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Ender in Exile (Ender's Saga #2.5)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 17,996 ratings · 1,142 reviews

After twenty-three years, Orson Scott Card returns to his acclaimed best-selling series with the first true, direct sequel to the classic "Ender's Game."

In "Ender's Game," the world's most gifted children were taken from their families and sent to an elite training school. At Battle School, they learned combat, strategy, and secret intelligence to fight a dangerous war on...more

Hardcover, 465 pages

Published December 29th 2009 by Turtleback Books (first published January 10th 2005)

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Jul 28, 2011 K.D. Oliveros rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Aaron Vincent

Shelves: ya, sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I know. I know. I have not yet read any of the earlier Ender’s books so why did I read this? 1. The Filipinos group here in Goodreads had a meet up last Saturday and I thought it would be nice to know something about the series so I would not be an O.P. (out of place) as most of our members are young and YA readers. 2. This was the only – Card books rarely show up at bargain shops - book I saw by Card so I bought it right away and because it was priced at P45 ($1) and 3. My first interquel book....more

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Nov 27, 2008 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, read-in-2008

Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s saga holds the distinction of being one of the only series to win back-to-back Hugo Awards. Both “Ender’s Game” and “Speaker for the Dead” deservedly picked up Hugos when published and now, 30 years and several sequels later, Card revisits the time period between “Game” and “Speaker” in his latest novel in the Ender storyline.

After creating the parallel novel, “Ender’s Shadow” and the subsequent series about Bean, Petra and Peter’s rise to power in the world, Card shif...more Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s saga holds the distinction of being one of the only series to win back-to-back Hugo Awards. Both “Ender’s Game” and “Speaker for the Dead” deservedly picked up Hugos when published and now, 30 years and several sequels later, Card revisits the time period between “Game” and “Speaker” in his latest novel in the Ender storyline.

After creating the parallel novel, “Ender’s Shadow” and the subsequent series about Bean, Petra and Peter’s rise to power in the world, Card shifts the focus of the series back to the title character, Ender Wiggins. The war with the alien race, the Buggers is over. Ender has won the war, but at what price? Card provided some hints to this in the final chapter of the original “Ender’s Game” but now he takes readers back to the time between stories for a novel that examines the ramifications and implications of what Ender Wiggins did.

What if you were 16 years old, had just won a war and were now treated as a political football? Also, considering what we find out in later novels about how the war was won, what impact would that have on a young man who thought he was playing an elaborate video game and instead was sending soldiers to their death and committing genocide? Card ably explores all of these questions in “Exile,” showing us the impact not only on Ender but on his family. We’ve seen pieces of the pain Ender’s parents felt on losing their son, but here it is brought home in a particularily compelling way, as we see Ender’s parents realize they must give up their son yet again.

The novel also serves to transition Ender from the end of “Game” to the character we see in “Speaker.” Card is able to do this superbly and the chapters that look at Ender’s character are compelling and readable. Card inserts a fascinating dynamic between Ender and the commander of the colony ship Ender is on, as the commander seeks to try and one-up Ender and seize power. Watching Ender slowly bring the comander in question down to size and the way in which he does it makes for one of the more satisfying twists in the novel.

And yet, as I read this one, I had to wonder if it was really meant to be a novel. Yes, the story does show us the character arc of Ender and various others and it will answer some questions left over for the “Shadow” series. (In fact, I’d almost say if you haven’t read the “Shadow” series, you’d be better served to read them before tackling “Exile.” But there are some points where “Exile” feels more episodic than other novels in the series. At several points, I found myself getting impatient to have the focus shift back to Ender rather than on some of the sidesteps along the way. It’s Ender who is the most compelling character in the story.

However, any new novel by Card is something to be savored and a return to the Ender Universe is always welcome. It’s also nice to see Card get back to form after his disappointing novel, “Empire” last year. If you’re a fan of the “Ender” universe, this is a welcome and needed addition. If you haven’t read any of the Ender’s saga yet, I implore you to seek out “Ender’s Game” first and settle in for one of the best science-fiction sagas out there.(less)

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Nov 30, 2008 Roy Perez rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: A mormon.

My Amazon review (yeah, I was pretty pissed):

Subj: Deeply alienated by Card's recent work.

A disappointing, socially unimaginative flattening of a character and a world I once loved very much. This novel was rife with ideologically and spiritually conservative addresses to the reader that seemed to diverge from the far ranging and broad discourses of the other books, at least the way I read them so many years ago. I felt alienated by the Wiggins of this novel, theirs and the narrator's presumptio...more

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Nov 14, 2008 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Whenever anyone asked me what science fiction books were worth reading, I'd always recommend Ender's Game. It is quite simply a magnificent book, well-plotted, full of action, angst, political maneuvering and brilliant characterizations. I felt that way about the second book, Speaker for the Dead as well. So along comes this book 23 years later promising to be a direct sequel to Ender's Game, and tell the story of the "lost years" between the two books. Woo hooo! But wait, all of the plot of End...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Synesthesia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was so disappointing. Most of Orson Scott Card's books are littered with conservative nagging. He's always written about family values and the like, being that he is a Mormon and Mormons are keen on things like that.
There's nothing wrong with that, even if I don't totally agree with him, but all of this lecturing GETS IN THE WAY OF THE STORY! It's as if the whole purpose of every character in the book is to lecture and nag each reader about the importance of monogamy, heterosexual rela...more This book was so disappointing. Most of Orson Scott Card's books are littered with conservative nagging. He's always written about family values and the like, being that he is a Mormon and Mormons are keen on things like that.
There's nothing wrong with that, even if I don't totally agree with him, but all of this lecturing GETS IN THE WAY OF THE STORY! It's as if the whole purpose of every character in the book is to lecture and nag each reader about the importance of monogamy, heterosexual relationships and of course, having babies. What this means is the characters are not solid real people, even those we've come to love such as Ender just exist for Orson Scott Card to take over and use to push his agenda.
For example, you get a whole entire scene with two doctors trying to work on taming an alien environment. Do you even need this scene? If it were just about the alien environment it would be interesting, but you get a weak scene with a woman trying to convince a man to have sex with her despite the fact that she was married because she wanted his braaaaains.
What is this, a zombie novel? It's ridiculous. Then of course the scientist says something along the lines of, no, I can't have sex with you because it would destroy civilization!
This book is totally unnecessary. Ender's Game is an awesome book and it shouldn't have to change because of this weak book.
Most of the new characters and conflicts were not only uninteresting but unnecessary. None of them added anything to the story. Even a kissing scene was turned into something creepy, cold, scientific, not romantic and powerful.
I say, avoid anything but the original Ender series. The rest of it is all lecturing, all nagging, all conservative diatribe. And it gets worse with each book. If you like that sort of thing, it's the book for you. If you want a real story with a plot, with human characters that are just not Orson's Scott Card's puppets, there's other things out there that are much better to read.
Also, has Valentine always been this annoying?

Also, might I add, is it possible for some woman to just do a play and get a man to fall in love with her? It doesn't help that the man was totally a jerk, but she manipulated him in a few pages to get him to want to marry her. This book is just so... HOLLOW. Full of unbelievable scenes that annoy me too this day. Dude should have not bothered with this book. Its existence ruins and unravels the previous Ender series.

I got to add that today, when I went to a Borders that is closing to find Dreams of Joy I saw this book marked down on the same shelf as Hush, Hush and One of Cassandra Clare's books. I tried to read part of this book again but couldn't take it. No one TALKS like that .Even nerdy scientists wouldn't talk about being human and male or wanting someone's genes in their babies because real people do not talk or act like that! They act subtle, they hint. I don't think OSC KNOWS how to make characters who are humans and not cardboard cut outs he sets up to spout his theology. This book isn't even worth buying marked down and on sale as something to irritate myself so I left it on the self and walked away in disgust.
Plus I DIDN'T find Dreams of Joy.

Edit- This is my opinion so do not throw rocks at me, but I am beginning to think OSC only writes books to lecture people about marriage and babies and ca$h his cheques and then send 10% to the Mormon church. i don't think he writes for the sheer raw love of stories.
It's depressing.(less)

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Jul 07, 2010 Kemper rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, craptacular, space

I think that Orson Scott Card and George Lucas must have had a meeting at some point and came up with all the ways you can destroy a franchise by adding on useless and clumsy story to your original work.

Card wrote one of my favorite sci-fi books, Ender's Game, and then ruined every good feeling I had towards him by a parade a horrible sequels and tie-ins that either have nothing to do with the original story or repeatedly revise and rehash the original material so much that it's in danger of bec...more I think that Orson Scott Card and George Lucas must have had a meeting at some point and came up with all the ways you can destroy a franchise by adding on useless and clumsy story to your original work.

Card wrote one of my favorite sci-fi books, Ender's Game, and then ruined every good feeling I had towards him by a parade a horrible sequels and tie-ins that either have nothing to do with the original story or repeatedly revise and rehash the original material so much that it's in danger of becoming just as bad. And how stupid am I that I've kept reading long past the point where anger and frustration are now souring my enjoyment of the original?

While the original Ender's Game actually had action and events that had emotional consquences, all the rest of the books are just tedious dialogues about things that will happen and debates about the emotions they should be feeling. And all the characters know what events will happen because of how incredibly smart they are! And they'll tell you that. Repeatedly. It's like sci-fi done by Aaron Sorkin. Painful. Just freaking painful.

There's no genuine conflict here because Card has built Ender up into such a saint and all-knowing being that there's no chance of any outcome but Ender winning by being oh-so-wise.

Set shortly after the ending of Ender's Game, a large part of the book revolves around a power struggle between Ender and the admiral of the ship taking him to the colony where he will be governor. But because Card can't stand to have anyone be smarter or an actual danger to his heroes, all the 'good' characters instantly know that the admiral is planning to sieze control once they get there. Even before the ship leaves. If they knew he was going to try and take over, then why send him at all??

Oh, and be warned. The afterword here states that Card is going to rewrite Chapter 15 of Ender's Game to correct 'mistakes' that don't correspond to the garbage he's written since. My advice is to buy an original copy of EG before that happens, and never, ever buy another one of these craptastic Ender follow-ups. (less)

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Nov 23, 2008 Chad Warner rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

I'll admit that I had high expectations for this book, since I loved the other Ender's Game series books I've read: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. While I did enjoy the book for the additional history and details it provides, I can't think of anything remarkable it contributed to the Ender storyline.

Although it's called a direct sequel to Ender's Game, most of this book actually takes place between chapters 14 (Ender's victory) and 15 (Ender on a colo...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Maree ♫ Light's Shadow ♪ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first read Orson Scott Card’s most recognized novel, Ender’s Game, in my freshman year of high school, and immediately fell in love with it. It’s one novel that withstood the test of time when I read it again as an adult, as it was after all meant for an adult audience, despite the young characters. I eagerly read the rest of the series, but only Ender’s Shadow came close to recapturing characters I loved so much. I picked this up from my library with the hopes that a younger version of Ender...more I first read Orson Scott Card’s most recognized novel, Ender’s Game, in my freshman year of high school, and immediately fell in love with it. It’s one novel that withstood the test of time when I read it again as an adult, as it was after all meant for an adult audience, despite the young characters. I eagerly read the rest of the series, but only Ender’s Shadow came close to recapturing characters I loved so much. I picked this up from my library with the hopes that a younger version of Ender would once again capture my imagination.

With Ender in Exile, we find Andrew (Ender) Wiggin, the boy whose brilliant military strategies saved the world from the alien Buggers, coming to terms with how he has caused the deaths of millions while thinking he was only playing a war game. The entire novel is neither a prequel nor a sequel, but another side by side companion that takes place between chapters 14 and 15 of the original Ender’s Game, and throughout the Shadow series. Card even wrote a new version of chapter 15, to be printed in subsequent editions to match this latest novel, which is an amazing addition to the Enderverse.

I loved seeing the evolution of Ender’s character before he became the sober Speaker for the Dead in the like-named second novel. In Exile, he’s still a teenager, but a brilliant one, full of guilt over all that he’s done and a need to understand the enemy he thought he exterminated. But the emotions in the book aren’t overdone; rather, they’re coupled with a hint of the spirit of the boy he used to be as he innocently conspires to keep his position as governor over an Admiral who would use him as a pawn. I couldn’t help but rub my hands with glee at that part, though there are also a few touching moments that remind the reader that despite his maturity, he’s still a teenage boy. A more final ending to the Shadow series also plays out here, and though it feels more like a short story added on to the ending instead of part of a full novel. But you won’t hear me complaining.

Card has once again mastered the character of young Ender, and this fully fleshed out version of his early travels will definitely be satisfying reading for anyone who was a fan of the original. 4 out of 5 stars.

See this review and more information on the book and author at Book Him Danno: http://bookhimdanno.blogspot.com/2012...
(less)

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Jan 31, 2013 Drew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ender in Exile is what I wanted as a sequel to Ender's Game when I read Speaker for the Dead many years ago. Instead, Speaker for the Dead seemed to have a completely different Ender and the storyline through the following books (Xenocide and Children of the Mind) was written for people who swim in the deep end of the Sci-Fi genre.

I swim in the shallow end, with the occasional foray into the deep end. Ender's Game is a book I would recommend to anyone, even those who have not even gotten into t...more

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Nov 17, 2008 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What sets Ender in Exile apart from the the rest of the series is this: it is less than the sum of its parts.

A handful of its chapters had already appeared in short story form on Card's online sci-fi zine, Intergalactic Medicine Show. These stories were interesting and self-contained in their own right. But within the context of a novel, they strike me as being Card's Tom Bombadil: incidentally enriching to the established universe, but irrelevant to the narrative at hand.

The narrative at hand i...more What sets Ender in Exile apart from the the rest of the series is this: it is less than the sum of its parts.

A handful of its chapters had already appeared in short story form on Card's online sci-fi zine, Intergalactic Medicine Show. These stories were interesting and self-contained in their own right. But within the context of a novel, they strike me as being Card's Tom Bombadil: incidentally enriching to the established universe, but irrelevant to the narrative at hand.

The narrative at hand is Ender's post-war recovery, discovering the egg and writing the Hive Queen (the book), the changing relationship between Ender and the rest of his family, and (perhaps most of all, thanks to the dangling cliffhanger) dealing with the last of Bean's scattered children. If you've read the previous books, I don't think it will be any terrible spoiler to call this child by the name he calls himself, Achilles.

Each of these compelling plot threads are given at least an adequate, and sometimes a very compelling resolution—but only when I force myself to consider them as further self-contained short stories. Within the context of the novel, each is breezed through with such haste that I was on the second to last page of the book before I realized, "Oh, that was the dramatic climax, wasn't it."

Ender in Exile is published as a novel, but it's really a collection of episodic short stories that constitute a novel only in appearance. By sandwiching them together with hasty transitions, they are all diminished, competing for attention, never really integrating. Each part, if it had stood alone, would have done better. Summed together, they are all lessened.

In my ideal world, Card would have released a collection of short stories, perhaps a novella, dealing with things like the Alessandra/Dorianna/Morgan plotline and the gold bugs. Or—perhaps better still—leave them as-is on Intergalactic Medicine Show, affirming that Card's contribution to the zine actually has some worth and isn't just a venue for double-publishing the same work.

In my ideal, Ender's recovery, dealing with the last Hive Queen, dealing with his family, and dealing with Achilles would have spanned an entire novel at least as long as Exile instead of a few scattered chapters. The situation on Virlomi's colony world and the development of Achilles deserved far, far more than the two or three chapters they got. In those two or three chapters, Card telegraphed an emotional punch of a plotline. But I knew I would have cared far more about if I had really known young Achilles, if Ender's post-war troubles had been consistently expessed as an ongoing plot thread that demanded resolution. The emotional punch Card telegraphed was barely a tap on the shoulder. It still made me wince, but only because I was led to expect more.

Card said this is his best Ender book yet. I couldn't disagree more. Yet, it's not a bad book. It's still Ender, and it's still Card, which means it's still compelling enough fiction for me to keep reading all the way through to the last page within only a few days of purchasing it. That's more than I can say for the vast majority of books I buy.

The highlight of the book for me was Ender's touching reunion with Valentine. So well done. Though I wouldn't know until later that that early chapter would be the emotional climax of the book for me, it is not diminished. I only wish I could say Ender's collision with young Achilles delivered even a fraction of the catharsis it deserved.(less)

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Dec 01, 2008 Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, science-fiction

I was skeptical going into this - In fact, I only read it today because it has to go back to the library soon and I didn't want to return it unread. I kept thinking that it couldn't possibly be interesting since we already know what happens. Could it really be worth reading about events that were already discussed in other Ender books? Of course, I had the same type of reservations about Ender's Shadow and ended up being wowed by that one.

Ender in Exile isn't the same sort of homerun that Ender'...more I was skeptical going into this - In fact, I only read it today because it has to go back to the library soon and I didn't want to return it unread. I kept thinking that it couldn't possibly be interesting since we already know what happens. Could it really be worth reading about events that were already discussed in other Ender books? Of course, I had the same type of reservations about Ender's Shadow and ended up being wowed by that one.

Ender in Exile isn't the same sort of homerun that Ender's Shadow was, but that didn't stop me from tearing through it in two sittings. Seeing Ender's thought process following the end of the Formic War was much more satisfying than reading about it as events that had already occurred, as we did in Speaker of the Dead and its sequels. I also really liked witnessing the creation of the colony program and seeing the seed that started the universe we meed in Speaker.

On the downside, I did get a little twitchy about Card retconning things for consistency. In his defense, his afterword explains his reasoning, and his reasoning mostly makes sense. I just worry he's veering into George Lucas territory when he has to start publishing new editions of his old books with changes.

Also, the subplot with Alessandra and her crazy mother seemed sort of tacked on - I couldn't really figure out what the purpose of it was, except to demonstrate Ender's brain power. I sort of wished they'd been done away with so that there was more time to focus on Ender's recovery and his removal from his family. One thing I wished the book had included was at least one response from Ender's parents to his first letter home. The text says that they continued to correspond, but we're not told any more than that. His letter packed a powerful punch, and it's a shame we didn't get to see what his parents had to say in return.

Although this is billed as a direct sequel to Ender's Game, it wouldn't make any sense without reading the Shadow books first. The loose threads in Shadow of the Giant are tied up here, and while they only take up a small portion of the book, I can't imagine they would make much sense (or have much impact, since it does lay down a short summary) without having read the previous books.(less)

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Nov 06, 2008 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Card, Orson Scott. 2008. Ender in Exile.

Ender in Exile is the "new direct sequel" to Ender's Game. And in a way, that's true enough. The novel begins with Ender on Eros. His brother, Peter, and sister, Valentine, are on Earth. One lobbying for his return, the other arguing that he should not be allowed to come home. At all. Ever. If Ender was sent home, so the argument goes, he'd be a pawn for governments and militaries to fight over. He'd be targeted by power-hungry individuals for the rest of...more Card, Orson Scott. 2008. Ender in Exile.

Ender in Exile is the "new direct sequel" to Ender's Game. And in a way, that's true enough. The novel begins with Ender on Eros. His brother, Peter, and sister, Valentine, are on Earth. One lobbying for his return, the other arguing that he should not be allowed to come home. At all. Ever. If Ender was sent home, so the argument goes, he'd be a pawn for governments and militaries to fight over. He'd be targeted by power-hungry individuals for the rest of his life. Right? Those that have read the Shadow books (Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant) know that is exactly what happened to other Battle School children--including Petra, Bean, and Alai--when they returned. With the return of the children come wars and rumors of wars. Valentine--a.k.a. Demosthenes--wants better than that for her brother. Valentine loves her brother. If he can't come to her, she'll go to him. She decides to join her brother in space in his exile.

Admiral Ender will soon become Governor Wiggin when he's sent (along with Valentine) with one of the first (I think it is the very first) colonization vessels. At thirteen, he doesn't feel ready for the job no matter what anyone on Eros or Earth has to say about his legendary hero status. And there is at least one man on board--a fellow Admiral--who is captain of the ship--Quincy Morgan--who feels that Ender is a sham of a man. He glories himself to be the better man for the job. And he plans accordingly.

This journey will take a little over forty years give or take a month or two. But for Ender--and for the others that remain awake for this flight--it will be just two years. Who would choose to stay awake when they had the option of sleeping and not aging? You might be surprised at how many. Ender chooses because he wants those two years desperately to make him "mature" into a man that a colony of strangers would respect. Valentine chooses because it will give her time with Ender...and it will give her time to write. She's got plans for writing about Battle School and the Formic Wars. The reader is also introduced to two others that choose to remain awake: Dorabella and Alessandra Toscano. Dorabella is a strange woman living in a fantasy world and dreaming big dreams. Here is a feisty woman with ambition. Alessandra is the much shyer, much quieter, mostly-obedient daughter who's afraid to stand up to her mother.

Where are they going? Colony 1. But this colony is soon given a name: Shakespeare. And Ender begins communicating with the governor even before they've left Eros. He wants to know everything about the planet, everything about the people, he wants to make these vital connections, and it's not because he has to. The reader is introduced to some of these colonists throughout. (None will be familiar except Abra.)

A lot can happen in forty or fifty years. And Andrew and Valentine are not cut off completely from Earth. Not exactly. So we do hear about Peter becoming Hegemon. About the wars on Earth. About Bean and Petra and the others whose adventures we followed in the Shadow books.

At some point in the book, Andrew learns about another colony-in-the-making that will be governed by a Battle School graduate named Virlomi. And on that ship is a child that Graff feels is the missing ninth child of Bean and Petra. He wants Andrew--if he's able--to go to this new Colony if he gets the chance to find out for sure. The colony in question is Ganges. On this ship and on this colony are several people whom the reader first met in one or more of the Shadow books.

So Ender in Exile is also the direct sequel to Shadow of the Giant. It follows a handful of the characters into space. And we also follow in a limited capacity those left behind--Peter, Petra, Graff, etc.

Almost everything that happens (but not all of what happens) was hinted at in the final chapter of Ender's Game. There aren't any BIG surprises along the way. The Ender of Ender in Exile is a boy in transition. He's not yet a man. He's not the wise-beyond-his-years Speaker For the Dead. He's a guilt-ridden boy who is burdened by what he's done--the deaths of those two boys, the annihilation of the Buggers--and he is anxious to make amends. He's a good-natured, boy who is seeking answers, always seeking.

How does Ender in Exile compare to others in the series? I enjoyed it. While it could never take the place in my heart for Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, it certainly belongs there with the others. We've got a good mix of old characters and new characters. The characterization--like always--is great. The plot was as exciting (in a way) and well paced as others. This one wasn't as bogged down with politics and strategies. Nor was it bogged down with philosophy. I'm not picking on the other sequels--I happen to enjoy them all--but I also acknowledge that some fans of Ender's Game are turned off by the sequels.

I've never been sure how to order these books. I read them Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Ender in Exile. But chronologically, they're all over the place. All of Ender in Exile occurs within the final chapter of Ender's Game and before Speaker of the Dead opens. But there are events discussed or mentioned in Ender in Exile from the Shadow books. There are characters introduced in the Shadow books that are a part of the action in Ender In Exile. So I'm not sure what order to recommend them anymore. I think they can be enjoyed in any order perhaps.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews (less)

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Dec 09, 2008 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Of all the books in the enderverse, my favorites are Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.
This "midquel" fits right in between those two and did not dissappoint.
For various reasons I find myself drawn, as I am sure many are, to Ender's character; this transition novel between the young, brilliant, "win-at-all-costs" Ender and his adult self that I came to love in the Speaker series fills in some of the gaps in his character and maturation development.

Becuase of the need to reframe the story,...more

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view all 4 comments

Tien It is not necessary to "spoil" the story by revealing any surprises that came from the book.

For instance, I was browsing through the library and came...more
updated Dec 12, 2008 05:56pm

Josh you deserve a much better response because of what you have written above.

suffice it to say that I enjoyed reading Ender because it reaffirms many of...more you deserve a much better response because of what you have written above.

suffice it to say that I enjoyed reading Ender because it reaffirms many of my thoughts about life.

what thoughts you ask?

The need for human community first and foremost - the nagging reminder that we cannot do life alone. This fits in nicely with the emotional component you point out from "On Human Bondage." We are neither computers nor would we want to be.

Ender's mind is supposedly the most strategic in the entire universe, after all, he is responsible for single-handedly commanding the force that saves the earth from destruction - but even his conniving, manipulative mind that must win at all costs begins to realize his need for his parents, and the need for friendship. I think we of our generation that have grown up on a diet of self-satisfied entertainment (computers, video-games, books, movies) have forgotten our more basic emotional, mental, spiritual, and sometimes even physical needs.

The book is a testament of our need for one another. at the same time it also is a picture of self-discipline, self-mastery and success rarely seen in an individual. When we read, we often idealize the protagonist. Ender is the protagonist dream, self-sufficient in every way, achieving so much, and yet human too, filled with remorse, guilt, and need to redeem himself.

I have a certain side of me that likes to see perfection that is self-satisfied be broken by internal struggles and external forces - it reminds the character, and it reminds me that I am not my own diety, i am not the strongest person in the universe - I am not even strong enough to control my own destiny - but even broken people are redeemable. we have purpose, we have meaning. the universe isn't void of meaning aferall.

to conclude, I love this book, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, because of their relentless theme of humanity, becoming perfect, yet never being whole by themselves.

They are stories that reaffirm what life is about.

Not to mention, they are just entertaining. :)
(less)
Dec 12, 2008 06:50pm

Nov 09, 2008 Britney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-november2008

This book serves a weird role in the Ender series. It's both a direct sequel to Ender's Game and the conclusion to the Shadow series, tying up some threads left by Bean, Petra, Peter, and Virlomi. It contradicts the last chapter of Ender's Game, which Card acknowledges in the afterword and future editions of the book will have a revised final chapter. But it also expands on that final chapter, to give more backstory to Speaker for the Dead and more fully explain Ender's time as the governor of...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 10, 2008 Nick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ficton-non-didactic

Card can write fantastically in his sleep, although I kind of feel like he snored right through this one a little too much. It fills the same role in the Enderverse as Back to the Future II: a good story in its own right, but kind of just something to fill in the holes between his really great works. It feels like about 3 or 4 short stories that were smooshed together like play-doh.

Card makes Ender too much of a Mary Sue character here. He's always right, always has a plan, and is smarter than e...more

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Nov 16, 2008 Pete rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

Part of me is nervous every time Card goes goes back to the Ender well, but again I was not disappointed. This book not being a Bean based book, although I have enjoyed those as well,it was nice to be back with the boy the created the universe. This book takes place between chapter 14-15 of Ender's Game and does a very nice job setting up the following trilogy more than the book alone did twenty years ago. I will say that this book was not truly necessary, it did flush out a little more of Ender...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 18, 2011 Kevin Xu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read

I have no idea what this book is. Orson Scott Card needs a direction/categorize for this book like he did with the other Ender books. The basic fact is that he took out all the moral/emotional fact from the original books was what made this book more like any other novel out there. He just needs to clear his head before writing anything now a days. He has lost his magical touch since writing Shadow of the Giant, which to me is his last great book.

4 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2013 Serina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: high-school

*4.4
The letters in this book are indeed quite maudlin. There's one in particular—Ender's long-due letter to his parents—that made me teary. (view spoiler) The story of Alessandra and Dorabella serves as a nice brief interlude. I find it interesting that parental relationships and upbringing are one of the motives of the book. In Ender in Exile, we get to ponder over the relationship between Alessandra...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 22, 2008 Arian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Ender followers

It is difficult to place this book in its context in either the "original" series or the "shadow series." Truthfully, it fills in the missing gap in the original series, and references events from the shadow series.

I found the book to be an enjoyable and fast read, though Card falls into a trap that may fantasy and science fiction authors can't seem to avoid: his hero is perfect. Now, with a hero like Ender, this can be somewhat overlooked and, indeed, it doesn't hurt the story overall.

I can't p...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Karen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Karen by: Nothing to read at Susan's

A filler book in every sense. In the series. In my life. Right now I start reading whatever is closest to my hand when I put down the last book (panic) and then keep reading it (momentum). Yep, that's where I'm at on a lot of levels. As I wade through the plodding prose about ham-handed one-dimensional characters all I do is just wish I were Ender and not a real live human being, and certainly not me. I will finish it on the way to my BABYSITTING job tomorrow. I'm 28! This was not the plan! The...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Karin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-ya-crossovers, science-fiction, relationships, politics, coming-of-age, colonists, interstellar-travel, borrowed-from-the-library

Orson Scott Card keeps revisiting his Ender universe and churning out more stories about the Battle School kids. This novel returns to Ender, catching him just after the extermination of the Buggers. It’s told through multiple points of view – Ender Wiggin’s, Valentine’s, the Wiggin parents, and other characters – and follows Ender’s journey to Shakespeare colony and his governorship and subsequent travel to Ganges.

I was really impressed by Ender’s Game when I first read it, and subsequent re-re...more Orson Scott Card keeps revisiting his Ender universe and churning out more stories about the Battle School kids. This novel returns to Ender, catching him just after the extermination of the Buggers. It’s told through multiple points of view – Ender Wiggin’s, Valentine’s, the Wiggin parents, and other characters – and follows Ender’s journey to Shakespeare colony and his governorship and subsequent travel to Ganges.

I was really impressed by Ender’s Game when I first read it, and subsequent re-readings have held up over time. I also enjoyed Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and even Children of the Mind. Ender’s Shadow, the only one of the non-Ender books I read, was ok. Bean’s perspective of the Bugger wars and Battle School was at least a little different from Ender’s, even though there was some overlap in their stories (as one might expect, given that they covered the same time period/events). While Ender in Exile fills in some holes before we get to the Ender of Speaker for the Dead, I didn’t feel like it really enriched my understanding of Ender in any way. And, in fact, it belabored his altruism, made Valentine seem obnoxious, obtuse, and overly mother hen-like, and made a really big deal of a couple characters that aren’t going to have any importance later on. Their stories, and relationships with Ender don’t have any lasting impression on him, and Orson Scott Card didn’t do anything to make me care for them much either. It was very much ado about nothing. There were also a couple of moments where I felt like Card was trying to push a philosophical/religious agenda forward rather than allowing the characters to be who they were, and that made me uncomfortable with the story as well. Overall, I was rather disappointed in this, and I’ll have to go back and reread Ender’s Game (yet again), to get the bad taste out of my brain (and to reassure myself that it’s still good).

In the Afterword, Card mentions that he’s eventually re-releasing another edition of Ender’s Game – one where he’s rewritten chapter 15 to adjust for the timeline of events that he fleshes out in Ender in Exile. I mentioned that to a friend of mine who was shocked and horrified. It doesn’t sound like it’s a big change, but it might be worth a reading (and a re-reading of the original) to see what exactly he does. You can also get it online if you buy an issue of his magazine Orson Scott Card’s Inter-Galactic Medicine Show (oscIGMS.com). I’ll…be waiting until it comes out in the new edition.(less)

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Dec 02, 2011 Nicolo Yu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: collected-comics

I’ve heard how much Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game is a science fiction classic, but I haven’t read it yet. My introduction to Orson Scott Card came through a graphic novel I found in one of my bargain book hunts. Originally published by Marvel Comics as a five issue miniseries, this book collects those issues in hardcover.

Set after the events of the first Ender novel, this was touted as a direct sequel to Ender’s Game. It was a great way to know Ender Wiggin. Here, he was already a battle scar...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 18, 2008 MB rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Very good, I highly enjoyed it. I am glad that the Ender series continues to expand and I hope there is room/scope for at least one more book.

My reflections on reading it:

I felt sorry for Valentine in this book. Her personality was very blah. I hope--if this series continues to grow--that the female characters, such as Val and maybe Jane, will be at least as interesting as the male characters.

OSC has done it before in past books with Petra and, to some extent, Virlomi. It'd be nice to see Val ha...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2011 Joanna rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, rws-2011-spring, 2011-read

This is a pointless book that tries to fill in the "lost time" between the ending chapters of Ender's Game and to give additional background on some of the characters and events that have been described in the later EG books. There is no exciting conflict in this book, most of the characters are flat, and the moralizing is so prevalent as to be distracting. In one particularly annoying scene, a scientist comes on to her colleague because she wants to have really smart children. He refuses becaus...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 23, 2008 Dan Hancock rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm honestly not sure this book needed to exist. While it does tie up all the dangling plotlines from the Shadow series, the book as a whole doesn't really have any driving conflict. It's more just "here's what happened to Ender in the immediate aftermath of the Bugger War." There are two seeming conflicts in the book, but they both seem manufactured, just to give Ender something to do.

Thrilled as I am to have another Ender book, I think it would have been better if the Bean stories had just bee...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 22, 2011 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this because a friend of mine (you know who you are!) kept talking about Ender's Game (a book I've read and loved many times) and while deciding if I should reread it I found this instead. Card has come back nearly 20 years after "Ender's Game" to write a book that acts as its immediate sequel, a bridge between "EG" and the "Speaker" and/or "Shadow." Very enjoyable to get a bit more of Ender, though I always get tired of how perfect Ender believes himself to be (worse, Card seems to agree...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 17, 2009 Karlan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, ya

The direct sequel to Ender's Game is not as exciting as some of Card's other books, but most readers of Ender's Game will want to learn what happened next. About a third of the way into the novel, it became very exciting.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 26, 2010 J. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am really angry that OSC got me so hard, so early, with Ender's Game, such that I want to read about the Wiggin siblings and their world even well past the point where it has become apparent that Card no longer writes books I will enjoy. I think this one, with various meandering digressions (at least one of which I found offensively misguided), lack of emotional payoff at any point in the story, and characters whose behavior seems inconsistent with my memories of them in earlier books, may hav...more

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Mar 28, 2009 Kira rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I mean, granted, it's been awhile since I read all the way through the Shadow books. But I did think this was better than the majority of those, if nowhere even in the same ballpark as Ender's Shadow. That speaks more to the badness of the Shadow series than to Exile's goodness, though. The character development was shoddy, the pacing bizarre, and the overall "scope" of what happened dull. The only thing of real interest (to me) was the expanded relationship between Ender and the young boy from...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 20, 2009 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the kindle version of this book on my iPhone.

This is the latest offering in the "Enderverse" which starts with "Ender's Game," a short story published in the late 1970s that was later converted by the author into a full-length, and very very good, novel. Card writes well, and knows how to tell good stories that touch the heart.

But I do not find Card a trustworthy author - he has written short stories in the horror genre that still give me bad dreams, and he had written other series (Ear...more I read the kindle version of this book on my iPhone.

This is the latest offering in the "Enderverse" which starts with "Ender's Game," a short story published in the late 1970s that was later converted by the author into a full-length, and very very good, novel. Card writes well, and knows how to tell good stories that touch the heart.

But I do not find Card a trustworthy author - he has written short stories in the horror genre that still give me bad dreams, and he had written other series (Earthborn, Alvin Maker) that I ultimately abandoned and found unreadable for various reasons. On the other hand, some of his novels rank among my all-time favorites, and are books I re-read from time to time.

Alas, he also writes many of his prejudices into his novels, especially in the last decade or so, and I think his novels suffer as a consequence - his earlier works were better. His prejudices force him to do odd things to his characters, not letting them develop as the story demands. At least if he is going to write his prejudices into his stories, he should try to do a better and more convincing job of it! In his case, the fact that he does not do a better and more convincing job of it makes me wonder if his heart is really in it at all - if the reason he is expressing these prejudices so badly is that in his heart of hearts, he doesn't really believe in them but is being pressured externally to write them in anyway. It is well known he is a Morman by faith and has a strong wife - perhaps that's where the external pressure arises. At this remove, it is impossible to know, but whatever the pressure is, it is throwing spanner wrenches into otherwise good writing.

For one example (among many) from this novel, a scientist is living on a planet where women are few and men are plentiful. They are a colony founded by a stranded military space vessel, and for reasons not well supported they make the seemingly illogical decision to pair off, by lottery, in monogamous marriages with the few women leaving most of the men to live celibate lives where they will never have the chance to reproduce. Wouldn't it make more sense, speaking scientifically (and this is science fiction) in such a situation to let the women choose with whom to mate, to encourage the women by first class support from the men to have as many babies as humanly possible, and to encourage the women to mate with multiple fathers to widen the gene pool as much as possible? One of these newly married women expresses a desire to take the scientist who is her boss as her secret lover - she was not allowed to choose her husband for herself (pairings were done by lottery) and wants to have his child rather than her husband's since she believes that his is the finest example of manhood on the planet, and she loves him and wants him. He, poor man, loves and wants her - but he turns her down flat. Why? Because monogamy is, the colony has decided by majority vote, the best way. And he won't violate this convention, even knowing that his own genes won't get passed on and his own natural desires and hers will have to be stifled for their lifetimes. He consoles himself with the thought that, after she's had a few babies by her husband, she won't be so beautiful, she might get fat, and she'll be too involved in child rearing to pay him much attention anyway. I found this story segment not convincing at all for the characters - violating my suspension of disbelief. If Card needed to put this in, he should have worked harder to make it more emotionally convincing!

Full disclosure - I am myself in a monogamous marriage of 30 years, and love being part of this exclusive and very special relationship with my husband. But my own prejudices and lifestyle don't matter to me in judging a story by its internal consistency - or lack thereof. A pity Card can't do the same...for whatever reasons.

Others of Card's recent novels in the Enderverse and outside of it have suffered from similar serious story flaws.

Other than such flaws, which is why this gets four stars and not five, the novel was a satisfying addition to the Enderverse.(less)

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About Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools.
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series Th...more

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“My needs are simple and few, thought Valentine. Food. Clothing. A comfortable place to sleep. And no idiots.

But of course a world with no idiots would be lonely. If she herself were even allowed there.” — 98 people liked it

“If desire did not dim the brain, nobody would ever get married, drunk, or fat.
~Val” — 26 people liked it

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