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A review by knuckledown
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
3.0
Although I chose to follow Bean's series first, I was glad for the switch to Ender. Being on colonized planets with Ender certainly provided more escapism potential. On the other hand, perhaps the genius of Card is that he never escapes completely from the familiar structures of human society. In Lusitania, the home of a human settlement and the alien race of piggies, there is still the institution of the Catholic church. The ancient is set alongside the fantastical.
I find it brave that Card took on the character of adult Ender. What would the boy who massacred the race of buggers become? I suppose it's rather obvious that he would save the next alien race to be discovered. The Speaker for the Dead concept is more original: that he would tell the true story of a human life after the person is deceased. It can be an uncomfortable concept, but definitely a valuable one to get out of a book.
I find it brave that Card took on the character of adult Ender. What would the boy who massacred the race of buggers become? I suppose it's rather obvious that he would save the next alien race to be discovered. The Speaker for the Dead concept is more original: that he would tell the true story of a human life after the person is deceased. It can be an uncomfortable concept, but definitely a valuable one to get out of a book.