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majavink's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-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
3.75
souponthebarby's review
3.0
This book is quite enjoyable, and actually a great direct sequel to Ender's Game. Does this mean it is as good as "Speaker for the Dead"? Absolutely not. I still hold the opinion that "Speaker" is Card's strongest book, and it hasn't changed after reading "Exile." Exile still earns the chance to be read and deserves to have a spot in the ever expanding Ender Universe. The middle of the book plays quite enjoyably, and actually had me excited. The beginning and the end I felt had pacing problems, which lead me to the three and not four star rating. There isn't enough of the secondary story mentioned to really make it a worthwhile ending. It could have ended without the last three chapters, which could have been an in universe short story on their own. This is still absolutely worth your time, just make sure you commit to it so you get past the opening part of the book.
jake_powell's review against another edition
4.0
Was basically a more detailed retelling of the last chapter from “Ender’s Game”, but a needed retelling. The detail added a lot of clarity to the future books, and that portion of the story had previously felt pretty cramped. Was good to feel that progression given the time it needed.
professorfate's review against another edition
3.0
This book continues the adventures of Ender Wiggin from the novel "Ender's Game." Ender has won the war (even though he didn't know he was actually fighting--he thought it was just a war game on a computer), and now the troops that he commanded are all headed home. However, his return is problematic. Some people want to see him tried as a war criminal, some argue that if he returns home to America that America would then become too powerful. So he decides to exile himself to one of the new colonies that are being established on the formic worlds (the worlds formerly occupied by the beings that Ender wiped out in the previous war).
This is the third novel of Card's that I've read, and I'm finding that, while his stories are interesting, there is something in his prose that makes the journey through the book like a ride in a car with a badly-knocking engine. Sometimes, it is that he just keeps hammering on a point long after this reader has gotten it. Sometimes, it seems as though he is moving along nicely and all of the sudden, the novel stalls out. This is how it feels to me, anyway.
This is the third novel of Card's that I've read, and I'm finding that, while his stories are interesting, there is something in his prose that makes the journey through the book like a ride in a car with a badly-knocking engine. Sometimes, it is that he just keeps hammering on a point long after this reader has gotten it. Sometimes, it seems as though he is moving along nicely and all of the sudden, the novel stalls out. This is how it feels to me, anyway.
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed it. Read through books on tape. This was my second book in this series, so it seemed a natural progression
fbeemcee's review against another edition
3.0
I give this a weak three stars. It was hard for me to push through because I just wasn't that interested in any of the events of the story. I absolutely loved Ender's Game, and this is just mediocre in comparison.
margyly's review against another edition
3.0
Another Ender’s Game sequel. It feels as though Card is losing steam.
cinnamonwhirl's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings towards this book. Not as good as Speaker which in turn was not as good as EG but certainly bridges the gap well between the two and shows us how Ender matured and became more the man we meet in Speaker.
Having only read EG and Speaker I do feel most of the second half of the book was lost on me and I regret not reading the rest of the books first. Now I shall have to find and read them all then re-read Exile over again (or at least the second half!).
To those who complain that Ender is too so-calledly perfect throughout these books it's worth remembering that was the whole point set out in EG. He was effectively bred that way and of course that makes him harder to relate to that's why as a character he is held apart from everyone be it self inflicted or no.
However what I did not enjoy was the removal at least at the beginning of any choice that female colonists should have had by right to abstain from being made into baby factories. certain aspects of the novel such as this coupled with characterisation of most female characters made what should be a forward thinking sci-fi futuristic novel into a kind of 1700s prairies-in-space kind of feel complete with ideology. also no thought seemed to have been given in the slightest that while the gender statistics were equal (which are scientifically never 50/50!) that not all of the population are heterosexual anyway? I understand that it's a work of fiction but for someone to make such oversights and assumptions in this day and age leaves me astounded and quite disappointed in an otherwise talented author. That said speaker was not much different on that front either.
Having only read EG and Speaker I do feel most of the second half of the book was lost on me and I regret not reading the rest of the books first. Now I shall have to find and read them all then re-read Exile over again (or at least the second half!).
To those who complain that Ender is too so-calledly perfect throughout these books it's worth remembering that was the whole point set out in EG. He was effectively bred that way and of course that makes him harder to relate to that's why as a character he is held apart from everyone be it self inflicted or no.
However what I did not enjoy was the removal at least at the beginning of any choice that female colonists should have had by right to abstain from being made into baby factories. certain aspects of the novel such as this coupled with characterisation of most female characters made what should be a forward thinking sci-fi futuristic novel into a kind of 1700s prairies-in-space kind of feel complete with ideology. also no thought seemed to have been given in the slightest that while the gender statistics were equal (which are scientifically never 50/50!) that not all of the population are heterosexual anyway? I understand that it's a work of fiction but for someone to make such oversights and assumptions in this day and age leaves me astounded and quite disappointed in an otherwise talented author. That said speaker was not much different on that front either.
mxmlln's review against another edition
3.0
Looks like I accidentally read this after Shadows in Flight, though not too sure whether a made a distinct difference. Anyway, I generally enjoyed the book, but like Ender's Game the ending sucks outright.