Reviews

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

roseleaf24's review

4.0

I'm so glad I'm finally taking the chance to read more of the Ender books. This was so good. I found it slow at the beginning, but Card writes himself storylines where he has to build a completely new world or two each book, and he really does that masterfully. The exploration of space and time, as well as the possibilities on other planets, was fascinating, but above all the characters were full and the plot was rich.

akeller5's review

4.5

I typically don’t like large time jumps between novels, but (either due to the large break I took between books or because of the books own merits) I was (dare I say?) appreciative of it. The tone of this book felt more mature and I quickly was capitulated by the new set of characters and landscapes. By the time connections were made to the first book I was already hooked and was excited by the unexpected series of events which led the paths of the two sets of characters to cross. If the book had ended about 3/4 of the way through I would have given it 5 stars, but I felt the end was a bit rushed and anticlimactic and in some cases undermined the mystery and excitement built during the first three quarters. Still an excellent book built through character dialogue which is even better when listened to as an audiobook. 

mgabrel's review

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

“Every person is defined by the communities she belongs to and the ones she doesn’t belong to. A person that believes they don’t belong to any community at all invariably kill themselves, either by killing her body or by giving up her identity and going mad.”

I loved it. I read Ender’s game first, and when I heard about this book, I disregarded it. I didn’t like the idea of a tonal shift. I’m glad I finally did read it though. I think it stands above Ender’s game.  

Ender is right that humans don’t have multiple physical transformations in life, but I think there are life transitions that partially simulate the piggies’ three lives (infant/teenager/adult/old age).

smtorres28's review

4.0

Nothing like Ender's Game but truly moving and touching. It gives a glimpse on the shreds of humanity and how it can only take a small group of people to shed light on a bigger picture. I will definitely finish the Ender's Quintet.

ir_sharp2's review

4.0

Definitely a slow one to get into, but worth it once you do. Ended is spookily eloquent.

ilariasroom's review against another edition

4.5

incredibly genius and i expected nothing less from my man orson scott card… the commentary on family, religion, self sabotage and forgiveness, on genocide and atonement, on the skill and patience and impossibility yet somehow learnt possibility of understanding… all of it was genius and an extremely fulfilling sequel to an already extremely insightful novel. the only reason i give it slightly less than 5 stars is because i do feel the approach to the ending fell a little flat, although it was still very much a suitable and meaningful conclusion for a powerful piece of work.

hakkun1's review

adventurous emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.5

frozn's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

wolfgold's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

jareddelcamp's review

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.