Reviews

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

chrisleesounds's review against another edition

5.0

I wish there was a way to use this book in a classroom setting to teach about ethics. The dilemmas throughout this installment of Ender’s tale leave you closing a chapter and needing put the book down for a spell just to let it simmer. Great and difficult book.

drtone's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed this until around 65% but from that point on, it progressively got worse.  The first half of the book was compelling but the ending was confusing and didn't align with the rest of the novel.  The primary message of this story is essentially, "Who has the right to condemn someone/something else?" and when that was the focus, it was great.  But when the focus was on weird sci-fi stuff and unnecessary explanations, I didn't care for it.  When Quim was murdered by the War tree clan, Jane was sentenced to death by Qing-jao, and the pequeninos were slaughtered by the mob, I felt that and couldn't put the book down.  When it droned on about the faster-than-light travel, the Hive Queen soul experience, and mind-numbingly dumb Quara debates, I couldn't wait for this book to end.  Overall, a decent read.  It didn't impact me like the first two in the series but I wasn't overly disappointed either.  

Thoughts while reading: The death of Quim in Chapter 10 and then the imminent deaths of Jane and those on Lusitania in Chapter 11 have devastated me.  Quim's faith in his works knowing that it will cost him his life.  Qing-jao's damning report to Congress despite knowing what it meant for Jane and gang.  These two events drive home the power of belief in such a powerful way.  It is hard to truly fault these "bad" actors because they were doing what they thought right and aren't we guilty of the same thing?  I've certainly cast judgments for far less.

callmecat's review against another edition

1.0

I hated this book. Perhaps I should have skipped it. If you don't like it either, you SHOULD skip it. Book 4 explains what happened in book 3. But even though I found this book so frustratingly DIFFICULT to read and understand and be entertained by because of how COMPLICATED it is, I have to admit there were a FEW passages from Xenocide that I enjoyed. And perhaps struggling through it helped me to understand book 4 better than I would have, even with how it summaries book 3. I don't know, honestly. But Xenocide was a pain in the butt. It wasn't just the difficulty of the science-fiction that weighed me down. If only I hadn't had to read about Path I would've enjoyed the book so much more. Those godspoken people were SO ANNOYING.

rainbyrd's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Very interesting and thought provoking read. 

billymac1962's review against another edition

1.0

Will somebody please stop these great authors from sucking an concept beyond dry? This bored me so badly I almost couldn't finish it. There's a final novel out now but enough is enough.

lyhadley's review against another edition

4.0

SPOILER FROM SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD

Xenocide is less of a sci-fi novel than it is a collection of Socratic discussions on biology, physics, psychology, morality and many other topics, and that's not a bad thing. While Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead might be more approachable reads for the average reader, Orson Scott Card dives deep into big questions for not only the characters, but for the reader as well. Who/what created me? Does free will exist? Does God/gods exist, and if so, what does He/She/Them expect of me? Though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I kept feeling like Novinha, now Ender's wife of 30 years, wasn't as fully explored or developed as she could have been. I'm hoping that Children of the Mind will help flesh her out more and give her character more dimensions, because initially, I never even understood why she married Ender in the first place. Overall a very thought-provoking read, but if you're looking for more action/adventure, the First Formic War trilogy is a good place to start.

colinsford's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

vsgayatri's review against another edition

2.0

This isn't sci-fi so much as mysticism dressed up in fragments from 3500+ years in the future. To have read so much mention of real (if bastardised) scientific work, and then have all problems solved by a divine cop out was just too much. Yes, the cop-out was introduced in Ender's Game, but it was a minor enough detail. It took shape in Speaker for the Dead but somewhat within the limits of credulity. Xenocide however, proudly and resplendently uses it along with flat personalities and reductionism of characters to a trait or two that without exception includes deep seated self pity.

All two stars are for the feat of somehow keeping me engrossed even as I felt my brain turn to mush.

elllljayyyy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

freckleduck's review against another edition

3.0

I listened to this book on audiotape and Orson Scott Card is trying to explain why I should not feel cheated and yet I still do... It was an interesting book with some confusing parts but if read need to read children of the mind to finish.