Note: This review includes the following novels: "Ender's Game", "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide", "Children of the Mind", and "Ender in Exile" (in publishing order). It is possible that my review may have some of the events out of order or in the wrong book. My apologies if that is the case, but I wanted to review them all together.
Brief synopsis:
Ender's Game - An alien species commonly known as the Formics (Buggers) tried to invade Earth. Humanity was saved by a brilliant military commander named Mazer Rackham. Later, the leaders of Earth feared the Formics would return, so they raised a child that would one day command their fleet and fight the Buggers on their home world. Ender and other children are the result of that program, and they fight brilliantly.
Ender in Exile - Ender, the child prodigy and hero, cannot return to Earth, so he is sent to govern one of the colony worlds. There, he is able to connect with the Formics in a way that is unique to him. He publishes a short story, detailing the true intentions of the Formics. And he publishes another story about his psychotic brother, Peter, who became the leader of the entire world and established peace. Those two stories, together, are called The Hive Queen and the Hegemon, and they are powerful enough to change human hearts.
Speaker for the Dead - Ender and Valentine travel the universe. Ender becomes a mystical spokesperson for a variety of recently deceased people, telling the true stories of their lives. Valentine becomes the legendary historian Demosthenes. Ender settles on the planet Lusitania - the only planet with another known sentient species, the Pequeninos (Piggies).
Xenocide - Ender allows the Formics to settle Lusitania, which now hosts three different sentient species- two of which are exclusively located on the planet. Human military ships are en route to destroy the world, because Pequeninos are perceived as hostile to humans. Scientists on the planet determine that a virus caused the sentience of the Pequeninos. That virus is also capable of wiping out the entire human race on all worlds. There is also an artificial intelligence, named Jane, who is unique and at risk of being obliterated. If the military succeeds at destroying Lusitania, it will destroy the Pequeninos, the Formics, and the virus, which may be sentient also.
Children of the Mind - Ender retires from his exploration and hero work, and settles down with his wife Novinha. Val and Peter, creations of Ender, take up his life work. Peter tries to stop Starways Congress from allowing the military to destroy Lusitania. Val tries to make contact with the alien species that deployed the virus to Lusitania. Jane discovers instantaneous star travel, and moves her consciousness into human form.
There's way more to all of the stories. My apologies to Path, Divine Wind, and Pacifica. And to the Little Doctor.
Category:
Science Fiction
Why I chose this book:
I read Ender's Game as a teenager and really enjoyed it. I had never read the series, so I decided to give it a shot.
My personal opinion:
My favorite is Ender's Game. I have read it and reread it several times, and enjoy it every time. Ender in Exile was also excellent, and I might read that again some day. For the rest, I'm content to have read them once.
Warnings
Language: mild
Violence: yes, including detail in some cases
"Adult" situations: none
Death: yes, including major characters
Movie rating equivalent:
PG-13
Protagonist description:
Ender Wiggin is both the savior of humanity, and a xenocide (mass murderer of an alien species). He is both a hero and a villain, and both titles were earned in the very same instant. As such, he is horribly misunderstood and idolized.
Point of view of story:
Third person, focused on Ender
Book length:
Medium-long (each)
Story flow:
Excellent, continuously moving
Grammar and spelling issues:
No grammatical issues at all; some spelling issues in the later books
Character connection (no spoilers):
No loose ends that I can recall
For series:
Independent or integral:
Integral (each one explained important points from previous novels, but they also built on the story.
Series review as a whole:
I recommend reading this series out of order (not by the dates when it was written). Card mentions in the foreword of "Ender in Exile" that it essentially replaces the last 2 chapters of "Ender's Game". So, I recommend doing exactly that. Read it in this order: "Ender's Game", "Ender in Exile", "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide", and "Children of the Mind"
I enjoyed the series. They are, in my opinion, ranked in order of enjoyment by the reading order I suggested above. In other words, I enjoyed each one less than the previous one, and was ready for the series to be done, by the end. Because I read them in publishing order, I was happy that my second favorite was placed last.
If you only have time for one, read:
Brief synopsis:
Ender's Game - An alien species commonly known as the Formics (Buggers) tried to invade Earth. Humanity was saved by a brilliant military commander named Mazer Rackham. Later, the leaders of Earth feared the Formics would return, so they raised a child that would one day command their fleet and fight the Buggers on their home world. Ender and other children are the result of that program, and they fight brilliantly.
Ender in Exile - Ender, the child prodigy and hero, cannot return to Earth, so he is sent to govern one of the colony worlds. There, he is able to connect with the Formics in a way that is unique to him. He publishes a short story, detailing the true intentions of the Formics. And he publishes another story about his psychotic brother, Peter, who became the leader of the entire world and established peace. Those two stories, together, are called The Hive Queen and the Hegemon, and they are powerful enough to change human hearts.
Speaker for the Dead - Ender and Valentine travel the universe. Ender becomes a mystical spokesperson for a variety of recently deceased people, telling the true stories of their lives. Valentine becomes the legendary historian Demosthenes. Ender settles on the planet Lusitania - the only planet with another known sentient species, the Pequeninos (Piggies).
Xenocide - Ender allows the Formics to settle Lusitania, which now hosts three different sentient species- two of which are exclusively located on the planet. Human military ships are en route to destroy the world, because Pequeninos are perceived as hostile to humans. Scientists on the planet determine that a virus caused the sentience of the Pequeninos. That virus is also capable of wiping out the entire human race on all worlds. There is also an artificial intelligence, named Jane, who is unique and at risk of being obliterated. If the military succeeds at destroying Lusitania, it will destroy the Pequeninos, the Formics, and the virus, which may be sentient also.
Children of the Mind - Ender retires from his exploration and hero work, and settles down with his wife Novinha. Val and Peter, creations of Ender, take up his life work. Peter tries to stop Starways Congress from allowing the military to destroy Lusitania. Val tries to make contact with the alien species that deployed the virus to Lusitania. Jane discovers instantaneous star travel, and moves her consciousness into human form.
There's way more to all of the stories. My apologies to Path, Divine Wind, and Pacifica. And to the Little Doctor.
Category:
Science Fiction
Why I chose this book:
I read Ender's Game as a teenager and really enjoyed it. I had never read the series, so I decided to give it a shot.
My personal opinion:
My favorite is Ender's Game. I have read it and reread it several times, and enjoy it every time. Ender in Exile was also excellent, and I might read that again some day. For the rest, I'm content to have read them once.
Warnings
Language: mild
Violence: yes, including detail in some cases
"Adult" situations: none
Death: yes, including major characters
Movie rating equivalent:
PG-13
Protagonist description:
Ender Wiggin is both the savior of humanity, and a xenocide (mass murderer of an alien species). He is both a hero and a villain, and both titles were earned in the very same instant. As such, he is horribly misunderstood and idolized.
Point of view of story:
Third person, focused on Ender
Book length:
Medium-long (each)
Story flow:
Excellent, continuously moving
Grammar and spelling issues:
No grammatical issues at all; some spelling issues in the later books
Character connection (no spoilers):
No loose ends that I can recall
For series:
Independent or integral:
Integral (each one explained important points from previous novels, but they also built on the story.
Series review as a whole:
I recommend reading this series out of order (not by the dates when it was written). Card mentions in the foreword of "Ender in Exile" that it essentially replaces the last 2 chapters of "Ender's Game". So, I recommend doing exactly that. Read it in this order: "Ender's Game", "Ender in Exile", "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide", and "Children of the Mind"
I enjoyed the series. They are, in my opinion, ranked in order of enjoyment by the reading order I suggested above. In other words, I enjoyed each one less than the previous one, and was ready for the series to be done, by the end. Because I read them in publishing order, I was happy that my second favorite was placed last.
If you only have time for one, read:
Ender's Game, definitely. And it's okay to stop there.
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