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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Listened to this book via audio and really enjoyed it. It was nice to have a tie-in to Ender's Game and the rest of the Ender series.
An interesting interpretation of ender's initial years after his defining battles. Provides brief histories of some of his battle school counterparts while examining relationships between his siblings and himself as we'll as his parents. Certainly a good lead in for Speaker of the dead, however this is the superior work in my opinion.
Everyone hates this book, but I have only three issues with it:
Other than these things, honestly, I was happy.
I love Ender, and I love that he's the purest burdened savior empath, but also gets to be a snarky little jerk with Valentine. I wish there had been more of that, but I very much enjoyed the amount I was given. The contest between Ender and the power-hungry captain was fun to read, and, of course, Ender's inevitable victory. Honestly, I would straight up lose my mind to see Ender in full dress uniform just like the colonists did. I was interested in the new colony, its people, and their gradual discoveries about the Formics as well.
The latter half is the worse half, in my opinion. But it does make way more sense to me this time through, since I have read Shadow of the Giant now. Whew. I was very confused by Virlomi last time.
After having read this again, I do wish I could go on to the actual Ender sequel trilogy. Unfortunately, my foggy memories of reading the first bit of Speaker for the Dead years ago make me too afraid. I've gone this far into the extended Ender universe without ruining my love for Ender's Game itself, though, so it's probably inevitable. I'll make my way there eventually.
• The one breeding kink chapter. Like... why? The chapter had absolutely zero impact on the rest of the book, was narratively useless. But for some reason, we apparently HAVE to have at least ONE scene of a woman throwing herself at a super-smart man and begging to have his super-smart babies. Card needs to get over this kink, or at least confine it to his FetLife account and not his published writing.
• The subplot near the end with Bean's lost son just seemed extremely empty. You're telling me this kid is Bean-smart, has reached the age by which Bean had created order on the streets of Rotterdam, gone to school, defeated the Formics, helped Peter take over half the world, and started a family, and the best Achilles/Randall/Arkanian can do is write angry posts on the internet? Very strange. How did he not figure out by now that his mother's stories were all insane lies?
Also, the confrontation is just strange and anti-climactic. Why can't Achilles kill Ender? Because he's Bean and Petra's child? Last time I checked, they were both fully capable of killing people they considered to be their enemies. It just seems like Card's pernicious genetic determinism coming out again. If Achilles had had a son, would he have been genetically doomed to be a psychopath and a serial killer because "its in his genes"? This perspective is just plain wrong.
• Valentine was criminally underused. She was such a potent relationship for Ender in Ender's Game while not even actually present for most of the book; since she's actually HERE during this book, it just feels wrong to have her spend most of her time as a nearly offscreen presence. She only shows up really to misread Ender's actions and intentions and hastily accuse him of doing things he's not actually doing. This makes her look stupid, and is just a waste of her character. Isn't she a certified genius? Can't she give Ender credit for also being a certified genius?
Other than these things, honestly, I was happy.
I love Ender, and I love that he's the purest burdened savior empath, but also gets to be a snarky little jerk with Valentine. I wish there had been more of that, but I very much enjoyed the amount I was given. The contest between Ender and the power-hungry captain was fun to read, and, of course, Ender's inevitable victory. Honestly, I would straight up lose my mind to see Ender in full dress uniform just like the colonists did. I was interested in the new colony, its people, and their gradual discoveries about the Formics as well.
The latter half is the worse half, in my opinion. But it does make way more sense to me this time through, since I have read Shadow of the Giant now. Whew. I was very confused by Virlomi last time.
After having read this again, I do wish I could go on to the actual Ender sequel trilogy. Unfortunately, my foggy memories of reading the first bit of Speaker for the Dead years ago make me too afraid. I've gone this far into the extended Ender universe without ruining my love for Ender's Game itself, though, so it's probably inevitable. I'll make my way there eventually.
Extremely satisfying re-entry to the world of Ender. I was very intrigued by how other characters were introduced and used to present a more complete picture of Ender and what happened between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.
My only complaint was the last part of the book, which introduced what seemed to be a relatively significant character, felt quite rushed.
My only complaint was the last part of the book, which introduced what seemed to be a relatively significant character, felt quite rushed.
~2,75
I was actually so bored at the end.
I feel like most of Orson’s story just leaves of at the end with a bunch a nothing :/
Is it worth it to spend more of my time with those dragged on stories… ?
I was actually so bored at the end.
I feel like most of Orson’s story just leaves of at the end with a bunch a nothing :/
Is it worth it to spend more of my time with those dragged on stories… ?
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it. I fell in love with Ender earlier this year, and am thrilled to have a direct sequel to EG. I would recommend either EG or EiE to anyone who says they don't like SciFi. Ender's story is gripping even without the SciFi elements.
I do agree with another reviewer, I wish Ender had a fault or two, but I love him anyway
I do agree with another reviewer, I wish Ender had a fault or two, but I love him anyway
All the email addresses and constant narrator switching was a bit overwhelming. It made me lose track of the story at times. But it really wasn't bad. Can't decide if I want to read any more of the sequels.
The interlude. And now time to jump 3000 years to the next book, my favorite!!!
Such a joy to have a new Ender book. This "midquel" takes place in between chapters 14 and 15 of Ender's Game and is best read after the Bean/Shadow series. I really enjoyed the exploration of how Ender would have felt right after the war and his family including Valentine (who makes more mistakes than she thinks) and his parents (who aren't as stupid as one would think). I LOVED the story of Shakespeare colony and the book has given me the desire to continue on to the Speaker of the Dead series, which I wasn't really interested in the past. I do feel like I should have re-read the Bean series (and not just Ender's Game) right before reading this, so I'd take that into consideration if I were you.