Howdy all!

I've read Ender's Game three or four times, the first being in high school (thousands of years ago!). It is one of my very favorite sci-fi books. For those who are intersted, there are three direct sequals to EG, plus a parallel storyline (concerning characters and events only briefly mentioned in EG) often referred to as "the Shadow books".

A note concerning the sequals, however: They are not very similar to EG. Whereas EG is largely an adventure story laced with a bit of philosophy and mystery, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind are instead philosophy and mystery stories laced with a bit of adventure. I loved all the books, but many people who liked EG were dissapointed in its sequals because of the unexpected genre inversion.

Religious conflict (Agnosticism vs. Catholocism, to be specific) plays a significant role in SftD. Governemntal accountability and the dangers of social engineering are central themes in Xenocide, and the nature of the human soul is explored from a scientific perspective in CotM. All are very interesting reads, but they are not the easy-to-digest adventure story that EG is.


S

"Dear Buddha: Please bring me a pony and a plastic rocket."

- Malcolm Reynolds, Serenity

I know it is not a sequel. However, in the last year or two a collection of some of Card's original Ender stories that were much shorter than his books came out as well. I believe the title was First Meetings: Enter the Enderverse.

"...the great events in life come from the books, rather than the people, one comes across." - Robert D. Kaplan, Mediterranean Winter: the Pleasures of History and Landscape in Tunisia, Sicily, Dalmatia, and Greece

Holy shit! Hey Samuel!

Edited by: Chris OConnor  at: 6/17/06 9:54 am

another note on the sequels...

the series actually goes two different directions. These books follow Ender's life:

Enders game
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind

These books follow Bean and the other battleschool kids:

(Ender's game)
Ender's Shadow
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of a Giant

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching." -- Keller Williams

I just ordered "Speaker" and "Xenocide" from my library. I will be reading these and perhaps posting some thoughts from those books to expand the discussion in the discussion of "Ender's". This is not of course an official expansion of the current discussion.

Anyone who is interested, please feel free to join me.

Mr. P.

The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.

Once you perceive the irrevocable truth, you can no longer justify the irrational denial. - Mr. P.

The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart...Scorsese's "Mean Streets"

I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper

If anyone is interested... another Orson Scott Card book that I really enjoyed is "The Worthing Saga". It is not part of the Ender series, but it spoke to me just as loudly. It presents a couple really cool philosophical/societal isssues that, I imagine, would be fun to discuss.


And, Mr. P., I am glad to hear that you are continuing with the Ender series. I really enjoyed them, even though I've heard many say they weren't as good as Ender's Game. I hope you enjoy and am looking forward to future discussions.

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching." -- Keller Williams

Quote:

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even though I've heard many say they weren't as good as Ender's Game

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So far, I see Speaker for the Dead as much better than Ender's game...maybe not better, but much more engaging and much deeper.

Hive: Did you get your name from these books?



Mr. P.

The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.

Once you perceive the irrevocable truth, you can no longer justify the irrational denial. - Mr. P.

The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart...Scorsese's "Mean Streets"

I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper

Mr. P, I did indeed get the hive queen name from these books. My brother and I read them and discussed them on our family forum. He was Demosthenes. I am the wife and stay at home mom of my family, so the hive queen seemed appropriate. Not to mention, I have always been attracted to a social insect type alien character.

Isn't the idea of a Speaker for the dead awesome? I would love something like this read at my funeral.

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching." -- Keller Williams

just finished Xenocide. good book, long winded though. card beats us over the head with introspection and morally laced diologue that meanders more than i prefer. this 600 page read could easily have been around 400-450 pages without loosing any edge or meaning. also, card goes scifi stupid in this novel unlike the first two ender novels in which scifi elements were only used to position the characters, this novel card seems to try to describe how things work, i couldn't suspend disbelief. less is more. so far my least favorite of the series. i still plan to finish out the series this summer with children of the mind.

I am reading Xenocide now. I am not thrilled, but Card's storytelling is holding me. I am not particularly happy with the World of Path and the ultra religious tone. I think Card is setting up a dichotomy though between the ultra religious story of Gloriously Bright (ugh) and the more naturalistic story of Ender & crew's plotline.

It is too long winded...but Card is so good with words that I am enjoying the actual read, if not the whole story.

Mr. P.

Mr. P's place. I warned you!!!

The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.

The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart...Scorsese's "Mean Streets"

I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper