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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
some authors just like to hear themselves talk.
this book could (and should) have been one chapter long. sure, it filled in some gaps between Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead, but it was not worth the 10 hours I spent trudging through this drivel.
this is just Card working his way through pointless arguments to the point of tedium. also, 1) he has no idea how teenagers actually speak, 2) the view of Indians as “less than” in every way and of women as only being good for procreation (and that being their whole personality) was upsetting and turned me off, 3) this book is completely void of emotion and is as if a robot trying to impersonate a human wrote it (a nonzero chance this is true).
I pushed through to finish the Ender quintet but i’m so glad i’m done with this series. the only one i’ll read again is Speaker for the Dead.
this book could (and should) have been one chapter long. sure, it filled in some gaps between Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead, but it was not worth the 10 hours I spent trudging through this drivel.
this is just Card working his way through pointless arguments to the point of tedium. also, 1) he has no idea how teenagers actually speak, 2) the view of Indians as “less than” in every way and of women as only being good for procreation (and that being their whole personality) was upsetting and turned me off, 3) this book is completely void of emotion and is as if a robot trying to impersonate a human wrote it (a nonzero chance this is true).
I pushed through to finish the Ender quintet but i’m so glad i’m done with this series. the only one i’ll read again is Speaker for the Dead.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I really love the Ender Universe. There is so much to explore and so many stories to unfold! This one definitely did not disappoint.
I found myself laughing, crying, and getting frustrated with the character as they went through their travels and discoveries. Orson Scott Card does such an amazing job at giving story to a person and helping you to understand them.
For those who've never read these books, they are Sci-fi. The first book, Ender's Game, is about a boy being trained to fight a war to save Earth. I honestly can't say much about this book without spoiling the first book. I think the most important thing to know is that Ender is a genius who wasn't supposed to exist, but was allowed to due to the promise of his genetic makeup.
Also, if you like space travel and discovering new worlds, then you would love this book! (And pretty much any others Orson Scott Card has written).
There is some cursing in the book, but it's very mild. The most intimate thing is a simple kiss. I think they technically fall under middle grade, but I'd place this one more of a YA level.
I found myself laughing, crying, and getting frustrated with the character as they went through their travels and discoveries. Orson Scott Card does such an amazing job at giving story to a person and helping you to understand them.
For those who've never read these books, they are Sci-fi. The first book, Ender's Game, is about a boy being trained to fight a war to save Earth. I honestly can't say much about this book without spoiling the first book. I think the most important thing to know is that Ender is a genius who wasn't supposed to exist, but was allowed to due to the promise of his genetic makeup.
Also, if you like space travel and discovering new worlds, then you would love this book! (And pretty much any others Orson Scott Card has written).
There is some cursing in the book, but it's very mild. The most intimate thing is a simple kiss. I think they technically fall under middle grade, but I'd place this one more of a YA level.
Ender's Game is my favourite sci-fi book. Speaker for the Dead and Ender's Shadow are right up there too. This book, however, was boring and unnecessary.
I read Ender's Game a couple years ago and I didn't realize that there was more to his world, which made me absolutely estatic to find out that I could continue to follow under his journey throughout this amazing place we call the universe. Osand Scott Card satisfies that part of my mind that believes that there is more out there and that things are not always so simple. I can't wait to read the rest of his works.
I know that alot of people read the other books in the EG universe before they read this book and they had problems. I personally read this right after enders game and found it to be a great book. I feel that it shows how ender grows after the war but also it unpacks all the baggage from the war. You cant do the things that ender did without having some problems that need to be worked through. I feel that Card does a great job at the start of unpacking the luggage that Ender has. I also love that i got to meet Valentine and understand her more. I love how Peter developed in this book and also Enders parents. I do feel like the afterword is a must read if you did not read this book after enders game but read it in publication date. Card explains some of his mistakes and gives more light on how he fixed them, or tried to. Overall I am only two books into the EG universe and I am in love with it. I can not wait to read the next book. I am still deciding if I want to read the shadow series first or skip to exicile one.
I think the fact that it was a "midquel" limited the book in that the story couldn't grow organically since it HAD to arrive at a certain outcome. (Much of it takes place between chapters 14 and 15 of Ender's Game and touches on a lot of the entire Shadow series.) I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book. The end seemed like a hasty attempt to tie up a loose thread from the Shadow series, dealing with the child Achilles had kidnapped from Bean and Petra.
Every now and then I come across a book like this where you can tell the author was in a hurry to finish the story and tie up some threads, and the last 50-75 pages feel rushed.
In the end, I think this really could have been split into two stories: one being the journey to Colony I/Shakespeare, and the other being everything that unfolded on the Ganges colony.
My other criticism is that Valentine's character never gets a chance to develop like in the other books. She's pretty one-dimensional: she's smart, but not too smart to really be much of a foil for her brother. We see more of her character in the final book, though, but by that time she has her own life and her own family.
But it's fiction, so I don't ask too much of it, just that it be entertaining.
Every now and then I come across a book like this where you can tell the author was in a hurry to finish the story and tie up some threads, and the last 50-75 pages feel rushed.
In the end, I think this really could have been split into two stories: one being the journey to Colony I/Shakespeare, and the other being everything that unfolded on the Ganges colony.
My other criticism is that Valentine's character never gets a chance to develop like in the other books. She's pretty one-dimensional: she's smart, but not too smart to really be much of a foil for her brother. We see more of her character in the final book, though, but by that time she has her own life and her own family.
But it's fiction, so I don't ask too much of it, just that it be entertaining.
Highly readable, as are all of the Ender books. I enjoyed filling in the gaps in Ender's timeline. Unfortunately, it's been so long since I read the earlier books that I'm slightly inclined to go back and read them again. But no--looking at my to-read list, I think I've got enough to do for now.
I think the only downside is that the jumps between places feel a little disjointed. Perhaps that is the effect of it being a "midquel", as Card calls it.
I think the only downside is that the jumps between places feel a little disjointed. Perhaps that is the effect of it being a "midquel", as Card calls it.
Didn't have as many interesting ideas as the other books in the series; was mostly just exposition. Interesting to see the character development and plot points, but not as philosophically engaging as Ender's Game, Xenocide, or Speaker for the Dead.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am disappointed in this read. There wasn't much "new". As [a:Orson Scott Card|589|Orson Scott Card|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1294099952p2/589.jpg] says in the notes, this basically fits between chapters in the original [b:Ender's Game|901|Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1)|Orson Scott Card|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528385187l/901._SX50_.jpg|2422333].