July 22, 2016

Speaker for the Dead (Ender #2 or 3) by Orson Scott Card 3.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  About two years ago, I read Ender's Game (great sci-fi book by the way) and was afraid to read the sequel, thinking it would ruin it.  Speaker for the Dead was very different from Ender's Game but still good.

Speaker for the Dead was the second book written in the Ender universe and is the intended sequel. Another book, Ender in Exile was added between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead about twenty years later.  I decided to read it in publication order. So this book is the 2nd or 3rd depending on your viewpoint.  Either way, Speaker for the Dead is mostly a standalone, with Ender's Game providing context.

The Cover:
The Cover:
It shows some spaceships.  Nothing really to do with the story and it doesn't catch my attention.  C- cover

Official Description:
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: the Speaker for the Dead, who told of the true story of the Bugger War.
Now long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens’ ways are strange and frightening…again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery…and the truth.


My Review:
Speaker for the Dead had a very different style to Ender's Game.  The writing itself seemed more mature.

The characters were fun, if not extraordinary.  You could tell them apart, and the relationships developed in interesting ways as the story continued.

The plot was fast-moving with plenty of unexpected developments.  Ender and the other characters try to understand the piggies (the aliens).  How does their society work and what causes them to kill humans so brutally? As the mysteries of the piggies are revealed, the character's secrets are revealed too.

Large portions of the book spend time talking about religion and ethics.  It was interesting but droned on a bit too long.

Overall, I liked Speaker for the Dead.  It was a fast read without any real problems, but it wasn't memorable.  It was a fine sequel, but pales compared to Ender's Game.

Phrase:
Father trees

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Ender's Game
Dotwav
Human.4
The Dark Side of Nowhere
Speeding Bullet

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret

No comments:

Post a Comment