In 'The Lost Gate' by Orson Scott Card, the story follows young Danny North, who discovers he is a gatemage with forbidden powers that have not been seen in a thousand years. Forced to leave his home, Danny embarks on a journey of self-discovery, navigating between the magical and normal worlds while uncovering the secrets of his abilities and his family's history. The book weaves together elements of urban fantasy and ancient mythologies, creating a world where the protagonist must come to terms with his powers and find his place in both societies.
The narrative explores themes of self-discovery, family dynamics, and the consequences of power, with a focus on Danny's growth as a character as he learns to control his unique abilities and navigate the challenges of his dual worlds. Orson Scott Card skillfully blends fantasy elements into everyday life, creating a richly layered story that intertwines past and present, magic and reality, in a compelling coming-of-age tale.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The Lost Gate has content warnings for themes of violence and potential sexual assault that may not be appropriate for all readers.
From The Publisher:
Orson Scott Card's The Lost Gate is the first book in the Mithermages series from the New York Times bestselling author of Ender's Game.
Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.
He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins, and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.
There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English - but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny's cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.
Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.
The Mithermages series
The Lost Gate
The Gate Thief
Gatefather
Ratings (7)
Incredible (1) | |
Loved It (2) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (2) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (14):
Read It (8) | |
Want To Read (5) | |
Not Interested (1) |
1 comment(s)
To be more precise, this is 2.5 stars for me. The story just didn't vibe, almost as though the book is a chord with one note played wrong. This seems unusual to me, since Card has been writing this book for 30 years.
The dialogue in the Danny sections is the most engaging aspect; this is also where the book veers closest to the Ender's Game series. But Danny is too much of a pain in the ass for me to really like him (he's no Ender Wiggin). I'm intrigued by the series, but the worldbuilding is clunky so far.
What can you read after
The Lost Gate?
About the Author:
Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead. Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the only author to win these two top prizes in consecutive years. There are seven other novels to date in The Ender Universe series. Card has also written fantasy: The Tales of Alvin Maker is a series of fantasy novels set in frontier America; The Lost Gate, is a contemporary magical fantasy. Card has written many other stand-alone sf and fantasy novels, as well as movie tie-ins and games, and publishes an internet-based science fiction and fantasy magazine, Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. Card was born in Washington 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, Card directs plays and teaches writing and literature at Southern Virginia University. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, and youngest daughter, Zina Margaret.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
