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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I loved Ender's Game and for no particular reason have included Ender in my heart. And Valentine.
This book feels just like another chapter, though so completely different.
I cannot help but like it, even if it is just because of one paragraph, in one of Graff's emails to Ender.
"You are the least-alone person I have ever known. You heart has always included within it everyone who let you love them, and many who did not."
I think that is one of the best compliments you could ever receive, and I find it beautiful.
I also like the Rumpelstiltskin reference. Although I hate how Ender discredits his six year old self, it's not in line with Ender's Game as he's a young genius there who cannot be discredited for being too young.
And there's a Harry Potter reference. "No need to call me sir, professor". Oh sassy Harry. Sassy Ender.
This book feels just like another chapter, though so completely different.
I cannot help but like it, even if it is just because of one paragraph, in one of Graff's emails to Ender.
"You are the least-alone person I have ever known. You heart has always included within it everyone who let you love them, and many who did not."
I think that is one of the best compliments you could ever receive, and I find it beautiful.
I also like the Rumpelstiltskin reference. Although I hate how Ender discredits his six year old self, it's not in line with Ender's Game as he's a young genius there who cannot be discredited for being too young.
And there's a Harry Potter reference. "No need to call me sir, professor". Oh sassy Harry. Sassy Ender.
Even though I did not think this book was particularly well written, I still enjoyed the ride because it’s so fun to be back in Enders’s head and in the Ender universe.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fun to read this culmination of the Ender and Shadow series, as a penultimate step to The Last Shadow.
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was hoping for more from this book. While it was interesting, it didn't add that much to the overall Ender story. It was good to read to "complete" what's out there, but not much else.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Another good addition to the Ender series. Every time I think he has played out this series, Card comes back again with another interesting tale.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was equal parts comforting and annoying. Comforting in that it was like sitting down with a long lost friend and remembering all the good times we've had together. Annoying in that it's been a decade or more since reading Ender's Game and the details/names/events were hazy at best and took some time to get back into. Also annoying in that the ending was much like Children of the Mind--the overarching message is quite heteronormative and steeped (entrenched?) in dated, quasireligious gender stereotypes--much as the book tries not to be such (or does it?).
The pacing of the novel was a bit lopsided. Much of the action takes place too close to the end and Card relies rather heavily on plot exposition through lengthy ansible messages exchanged near the end between Ender, Graff, Ender's parents, Valentine, etc. It just seemed a little bit like sloppy storytelling: "Well, there's no easy way to communicate all of this internal struggle and character development, sooo let's put in another 5 page ansible message so we can get this story over with already!"
I think this book fills in a lot of the "missing" pieces of the Ender saga, though as Card explains in his Afterword, "none of this material was 'missing' from the original novel[s]," and if it had been included there, the stories wouldn't have worked. (He does concede that chapter 15 needed to be rewritten to match the timeline and get the details right. I'm going to have to do a side-by-side comparison now.)
All in all: this was a like an unexpected gift. I am happy to have discovered it and to have read it. I'd recommend to any fans of the Ender saga.
The pacing of the novel was a bit lopsided. Much of the action takes place too close to the end and Card relies rather heavily on plot exposition through lengthy ansible messages exchanged near the end between Ender, Graff, Ender's parents, Valentine, etc. It just seemed a little bit like sloppy storytelling: "Well, there's no easy way to communicate all of this internal struggle and character development, sooo let's put in another 5 page ansible message so we can get this story over with already!"
I think this book fills in a lot of the "missing" pieces of the Ender saga, though as Card explains in his Afterword, "none of this material was 'missing' from the original novel[s]," and if it had been included there, the stories wouldn't have worked. (He does concede that chapter 15 needed to be rewritten to match the timeline and get the details right. I'm going to have to do a side-by-side comparison now.)
All in all: this was a like an unexpected gift. I am happy to have discovered it and to have read it. I'd recommend to any fans of the Ender saga.