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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I give this book a 2 because for as many things I loved about it there are many I disliked.
First, one problem that carries over from Ender's Game is Ender being a Mary Sue. He is portrayed as the smartest, most empathetic and capable being in the universe. In a sense, society reviles him as Ender the Xenocide, but this has shockingly little effect on his interactions with others through the book since this part of his identity is hidden. His secret is revealed and no one cares at all. Anytime he says or does something that upsets a person, that person decides Ender was right to say/do whatever upsetting thing and not only forgives him but actually feels grateful to Ender.
Second, there is a weirdly repeating theme of incest. Ender has three different women in his life that he compares his relationship with as being like both a sibling and wife, including his actual sister. Plus, there is a separate plot line with other characters involving actual incest.
<Furthering Ender's weird relationships with women, he falls in love with a girl when she is 13 and he is 3000. Yes for real, seriously I worry for the women in this author's life.>
<Furthering Ender's weird relationships with women, he falls in love with a girl when she is 13 and he is 3000. Yes for real, seriously I worry for the women in this author's life.>
Third, this author clearly hates Catholicism. Religion/faith in general are occassionally shown as virtuous but primarily portrayed in a negative light. Catholicism primarily serves to add barriers to Ender's goals, and if you recall Ender can do no wrong so standing in his way is a very bad/foolish to do as the narrative portrays it.
Ok, all that out of the way, there is a lot to love in this book too. Just like Ender's game, the novel has a very cerebral quality to it where a lot of time is spent on different characters internal worlds and even how other chatacters may imagine another's internal views. It is endlessly fun to dig into the casts' minds and watch as they both learn about and misunderstand each other constantly.
The culture of the piggies and world building around them is supremely intriguing. We also get some great persepctive from the Hive Queen herself and a conscious super computer.
The way all these different species wants, needs, desires and perspectives weave between conflict and understanding is the heart of the narrative. Lots of philosophy about what makes someone/something truly human, though the philisophizing felt repetitive toward the end.
Ultimately though, even with the aspects of the book I love, it isn't hard to find a sci-fi novel that intelligently explores what it means to be human and has good world building without also being weirdly obsessed with incest and hating Catholics. Would not recommend and I probably will not read more from this author.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Exceptional. Adding a new book to my favorites list. Loved this even more than Ender’s Game, I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
Speaker for the Dead definitely wasn't as good as Ender's game, but it was still worth reading, and I certainly enjoyed it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow such a great book, loved the story, the characters, the carryover from Enders game, but how this was just a completely different story with the introduction of a new race. I liked Enders game but loved this book, I just couldn’t put it down! If you liked the universe created in Enders game give this one a chance because it only gets deeper, can’t wait to read the next book! My only complaint is the heavy use of religion, just seems so unnecessary and such an unimportant part of the book.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
While it dealt with heavy topics, Orson Scott Card handled them in a well-written and engaging way. It’s not a book for the lighthearted, but it holds valuable lessons on acceptance and working to understand those different from yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Xenophobia
It have a very different tone than the first book. The world is rich, the alien actually feels alien. It is actually pretty good!
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No