Periodically I check on any progress being made on the Ender's Game film. After many years waiting in limbo, it looks like they will finally actually make a movie based on the events of my life! ;)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%27s_Game_(film)#Film
Honestly, I love the books and look forward to an actual film.
I'm in, if they keep it as gritty as the books. At least PG-13.
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Yeah, there's no way to portray the film less than PG-13 without serious injustice. On the other hand, I hope it doesn't get an R rating. Gritty is how it needs to be, but not overly horrific. I really like the cast lineup thus far. Butterfield would do an excellent job, I feel. Kingsley and Ford are two of my favorite actors, and I was impressed with Butterfield when I saw Hugo.
So as I mentioned elsewhere, I've been reading the Ender's Game series again. I finished Game for the fourth time, the short story precursor to the novel for the second time, I read A War of Gifts for the first time, and now I'm about halfway through Ender's Shadow. Here are my thoughts on the latter, and it will make sense why I posted it in this thread in the end instead of the "What are you reading?" thread.
*Warning, there are spoilers ahead: proceed at your own peril*
Orson Scott Card did an excellent job blending this story into the mesh of the other. He wrote Ender's Game in 1985, and Ender's Shadow, a parallel story in 1999. Shadow centered around mostly the same events and the same timeframe, but from a different character's perspective. The reader is supposed to be able to read either story first or second and gain just as much enjoyment either way, as they are independent tales, and his experiment worked! I can't imagine the limits one imposes on oneself when writing stories in this manner. We see how it limited GL when creating the Star Wars PT. But Card deftly pulled the whole thing off.
And while it's a good story, I have to hold it to a lower level of canonicity in my mind, much as I do with SW lore. You see, I read Ender's Game in 2000, and I'd heard of Shadow, but instead followed the Ender storyline (which admittedly got pretty weird by the third and fourth books). I loved Ender's character, as is obvious by my handle. I was much younger then, and I related well to Ender, who is an extremely intelligent boy, far brighter than the other characters, and of the sort I hoped to be (I now find myself falling only slightly short of that mark ;). During that story, there is a character named Bean, and if you read only that story, you gain a perception of Bean, even with two brief portions where the third-person narrative follows his train of thought, though only briefly. But the glimpse you get of him is that he is bright, similar to Ender, but not quite as bright. He tells Ender, "You're the best." He reveals that he is still a child, though the story puts children in very adult situations (warfare, not pornographic, since I know Davnes is reading this). He gets excited about things in a childlike manner. He gets emotional in parts. He shows some shortcomings in his estimation and perception. He shows limits to his creativity.
In 2002 I read Ender's Shadow for the first time. Suddenly, Bean is actually smarter than Ender, though it turns out he's been genetically manipulated to achieve this. In fact, he blows Ender's superhuman abilities away. Ender, who was manipulated by adults into doing things he did not wish to, who revealed self-perceptions of doubt and weakness, who felt the torture of adult-imposed social isolation, who did not even hold any ambition for greatness, but only the good of humanity, is topped by Bean who is calculating, limited in emotion (clearly not emotionless, but more controlled), rather being led by more pure logic, embracing social isolation, holding few weakness and therefore few self-doubts, and is actually ambitious to an extreme. Though perhaps his motives are also for the good of humanity, he aggressively sets out for leadership. Many of Ender's manipulations by the adults, it turns out in the end are manipulations by Bean. Many of Bean's comments of supposed adulation such as, "You're the best," turn out to be patronizing, as Bean knows he's the best. Much of the perspective we get of Bean before feels out of character, such as the childish side of Bean. And Bean's intelligence completely undercuts Ender's, as Ender foolishly believes Bean when he says, "You're the best," instead of recognizing that Bean is a faker. He recognizes Bean's creativity (which is actually de-emphasized, IMO, in favor of his calculative abilities in Shadow), but doesn't see him as hyperintelligent. He misses out on all of Bean's manipulations, and in the end, if you accept that version of Ender, you don't really believe he is so smart after all.
In the beginning Ender was selected because of his emotion, his ability to empathize, along with his mental capabilities. He is approximately equal in intelligence to his brother and sister, but his brother lacked the empathy to relate to his enemies and therefore was cruel, while his sister was too empathetic and therefore too soft. Those who recruited Ender found him to be the perfect medium. OSC missed the mark, I think, in Shadow, because at the end of the book, Bean admits that Ender is the right man (boy, really) for the job of Bombad General because of his empathy, his ability to persuade and create loyalty, his ability to truly lead, which Bean lacked. He had the brains, but not the leadership. But Ender's Game made a particular point to mention that Ender was also selected because his empathy allowed him to reach into the hearts of his enemies and anticipate their moves. Bean lacks this ability, but apparently, if memory serves (remember, I'm only halfway through and going just by my last reading on this point) doesn't recognize its value in Ender's perceptiveness. I guess I just feel that Card made a very intelligent character, and then made him look kinda dim in another book.
Characters who are vulnerable are most interesting. Bean is too invulnerable. He is too smart. Throughout the whole book, I want Ender to still prove that in some ways at least he is smarter than Bean, much as we hope that our Kasparovs of the world will outsmart the Deep Blues in spite of the superior processing power. More intuition. More empathy. More something. Ender is now weak. And I don't buy it. I read Ender's Shadow, enjoy in for its own story, and continue to call myself darth_ender, knowing that Ender is really the smartest and Bean is just a smart but obnoxious turd in the "real" Ender universe.
What does this all have to do with the film? OSC has apparently pushed for Bean's inclusion as much as possible in the actual film. The movie Ender's Game is actually somewhat of a hybrid, drawing some elements of Ender's Shadow into the script. I don't want Bean to undercut Ender. Ender is the better character, the vulnerable character, the character you want to win, but who really faces the overwhelming odds and still manages to come out on top. I hope there is moderation in this, as there are good qualities to the expanded Bean story, but if Bean starts making Ender look like a twit, I swear I'm gonna...start pulling weeds in my front yard or something.
Anyway, that's my rant. Go Ender!
Someone (TV's Frink?) will say:
tl;dr
Yeah, well, your loss! It's a brilliant analysis!
;)
I liked Ender's Shadow. Unfortunately I thought the Bean series got worse with each book.
I know it might seem strange, but I like the book as well, just like I do like the PT. I just don't like how it affects the original story and characters established. Perhaps if it had been written in the opposite order, I'd find it more worthy of my approval. But Ender came first, and I came to love him first. Hmm...that makes me sound like a humpback whale ;)
You can tell a thread is not successful when its author also contributes 66.7% of the posts and closer to 90% of the words to it. But nevertheless, I love the Ender series and will continue to bump this thread when I want to talk about it. Though I started this thread with the movie in mind, I think it could serve as the discussion of all things related.
So lately I've read Ender's Game, Ender's Game (short story, of which the book is a later expansion), Ender's Shadow, A War of Gifts, and several short story prequels such as Mazer in Prison, The Polish Boy, Teacher's Pest, Pretty Boy, and Cheater, and now I am reading Ender in Exile. Here I offer very brief reviews of each.
*No spoilers*
Ender's Game continues to fascinate me, and I really empathize with the youthful primary character. He is both brilliant and tragic as he is manipulated by others and his brilliance is channeled. I still love this book.
The short story preceded the book by several years, but it's largely the same story of a small segment of the larger story. There are a few differences and things that were later changed, some of which were discussions by the adults about the dilemmas they faced when manipulating a child to do good/horrible things. While there are similar discussions in the novel, they are different, so in that sense the short story fleshed out their dilemma a tiny bit. An interesting, though not necessary read.
Ender's Shadow came I think 13 years after Ender's Game. It largely covers the same time period as Ender's Game, and largely the same setting as well, but from the perspective of a different character (named Bean) in order to broaden the same story. You can tell the (Mormon) author's style has matured, and in many respects it is a better written book. However, the character that we only get some familiarity with in Ender's Game is taken in a different direction than originally implied. He is far more complex, which is good, but in many ways I find him degrading to Ender and his brilliance. The author undercuts his own work, and therefore I look at it as a retcon or like I look at the PT: enjoyable, though inferior and not in the same level of personal canon.
A War of Gifts also broadens the Ender's Game story. It takes place in a small window of the time of that book, a time which is largely glossed over originally. It deals with religious repression (as in oppressing religion and religions that oppress) and abuse. Ender's brilliance is not only analytic, but also empathetic. Short and simple, but I enjoyed it.
Mazer in Prison was very short, but it expanded the universe a tad and gave us more familiarity with the previously unreachable Mazer Rakham. Make sure you read Ender's Game first, as this, though a prequel, would spoil some of the little surprises. The same goes for all the short stories I've read thus far, really. Enjoyable, but nothing fantastic.
The Polish Boy gives us an inkling of how Ender and his siblings came to be so smart: it runs in the family, and we learn about Ender's Polish father when a child. Also good, but nothing fantastic.
Teacher's Pest...the Polish boy is now an adult and tries to court a very bright woman. I enjoyed the nature of their budding romance, their analysis of world politics, and their ambitions. It managed to cram a lot of character development into such a brief story, and this was my personal fave of all the shorts I've yet read.
Pretty Boy deals with the preschool days of Ender's nemesis, Bonito "Bonzo" Madrid. You hate him in Ender's Game, but unlike Anakin (who was never likable, even before he turned bad), I did actually find myself caring about what changed this boy into such a bad kid. My second favorite of the shorts.
Cheater deals with the rather obscure Han Tzu. Actually, I think the Shadow branch of the series expands upon him, but it's been a while. Thus far in my reading and rereading, he's not really developed extensively. This story shows what lengths Tzu's father went to prove his boy was brilliant, and how such efforts were unnecessary, as his boy was innately brilliant without any boosts.
Now I'm in Ender in Exile. This takes place between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, which was originally the direct sequel. Many years later, this interquel was written to deal with the difficulties of a hero/monster, and what sort of future he has to look to. Ender is once again the main character, and thus far it's been slow, but a good slow, if you know what I mean. I'm enjoying it so far as we gain familiarity with old characters and learn about new ones. There are other short stories that deal with this time frame (A Young Man with Prospects, and Ender in Flight), but this book absorbs those short stories and even uses almost identical wording. So far so good, but I'll give a final verdict when done.
If you want to read my debate about Ender vs. Bean, you can do so at The Philotic Web, but be warned, there are spoilers. Sorry my link doesn't take you to the start of my posts, but rather to the topic. I don't know of how to get to the actual post, but I started my debate on May 26, 2012 (page 2).
darth_ender said:
Someone (TV's Frink?) will say:
tl;dr
:p
Ender in Exile is done. This was a slow book (in a good way), which honestly did not need a dramatic climax. Most of the characters were very well thought out and interesting, and it's a surprisingly heart-wrenching human drama throughout most of it. There came a point where I would have simply ended the book and been satisfied with this as an interquel.
SPOILER WARNING:
This story was also written to tie up several loose threads, including some from the Shadow series. As I'm following Ender's story first and never completed the Shadow series (stopping at Shadow Puppets), and as I'm going chronologically by the story instead of chronologically by release, there were several details in here that I had either forgotten in the intervening years or was completely unaware of. Most bizarre for me was the distracting fate of Randall Firth, the "son" of Achilles. Even in the spoiler section, I won't say much, but I was disappointed how an antagonist who gets so little time or attention through 4/5 of the book has a drastic effect on Ender's long-term reputation and is the subject of the climax. I think his story would have better served in a separate book, or else the various characters whose stories were being woven into this from the short stories should have actually remained only in the short stories, while Randall got a lot more attention. I had no emotional connection to him, and his own personal struggles and the influence he garners are simply beyond my ability to believe or care.
That said, it was a worthwhile book. My favorite plotline involved the Italian mother and daughter duo, Alessandra and Belladonna Toscano, and my greatest sadness while reading the book was knowing that Ender would not end up with the daughter, since I've already read the books that take place later wherein he marries a crotchety old grouch who depresses him beyond belief.
TV's Frink said:
darth_ender said:
Someone (TV's Frink?) will say:
tl;dr
:p
RIC OLIE WARNING:
Frink is a jerk :p
Just kidding ;)
No, it's true! Just ask xhonzi's kids.
Old Man Frink kept yelling at them to get off their own lawn. They were inconsolable.TV's Frink said:
No, it's true! Just ask xhonzi's kids.
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^At a mere 38...he doesn't age so beautifully.
So I completed a short story and full book.
Short story was called Investment Counselor, a brief little tale about how Ender meets Jane. 400 years after Ender's big moment, he comes into adulthood. He remains alive through distant journeys at near lightspeed, enjoying the benefits of time compression. As an adult, he now has to pay taxes, but the massive trust fund set up in his name has led to numerous difficulties, including someone who decides to track his past and blackmail him while he's at it. But with the help of a special investment counselor, his finances and his history are preserved. Simple, fun, enjoyable. I really like Jane's character.
I read Speaker for the Dead for the first time in 12 years. I definitely enjoyed it a lot more for various reasons. Simply my own aging has allowed me to appreciate a slower story better. I also have a greater appreciation for various cultures and an understanding of the issues and themes that permeate this and several other stories in the series (most notably the drive for reproduction and survival of the fittest, empathy, selflessness, and the need for communication). I understood more basic concepts better as well, such as the scientific theories behind much of it and the Catholic/Portuguese culture of the planet. I could understand the Portuguese fairly well, since now I speak Spanish. Overall, a much better book for a 30 year-old than an 18 year-old. Still, it did get a bit weird to me at times. But all in all, a good book. I remember enjoying the next in the series better. We'll see if that holds up this time round.
SPOILER SECTION:
Briefly, I will say that the book is interesting from a theological perspective. The author and I share the same religion, yet the protagonist is an atheist/humanist in an all-Catholic colony. Card handled the characters and the beliefs well and with respect. The rivalry between the clergy and the monastic scientists was interesting to me as well. When I first devised my username, I decided based on my adoration of the child genius. Now I finally can relate to the adult, the Speaker for the Dead. The one who always tries to see the truth about a person, not just the good, not just the bad. The one who is both logical and emotional, rational and empathetic. The one who can bear burdens for others. I really enjoyed this perspective of the same character, and though fictional, he is worth emulating (except that I choose to remain a Mormon ;)
I won't bore those who aren't interested, but I continued my debate of Ender vs. Bean at a site called philoticweb.com where I found one person willing to take up the darth_ender debate challenge. You can follow that debate at this link (not to the direct post, which I don't know how to link to, but at least at the right page).
Here in the Chateau, we call the crusty first and last slices of a loaf of sliced bread 'enders'.
I haven't devised a game utilising them though.
Please notify me when you do, and make sure you post it Board Game Thread ;)
I loved the part in ENDER'S GAME that took us away from Ender and told us what Peter and Valentine were doing. The concept of global forums on a network where topics of international concern could be discussed. It really expanded the story (though I can't see how they would have time for that in the film.)
Max Barry created an online game and forums to promote his book and it's concepts called NationStates.
I read Ender's Game in 1996 and it's probably my favourite novel of all time. I read Speaker for the Dead and thought it was really weird and slow, and not like Ender's Game at all, but once I was older I learned to appreciate it a lot more. It's odder and deals with themes and ideas more than the slightly more visceral and character-oriented first book, but together they complement each other in a unique way, and I appreciate the original and surprising direction it went in. After the third book I lost interest but I read Ender's Shadow out of curiosity. I remember liking it but to be honest it had been a while since I read Ender's Game so any inconsistencies didn't stand out to me, I kind of just took it on its own.
The film version has worried me since day one. David Fincher was attached at some point, which I thought would have been interesting. I remember thinking it would be a good movie when I was first reading it but also remember thinking how in the hell someone would pull it off. It required a relatively big budget and someone who could do effects and action, but it's first and foremost a psychological character study that required an expert director, plus it needed an A+ cast who were also ten year olds, which you almost never see. Add to that the adult nature of some of the scenes, and the R-rated level of gruesomeness with the Giant subplot, and I just couldn't figure out how one would make a faithful, intelligent and entertaining adaptation. I still can't. In some ways it would probably be best suited as an anime mini-series.
Gavin Hood is a good director, as I loved his film Tsotsi. A really underrated little gem. But then he made Wolverine and I lost all confidence in him. That film was a bona fide disaster, partly because of studio interference but ultimately the fault rests with him. Just badly written, little drama, weak performances, badly done action scenes, really watered down violence and conflict, etc. So if that's what he does with a studio film I'm definitely not having good feelings about him in the drivers seat for Enders Game. Especially when you consider the "hard" content of some parts of Ender's Game, I have this sinking feeling that a lot of the book will be watered down. That's why I couldn't figure out how they would make this when I was reading it in the 1990s: it's just slightly too hard for a PG-13, but making it R-rated might also be a bit unjustified considering it's a film about kids and really isn't that obscene or anything and it needs to make money too, yet cutting it for PG-13 would water it down just enough to take that little bizarre magic out that made the book so compelling. Speaker for the Dead was the same way, too weird to be PG-13 if you want to be totally faithful, but it would seem a bit odd to release it as an R, as I imagine a lot of people would be saying "why is this R?" and then blame the rating when it doens't make much money.
But maybe it will work. I definitely want to see it, whether it's good or bad. I have a feeling though that this will be one of those films where lovers of the book will continue to be lovers of the book and tell everyone who sees the film to read the original instead. It just seems like it can't not go that.
But Asa Butterfield is pretty much the best person for the role, Harrison Ford is in it, and Gavin Hood knows how to get good performances under the right circumstances. It really rests on the screenplay. Hood's writing it, and he wrote Tsotsi, so maybe this will be one of those rare slam dunks. It really depends on how much freedom the studio is giving him.
thejediknighthusezni said:
I loved the part in ENDER'S GAME that took us away from Ender and told us what Peter and Valentine were doing. The concept of global forums on a network where topics of international concern could be discussed. It really expanded the story (though I can't see how they would have time for that in the film.)
I loved that too. It actually surprises me that Card had that much foresight when writing the book. In reality, that subplot serves no real purpose in the book itself, except to expand Ender's role as a Speaker for the Dead in the end. But as he wrote more books, particularly the Shadow series many years later, it suddenly had more relevance for the stars of the story. Nevertheless, I find that departure from the primary storyline quite interesting.
zombie84 said:
I read Ender's Game in 1996 and it's probably my favourite novel of all time. I read Speaker for the Dead and thought it was really weird and slow, and not like Ender's Game at all, but once I was older I learned to appreciate it a lot more. It's odder and deals with themes and ideas more than the slightly more visceral and character-oriented first book, but together they complement each other in a unique way, and I appreciate the original and surprising direction it went in. After the third book I lost interest but I read Ender's Shadow out of curiosity. I remember liking it but to be honest it had been a while since I read Ender's Game so any inconsistencies didn't stand out to me, I kind of just took it on its own.
The film version has worried me since day one. David Fincher was attached at some point, which I thought would have been interesting. I remember thinking it would be a good movie when I was first reading it but also remember thinking how in the hell someone would pull it off. It required a relatively big budget and someone who could do effects and action, but it's first and foremost a psychological character study that required an expert director, plus it needed an A+ cast who were also ten year olds, which you almost never see. Add to that the adult nature of some of the scenes, and the R-rated level of gruesomeness with the Giant subplot, and I just couldn't figure out how one would make a faithful, intelligent and entertaining adaptation. I still can't. In some ways it would probably be best suited as an anime mini-series.
Gavin Hood is a good director, as I loved his film Tsotsi. A really underrated little gem. But then he made Wolverine and I lost all confidence in him. That film was a bona fide disaster, partly because of studio interference but ultimately the fault rests with him. Just badly written, little drama, weak performances, badly done action scenes, really watered down violence and conflict, etc. So if that's what he does with a studio film I'm definitely not having good feelings about him in the drivers seat for Enders Game. Especially when you consider the "hard" content of some parts of Ender's Game, I have this sinking feeling that a lot of the book will be watered down. That's why I couldn't figure out how they would make this when I was reading it in the 1990s: it's just slightly too hard for a PG-13, but making it R-rated might also be a bit unjustified considering it's a film about kids and really isn't that obscene or anything and it needs to make money too, yet cutting it for PG-13 would water it down just enough to take that little bizarre magic out that made the book so compelling. Speaker for the Dead was the same way, too weird to be PG-13 if you want to be totally faithful, but it would seem a bit odd to release it as an R, as I imagine a lot of people would be saying "why is this R?" and then blame the rating when it doens't make much money.
But maybe it will work. I definitely want to see it, whether it's good or bad. I have a feeling though that this will be one of those films where lovers of the book will continue to be lovers of the book and tell everyone who sees the film to read the original instead. It just seems like it can't not go that.
But Asa Butterfield is pretty much the best person for the role, Harrison Ford is in it, and Gavin Hood knows how to get good performances under the right circumstances. It really rests on the screenplay. Hood's writing it, and he wrote Tsotsi, so maybe this will be one of those rare slam dunks. It really depends on how much freedom the studio is giving him.
I have some worries about the film as well, mostly centered around character development. So much of the story is internal, it could be difficult to tell the tale without some Lynch/Dune-style internal dialogue (which I abhor, by the way). However, I listened to Card's comments on Ender's Shadow, and the idea of expanding Bean's character led him to believe he could develop the characters through dialogue between these too brilliant boys; Shadow made a film possible in his mind. My other big worry is that portrayal. I find Ender to be so much more interesting than Bean, and in many ways I'm aggravated that Bean is supposed to be smarter than him. As for directors, I haven't developed a personal opinion, as I've not paid enough attention to ascribe anything I love or hate to him. I just hope he does do the film justice; I hate it when a wonderful book becomes a mediocre film (again, Dune comes to mind).
I've been spending less time on this series lately, as it is a bit slower and also I've just had less time for it. I finished Xenocide a few weeks ago, the third book in the Ender Quartet. Ender is now in his late 50s or early 60s. Several moral dilemmas arise and the people on the planet he occupies face several terrible decisions. Virtually any action or inaction will lead to the extinction of one sentient species or another. What to do?
SPOILER SECTION:
I thought several aspects of the book were interesting. The attempt at creating so many dilemmas led to an interesting plot, where I really did wonder what would happen (at least as far as I did not remember from so many years back). The Chinese world of Path was well done, I felt, and I liked the Chinese characters especially.
But there were several disappointments. At the end of the last book, Ender marries a broken woman and becomes the stepfather to several of her children. Ender, as a Speaker for the Dead, has the ability to heal the hearts of thousands. The prospects for the broken family he takes under his wing look wonderful. Now, early on this book, the children now grown are still a contentious and irrational bunch. Two in particular are complete idiots: one is a power hungry bigot; one is the sort of Green Party member that would allow humanity to die in order to save paramecia. And Ender, who has now been married for twenty something years now to the woman he emotionally healed in the last book, a woman who had been so hard-hearted that only Ender could pierce her walls, supposedly has had a wonderful time the past twenty something years. But now in this book, she goes back to being a complete bruja. What I'm saying is that we as the readers never get to know the good woman, the good marriage, or anything like that. All we ever get to see is contention, though the bulk of their relationship has supposedly been wonderful.
I'm wishing that Card would write another interquel as he did with Ender in Exile. This time I want it to take place between Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide. Get to know the characters a bit better. Only problem is, within the framework we already have, I'm not sure what sort of conflict could keep a reader's attention in that timeframe.
Another problem was the discovery of the fascinating Jane character. She could have made a million decisions to keep herself hidden, but she tipped her hand, and her efforts did not even prevent the evil that she had hoped. She made the Lusitania fleet disappear, but all the primary characters knew they were still there, just cut off, and that they would still destroy Lusitania. She could have simply offered false orders and continually devoted her extensive attention to preserving the falsehood by altering all communication. She could have even transmitted a message about fleetwide rebellion, then cut off communication, meanwhile steering the fleet elsewhere or shutting down their weaponry. Given her extensive abilities, I don't believe any excuse OSC or anyone else comes up with for why she did what she did. She really blew it, in spite of her advanced logical processing abilities.
END SPOILER SECTION
Anyway, when I first read Xenocide, I enjoyed it as my second favorite of the original four Ender books. This time I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. Better in theory than in execution. Nevertheless, I did like it enough that I wouldn't denounce it. It's just weaker than I'd remembered and hoped.
I'm curious what you thought/think of Speaker for the Dead? To me, it's always been the odd-book-out, although I've only read about half of the series. It always struck me as the Empire Strikes Back to Ender's Game's Star Wars, in terms of being a very different style and content/setting/etc. Books like Xenocide and Ender's Shadow didn't surprise me as much stylistically.
Also, have you read any of Card's non-Ender books? I picked up Lost Boys years ago, it's very, very different from what I would expect from Card.
But in addition to that, I will agree with you that stylistically it's a very different book. My understanding is that he first wrote the short story version of Ender's Game, then years later had the idea for Speaker for the Dead. He realized that Ender could be the one to carry the torch, so he rewrote Ender's Game as a full-length novel in order to set it up for its very different sequel. Both won Hugo and Nebula Awards in consecutive years, which also interests me. One is very internal to Ender and quite action-oriented, the other more character-driven and tied to complex moral dilemmas. Ender is a very different person after years of trying to repent for his transgressions, however inadvertent they were. I really did enjoy Speaker, though it is such a departure from the first.
As for other series, I haven't read anything else, though Card is quite the prolific writer. His Earthfall series looks really interesting to me...it's supposed to be a science-fiction retelling of the Book of Mormon. Sounds fascinating to me, and I hear it had some good reviews. I'll get around to it eventually.
Finished Children of the Mind, the last book in this part of the series. Yes, other stories exist in the Enderverse, but this is the last to follow the escapades of Ender the Xenocide (that pejorative title will come in useful soon in my near one-sided conversation). This book is the slowest of all four. Not that it's a bad thing. The first two thirds were most interesting, and deal with what makes a person a person. Card's ongoing efforts to theorize LDS doctrine in the framework of science fiction continues to be fascinating.
MOLD, TOXINS, AND OTHER SPOILERS ;)
Ender is split into three persons. Yes, three. Actually, that happened at the last book, but is really explored here. The idea of a single basic entity, what is essentially the basic soul that guides each life form, through a bizarre accident in supralight travel, now controls the original Ender, plus his self-concept projected into young bodies identical to his evil brother and altruistic sister. His aiua (the soul) cannot continue to control three bodies, and ultimately lets go of the elderly Ender and the noble sister, thus completing the formerly evil incarnation of the brother and making him again a complete combination of good mastering the evil side, as the original Ender was. What happens to the other bodies? Well, the elder Ender endures no longer. The young sister instead adopts a different aiua, that of Jane, the computer entity, now filling such vast expanses that she can use computer processors, shares space with the intelligent trees of Lusitania, and occupies a human body which provides her with the greatest joy. Sound weird? It is. But I enjoyed it.
The theme of the dangers of xenocide continued. Some parts were fascinating, some dull, some unbelievable. Overall, I still liked it, again from the perspective of an older adult (actually, this is the book I remembered the least about from my last reading, and I wonder if I never completed it all those years ago--I thought I did but...). In the end, there were several questions left unanswered, particularly the nature of a planet of sentient creatures who communicate via genetic manipulation and who altered Lusitania and various other worlds in such a manner that it nearly killed the inhabitants and resulted in the truly bizarre fauna/flora (that slash means not that there is some of each, but that all the organisms can actually qualify at one point or another as either). The new incarnation of Peter, no longer merely occupied with Ender's baser nature, has a promising future ahead of him, include the potential recovery of Ender's memories and thus perhaps continuing as Ender. The relationship with the world of Lusitania and its own colonies might ease vs. the Starways' Congress is yet to be fully answered. But for years, this was supposed to be the last book. In the afterward, OSC admitted that he is planning on answering these questions and weaving the Shadow series back into the Ender line. I'm not sure how this will happen, but we'll see.
NO MORE SPOILERS
So with that, I return to the Shadow series following Bean, living in normal time, not traveling for years at near light speeds to preserve his youth, living on earth and the future of humanity. As I look back, I feel more forgiving of Xenocide at this point, and really did enjoy the moral dilemmas, in spite of a few plot nitpicks. Children of the Mind was interesting in its own way, and I look forward to reading the more earthbound part of the universe.
OKAY, MORE SPOILERS
A final thought, again preferring Ender over Bean. Ender did something terrible--he destroyed an entire sentient species. He bore guilt for it for the remainder of his life. It changed him, and in a more pacifist way, he again changed the universe. He gives up his identity as Ender, because he's become known as Ender the Xenocide. But all his crimes were done without knowing what he was doing.
And then there's Bean. Bean was nearly as culpable in the horrible act that Ender was. Bean commanded a sizeable portion of Ender's ships. Bean was the backup if Ender failed. Bean gave Ender the final idea (stupid!) about how to destroy the Formics. And Bean, with his ridiculous intelligence that surpassed even Ender's, inferred that Ender's game was really Ender's mission, that it was real, that they were really killing the buggers. And he did nothing to prevent the deaths of every living creature (except for one last hive queen). Ender bore the blame of their deaths, and suffered for it the rest of his life. Ender's nobility was supreme. Bean, with the full knowledge of that mistake, never felt an ounce of guilt for what was done. Julian Delphiki was really Bean the Xenocide. Of course, Bean's storyline is my Enderverse PT equivelent, so I guess I don't have to get too hung up on that.