Familiar and unique--a breath of fresh air

Card shows here that he has continued to hone his writing skills long after success first claimed him. While there are bits and pieces in the text that remind one strongly of the Alvin Maker series, the context is unique enough that it does not feel rehashed or redundant.

The story moves quickly and does not mire the reader in details. It is a light read, yet still manages to develop a couple of characters well enough to be engaging.

I was concerned as I neared the end of this book that the dangling loose ends would be left that way, given the small amount of time remaining to tie them. I was happily surprised to find that, while the resolution was brief, it was also comprehensive and did not feel hurried.

The narrator is expressive and pleasant to listen to. I only wish all of my money here on Audible was as well spent as on this book.

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40 persone l'hanno trovata utile

BIRD FRIEND

Card is my favorite writer and with the exception of Ender's Game, I love him best when he is writing fantasy like this. This reminds me of Seventh Son and A Planet Called Treason (rewritten as Treason). This makes me want to go out and lay on stones. Card makes me believe I can meld into them.

Card junior is a perfect narrator for this.

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25 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Fairy Tale Magic

Although Stonefather was originally published before the Mithermages series began to give readers a taste of that new series, I did not pick up Stonefather until after I had read both books 1 & 2 of the Mithermages. No matter, Stonefather is a totally stand alone story set in the Mithermages land of Westil and I recommend it without hesitation to anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale/allegory whether or not you read the series. This is Orson Scott Card at his finest; not so much a standard coming-of-age story (no sexual angst in this), but more a tale of finding your identity and being true to your own soul. I was surprised at how effortlessly Card was able to map out the basics of the magical system of the Mithermages in this one short book so that the listener quickly connects with the plot and the characters. The prose is beautiful and the character development surprisingly detailed considering the short length of the story. This is a really well-done blend of standard fairy tale tropes with an interesting magical system and concludes with a great moral and a very satisfying ending.

Orson Scott Card's daughter, Emily Janice Card, narrates Stonefather beautifully. I don't know if Ms. Card has the ability to narrate across genres since I've never heard her before, but her voice is a great match for this magical story.

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22 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Great Book

This book was extremely fun to listen to. Card has a way of developing his characters which allows the reader to be part of the story and want more.

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13 persone l'hanno trovata utile

A promise of what is to come

Stonefather and Sandmagic are two short stories of Orson Scott Card set in the same world as his new book "The Lost Gate." In Stonefather we meet a boy, called Runnel, who was the family misfit, frequently beaten by his father, just because of his proud face. Card plays with opposites, irony and gullibility to weave a very strong story around Runnel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Emily Janice Card does justice to it in her narration.

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11 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Orson Scott Card: Entering a new world of magic

When talking about Orson Scott Card, many think of his highly successful Science Fiction novels. This book is an excellent starting point to Card's new series of Fantasy books involving the magic practitioners he names the Mithermages. The Mithermages find their power through loving and serving the elements of the world that they feel an affinity with, allowing them to control the forces of nature and help the world become what it wants to be.
Card has provided a tantalising new world and yet another form of magic.
Overall this story is an excellent novel for young adults upwards and has an excellent and tantalising flow that keeps interest and hardly makes you want to stop listening.

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6 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Screechy Narrator

Great story but truly awful narration. Mr. Rudnicki needed to narrate himself. Evidently he doesn't know the rule that a male character has a male narrator and a female character a female narrator. I don't know if she's Card's wife or daughter, but Ms. Card had no business doing this production. Her male characters sound whiny and shrill, and her steady voice sounds nasal and breaks, as if she's going to burst into tears before the next sentence.

It's really too bad.

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5 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Comfortable and soothing

A nice, simple fairy tale. Predictable but enjoyable, like an old comfortable pair of jammies. The narration is a good fit for the style of writing.

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4 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Fast moving version of hi longer books.

Very exciting book. We all love to hear of amazing things happening quickly so this is a good example of that. The longer books of this series give a more drawn out satisfaction and some times a bit too slow. I did love to hear about this mage's fast rise to great glory. The narration could have done with more different voice tones and at one point the narrator called Laura "him" . So I think that narration point let it down a bit.

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3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Classic OSC, very enjoyable

What made the experience of listening to Stonefather the most enjoyable?

Emily Janice Card delivers a great performance that made listening easy. The story was predictable, but still enjoyable. It lives you wanting more of this kind of work from Orson Scott Card!

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3 persone l'hanno trovata utile