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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
An amazing parallel novel to an amazing book. This was the first time I had ever read a parallel novel and I absolutely loved it.
4.25
Ender’s just that guy. The second he appeared in the story I was on fangirl mode.
Bean was also a very interesting protagonist. Every time I tell myself that this is the last Ender’s verse book I read, I get sucked right back into it and get excited to read more.
Ender’s just that guy. The second he appeared in the story I was on fangirl mode.
Bean was also a very interesting protagonist. Every time I tell myself that this is the last Ender’s verse book I read, I get sucked right back into it and get excited to read more.
Card, you've done it again, you brilliant man. Once again, you mesmerized me into abandoning my plans to read a novel in one day, and making me cry. Bravo!
Absolutely breathtaking and amazing. Anyone who's read Ender's Game needs to read this. Anyone who hasn't read Ender's Game needs to read that, and then read this.
Absolutely breathtaking and amazing. Anyone who's read Ender's Game needs to read this. Anyone who hasn't read Ender's Game needs to read that, and then read this.
One of my favorite books. I identify with bean in the most superficial way, being short but he preserved. Taking knowledge where he could and accepting the circumstances that he was in. Fantastic book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
I couldn't put it down. It was such a good mystery too! The characters were very interesting.
I know a lot of people didn't like this book, but I loved it. I loved getting to see everything from Ender's Game from a different point of view, and being able to experience more of the Battle School that I always wanted to learn more about.
I read this as antidote to the boring slog that was Neal Stephenson's Reamde. Thank god for Bean and his journey. The fact that this was a story retreading a story I'd already read but remained fresh stands as proof of just how good Card is as a writer. Super fun, interesting - he gets away with a good deal of references to the Bible and god, because the English novel is basically based on the biblical tradition (if we believe Frye), but I still got the heebie-jeebies at the mentions, knowing what kind of wingnut Card is outside of the Enderverse. Still, a good book worth the read.
A great companion to Ender's Game, telling the story of Bean, which sometimes connects with Ender's story and sometimes goes its own way.
Overall, it's fun to read because it's a fun universe, but while reading, it was a bit too many cycles of something like this:
> X happens
> Bean is so smart that he analyzed X and understood all of the implications
> But Bean does not have social capital, so he has to use his ultra smarts to manipulate those around him to use X to his advantage
> Y happens... and it repeats
I still read it quickly, but it hasn't left me thinking or permeated my conversations in the ways that I look for in a book.
> X happens
> Bean is so smart that he analyzed X and understood all of the implications
> But Bean does not have social capital, so he has to use his ultra smarts to manipulate those around him to use X to his advantage
> Y happens... and it repeats
I still read it quickly, but it hasn't left me thinking or permeated my conversations in the ways that I look for in a book.
A continuation of Ender's Saga, this book starts (give or take a few hundred pages) where the other does in Battle School with Ender and his jeesh, particularly with the incredibly young child protege Bean, who escaped his captors before he was two by hiding in a toilet bowl and is capable of incredible mental feats from birth. (Spoilers) Turns out he has a genetic switch turned which lets his mind continue to grow and make connections throughout his life, but the downside is that life is unusually short as his body also continues to grow until he'll die from a heart attack. The series covers all that Bean accomplishes in his nearly two decades of life, and it's a lot. There are a fascinating amount of politics discussed as Bean assists Peter Wiggin (Ender's brother) with his...conquest? of the world, and in so doing achieves many military feats. I found all the mental games and military strategy and socio-political dance fascinating, even as Bean's character grows significantly as he forms relationships with others and learns what it means to be human, or as close as he can be. I appreciate the discussion of deeper ideas in this series, the same level of deep character development present in Ender's Game, memorable wordsmithing, and exceptional plot. But again, as I wrote about Ender's Game, I don't entirely agree with the author so take the series with a grain of salt. That said, it generally has excellent writing, intriguing plot, endearing characters. If you liked Ender's Game, maybe give it a read. (Or listen, the audiobooks are some of the best I've ever heard narrated.)