Ender in Exile
by Orson Scott Card
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Book Reviews of Ender in Exile
Book Review: Okay As an Exercise in Plotting
Summary: 3 Stars
Card revisits his long-running Ender universe, describing Ender's history between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead (Ender, Book 2). The sequencing and plotting are tricky and well done, because intergalactic travel involves time dilation: a flight of a few months to the passengers can be decades to the planet-bound. So all of the events in the entire The Ender's Shadow Series Box Set: Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant mostly take place during Ender's first colony flight to the planet Shakespeare (Colony 1,as explained in Card's Afterword to this book). Card navigates all of those existing plot pieces nicely, filling in gaps, setting up rendezvouses between Ender and former members of his jeesh.
But apart from the nifty plotting, the novel is fairly disappointing. Partly that's because there's precious little room for surprises. Partly it's because when books likes Speaker were written, Ender was a lot like we had left him, leaving little room for character development. Card manages a tiny bit of growth, but it feels a little contrived, at least to me.
And Valentine's decision to go with Ender, while superficially described, isn't truly explained, especially in the face of all the bickering that comes later. The very brief scenes with Ender's parents spring a few surprises, but are mostly baffling.
A few loose endings are tied up. The missing baby from Shadow of the Giant turns up, for example.
But mostly, the story feels "cramped" by all of the novels and short stories that have gone before. It's absolutely not the place to start exploration of the Ender books; that remains Ender's Game . And despite being the first book written, it's that first novel remains by far the best. I think Ender's Universe is so thoroughly developed that Card, writing these "sandwich" stories, can only entertain' he can no longer astonish us, as he did in Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead (Ender, Book 2).
Okay for fans of Card and Ender's Universe, but not otherwise recommended.
Book Review: A sensational adventure that is bound to please those who make the choice to crack its spine
Summary: 4 Stars
"I'm saying that when your child goes off to war, you will never get him back. Not as he was, not the same boy." These words are spoken by John Paul Wiggin, husband of Theresa and father of Andrew. They certainly ring true in speaking of any military conflict and the manner in which it affects those involved on the front and those waiting at home. In this instance, however, the possible changes are more devastating as Andrew, also known as Ender, is only 12 years old.
Having just saved the world, opposing sides are now clashing in an effort to determine what to do with the heroic and genius preteen. One side wants him to come back to Earth and attempt to return to a normal life, while the other side knows that to do so would only bring chaos and danger. To come home would lead to pressures to fulfill a military life and make him the target of opposition assassination attempts. Should he return to Earth, or take up exile on Eros, a training facility of the Hegemony?
Ultimately, Ender chooses neither. Instead, the young man elects to make for the outer colonies. Rather than hibernate on the lengthy voyage, he chooses to remain awake and age over the course of the trip, hoping that he will grow from a confused and immature preteen into an older, wiser and more capable leader at the glorious age of 35. While he and his sister Valentine make their way through space, back home their brother, Peter, methodically undertakes a plan to assume command of the world.
ENDER IN EXILE takes place about a year after the events of ENDER'S GAME and immediately prior to those in SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD. It is an extraordinary gap in time that has left many readers of the series wondering just what happened to Ender in the years he was gone. Orson Scott Card finally delivers those answers, and he does so in fine fashion. Where this work really comes together is that if you are a longtime fan of the series, you will enjoy digging and filling in all those gaps. If you have not read any of the previous Ender books, fear not. Because Ender and company are exiled, with a bit of a connection still to the news from Earth, the story is essentially isolated from the others and thus easily accessible to all newcomers.
While it does not pack the punch of ENDER'S GAME in terms of action or philosophical questions, ENDER IN EXILE is still a sensational adventure that is bound to please those who make the choice to crack its spine.
--- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard
Book Review: This is not a true novel.
Summary: 2 Stars
I think I'd go 2 1/2 stars if I could. It's not a horrible book but not a great one eiher.
This book, while it does have its moments, is most certainly not a unified novel. The only real continuity in the storyline are the email prefaces to each chapter. The rest though is not single story, just a succession of short stories that somehow relate to Ender during the few years following the War. The short story "Investment Counselor" from First Meetings: In the Enderverse could have easily been added to the end of this with minimal revision, and would not have felt out of place. And in fact, the book might have been better for it, as it was in that story that Ender first became an actual "Speaker for the Dead" - which was an important event - as the next time we see him, he'd been doing this for some time.
And after reading,then discussing this book with another Ender fan, I'm reminded that Ender is a character without really many flaws. He was a gifted child and chosen as leader because of that. He doesn't really grow or mature at all through this "novel" - he always seems to know what is going to happen and how to handle things. He almost failed near the end but the readers already know he survives. That prompts the question - how can you really care for such a character? By having the reader get engrossed in the story to the point where such things are forgotten. But by that time, Ender had already glided his way through the book and that episode wasn't really developed nearly well enough to get the reader involved to the extent needed. Thus the book's climax is something of a whimper, not a bang.
Still, Card is a good writer and continues to come up with some good ideas and scenes. In that regard it's still worth reading especially for people reading the Ender and Shadow series. But the way he admits in the note at the end that he basically did not want to dive back in and reread the rest of those 2 series kind of strikes me as unprofessional on his part. It's his universe, it should be his responsibility to dwell in it. I think some of the stories outlined in here could have become full novels in their own right, the way the novel Ender's Game was an expansion of the original award-winning short story, and not the only time OSC has created a novel from expanding a short story.
Book Review: A contrived effort that will be the forgotten title in the ender series
Summary: 1 Stars
I really wanted to like this book. Really. I couldn't do it. Let me start at the beginning. Ender's Game is my favorite book. I have read the book and the sequels numerous times. The other books in the series create a universe wherein all of the stories take place. Call me a purist, but once the rules of the universe are setup, you don't go back and change them. I know that it is Card's prerogative, but Ender has grown from the story and far too many readers feel a kinship to have the author now change things. First off, Ender refers to the "Buggers" as the Formix through out the whole book. This is not from the Ender series. It is Bean who refers to the Formix by their formal name. Ender never did it and Card never did it in any of the Ender's series. I don't think I ever heard the term Formix until the Ender's Shadow book.
Card changes details from Ender's Game. He changes the way Ender and Valentine meet, who pilots the ship...just to name a few. These details bother me some, but the real insult is in Card's narrative at the end (of the audiobook) where he basically says: I was wrong before, I got the details right now, so get over it.
Wait a minute!?! Ender's game is a classic, you created the universe, but then you unleashed it on your readers...it is ours now too. You don't change the details when it messes with your ability to sell more books. You have to work within the confines in this previously created world.
Last complaint, the story just doesn't live up to any Card books. It is slow and the whole confrontation at the ends feels like an after thought. I kept waiting for the plot to begin just to find out that Ender had a really boring trip to the first colony.
Its not all bad, the new details about the MD device, faster than light speed travel and the events surrounding the first human introduction to it are nice. These details would have been better suited for an "Enderverse compendium" or something like that.
Like i said, I wanted to like this book. In the end, I get the impression that this book was conceived with the royalties more in mind than the filling out of one of the greatest literary characters in recent memory. I think that in time, when the Ender series is listed, this book will be left off.
So, if you are a fan of Ender, you will read this book anyway. Heck, I would have even if I had read my own review. Just don't say I didn't tell you...
Book Review: Another worthy book in the Ender series
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is aimed at existing Ender fans who want more details on the aftermath of the Bugger War. The novel really has four distinct and almost separate parts to it. This is not specifically a problem, but does mean that it is not bound together by a single, overarching story. A familiarity with the Ender universe is really quite necessary for this book.
Card's stories are character driven and this book is no exception. In each incarnation of the Ender series, Card takes the extra effort to further develop his characters. Rather then rehashing what he has written before, Card has his characters look at past situations in a different light in order to reveal new truths. Along the way he makes observations about the future, politics, religion, the nature of man and human relationships that are unique and interesting.
On the downside, the stories Card tells can seem too premeditated. Card is the puppet master and you feel at times that he is pulling a little too hard on the strings. The dialogue as in many of Card's novels is often forced and unnatural. Characters often speak in the same voice. (Card's voice?) When the characters argue you get the idea that Card likes clever repartee and often 'out clevers' himself. The situations are sometimes a little too contrived--for example the production of Shakespeare play by future colonists during their space voyage to their colony named 'Shakespeare'.
However, when Card gets into his characters' heads and talks about their motivations, their unique histories, their philosophies, and their ideals he usually hits a home run. This is what keeps the book moving and interesting. The plot of the various stories are but window dressing for the well developed characters. In the end, the plot is really secondary. Card is able to put a new spin on old material and come out with something fresh and different. This kept up my interest--I couldn't put this one down.
This is what makes Card a brilliant writer. I am convinced that if he had chosen to write straight fiction he would have achieved a more broad based acclaim as an author. Those of us who are fans of science fiction, however, are blessed that he has chosen to pen in this genre. That being said, this is not Card's strongest effort in the Ender saga. It is, however, a quick and easy read and I am still looking forward to the next book in this series.