, claiming it's a national observance, not a religious one.

As the "war of gifts" escalates, Zeck's life is touched in a way that he doesn't expect.

A nice Christmas story, quite different from typical ones. Ender fans will especially enjoy it.