Speaker for the Dead is a sequel to Orson Scott Card's celebrated novel Ender's Game. It is a science fiction novel that continues Ender's saga 3,000 years after the events of Ender's Game, though the main character, Ender, has only aged 35 years due to relativity in space travel. Unlike Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead explores philosophy and human interactions rather than intellectual thinking and strategic battles, though it still showcases characters of extreme intelligence. As the Ender breaks down walls of lies between the characters, he symbolically and literally proves that the truth will set you free.
Orson Scott Card
The book doesn't waste time getting down to business. Within the first couple chapters you'll have a good feel for the plot. Card's imagination shines through here as he's created a moral and ethical dilemma that fits right in with the setting of the future. A species of aliens, with similar intelligence to a humans, have killed one of the xenologers whose job it was to neutrally observe/study them. Nobody knows why, and it is causing quiet an uproar since the first alien species since the buggers, whom Ender eradicated, is now turning violent. By chance, Ender is summoned to this planet to do a speaking, which is similar to a funeral, but rather an honest re-telling of a person's life. Immediately you know that whatever happens in this story is going to be huge. Ordinarily a book plot will keep me somewhat interested, and I'll enjoy it as I get to it. Card has created a plot which had me eager to find out what would happen next, and had me guessing and developing my own theories even when I was busy with activities other than reading. It truly grasps your interest with its grand scale and unique ideas.
Card's understanding of human emotions and interactions is elaborate, and he uses it much to his advantage throughout his book. Characters make rash decisions based on emotions, interact based on religious belief, anger, gaining leverage on others and other decisions that real humans would make. It is obvious that Card spent huge spans of time developing his characters in order to make the reader truly understand them. Each character becomes its own person in your mind, and you understand why they do or say what they will. Sometimes it is even possible to predict plot developments based off your own understanding of the characters. Card often regarded the development of the characters for this book as the most frustrating part of its creation, but its apparent that he knew they were important enough to invest time on.
Speaker for the Dead
by Orson Scott CardSpeaker for the Dead is a sequel to Orson Scott Card's celebrated novel Ender's Game. It is a science fiction novel that continues Ender's saga 3,000 years after the events of Ender's Game, though the main character, Ender, has only aged 35 years due to relativity in space travel. Unlike Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead explores philosophy and human interactions rather than intellectual thinking and strategic battles, though it still showcases characters of extreme intelligence. As the Ender breaks down walls of lies between the characters, he symbolically and literally proves that the truth will set you free.
The book doesn't waste time getting down to business. Within the first couple chapters you'll have a good feel for the plot. Card's imagination shines through here as he's created a moral and ethical dilemma that fits right in with the setting of the future. A species of aliens, with similar intelligence to a humans, have killed one of the xenologers whose job it was to neutrally observe/study them. Nobody knows why, and it is causing quiet an uproar since the first alien species since the buggers, whom Ender eradicated, is now turning violent. By chance, Ender is summoned to this planet to do a speaking, which is similar to a funeral, but rather an honest re-telling of a person's life. Immediately you know that whatever happens in this story is going to be huge. Ordinarily a book plot will keep me somewhat interested, and I'll enjoy it as I get to it. Card has created a plot which had me eager to find out what would happen next, and had me guessing and developing my own theories even when I was busy with activities other than reading. It truly grasps your interest with its grand scale and unique ideas.
Card's understanding of human emotions and interactions is elaborate, and he uses it much to his advantage throughout his book. Characters make rash decisions based on emotions, interact based on religious belief, anger, gaining leverage on others and other decisions that real humans would make. It is obvious that Card spent huge spans of time developing his characters in order to make the reader truly understand them. Each character becomes its own person in your mind, and you understand why they do or say what they will. Sometimes it is even possible to predict plot developments based off your own understanding of the characters. Card often regarded the development of the characters for this book as the most frustrating part of its creation, but its apparent that he knew they were important enough to invest time on.