suckingtentacles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
4.5
roseandisabella's review against another edition
"How beautiful, to see them free; yet how terrifying it must be for them, who never wished ofr freedom."
rhganci's review against another edition
4.0
Hard to say. Deep, deep, deep thoughts on human consciousness and behavior, on racism, on self-importance and self-preservation. About identity and self-concept, about religion, about what is possible and what is not. And about perception—the whole Chinese pantheon thing on the planet Path was a very good, harsh, and realistic study of perception. This may be the thickest piece of science fiction I have ever read, and I read it slowly, because I just couldn’t go fast. So much to process. So much to understand. So many observations to relate to the real world. And through it all, Ender remains Ender. The re-introduction of Peter at the end of the book made for a great last 100 pages; perhaps CotM will have more with the neo-Peter. It really brought the old Ender back, the one from the early chapters of EG, who struggles with his identity and the realization that there are elements of Peter within him, just as there are elements of him within Peter. I feel like I got a lot out of it, even if I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two. Maybe that’s not the point, but…I guess it’s just hard for me to process so soon after reading it. It is hard to imagine wanting to read this book again, because the plot and characters are really quite simple. The ethics and morality and humanity are the complicated elements, and, because of the great execution, they are what make the book great. And it was a great book, for what it was. It’s not a far-flung or sensationalized or humorous story—it’s a deep story, one that attempts to look at a tremendous amount of thematic material. With dialogue rampant, and some very well-drawn characters, I as the reader felt like I could follow Ender through these events and draw some conclusions of my own. I especially love Jane’s observation that the only way to get someone to stop doing something is to find a way to make him or her stop wanting to do it—and in evaluating the conclusion of the book, perhaps that is the core idea behind Xenocide after all—and what an idea it is.
lizbusby's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't realize when I read this is high school exactly how much this book reads as a justification of the Mormon theory of intelligences. I'm not sure why I always love books with OCD characters, but I do, and this is no exception. Fun stuff.
rynae's review against another edition
4.0
As a book of ideas, this is fantastic and deserves a 4 star. However, if you're expecting to get a deeper view of the characters from Speaker for the Dead, you're going to hate it. It is clear that OSC forewent that in this book, possibly because he was so excited about his crazy space theories and wanted to fit them all in. If I had gotten a little more character, this would have been a no-brainer 5 star. As it is, I can appreciate it for all of the thought he clearly put into his theory and philosophy.
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I'm honestly not crazy about him bringing back pseudo-Peter and pseudo-Valentine. I was kind of already done with them when Ender's game was finished, so I'm just not super interested. I'm currently reading Children of the Mind, though, so we will see how this goes. Surprise me, Card.
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I'm honestly not crazy about him bringing back pseudo-Peter and pseudo-Valentine. I was kind of already done with them when Ender's game was finished, so I'm just not super interested. I'm currently reading Children of the Mind, though, so we will see how this goes. Surprise me, Card.
mr5z33's review against another edition
5.0
I'm going to try to be vague in my review, but some may still say I've used words that lead to spoilers, so I'll play it safe and say I have spoilers.
I thoroughly enjoyed this continuation of Ender's story. For the last 3 weeks of the reading of this book, I was quite unwell. So, the discussion about philotes, Outside and Inside really hurt my head. I simply couldn't focus well enough to grasp what was being said to me.
I'm still enjoying the characters, their problems and their relationships. I can't praise this book enough.
I thoroughly enjoyed this continuation of Ender's story. For the last 3 weeks of the reading of this book, I was quite unwell. So, the discussion about philotes, Outside and Inside really hurt my head. I simply couldn't focus well enough to grasp what was being said to me.
I'm still enjoying the characters, their problems and their relationships. I can't praise this book enough.
warriorpickle's review against another edition
5.0
This book is masterful and I'm extremely mad at myself for not finishing this series so much sooner....but then again, maybe it's good I waited.
My story with the Enders Game books seems to have a long history. I started Enders Game in high school. Ended up buying the audio for my wife years later. Then after she finished, we listened to Speaker for the Dead. And now, finally, another full set of years later, I'm finally finished with Xenocide.
To be honest it might be a good thing I waited. If I had read Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide while I was still in high school I probably would have sluffed this series off and never given it another thought. Enders Game was fast paced action with kids in a battle school! The latter 2 books are philosophical thought provokers that encourage you to think. That was not high school me.
With that out of the way I have to say how utterly impressed with this book I am. It has many ideas that make you question a lot, but in a good way. It challenges you on what is good and what is evil and what one person thinks does not diminish someone's else's differing thought. It has scientific ideas that are explained in a way stupid 'ol me could understand, and almost made me feel smart that I understood it. It's also a story about family, and struggles that a family has and how no matter how much you think you're right, you can still be wrong. After all, everyone is the hero to their own story.
With that being said this book is obviously not packed with action, but nevertheless I still didn't ever want to stop reading. I couldn't wait to pick the book back up and read more of the characters story. It was an expertly weaved tale from beginning to end and Card tells that tale with artfully crafted strokes of the pen, like a painter creating a beautiful painting. And it all culminated together in a wonderful way. There is a lot left open at the end of the book, but it still somehow managed to have a satisfying ending.
I was very pleased with this book, obviously. It might be one of my new favorites. But even with that being said I don't think this is a book for everyone. If you somehow found this review after you've read Speaker for the Dead and you liked that book, this is more similar to that, but better, in my humble opinion. If you like books that make you think and challenge you through other people's stories, then definitely give this a go.
I'm so happy I read this. And I'm so happy I ended up reading this now instead of way earlier in my life when I wouldn't have appreciated it. It also makes me wonder why I'm not reading more OSC books. Shame on me.
My story with the Enders Game books seems to have a long history. I started Enders Game in high school. Ended up buying the audio for my wife years later. Then after she finished, we listened to Speaker for the Dead. And now, finally, another full set of years later, I'm finally finished with Xenocide.
To be honest it might be a good thing I waited. If I had read Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide while I was still in high school I probably would have sluffed this series off and never given it another thought. Enders Game was fast paced action with kids in a battle school! The latter 2 books are philosophical thought provokers that encourage you to think. That was not high school me.
With that out of the way I have to say how utterly impressed with this book I am. It has many ideas that make you question a lot, but in a good way. It challenges you on what is good and what is evil and what one person thinks does not diminish someone's else's differing thought. It has scientific ideas that are explained in a way stupid 'ol me could understand, and almost made me feel smart that I understood it. It's also a story about family, and struggles that a family has and how no matter how much you think you're right, you can still be wrong. After all, everyone is the hero to their own story.
With that being said this book is obviously not packed with action, but nevertheless I still didn't ever want to stop reading. I couldn't wait to pick the book back up and read more of the characters story. It was an expertly weaved tale from beginning to end and Card tells that tale with artfully crafted strokes of the pen, like a painter creating a beautiful painting. And it all culminated together in a wonderful way. There is a lot left open at the end of the book, but it still somehow managed to have a satisfying ending.
I was very pleased with this book, obviously. It might be one of my new favorites. But even with that being said I don't think this is a book for everyone. If you somehow found this review after you've read Speaker for the Dead and you liked that book, this is more similar to that, but better, in my humble opinion. If you like books that make you think and challenge you through other people's stories, then definitely give this a go.
I'm so happy I read this. And I'm so happy I ended up reading this now instead of way earlier in my life when I wouldn't have appreciated it. It also makes me wonder why I'm not reading more OSC books. Shame on me.