Reviews tagging 'Death'

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

15 reviews

rweller's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

In equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting. Steeped in religious themes, and brimming with a thoughtful exploration of humanity, tribalism, love, loss, empathy, and the pursuit and meaning of truth, this is far more than a science fiction adventure to worlds unknown. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Torture, and Xenophobia

katfrenn_reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Speaker for the dead is a fascinating and wonderful book. One of my all time favorite books. So many mysteries, human and alien. Perfect pacing. Interesting and unique characters. The joy of scientific inquiry. Highly recommend this book, works as a standalone or can be read after Enders Game. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

neonskylite's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Cannot understand anyone who says that Ender's Game is better than this book. My feelings about Ender's Game is very complicated and ambivalent, but Speaker for the Dead embodies the love and empathy that Card tries to assign Ender in Ender's Game. Will forever confuse me how someone who wrote such a beautifully empathetic novel relating to

aliens that perform vivisections as part of their life cycle

is a Mormon who draws the line at gay humans in the real world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Gore and Incest

markguitar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Incest

bits_and_pieces_odds_and_ends's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse

juliatsang's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Physical abuse

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

toast_y's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This was an amazing book and a great follow up to Ender’s Game. I loved it and laughed at quite a bit of the dialogue; overall I had a great time reading 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Incest, Infertility, and Xenophobia

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Incest

nytephoenyx's review

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

To enjoy Speaker for the Dead, you have to have an interest in species and social evolution. This book is somewhat fascinating in its study of the piggie race. That's about the best thing I can say about Speaker for the Dead - it's intellectually fascinating.

Speaker of the Dead, even more than Ender's Game, makes it abundantly clear exactly how highly Orson Scott Card thinks of himself. The slow-paced erudite reflections are haughty. In addition, there are too many things within the story that are far too convenient. The characters comment on this - "Surely this cannot be the SAME Speaker who spoke the Hive Queen and the Hegemon?" and so forth. There's a sense of over-importance to Ender's character that he has survived three-thousand years to create in a few days what generations of other humans were unable to accomplish.

I'm also a little perplexed about his take on women? On one had, he has female scientists and a female leader to the alien societies. However, all these women are easily overruled by their emotions and especially by the presence of Ender himself. Novinha, in particular, was a disappointment. Valentine, too, choses love over her intellectual pursuits. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but at times it feels like Card is building a commentary to say that women are unable to be true intellectuals because of their inability to resist emotional drives?

I dunno. On an intellectual level I liked this, even though it was really slow-paced. On an emotional level (oh the irony) I found the pretentiousness to be a bit much. I also can't see this story going anywhere exciting, so I'm done with the Ender Saga. Doubly so since Orson Scott Card is openly and aggressively homophobic and I deeply disagree with his personal views.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Dysphoria

Minor: Infertility

olliereads's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse

Minor: Body horror, Incest, Infertility, and Infidelity