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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Extremely clever, captivating, except for one little problem: Alessandra and Dorabella. Unbelievable, obnoxious female characters.
IMO the second best in the series. Gives a lot of insight into the characters.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I’ve loved the Enders game series. This installment was only barely worth reading. The incredible world building and allure of believable and realistic super heroes (Valentine, Ender, and the rest of the battle school kids) comes out, but is often overpowered by the pseudo-philosophizing about families and parent children relationships. It’s as much a pull here as in any other book, and it detracts from the good bits. Still, a nice enough read to tie up lose plot threads from other books if you need that closure.
This book takes place between Ender's Game and the Xenocide series, covering what Ender did while the events of the Shadow series are happening. This makes it more like a direct sequel to Ender's Game than either of the other series are.
The bulk of the book covers Ender's decision to leave earth and his trip to the first and second colony he visits. Some reasons for Ender's being stigmatized by society and labeled the Xenocide are made clear and what happens to characters after the events of the Shadow series is mentioned obliquely.
The actual content of this book is interesting enough, but the events don't have any real impact on the larger story, so it all ends up seeming sort of throwaway. Ender solves a couple of problems by out-maneuvering his opponents, as you would expect, but the triumphs don't have the same impact as similar situations in the Shadow and Xenocide books. There just doesn't seem to be a very good reason for this book to exist.
Good enough for Ender's Game fans, but not as good, in general, as the rest of the books.
The bulk of the book covers Ender's decision to leave earth and his trip to the first and second colony he visits. Some reasons for Ender's being stigmatized by society and labeled the Xenocide are made clear and what happens to characters after the events of the Shadow series is mentioned obliquely.
The actual content of this book is interesting enough, but the events don't have any real impact on the larger story, so it all ends up seeming sort of throwaway. Ender solves a couple of problems by out-maneuvering his opponents, as you would expect, but the triumphs don't have the same impact as similar situations in the Shadow and Xenocide books. There just doesn't seem to be a very good reason for this book to exist.
Good enough for Ender's Game fans, but not as good, in general, as the rest of the books.
I really super like this series, even if I can't keep track of all the weird geo-political stuff going on. Who cares? Plus, great narration.
This one definitely brought me back to a place that I enjoyed reading about, though I had my qualms. It is a worthy sequel to the entire Ender & Shadow series. Mostly it ties up a lot of loose ends, except for Bean himself (but I hear that a book is due out soon?).
I do think that Ender may have become just a bit too enigmatic. He often tells Valentine that she doesn't really know him, and he always just... wins. Card appeared to be trying to show his inner turmoil at making certain decisions, but it's all relatively superficial.
Also, what's up with all the genetic predestination bullshit? That was a bit weak, especially for a book proclaiming to be scifi.
Though I usually find Card's expositions at the end of each book rather self-indulgent, it is also fascinating to get a glimpse of what it's like to write a large series of books that must all logically fit together. I find it strange that he relies so heavily on the readers to help him catch continuity errors before he writes them, but I guess he doesn't have time to reread his books or keep some kind of record of characters, places, and events. I think I will regard that as a positive quality in Card, that he isn't afraid to reach out to his audience.
I do think that Ender may have become just a bit too enigmatic. He often tells Valentine that she doesn't really know him, and he always just... wins. Card appeared to be trying to show his inner turmoil at making certain decisions, but it's all relatively superficial.
Also, what's up with all the genetic predestination bullshit? That was a bit weak, especially for a book proclaiming to be scifi.
Though I usually find Card's expositions at the end of each book rather self-indulgent, it is also fascinating to get a glimpse of what it's like to write a large series of books that must all logically fit together. I find it strange that he relies so heavily on the readers to help him catch continuity errors before he writes them, but I guess he doesn't have time to reread his books or keep some kind of record of characters, places, and events. I think I will regard that as a positive quality in Card, that he isn't afraid to reach out to his audience.
I liked it but I may need an Ender break for a while. This one wrapped up a little too quickly but I still enjoyed it.
Meh. There were too many characters in this book that I hated (and not because I was supposed to). It's kind of like when a good movie franchise feels the need to add annoying sidekicks and it ruins the whole thing.
This was decent but many of the Shadow books that came later were poorly written. Read this, and the original 4 ender books unless you are a completest
Orson Scott Card is not good at dialog. Characters talking in this book sound just like straight narration, and it's tough to tell who's talking when sometimes. On top of that, it's never clear why the villains are villainous, outside of "we need a villain and choose this guy." It's not a bad story, and it's a decent entry to the series, but definitely not the best.