Laddertop (Laddertop, #1) by Orson Scott Card,
Emily Janice Card / Illustrated by Honoel A. Ibardolaza
Emily Janice Card / Illustrated by Honoel A. Ibardolaza
Publication date: 27 September 2011 by Tor/Forge
ISBN 10/13: 0765324601 | 9780765324603
Category: Middle Grade Science Fiction Manga
Keywords: Science fiction, space, aliens, middle grade, friendship
Format: Paperback, audiobook (ARC received from Tor/Forge)
Alethea's synopsis:
Based on Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series, this first volume follows Robbi and her rambunctious friend, Azure, when they are recruited to Laddertop--one of four space towers suspended 36,000 miles over the earth by a benevolent alien race called The Givers. Fierce competition tests the relationships between friends and enemies both. As Robbi contemplates what she is doing at the Academy, she begins to ponder the question too few people seem to be asking: are The Givers truly friends of Earth?
Alethea's Review:
I really loved Ender's Game and so was excited to find out that a related manga was in the works. I found Laddertop entertaining, but a bit of a let-down. It's certainly not as deep or emotionally abrasive as the original story. This is understandable not because Azure and Robbi are eleven (Ender is younger still when he enters Battle School) but because of the format and audience chosen, but still, it's generally disappointing.
The story starts at a fair pace then comes to a quick halt--this is meant to be a series after all, and it wouldn't do to give it all away at once. But this first volume gives hardly any data to process--only query after unanswered query. Who are the Givers? What is the Scan? Why can only children work in the tubes--yes, we know the
2 Comments on Laddertop - Review, last added: 2/7/2012
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sorry you were let down by this. sometimes there are too many questions in relation to answers and that can definitely turn me off of something. perhaps the second vol will come out soon to answer some of your questions.
I don't mean 3 stars to be negative--I like the book, and I think it's a good idea to bring a gentler story together for a reader who's not ready for the brutality of Ender's Game. But yeah, a second (third? fourth? I'm used to them coming out 3 at a time) volume would totally rock.