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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not particularly well-read in the Ender series; I've read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, and that's about it. Having read the Wikipedia entries for the rest of the series, I realize there's a lot of context I'm missing from this book. There are characters developed in other books in the series that I know nothing about. So maybe that's why I don't have the same reaction to Ender in Exile as I had to the first two: I don't have the context for this one, whereas I didn't need context for the other two.
Which isn't to say Ender in Exile is a bad book. It's a fast read, certainly, but not a bad one. It was enjoyable, in that typical Orson Scott Card kind of way. But whereas I remember Ender's Game being extremely gripping, a true page-turner where I was emotionally involved with all the characters, Ender in Exile just didn't hold me the same way. I found that for people who are supposed to be super-intelligent, most of the main characters were written with fairly obvious motivations. Moreover, most of the point-of-view characters came across as petulant and whining. Whereas Ender from Ender's Game is doing his life's work (though he's just a child), Ender from Ender in Exile is a teenager whose greatest life's work is behind him, and that's just not as compelling a story, at least not to me. Valentine, his sister, is just along for the ride, and the rest of the main characters are only important inasmuch as they relate to Ender.
So... not a bad book, but it's probably not going to go on my top-ten list for the year.
Which isn't to say Ender in Exile is a bad book. It's a fast read, certainly, but not a bad one. It was enjoyable, in that typical Orson Scott Card kind of way. But whereas I remember Ender's Game being extremely gripping, a true page-turner where I was emotionally involved with all the characters, Ender in Exile just didn't hold me the same way. I found that for people who are supposed to be super-intelligent, most of the main characters were written with fairly obvious motivations. Moreover, most of the point-of-view characters came across as petulant and whining. Whereas Ender from Ender's Game is doing his life's work (though he's just a child), Ender from Ender in Exile is a teenager whose greatest life's work is behind him, and that's just not as compelling a story, at least not to me. Valentine, his sister, is just along for the ride, and the rest of the main characters are only important inasmuch as they relate to Ender.
So... not a bad book, but it's probably not going to go on my top-ten list for the year.
"Ender in Exile" is run-of-the-mill Orson Scott Card, which means that it's good, and worth reading, but not great or life-changing, as some of his books have been for me. This book felt disjointed, with at least three fairly unrelated stories in the life of Ender being strung together. I think this is because the book was meant to tie up loose ends in the "Enderverse" (Gosh I dislike that term) rather than telling a new standalone story.
Since this book is trying to fill in the gaps in Ender's history, I would recommend reading at least "Ender's Game" and the "Ender's Shadow" trilogy before you read "Ender in Exile." The book's events occur before "Xenocide," so those aren't required reading here.
Since this book is trying to fill in the gaps in Ender's history, I would recommend reading at least "Ender's Game" and the "Ender's Shadow" trilogy before you read "Ender in Exile." The book's events occur before "Xenocide," so those aren't required reading here.
I do like this author, and the Ender series is interesting.
This book is weird. You have to read all of the Shadow books to understand it, but Ender is still a teen, so... you have to be in a very particular place in the saga to understand it. It solves a mystery Shadow fans will have been wondering about (). And there's some weird stuff with a teen girl trying to seduce a teen boy, and strange physiological info about aliens that I didn't really care about.
I'm glad I read it, because I like the Enderverse as a whole, but I probably won't come back to it. Definitely don't read right after the first book.
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read 2/23/2019
reread 2/10/2020
Spoiler
Bean and Petra's missing childI'm glad I read it, because I like the Enderverse as a whole, but I probably won't come back to it. Definitely don't read right after the first book.
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read 2/23/2019
reread 2/10/2020
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so much more could have been done with this part of the timeline for this series, plotlines felt very forced. the author is good so its not bad on its own, but as a series fan im disappointed
This is an interesting addition to the Ender books of Orson Scott Card. Fans of that series remember that after the first book Ender goes on a series of trips at near light speed velocities, thus staying young as his relatives and friends staying behind age and die.
Ender in Exile covers the period between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. It explains how and why Ender writes the books The Hive Queen and The Hegemon, it explains what happens to his parents and his brother in the time period that passes during his relativistic flight and covers some of the gaps in the two books. I think it is a must for fans of the series, but would not be very meaningful on its own. Typical of the other Ender books, there is a lot of talk and philosophising and little action in the book.
Ender in Exile covers the period between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. It explains how and why Ender writes the books The Hive Queen and The Hegemon, it explains what happens to his parents and his brother in the time period that passes during his relativistic flight and covers some of the gaps in the two books. I think it is a must for fans of the series, but would not be very meaningful on its own. Typical of the other Ender books, there is a lot of talk and philosophising and little action in the book.
In the words of Orson Scott Card, this is a mid-quel to the Ender Saga. Written over two decades after Ender’s Game and 12 years after Children of the Mind (the first and last of the saga), it takes place right after the second-to-last chapter of EG, and talks about events that are full part of the Enderverse by the time we get to Speaker for the Dead : Ender’s centuries of space travel, Val’s histories, The Hive Queen and the Hegemon… There’s also a whole side of the story that ties into the Shadow Saga, also part of the Enderverse but which I haven’t read. That’s the part of this book I didn’t enjoy as much, but now I’ll read all the Shadow books and try this one again, and see if my opinion changes.
So EG has long been one of my favourite books, and I only discovered the rest of the saga much later, but think the whole thing is marvellous. I’m sure millions of fanfictions have been written about the “lost years” between EG and Speaker, but I’ve never looked for any. And I didn’t realize how much I needed this story until I started reading it. Actually, if I’d read fanfics and created my own idea, I probably wouldn’t have been as receptive. As it was though, it was the perfect addition to a universe I adore.
Don’t read this if you haven’t read the rest of the series. EG can be a standalone, and so can Speaker, in a way, but Exile really cannot. I’d even actually encourage reading the saga in the order Card wrote it, and not in chronological order, because knowing the end makes us see the events in Exile in a totally different light.
So EG has long been one of my favourite books, and I only discovered the rest of the saga much later, but think the whole thing is marvellous. I’m sure millions of fanfictions have been written about the “lost years” between EG and Speaker, but I’ve never looked for any. And I didn’t realize how much I needed this story until I started reading it. Actually, if I’d read fanfics and created my own idea, I probably wouldn’t have been as receptive. As it was though, it was the perfect addition to a universe I adore.
Don’t read this if you haven’t read the rest of the series. EG can be a standalone, and so can Speaker, in a way, but Exile really cannot. I’d even actually encourage reading the saga in the order Card wrote it, and not in chronological order, because knowing the end makes us see the events in Exile in a totally different light.
I loved Ender’s Game and really enjoyed Speaker for the Dead. I think this is a very intriguing world and an interesting period to explore within that world. However, there are far too many characters and storylines in this book, which disrupts any one of them from picking up momentum.
I started this book with the lowest possible expectations, and I was still disappointed. If you're a fan of the original series, I suggest ignoring the existence of this addition entirely.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes