If you haven’t guessed by their last names, then you should know that Emily Janice Card  is indeed Orson Scott Card’s last name (and follows in the family footsteps of using all three names). This is (I believe) the first time that Card has co-written a book with a family member and it’s not completely clear how much each of the writers did. The book, Laddertop, appears to be a pastiche of Ender’s Game and manga with talented children being taken to an space station and alien technology being used. The book is just volume 1, so there isn’t a lot of story and more questions than answers. Let’s check it out.

Robbi and Azure are teen (tween?) girls in a Earth school and are both up for making it to the Laddertop school. We find out very little about Laddertop except that it is prestigious and making it there is a great honor. Robbi is very reluctant to go because she worries about leaving her family in the hands of an abusive father. Azure, on the other hand, is outgoing, energetic and a fearless leader who is insistent on getting to Laddertop. Needless to say, they are both offered spots (otherwise this would be a really short book) and we start learning a little bit more.

The Laddertop Academy was created by the aliens known as the Givers. Little is known about the aliens and even less is known about the structure. The girls go through a short bit of training and schooling (with even the faculty mentioning that it’s very quick) before the technology insists on giving all the students a test to move up to the next level (which sounds more like a child repairman job then a school) and Robbi makes it, while Azure doesn’t. Robbi talks to Azure via mobile phone as she goes up and the book ends quickly after that. It’s a start of something, but who knows what.

The story is decent, but not great. There is too much movement without plot or characterization. I’m still not sure why anyone would want to go to Laddertop Academy and completely confused about the testing/promotion above that. It seems like a basic idea that was never really fleshed out. The art is by Honoel A. Ibardolaza and is decent at best (medicore at worst).

The characters all look pretty much the same with only hair/facial details slightly changed to differentiate them (I’m not sure I could pick them out in silhouette). Looking at the picture above from the kids in zero gravity, it not only looks like a scene from Ender’s Game, but is only semi decent. The kids are drawn decently, but there is no background worth mentioning and (again) all the character’s bodies look exactly the same.

I’m a little curious about the next volume and would probably read it, but I’m under no illusions that the quality will improve. Not recommended.