An unusual object is noticed by the spotter on a mining ship, El Cavador, far from Earth in the Kuiper Belt. A few ships manned by families search asteroids for metals in this remote region.  The new object is quite large and moving much faster than normal.  It couldn’t be an alien ship.  Or could it?  Should the El Cavador send this information on to others now or wait until more is known?  Unfortunately, a series of problems keep the message from being sent and now Earth is in danger.

This prequel to Ender’s Game  was a disappointment.   It is basically a space opera with a lot of improbable action. It’s the kind of sci-fi that was written in the 60’s with none of the flavor and nuances I have come to expect from Orson Scott Card.   This is the novelization of the Formic War Marvel comics and doesn’t have the depth found in Card’s past novels.  It remains a comic book, just without the pictures.  Perhaps best for fans of the Formic War comics and ready for a novelization of the story.

NetGalley review   Publication date 7.17.12