Ender in Exile
by Orson Scott Card
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.42 You Save: $22.53 (87%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.24 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Ender in Exile
Book Review: What Happens Next for the Victors?
Summary: 5 Stars
After finishing Ender's Game, a commenter informed me that the next book in the series, chronologically, was Ender in Exile. Thankfully, I did not read any of the other books in the series, and this one was read within a few months of finishing Ender's Game.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggins has led the Earth's forces to victory over the formics. Now, as his friends leave Battle School for Earth and the soldiers populate the former worlds of the formics, Ender finds himself in an interesting position - he can't go home to Earth. America wants him to lead their armies and other factions want to assassinate him. Further, if he did go back to Earth, what would he do? His experiences in Battle School aren't easily transferable to civilian life. Ender is given a position of Governor of one of the new colonies, and starts a life of travel to the many worlds that are now being inhabited by humans. However, this allows Ender to learn more about the species that he wiped out, which weighs heavily on his mind.
Reading this book shortly after finishing Ender's Game increased the enjoyment. It is a an excellent sequel, as it shows the ramifications of war from several viewpoints; Ender, who is trying to live with what he has done, the soldiers, who are trying to find a "normal" life as settlers, and Ender's superiors, who attempt to live in a time without intergalactic war. I think that Card has done an excellent job of describing the issues facing every warrior, but does not focus only on one character. Most of the major characters from Ender's Game are in this novel, or their lives after Battle School are described. While there are more entries in this series, Card does an excellent job by resolving some major issues from Ender's Game; Ender's relationship with his parents, Peter's rise to power, and Valentine's need to be with Ender. Card's Afterword is a very good explanation of his motivation for this book and also to tell faithful readers of coming changes in his other books. While it may be seen as "revisionist," Card does the reader a huge favor by creating a better flow within the Ender series as well as resolving some of the contradictions between the novels. Overall, a very satisfying novel.
Book Review: This author makes you THINK!
Summary: 4 Stars
At the age of twelve, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin saved all of humanity by winning a game. However, it never was just a game. Ender won a war by destroying all the "buggers". In the process, many died and young Ender must deal with the knowledge off all that has happened because of that. But often Ender's hind-sight keeps repeating the same question: Why? Why did the buggers and their Hive Queens, knowing Ender was coming to destroy them, remain where they were and allow themselves to be killed?
Had Ender gone back to Earth he would have been used as a weapon for his country or assassinated so he could never be used as such. Therefore, Ender becomes the nominal governor of a colony. The idea was for humans to colonize all the buggers' former worlds so that humanity's fate would not be tied to one planet. Valentine, Ender's sister, chooses to go with him. It is a forty year voyage by Earth's time. For those on the ship only two years will have passed due to the relativistic effects of near-lightspeed travel. Ender's primary hope is that he may find an answer to his question, "Why?"
**** The author, Orson Scott Card, lets readers see what happens after the war is won. The first section of the story shows why Ender has to leave and why Valentine goes too. The next section is the space travel with its share of troubles. Then comes the colony section, where Ender will find the answer to his nagging question in the form of "something" the buggers left behind. That item will give Ender the purpose his life seems to so desperately need. I make Ender's life sound so simple; however, it is anything but. Characters enjoyed during the original book (Ender's Game) make brief appearances and I, as the reader, am happy to see what becomes of them. The new characters are well developed and realistic. Nothing and no one came across to me as fake, though some parts of this story do seem a bit rushed to me.
Orson Scott Card is not only a masterful Science Fiction author. He is also talented at manipulating the minds of people and forcing them to do the one thing they seldom stop to do - THINK! ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Book Review: Poorly thought out cash cow with glaring inconsistencies -- avoid at all costs.
Summary: 1 Stars
This book should be avoided. It's bad enough to make me embarassed to have liked the original series in the first place, or to have read anything by the author at all. I wish I hadn't picked it up, as I used to be a big fan of Orson Scott Card's work and I don't know if I can go back to reading any of it now.
The book begins with a thinly veiled attempt to silence critics of Ender's Game's morality who made parallels to Hitler, etc. (e.g. John Kessel and Elaine Radford) and actually makes such a bad case for it that it made me change my mind on the subject to agree with the critics, despite having been a life long fan of Ender's Game (I read the book over a hundred times in my youth, once every few weeks, from junior high on until early college). When Ender steps outside of the plot to defend himself, the reader begins to realize just how ridiculous it would be in moral or legal terms to sanction killing another child as self defense.
Within the first hundred of pages there are countless errors of consistency. For example, Ender does not know the true identity of Demosthenes, despite Valentine telling him about it at the lake in Ender's Game. Ender talks to Mazer and is eventually allowed to view Graff's court martial proceedings, even though in Ender's Game he accomplishes this by invoking his right of rank.
I could go on and on here, but there is hardly any point. People familiar with the other parts of the new series will realize there have been issues of consistency that Mr. Card has tried to address by demonstrating that certain things were really deceptions (i.e. Mazer as a pilot) but the number of inconsistencies he does not recognize and makes no effort to reconcile are even more numerous -- the examples I used are only some of the first which are readily apparent.
This reads like really bad fan fiction. I have trouble at this point believing the author to be of sound mind and spirit. Perhaps Mr. Card used a ghost writer for the original series? The amount of inconsistencies and the failures of style are simply too numerous for something fishy not to be going on.
Book Review: Uneven but great stories for Ender fans
Summary: 4 Stars
After waiting for this book for years, the week when it finally became available, the home budget was tight and I couldn't justify buying a new book, then as things got back to normal, I put it off and finally got around to getting it last week, and read it this week.
So was it worth the wait? Well, yes and no.
The "no" part came from the fact that I had already read many of the pages that came from the short stories I had already purchased and read on OSC's e-zine Intergalactic Medicine Show and part because it really lacked the typical flow of cadence in an OSC story, probably due to the fact that it seemed to be a collection of novellas rather than one story. But what do you do, when people are clamoring for a story from you nonstop? I imagine you try to make a marketable product while there is a demand for the product.
So the "yes" part it ties up a lot of loose ends in the enderverse. I would have liked them to be tied with some different bows, but I was still very moved by the story lines and especially by the overall morality of the Ender stories, that family is what is worth living and dying for and the world of man owes huge debts of gratitude to those who willingly sacrifice so the rest of us aren't forced to.
What I am also fascinated with, is how OSC has created such a desire in his readers to know the contents of his two imaginary books "The Hegemon and The Hive Queen". I think personally he is smart to not write them down, because how could they live up to expectations. But one wonders.
So here's the deal,
Ender in Exile is a book that is only for fans. If this is your first book in the series, I think you will be frustrated. However, if you read all the Shadow books before reading this I think you will enjoy it very much. I know I did.
4 ¼ *
I Recommend reading this first!
The Ender's Shadow Series Box Set: Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant
Book Review: Welcome back, Ender
Summary: 4 Stars
After Ender's rather disappointing cameo in 'A War on Gifts', it's nice to have a new addition to the Enderverse that fits well in the canon.
This time around, Card definitely captures the feel of the original quartet, with all the psychoanalysis, character interaction, and plot development - only this times he also ties some loose ends from both the Ender and Bean Quartet. As a further fan service, it was also nice to see how things evolved since you knew where they were going. Plus, there were always some things about little Ender I've always wondered about, and Card touched upon them here.
This book, however does have its flaws. I was disappointed with how many of the stories were pulled from the Card's 'Intergalactic Medicine Show' (though I do acknowledge their necessity) to the point that I could simply skip over chapters of the story. Furthermore, as the plot doesn't really drive forward since Card does at times seem preoccupied with tying those loose ends. And in the end, I was surprised with how little time (and content) he covered, given how there's still plenty of space before Book II really takes off. And all of this for a hardcover book makes the price tag a bit questionable.
Card lauds the book as one of his finest works. He also mentions that it's a standalone novel that doesn't really need the original to function. As an Ender fan I can't quite put it above some of the other Ender books, but I'll admit that he did craft a brilliant midquel (when considering what he started with and where he had to end up). But you really do need to read 'Ender's Game' first (and shame on you if you haven't already!). And reading the other 7 books really does help.
If you're a fan of the Enderverse, then reading this is a given. If you're not sure, go give 'Ender's Game' a read, and after it inevitably wins you over, consider reading this. It is a pleasant read and good for what it is (a midquel).
But I stand by my words in saying I question its price tag. If it comes out in paperback at half the price, then it'd definitely be worth it.