Lovely Laddertop

Laddertop Volume 1

Written by Orson Scott Card and Emily Janice Card with Zina Card

Illustrated by Honoel A. Ibardolaza

* Finished copy received for review from Tor|Forge Books

4 out of 5 gnomes

This is an exciting start to what looks to be a very interesting series.  It's also a quick read, which is great if you don't have a lot of time or are just looking for something short and sweet.  Of course the author Orson Scott Card is very well known and it's awesome that this story is a family endeavor.  I don't read a lot of manga but I found this really easy to follow and read.  The art is well done and adds a lot to the story.  This feels like the kind of story that would make a great cartoon or movie. 

The main characters Robbi and Azure have been friends for a long time and seem to be striving for the same goals.  Azure is extremely motivated and her one goal is to be chosen for The Laddertop Academy.  In this world being chosen for the academy would be a great honor because not many are chosen. 

This world seems normal at first then you find out that aliens have visited this world and left behind these Ladders that provide energy for the entire world.  No one knows exactly how this technology works but it is known that children are needed to maintain it.  The training reminds me of astronauts training but of course with some twists.  This training is where much of the mystery and intrigue comes into play because there are a lot of unknowns.  It's not even known exactly why only certain children pass all the stages of training.

There's some drama and also some great humor among the characters.  The adult characters aren't yet fleshed out as well as the child characters but it looks like they may be more to their story later on. 

Overall a great start to a series that introduces quite the world.  I love the mystery of what exactly is going on and can't wait to see where it's all headed.