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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Very different vibe than Ender's Game, but I enjoyed it just as much if not more.
'Speaker for the Dead' is a grown ups' book, a literary science fiction that has a lot of Big Questions, and by the end Ender answers the best he can by his understanding of what's needed.
Perhaps this novel, book two in the Ender series, may not satisfy those who want a comic book hero. Ender is the kind of hero that has more living man as part of his character than a storybook person. He wants to be a husband, father, and someone who is building a home, not a military genius, not an adventurer, explorer or even a businessman.
The title and job he takes on, Speaker for the Dead, is a penance for his perceived sin of genocide ([b:Ender's Game|375802|Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet, #1)|Orson Scott Card|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408303130s/375802.jpg|2422333]) which almost crushes his ability to survive. Being Speaker for the Dead is how he maintains self-respect, and at the same time, he hopes to evolve the human intellect past its instinct to murder the different. He preaches walking in the Other's shoes as the way to understand, but in a holistic way of seeing. If aliens have sentience, then they can maybe see how the Other may have the same aspirations all living intelligences must have. The Buggers (an alien race discovered in space), by this definition, were not only ahead of humans scientifically but also morally Jane (a wonderful character) is a proof flesh isn't necessary for an evolved intelligence. She is a powerful metaphor for what is possible and a god icon at the same time. Lack of flesh leads her initially to being heartless, as all superior gods are
Biblical references much! Maybe Ender is Jesus, and maybe his brother Peter and sister Valentine could be representing...Biblical disciples? Guessing is part of the joy of reading. Some of my musings: the alien planet, which this book is about - maybe a metaphoric Garden of Eden? The Piggies (a new, recently discovered, alien race) are a symbol for who we humans are today, and they have a literal Tree of Life? Or not - you decide...
People have been arguing for decades about what is Literature and what is simple entertainment. I think Literature has become too solipsistic and it needs to admit new genres like Speakers of the Dead. This is a beautiful read.
Perhaps this novel, book two in the Ender series, may not satisfy those who want a comic book hero. Ender is the kind of hero that has more living man as part of his character than a storybook person. He wants to be a husband, father, and someone who is building a home, not a military genius, not an adventurer, explorer or even a businessman.
The title and job he takes on, Speaker for the Dead, is a penance for his perceived sin of genocide ([b:Ender's Game|375802|Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet, #1)|Orson Scott Card|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408303130s/375802.jpg|2422333]) which almost crushes his ability to survive. Being Speaker for the Dead is how he maintains self-respect, and at the same time, he hopes to evolve the human intellect past its instinct to murder the different. He preaches walking in the Other's shoes as the way to understand, but in a holistic way of seeing. If aliens have sentience, then they can maybe see how the Other may have the same aspirations all living intelligences must have. The Buggers (an alien race discovered in space), by this definition, were not only ahead of humans scientifically but also morally
Spoiler
, but Ender destroyed them in the previous book before understanding could be shared between races.Spoiler
, however Jane' mature evolution begins when she falls in love with a man.Biblical references much! Maybe Ender is Jesus, and maybe his brother Peter and sister Valentine could be representing...Biblical disciples? Guessing is part of the joy of reading. Some of my musings: the alien planet, which this book is about - maybe a metaphoric Garden of Eden? The Piggies (a new, recently discovered, alien race) are a symbol for who we humans are today, and they have a literal Tree of Life? Or not - you decide...
People have been arguing for decades about what is Literature and what is simple entertainment. I think Literature has become too solipsistic and it needs to admit new genres like Speakers of the Dead. This is a beautiful read.
Well if Ender's game posited blogging, then Speaker for the Dead posits the cloud. Rather a different experience but also enjoyable. There were some ideas here that sounded interesting. Trying to keep separate any hints about the author's beliefs from my reading for now. Just enjoying being able to talk about a book with my son. He loves to ask me where I am in the book.
slow-paced
Only good bit about Enders Game was the last few pages. This carries that on. I like squeals that are better than the originals, out of principle.
As a teenager, I loved Ender's Game for its action, for the genius hero and the clever battle strategies, for the shocking plot twist of the climax. But whatever vague impression I got of the sequels sounded much less exciting, and I never read them. Your enemy is not your enemy. When you truly know and love someone, you cannot hate them. As an adult, somehow the ideas came back to me, and I realized that my theological and political growth over the years had led me right to them, and I knew I had to read this book.
The idea of being a "Speaker for the dead" is so beautiful. To uncover the depths of a person's life, the full measure of the good and bad and ugly, to understand the motives behind misunderstood behavior, the hidden pains, the universal human desires, to really know someone, to really love them, and then to "speak" all of that to everyone else who knew them, to help them understand the person in a much deeper way, to evoke sympathy and yet also regret and a challenge to live better with those who are still alive... It is such a beautiful idea, and Card's rendering of it so masterfully crafted, that I wish it was a real thing that happened in real life.
The larger theme, extending beyond individuals to the broader human conceptions of the Other, is so important and fundamental on so many levels, and I loved Card's imaginative exploring of it all, from the mysteries of the misunderstandings about some pivotal and horrific deaths, to the nuances of assumptions about primitive cultures, to even the briefly hinted expansion of such matters to the realm of artificial intelligence.
It's not flawless. There's a few vibes of damsel-in-distress tropes. The details of some alien life-cycles were a little too weird for me, besides being hard to follow, and there's a manner of mutilation that is quite disturbing, although it eventually ties into a sort of redemptive religious significance not entirely unlike a crucifixion. I'm always amused at the ways science fiction, presumably stories of the future, become snapshots of the context of the past they were written in, and Card is no exception. There's an intergalactic Internet of sorts, but everyone is oddly obsessed with using it to access, scan, copy, or hide text files like it's... 1990. The discussions about "genetic molecules" and their capabilities felt a little hand-wavy to me, especially for a book that otherwise seemed to take evolutionary biology pretty literally.
The book assumes that religion continues into the future of human space travel, which I considered a more realistic and interesting concept than the quasi-religiousless-utopian assumptions of much other sci-fi. Believers and unbelievers are both portrayed respectfully, with interesting exchanges. Add the clever use of language and dialogue and you get something with a lot of similarities to Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow which I read last year, except with broader and ultimately more optimistic themes. So count me among those who in his adulthood found this book a deeper, richer, and even more inspiring book than the brilliant battles of Ender's Game. Of course, as I re-read that book as well, it's obvious that it was pointing here all along.
The idea of being a "Speaker for the dead" is so beautiful. To uncover the depths of a person's life, the full measure of the good and bad and ugly, to understand the motives behind misunderstood behavior, the hidden pains, the universal human desires, to really know someone, to really love them, and then to "speak" all of that to everyone else who knew them, to help them understand the person in a much deeper way, to evoke sympathy and yet also regret and a challenge to live better with those who are still alive... It is such a beautiful idea, and Card's rendering of it so masterfully crafted, that I wish it was a real thing that happened in real life.
The larger theme, extending beyond individuals to the broader human conceptions of the Other, is so important and fundamental on so many levels, and I loved Card's imaginative exploring of it all, from the mysteries of the misunderstandings about some pivotal and horrific deaths, to the nuances of assumptions about primitive cultures, to even the briefly hinted expansion of such matters to the realm of artificial intelligence.
It's not flawless. There's a few vibes of damsel-in-distress tropes. The details of some alien life-cycles were a little too weird for me, besides being hard to follow, and there's a manner of mutilation that is quite disturbing, although it eventually ties into a sort of redemptive religious significance not entirely unlike a crucifixion. I'm always amused at the ways science fiction, presumably stories of the future, become snapshots of the context of the past they were written in, and Card is no exception. There's an intergalactic Internet of sorts, but everyone is oddly obsessed with using it to access, scan, copy, or hide text files like it's... 1990. The discussions about "genetic molecules" and their capabilities felt a little hand-wavy to me, especially for a book that otherwise seemed to take evolutionary biology pretty literally.
The book assumes that religion continues into the future of human space travel, which I considered a more realistic and interesting concept than the quasi-religiousless-utopian assumptions of much other sci-fi. Believers and unbelievers are both portrayed respectfully, with interesting exchanges. Add the clever use of language and dialogue and you get something with a lot of similarities to Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow which I read last year, except with broader and ultimately more optimistic themes. So count me among those who in his adulthood found this book a deeper, richer, and even more inspiring book than the brilliant battles of Ender's Game. Of course, as I re-read that book as well, it's obvious that it was pointing here all along.
I was initially going to give this 2-3 stars, because as my friend put it "the guy's evangelism comes through in his writing, so I can't take it super seriously." However, the last 25% or so warranted an extra star, so I'm giving it 3.5. I'll also begrudgingly acknowledge that it was a pretty good story despite being written by a Christian apologist and being based on completely ridiculous premises. It's still more believable than the 13 year old taking over the world by posting on internet forums from the last book, though. Now I'm going to go read the next one, roll my eyes at least 4 times an hour, and end up kind of liking it.
I have been enjoying the Ender books so far, I can't believe that I waited so long to read them.