I finished Ender's Game and for the most part, I liked it. I did not like the subplot involving Valentine and Peter-- I didn't see the sense in it, buI finished Ender's Game and for the most part, I liked it. I did not like the subplot involving Valentine and Peter-- I didn't see the sense in it, but I enjoyed the storyline about Ender. An interesting take on a military so intent on winning that it loses all sense of boundaries and what is and isn't appropriate. In some ways it reminded me of Starship Troopers.
I'm about halfway through Speaker for the Dead and am not enjoying it as much. It's slower than Ender's Game. I'll be interested to see how he wraps it up.
I finished reading Speaker for the Dead and ended up really enjoying the last half. I still think the beginning was too slow, but I guess it had to be as the story is complex. It just doesn't seem to fit with Ender's Game.
Finished! There were times when I was reading this, particularly during Children of the Mind, when I was in awe at the writing, when I stopped and pumped my fist in the air and said, "Yes! This is what turns science fiction into great literature! In Children of the Mind, I finally saw true emotion that had been missing before. Ender worked so hard to keep his feelings hidden that it wasn't until he split into the Val and Peter personalities that I had a real sense of the emotion behind the character.
I didn't really care for Ender in Exile. It was the book I thought Speaker for the Dead was going to be, and I probably would have liked it more if I had read it directly after Ender's Game.
Some things I particularly liked about the Quintet: I liked the concept of a Speaker for the Dead. Wouldn't we all like to have someone explain the truth about our lives, about our motivations, disappointments and joys?
I loved the alien life form of the piggies. Their life cycle is one of the few unique life cycles Ive seen in science fiction.
I loved the Ender character, his external calm hiding his internal turmoil.
Jane as a sentient being.
Some things I didn't really like: The Hive Queen concept. Why are insectoid aliens so often depicted as gestalt beings in science fiction?
The concept of souls fluttering around in mindspace waiting for a body.
The instantaneous transfer via Jane's mind. It smacked too much of deux ex machina.
The Demosthenes and Locke storyline. I didn't see that it added anything.
I would recommend this quintet for anybody who enjoys good science fiction. I would even say that it is a must read for any science fiction fan. I'm surprised that I have not read it before; a happenstance I attribute to the fact that I did not like Card's Alvin Maker series.
Will it become one of my favorites of science fiction? I doubt it. I might read Ender's Game again, but I doubt I would read any of the other books in the series again. They made me think a lot, but I also had to work to read them. It wasn't effortless reading. However, I am glad I read them and strongly recommend them to others.
Merged review:
I finished Ender's Game and for the most part, I liked it. I did not like the subplot involving Valentine and Peter-- I didn't see the sense in it, but I enjoyed the storyline about Ender. An interesting take on a military so intent on winning that it loses all sense of boundaries and what is and isn't appropriate. In some ways it reminded me of Starship Troopers.
I'm about halfway through Speaker for the Dead and am not enjoying it as much. It's slower than Ender's Game. I'll be interested to see how he wraps it up.
I finished reading Speaker for the Dead and ended up really enjoying the last half. I still think the beginning was too slow, but I guess it had to be as the story is complex. It just doesn't seem to fit with Ender's Game.
Finished! There were times when I was reading this, particularly during Children of the Mind, when I was in awe at the writing, when I stopped and pumped my fist in the air and said, "Yes! This is what turns science fiction into great literature! In Children of the Mind, I finally saw true emotion that had been missing before. Ender worked so hard to keep his feelings hidden that it wasn't until he split into the Val and Peter personalities that I had a real sense of the emotion behind the character.
I didn't really care for Ender in Exile. It was the book I thought Speaker for the Dead was going to be, and I probably would have liked it more if I had read it directly after Ender's Game.
Some things I particularly liked about the Quintet: I liked the concept of a Speaker for the Dead. Wouldn't we all like to have someone explain the truth about our lives, about our motivations, disappointments and joys?
I loved the alien life form of the piggies. Their life cycle is one of the few unique life cycles Ive seen in science fiction.
I loved the Ender character, his external calm hiding his internal turmoil.
Jane as a sentient being.
Some things I didn't really like: The Hive Queen concept. Why are insectoid aliens so often depicted as gestalt beings in science fiction?
The concept of souls fluttering around in mindspace waiting for a body.
The instantaneous transfer via Jane's mind. It smacked too much of deux ex machina.
The Demosthenes and Locke storyline. I didn't see that it added anything.
I would recommend this quintet for anybody who enjoys good science fiction. I would even say that it is a must read for any science fiction fan. I'm surprised that I have not read it before; a happenstance I attribute to the fact that I did not like Card's Alvin Maker series.
Will it become one of my favorites of science fiction? I doubt it. I might read Ender's Game again, but I doubt I would read any of the other books in the series again. They made me think a lot, but I also had to work to read them. It wasn't effortless reading. However, I am glad I read them and strongly recommend them to others....more
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