Scan barcode
jareddelcamp's review against another edition
4.0
If I had gone into this book thinking murder-mystery/social dynamics rather than epic battle for survival against all odds with a hero shockingly overcoming the near impossible, I would have given 5 stars. Get in the right anticipatory state and it’s good.
blastoise's review against another edition
3.0
Very different from Ender's Game, it is less action and more philosophical. I think it's better to treat the sequels of Ender's Game as separate as the first book is a great stand-alone. This deals more with the implications set in motion by the events of the first book and sets the series up for an over-arcing story dealing with the philosophical nature of genocide.
robivy's review against another edition
5.0
Even better than Ender's Game. Would definitely recommend. Now on to the rest of the books in the series....
jessicajane's review against another edition
3.0
Speaker for the Dead is the sequel to Ender's Game but is written in quite a different style. It explores the relationship between humans and aliens more explicitly than in Ender's Game and asks a lot of complex questions about how to navigate relations between species that have wildly different views of morality, and even what constitutes the self. OSC clearly put a lot of thought into developing the race of piggies and they have a complex relationship with humanity. The whole concept is fascinating and OSC writes such dynamic, exciting plot lines. I also found it very interesting to think about how humanity would be governed when living on 100 different planets that are light years away from one another.
I have one criticism to make: the tension between the Speaker for the Dead and Catholic authorities on Lusitania is not very believable. The Speaker's role is to give a speech about the true character of the deceased, making no pretences about their flaws but also seeking to empathise with, and ultimately love, them. In the story this becomes a whole branch of philosophy. It is described as becoming a religion, but there is no evidence that the followers are appealing to (nor denying the existence of) any higher power. It's just a new branch of humanist thought that doesn't say anything about God and doesn't go against the teachings of the Church, so it doesn't make sense that the bishop feels so threatened by it.
The story's version of Catholicism also annoyed me because it has no substance. The word Catholic and the names of the religious leaders could have been replaced with any other mainstream religion and nothing about the story would have changed. I appreciate that the Catholic Church in 3000 years on another planet with sentient aliens wouldn't look anything like how it is today but it feels like the author just made it up as an afterthought and couldn't be bothered to flesh it out. It seems to be purely a narrative device to create some tension with a powerful authority but it's not particularly well done.
Other than that, I did enjoy it. In the intervening years between books 1 and 2, Ender only ages 20 ish years (due to space travel). Humanity has come to view Ender the Xenocide as the most evil person that ever lived, and many revere the original Speaker for the Dead. Nobody knows that they are, in fact, the same person and that he is still alive. This adds an interesting element and makes Ender perhaps even more isolated than before. His character is very well developed and feels believable. The character of Jane is fascinating (she's basically a sentient AI but not intentionally made by humans) and she felt so human in some ways but also not quite there, which I think was cleverly done.
All in all it was enjoyable and got a lot better as it went on, the religion bit was just a bit weird and unnecessary and distracted me from the actual story.
I have one criticism to make: the tension between the Speaker for the Dead and Catholic authorities on Lusitania is not very believable. The Speaker's role is to give a speech about the true character of the deceased, making no pretences about their flaws but also seeking to empathise with, and ultimately love, them. In the story this becomes a whole branch of philosophy. It is described as becoming a religion, but there is no evidence that the followers are appealing to (nor denying the existence of) any higher power. It's just a new branch of humanist thought that doesn't say anything about God and doesn't go against the teachings of the Church, so it doesn't make sense that the bishop feels so threatened by it.
The story's version of Catholicism also annoyed me because it has no substance. The word Catholic and the names of the religious leaders could have been replaced with any other mainstream religion and nothing about the story would have changed. I appreciate that the Catholic Church in 3000 years on another planet with sentient aliens wouldn't look anything like how it is today but it feels like the author just made it up as an afterthought and couldn't be bothered to flesh it out. It seems to be purely a narrative device to create some tension with a powerful authority but it's not particularly well done.
Other than that, I did enjoy it. In the intervening years between books 1 and 2, Ender only ages 20 ish years (due to space travel). Humanity has come to view Ender the Xenocide as the most evil person that ever lived, and many revere the original Speaker for the Dead. Nobody knows that they are, in fact, the same person and that he is still alive. This adds an interesting element and makes Ender perhaps even more isolated than before. His character is very well developed and feels believable. The character of Jane is fascinating (she's basically a sentient AI but not intentionally made by humans) and she felt so human in some ways but also not quite there, which I think was cleverly done.
All in all it was enjoyable and got a lot better as it went on, the religion bit was just a bit weird and unnecessary and distracted me from the actual story.
ewingo401's review against another edition
5.0
It seems this is a book that falls into the "Love it or Hate it" category. I really enjoyed "Ender's Game" and naturally wanted to continue the story. I think the reason a lot of people don't enjoy, or don't "get" this book is because they're expecting "Ender's Game 2"...that's just not what this is. Without getting too spoilery I'll just say that the events of the first book have very little to do with this book other than providing some back story. It would be completely possible to pick up and read this book as a stand alone having never even heard of "Ender's Game".
The introduction was a little daunting. There is a pretty in depth section explaining that there will be a lot of use of the Portuguese language in the book and a brief explanation of how to pronounce some of the words and letters. Being a person who can only read, write, and speak in English I thought this would be a major detractor from the book, but once you get involved in the story you barely notice it. Don't let it scare you off.
The story itself is very good and well told. Moral dilemma's, the fight between right and wrong, and when to do wrong for the greater good are the major themes. The character of Ender Wiggin is just as interesting as he was in the first book and the characters he's surrounded with are also very well written. You feel like you're getting to know them just as Ender is.
It seems to be hotly debated whether this or "Ender's Game" is the better book. They're both very good, but I give "Speaker For The Dead" the slight edge.
The introduction was a little daunting. There is a pretty in depth section explaining that there will be a lot of use of the Portuguese language in the book and a brief explanation of how to pronounce some of the words and letters. Being a person who can only read, write, and speak in English I thought this would be a major detractor from the book, but once you get involved in the story you barely notice it. Don't let it scare you off.
The story itself is very good and well told. Moral dilemma's, the fight between right and wrong, and when to do wrong for the greater good are the major themes. The character of Ender Wiggin is just as interesting as he was in the first book and the characters he's surrounded with are also very well written. You feel like you're getting to know them just as Ender is.
It seems to be hotly debated whether this or "Ender's Game" is the better book. They're both very good, but I give "Speaker For The Dead" the slight edge.
mekanikstik's review against another edition
4.0
Another solid book. It has quite a different feel to it than Ender's Game, though Ender is still a pleasure to read about. Leave the introduction for after you have read the book as it contains spoilers. Overall, a great read.
kitdunsmore's review against another edition
4.0
Certainly not anything like Ender's Game, although Ender is still the main character, but a wonderful book in its own right. I found the idea of the Speaker for the Dead telling the truth of a person's life so others could see who he was inside instead of just what he did with his life intriguing. Also, the aliens were pretty alien, which you don't always see.
acdncpac's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
creadsagain's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
inkfire's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the characters and how the plot progressed. The pacing was a little draggy in the middle, but it picked up nicely in the last quarter with the Speaking, and the dialogue was superb. I wish there might have been a more satisfactory reconciliation between Ender and Jane, though.