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nrogers_1030's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Incest
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Speaker of the Dead, even more than Ender's Game, makes it abundantly clear exactly how highly Orson Scott Card thinks of himself. The slow-paced erudite reflections are haughty. In addition, there are too many things within the story that are far too convenient. The characters comment on this - "Surely this cannot be the SAME Speaker who spoke the Hive Queen and the Hegemon?" and so forth. There's a sense of over-importance to Ender's character that he has survived three-thousand years to create in a few days what generations of other humans were unable to accomplish.
I'm also a little perplexed about his take on women? On one had, he has female scientists and a female leader to the alien societies. However, all these women are easily overruled by their emotions and especially by the presence of Ender himself. Novinha, in particular, was a disappointment. Valentine, too, choses love over her intellectual pursuits. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but at times it feels like Card is building a commentary to say that women are unable to be true intellectuals because of their inability to resist emotional drives?
I dunno. On an intellectual level I liked this, even though it was really slow-paced. On an emotional level (oh the irony) I found the pretentiousness to be a bit much. I also can't see this story going anywhere exciting, so I'm done with the Ender Saga. Doubly so since Orson Scott Card is openly and aggressively homophobic and I deeply disagree with his personal views.
Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child death and Dysphoria
Minor: Infertility
bencaroline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Gore and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Infertility, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual violence, Ableism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, and Genocide
nerdyllamas's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Medical content and Terminal illness