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The story begins with a young boy named Chinma. Chinma lives in a small vilage in Africa and helps his family raise money by catching rare monkeys. However, Chinma catches an unknown disease from one of the monkeys he was hunting. This disease soon kills both his brother and his father, but it leaves him alive. Eventually the "nictovirus," spreads all throughout Africa. This leaves U.S. President Torrent to call for the quarantine of the entire continent until a cure can be found. This causes tension, for African governments begin to send in military force to kill off the infected areas. Little do they know, the villages they destroy are the only places that have grown immune to the virus. In response, Torrent promotes Colonel Coleman to General and sends him and his team into Africa to stop the advances of the Hausa armies.
The story plays off the historical characterization that America fights for freedom and justice. This belief is common among Americans as well as foreigners. The United States has been known to intervene in the business of other countries. Many refugees and immigrants move to the United States in hope of a better life. However, descriptions of the patriotic American are often exaggerated.
President Averell Torrent -
Torrent is the newly elected President of the United States. Torrent was once a historian and university professor who entered the world of politics when he helped to stop the movements of the Progessive Restoration, a radical leftist orgnization known to use terrorist tactics to gain control over parts of the U.S. It is he who decides to place a quarantine on Africa and sends a team of Special Ops soldiers into Nigeria in order to stop military oppression.
Colonel/General Bartholemew Coleman -
Known as "Cole," the colonel fought alongside Major Rueben Malich, a man who was framed for the assassination of the previous president and died in attempt to clear his name, in the war against the Progressive Restoration. Cole now works as Torrent's own personal soldier, acting as a strategist and an ambassador to other armies. He and the former team Major Malich are sent by Torrent to Africa to stop the massacre of non-Muslim villagers by the Hausa government.
Cecily Malich -
Malich, known as "Cessy," is the widow of Major Rueben Malich. She is an advisor to President Torrent and lives with her five children near the D.C. area. Her opinion is the one valued most by the president, and she often acts as a voice of morality. She takes in a boy named Chinma, who witnessed an attack on his village. She is a strong believer in the Christian faith and later goes with her oldest son, Mark, to care for the ill in Africa.
Hidden Empire is set in a near future time period. The book begins during the reconstruction of America after the prevention of a second Civil War. President Torrent has been elected to office following the assassination of the former President and his cabinet. The book takes place in Washington D.C. as well as in Africa. The District is home to many of our main characters. Torrent, as president, resides in the White House, where he makes executive decisions and leads the country. Cecily Malich and her family also live near D.C. However, the main plot of the story takes place in and around Nigeria and other Muslim controlled countries. A new disease known as the “nictovirus” has recently taken hold of the African continent; and by order of the U.S. Government, has been quarantined.
The scene incorporates historical context. In the past and in recent years, Africa has often been home to the outbreak of various diseases. Many of these diseases are lethal and are both the cause and effect of the poor living conditions present in modern Africa. Examples include HIV, AIDS, and malaria. The idea of isolating the entire continent, however, has not been executed as of now.
The actions conducted by the characters are done in response to background events in the setting. Had the nictovirus not spread throughout Africa, its quarantine would not have been needed. Without the quarantine and the disease, the African governments would not need to kill the village people. If people were not being killed, then the U.S. would have no incentive to intervene. This just shows a domino effect that started with the genesis of the disease and ended with American mediation.
Cole and his team use the latest in military technology. The most significant piece of equipment is an exoskeletal bodysuit. This suit, nicknamed “Bones,” augments the physical capabilities of the user. It allows them to run faster than road vehicles and to jump to high altitudes. This gives them an advantage over the large numbers of their opposition. The suits are accompanied by a device known the “Noodle.” The Noodle projects information like mission specs and biometrics directly into Cole’s eyes. Cole’s team uses these items to help them fight against the Hausa armies. They supplement the small numbers of the stealth-orientated team.
Comments about the suits in the text allude to figures present in popular culture. When describing the capabilities of the Bones, characters commend its ability to “leap small buildings in a single bound.” This is a reference to Superman as it is a statement often said to illustrate his powers. The suit is also compared to that of Iron Man, a comic book superhero who wears a technologically advanced suit to fight evil. The last of the allusions is one about the Terminator films. It talks about a particular scene where the robot chases down an automobile and compares it to a similar instance where Cole and his team are pursuing an enemy vehicle.
Hidden Empire incorporates technology that is not yet existent in present day. This is possible because the book takes place in the future. Setting the story in the future allows the author to craft things or events that have not yet happened. The Bones and Noodles are examples of this. The concept of using possible technological advancements is evident in science fiction.
In Hidden Empire, President Torrent establishes a quarantine over Africa to prevent the spread of the "nictovirus." On the surface, it seems as though Torrent is looking out for the world, as though he wishes to stop it in its tracks. The strict rules of the isolation provide support to this claim. However, Torrent knows that containing a virus inside so large a land mass is impossible. He knows that somehow the wall will be broken. This is what Torrent wants. Secretly, President Torrent hopes that his plan will fail. He wants this to happen for the reason that, if the nictovirus spreads around the world, he will have the justification to create an Empire out of the United States of America. This is something that is seen in Torrents words and actions as well as through the opinions of Colonel Coleman's teammates.
This is ironic in all three definitions. Torrent uses verbal irony when he establishes the quarantine. He initiates it with the knowledge that it will fail and attempts to encourage his people that it will work. The instance is situationally ironic because Torrent is the President of the United States. No one expects the president to want imperialism. The United States as an empire is a contradiction in itself. The term "united" stands for democracy and freedom while imperialism does not. Finally, the irony is dramatic. If one has read the first book, Empire, one would know that Torrent taught history. More specifically, Torrent taught about the conversion of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. In his classes, Torrent taught that, in order for America to be like Rome, a tragedy was needed. The nictovirus is the means by which that tragedy is to be caused. Torrent even hints at wanting an empire when adressing the people. He tells them that democracy could not possibly survive a hit by disease, a statement that convinced people that he wished to stop the spread when, in fact, he wished the opposite.
The theme of the story is human nature. The theme is found in various forms as insecurity, determination, fear, and so on. Torrent has an ambition to create an empire from the United States. Cole does what he does best, being a soldier, fighting fot the government until it becomes the very thing that they're fighting against. Cessy wants to be a good mother and a good Christian. The African governments kill when they don't undestand the situation. The story revolves around the imperfections of man.
The review by Laura Impellizzeri below interprets Hidden Empire in a different way. She focuses more on the political, real-world aspects of the novel. She commends Card's representation of a completely possible future. She also comments on the almost satyrical implication of how Torrent's election is much like President Obama's.
REVIEW BY LAURA IMPELLIZZERI
"A favorite among sci-fi readers and video gamers, the prolific Orson Scott Card has taken on a topic closer to real life than usual — and with more of a Christian tone.
"Set only a few years in the future, Hidden Empire is an engaging, if not finely written, parable about heroism and history and Christian faith. In notes at the novel's end, Card says — without naming him — that President Barack Obama's ascendance inspired him. But he acknowledges that his fictional President Averell Torrent has 'even more of a monopoly on power and media attention,' with his access to and control of leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
"On the assumption that the U.S. can and should direct the globe's political economy — an idea Obama has disavowed as recently as last month — Card explores how a domestic monopoly on power could be used to shape the transition to a 'post-oil world.' But he takes a pass on the modern challenge of terrorism, selecting instead a virulent and lethal virus (with parallels to ancient Rome and to the 1918 influenza epidemic) as his character's nemesis.
"Torrent, a historian who came to power following a rebellion and mass assassination, calmly imposes a quarantine on the entire continent of Africa after the virus appears there in humans. People close to Torrent, including Cecily Malich, a top presidential adviser and the widow of the hero who defeated the rebellion, worry about Torrent's intentions. But they stand by him: In Malich's world, heavily shaded by her Catholic beliefs, loyalty is a top virtue.
"When Card finally gives in to the moral ambiguity of reality, the book's Christian themes gain strength. Many readers may even forgive his earlier potshots — whether at the science of global warming or the self-involvement of neoconservatives.
"Card calls into question the stock American notion of bravery by having Malich's son show how it conflicts with the kind of faith she has encouraged at home. Loyalty and heroism may be good, the son argues, but helping others is better, and selflessly caring for the sick and defending one's compatriots most noble of all. The novel finally shines as Malich, cast as a liberal of sorts, starts squaring her conflicting personas of wife, mother, believer and Washington insider to do what she believes is right."
Empire by Orson Scott Card
Hidden Empire by Orson Scott Card
Review by Laura Impellizzeri, Associated Press
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/stage/fl-bk-hidden-empire-010310-20091231,0,2011797.story
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