Pathfinder

        Salutations, friends! Today I will be reviewing Orson Scott Card's most recent book, Pathfinder. It stars a 13-year-old and is marketed to teens, but really it is not a YA novel at all, and definitely not a children's book. It's pretty complicated and heavy in both plot and themes, not to mention it's over 600 pages. Not that a teenager wouldn't like it, of course - I think many would. But teen lit it is not.
        It is the first of a series, but it stands alone very well - by the end, the story is resolved enough that you don't feel like you need to have the next one right now immediately this very second or you will scratch your eyeballs out. (Speaking of which, what is OSC doing writing a new series when Master Alvin is still unwritten??? I swear I will kidnap him and chain him to a computer.)

         Anyways. Pathfinder centers around the story of those who have the power to change the past. Following the death of his father, the young protagonist, Rigg, and his friends set out to find his long-lost mother and sister, a quest which leads to startling revelations about his heritage, his powers, and his future. He finds that he is the center of a political upheaval, and factions on every side want to force his hand, or kill him. He must go on the run with the people he cares about, and each of their special gifts will determine their survival - and what they discover about the world they live in.

        Pathfinder is science fiction and not fantasy, but, as in many of Card's books, the line between the two genres is slightly blurred. I don't mean his science is faulty (though I would hardly know if it was), but that he uses thematic and genre elements that are characteristic of both. It is set in a quasi-medieval world, complete with scheming queen and not-as-helpless-as-she-seems princess, and the time-manipulation talents possessed by the characters function, on the surface, as magic. However, the science fiction aspect and many of the novel's most important themes are revealed in the segments that take place several thousand years before the main plot, on board a space ship. (Protip: don't read these ahead, no matter how interesting they are. It works much better if you get the new information at its proper place.) Oh, and I guess there's some scifi right at the end of the main plot, too, if we're going to be picky. Together they weave a complete and compelling narrative. In my opinion, Orson Scott Card is very, very good at fusing genres; Pathfinder is a book that would appeal to both the adamant fantasist and the hardcore scifi nerd.

        A note on time travel: there's lots of it. And it's confusing. The book centers around the concept, but even if you read tons of time travel lit, you'll still be confused. OSC says it himself: the book is "in deliberate defiance of the consensus rules of science fictional time travel" (from the acknowledgments). What does that mean? If you're a logician, you'd better not read this book. Still, don't let that stand in the way of your enjoyment of the book. As a highly reputable and trusted source once said, "time travel is never non-confusing, and if you make it non-confusing, it's cause you're ignoring stuff."

        In terms of literary mechanics, Card is superlative as usual. His characters are likable and realistic, if perhaps not quite as personable as in some of his previous books. The plot is gripping, especially when you don't try to skip to the end and find out what's really the deal with this planet. The magic system (I mean, the science system) is very original and convincing. I always like his systems. Style and themes are a given; the man's a genius, he probably writes meaningful, relevant, beautiful prose in his sleep. Pathfinder is certainly a thinking book; if it doesn't make you wonder about a few things you're probably not paying attention. And of course Card has something profound to say about the human condition. He always does, you know.

        In conclusion, read it. If you like fantasy, if you like scifi, if you're a Card fanatic like me, if you've never heard of him before, teen, adult, whatever, just read Pathfinder. If you are a small child, have an easily explodable head, are a slacker who can't read more than 500 pages at a time, or hate all genre books, it probably is not for you. But the rest of you awesome people out there, read it.