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isaiah_the_bibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
4.5
I loved how this book introduced the ecconomic and industrial side of a spacefaring humanity, as opposed to the political side (The Shadow series), or the philophical or moral side. (Ender series)
lord_tyronisis's review against another edition
3.0
I really like Orson Scott Card and I love the Ender series. Unfortunately this story didn’t quite grab me.
Maybe that’s because it’s a prequel so I already know what’s going to happen and as such the tension isn’t quite there?
Maybe cause this first book in the series doesn’t really take place on earth. Maybe seeing the Formics attacking earth will be more dramatic.
We’ll see in the next one.
Maybe that’s because it’s a prequel so I already know what’s going to happen and as such the tension isn’t quite there?
Maybe cause this first book in the series doesn’t really take place on earth. Maybe seeing the Formics attacking earth will be more dramatic.
We’ll see in the next one.
secre's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly well done novel which doesn’t allow itself to be hindered by the fact that you know the outcome of the first Bugger invasion by dint of having read the initial novels. It manages this by a clever focus on individual characters and narrative lines that thread together in an intricate weave that manages to keep you engaged and interested. The characters truly come to life and you find yourself embroiled in their dramas and tales, all set against the biggest threat to face the human race.
The changing focus point was also an effective narrative device, allowing you to see the same events through multiple eyes and gain empathy with opposing sides. You don’t necessarily agree with one characters motivations, but it is expertly done so that nobody becomes a two dimensional bad guy. That would have been an easy trap to fall into here, so I take my hat off to the authors. It also allows you to see events from different angles, giving you an almost omniscient overview as well as being very character driven.
And throughout this, the interlocking narratives - both individual and over-teaching - are carefully structured and interlinked to create a web that draws together beautifully for the finale. It’s action packed, tension filled and manages to send you on an emotional roller coaster.
Being a huge fan of the initial works in this series, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this anywhere near as much as I did. It’s got a different style and feel to it and yet it is a very definite piece of the Enderverse.
The changing focus point was also an effective narrative device, allowing you to see the same events through multiple eyes and gain empathy with opposing sides. You don’t necessarily agree with one characters motivations, but it is expertly done so that nobody becomes a two dimensional bad guy. That would have been an easy trap to fall into here, so I take my hat off to the authors. It also allows you to see events from different angles, giving you an almost omniscient overview as well as being very character driven.
And throughout this, the interlocking narratives - both individual and over-teaching - are carefully structured and interlinked to create a web that draws together beautifully for the finale. It’s action packed, tension filled and manages to send you on an emotional roller coaster.
Being a huge fan of the initial works in this series, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this anywhere near as much as I did. It’s got a different style and feel to it and yet it is a very definite piece of the Enderverse.
drivard's review against another edition
3.0
pretty good. I'm looking forward to the next book.
it was a little slow, and the characters were sometimes predictable. for example, Lem Jux having an initally selfish thought in reaction to something, then immediately admitting he is wrong.
it was a little slow, and the characters were sometimes predictable. for example, Lem Jux having an initally selfish thought in reaction to something, then immediately admitting he is wrong.
tlbignerd's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read that moves along quickly while introducing a host of characters. It's clear this is a collaborated effort and not purely Orson Scott Card, but it's still a good book that's true to the Ender series.
dankeohane's review against another edition
4.0
A big enders game fan myself, and Ender series. Enjoyed very much this first of a trilogy prequel to EG. Fast moving, great characters. Will definitely continue to next book.
dray's review against another edition
4.0
I unfortunately scrambled the order I read these prequel books. i would suggest to the reader to avoid my mistake and read them in order. That being said, they are worth the read and give a compelling voice to a great SF tale. The characters are well drawn and relatively coherant and add to the complexity of the "Ender" world. I would hope they could be made into a movie or netlix like series.
frakalot's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I may have done myself a disservice by reading the prequel series ahead of Ender's Game but I don't really care, I heart chronological ordering. Usually. Though I'm not sure I can stomach the entire Enderverse after finishing this entry.
This story starts with a teen named Victor getting told that his second cousin is being shipped away to a bunch of Italians because the community thought he was too enamoured with her. Ok, this opening scene does a few things for me.
Victor's attitude about "the adults" overreacting gave this a very YA feel, thus my expectations were adjusted accordingly.
This part of the narrative also explains "zogged" marriages which are sort of like arranged marriages, except the community chooses where you are sent rather than who you will marry. In this future some humans live in isolated communities on spacecraft spread across the solar system, so zogging serves to maintain a healthy genetic diversity. Actually this makes some sense and reminds of tribal customs though it will be briefly noted that young women are zogged rather than young men, thus my expectations were adjusted accordingly.
It also reveals that these ships are generally populated with distinct national groups, thus... you get the point. I wasn't off to a good start with this one.
Some things I did like about this book. Humans being human and going about their own conflicts while the alien threat approaches. Space walks and work outside the spacecraft were enjoyable scenes. The centrifuge exercise. Most of the mining and other silly tech ideas were fun (eg. Glasers). I like the bugs, a bit starship troopers. Two plots linked together in a neat fashion (the third seemed entirely disconnected and didn't make sense).
At some point a character claimed that "Gravity is the most powerful force in the universe." Hrmm. This could be argued I suppose because of the extreme distances over which the force of gravity can act, but that influence is inversely proportional to the distance and at shorter distances other forces prove superior, which can be demonstrated simply by using a magnet to suspend an object. Alright science class is over, but I'm going to ask the author to stay back.
There's a line describing being grounded to your room for a day as "cruel and unusual punishment" so it's pretty clear that adults are not really expected to read this series.
The sexism was weird, in fairness there was a female ship captain, a girl kicking ass at science who was rather headstrong (pretty sure she was under ten years old), and an auditor-in-training turned customs case worker who was also pretty badass. But. Then there were the obvious chauvinisms too. Not a one female engaged in the battles. Females regularly described as having a weaker constitution. Females serving largely as home makers. If I'd started at Ender's which was written in 1985 I may have let it slide as holdover from the 50s but this came out in 2012 and if you didn't grasp the idea of equality by 2012 you weren't trying.
A brief synopsis, which is probably all mentioned in the blurb (as is often the case, I failed to read the blurb). A community of free miners pick up a sensor trace that indicates a fast moving object is heading for Earth, magically presuming an attack they attempt to alert other groups in the area. This goes particularly wrong so they send a super kid on a "fast ship" to earth with the message. A few confrontations occur and the stage is largely set for book two.
I won't be getting to book two. Not at this stage. Maybe if the well of scifi ever runs dry, I might revisit this series just before looking at Hubbard's Battlefield Earth and then dying from an overload of BS. I'm possibly exaggerating. But the kid centric action and the sloppy writing really had me struggling to even finish this one.
This story starts with a teen named Victor getting told that his second cousin is being shipped away to a bunch of Italians because the community thought he was too enamoured with her. Ok, this opening scene does a few things for me.
Victor's attitude about "the adults" overreacting gave this a very YA feel, thus my expectations were adjusted accordingly.
This part of the narrative also explains "zogged" marriages which are sort of like arranged marriages, except the community chooses where you are sent rather than who you will marry. In this future some humans live in isolated communities on spacecraft spread across the solar system, so zogging serves to maintain a healthy genetic diversity. Actually this makes some sense and reminds of tribal customs though it will be briefly noted that young women are zogged rather than young men, thus my expectations were adjusted accordingly.
It also reveals that these ships are generally populated with distinct national groups, thus... you get the point. I wasn't off to a good start with this one.
Some things I did like about this book. Humans being human and going about their own conflicts while the alien threat approaches. Space walks and work outside the spacecraft were enjoyable scenes. The centrifuge exercise. Most of the mining and other silly tech ideas were fun (eg. Glasers). I like the bugs, a bit starship troopers. Two plots linked together in a neat fashion (the third seemed entirely disconnected and didn't make sense).
At some point a character claimed that "Gravity is the most powerful force in the universe." Hrmm. This could be argued I suppose because of the extreme distances over which the force of gravity can act, but that influence is inversely proportional to the distance and at shorter distances other forces prove superior, which can be demonstrated simply by using a magnet to suspend an object. Alright science class is over, but I'm going to ask the author to stay back.
There's a line describing being grounded to your room for a day as "cruel and unusual punishment" so it's pretty clear that adults are not really expected to read this series.
The sexism was weird, in fairness there was a female ship captain, a girl kicking ass at science who was rather headstrong (pretty sure she was under ten years old), and an auditor-in-training turned customs case worker who was also pretty badass. But. Then there were the obvious chauvinisms too. Not a one female engaged in the battles. Females regularly described as having a weaker constitution. Females serving largely as home makers. If I'd started at Ender's which was written in 1985 I may have let it slide as holdover from the 50s but this came out in 2012 and if you didn't grasp the idea of equality by 2012 you weren't trying.
A brief synopsis, which is probably all mentioned in the blurb (as is often the case, I failed to read the blurb). A community of free miners pick up a sensor trace that indicates a fast moving object is heading for Earth, magically presuming an attack they attempt to alert other groups in the area. This goes particularly wrong so they send a super kid on a "fast ship" to earth with the message. A few confrontations occur and the stage is largely set for book two.
I won't be getting to book two. Not at this stage. Maybe if the well of scifi ever runs dry, I might revisit this series just before looking at Hubbard's Battlefield Earth and then dying from an overload of BS. I'm possibly exaggerating. But the kid centric action and the sloppy writing really had me struggling to even finish this one.