Children of the Mind

Rating:
Summary: Children of the "Mind"
Review: This book does take a giant leap into the existance of consciousness and in doing so is a very enjoyable book. Readers who enjoyed Card's earlier books in this series may be disappointed by the lack of heroism placed on ender himself and the exposure of some of ender's flaws. On the other hand, this book greatly adds to the experience of the entire series and is a must read for card fans everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: Tiring end to a long drawn out saga
Review: Like the Dune and Foundation series, the Ender book series suffers from drawn out sequels. This book, which finally sums up what should have been summed up in Speaker for the Dead (two books prior), does not capture the imagination or hold the reader's attention as well as the first book in the series. In fact, this book, along with Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide actually does a great disservice to Ender's Game.

The book is not too bad though. It finally solves the riddles of the four species (Jane, Piggies, Desaloda, and the Buggers), and moves along at a much better pace than the two previous books. Though the ending is relatively weak, at least the reader won't have to endure more conflicts and problems that Card seems to add on almost page by page. It also tends to stray away from family, philosophical, and religious rants and goes back to the story at hand.

If you've read the three previous books, you should definitely finish the series and pick up this book. However, if you're just starting out, start with Ender's Game, and end right there.

Rating:
Summary: So metaphysical, it's almost a perfume commercial
Review: Card shows again that he has a unique talent for developing complex problems with answers that only cause other problems...a situation more like real life than most novels. However, he shows this strength of his is almost a weakness here, as he seeks to find a final resolution to the Ender series.

This one feels a little too metaphysical. This idea about the aiuas has taken over a good series. Most of the first half of the novel is Val and Peter struggling with being half-people; struggling to find their identity, if they have one. Then it all becomes lovesick mush; is this a romance novel? Ender loves Novinha, Wang-mu loves Peter but will she be enough? Miro loves Val and Jane, but doesn't know if he can love them as one person. Yeesh.

The final resolution is okay, but not quite satisfying, and though Xenocide was plenty long, this idea doesn't feel like it justified a whole book. Card feels like he's filling space a lot of the time. And trying to figure out how to end a series of strong books. It's a tough challenge; he almost rises to it.

His afterword -- an essay about the function of literature within culture -- is worth reading and thinking about.

And I have to say it again -- who came up with these book covers? They have nothing to do with the book and look terrible. What is that thing?

A sample passage:

"But the point is to go on, isn't it? To connect with the future?"

"That's one part, yes," said Olhado. "But part of the purpose of it is now, is the moment. And part of it is the web of connections. Links from soul to soul. If the purpose of life was just to continue into the future, then none of it would have meaning, because it would be all anticipation and preparation. There's fruition, Grego. There's the happiness we've already had. The happiness of each moment. The end of our lives, even if there's no forward continuation, no progeny at all, the end of our lives doesn't erase the beginning."

If you would like to argue about this book with me, e-mail me at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Metaphilosophy entwined with excellent storyline...
Review: ... the rest is history.

While yes, this book does seem quite predictable, no, there are not many surprises in the plot, those two issues don't seem to annoy you when you're reading; mostly because what Scott Card does is arouse so many interesting points and ideas that grab your attention, you just don't care that everything always turns out as you expect it.

While the storyline is excellent for those who love to just read a plain book, people miss out on so much until they search deeper into the hidden philosophy within. One key section that Card explains in the postlude is his discussion (through Wang-Mu) of the Center and Edge Nations throughout history. But also auias, philotic twining, Outspace and Inspace... sometimes it makes you wonder why some of his ideas seem so logical... and why do many science fiction writers include something along those lines? Makes you think. Huh. Well, anyway, I would strongly suggest this book to anyone who has ever read Ender's Game... but read the second and third books first! You'd miss out on a lot if you didn't. This fourth book is not quite as graphic as Ender's game... so it could be suitable for younger readers. I don't know if they would be interested in the complex ideas, though. Try them out on Harry Potter first.

Rating:
Summary: A fitting conclusion to one of the great series
Review: "Children of the Mind" finishes the story of EnderWiggins, as he finally reaches reconciliation with his past and present. A dazzling array of ideas and conflicts, the novel comes to a very satisfying conclusion. Starting "Children of the Mind" was a tremendous relief, because the ending of "Xenocide" had angered me with what seemed like an arbitrary escape from the plot complications. Rather, the introduction of Peter and Valentine from the combination of Ender's mind and the new mode of instantaneous travel come to fruition in this novel, and prove to be the point of Card's entire quartet. As always, this deeply religious man uses science fiction and fantasy as allegories to study the human spirit in all its facets. Essentially, Card is proposing the divine nature of the universe, and its identification with each and every mind as part of that divinity. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau proposed much the same thing, as did Robert Heinlein in "Stranger in a Strange Land." But Card takes these concepts to their broadest reaches in his recreation of the very structure of the universe, hinging the entire plot and character development of his entire series on this discovery. Like all endings should, this novel moves much faster than the previous two books; in many ways, it's the easiest to read of the series after "Ender's Game." Anybody who professes to be a science fiction fan needs to read this series; it's one of the classics of the genre

Rating:
Summary: Great! I liked it more than Ender's Game
Review: This was a great ending to a good series. I really enjoyed all the finishing of the series. Jane was an enity that I enjoyed all along and even more so in this book. I enjoyed learning more about the hive queen and "piggies" also. "Xenocide" started a lot of issues that gets solved in this book . I had a hard time putting this down. Good job Card!

Rating:
Summary: Read just to see the ending... not much else here.
Review: This book had sadly little new... It just seems to be a rehash of Xenocide, and a drawn out one at that. I loved Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, but since then he's gone downhill with this series. As well, a significant portion of this book could have been left out, with little or no damage to the plot. Perhaps Card's status has resulted in editors being unwilling to alter his manuscripts... He should've spent his time making the Ender's Game script (yes yes yes!).

Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: This concluding novel to the Ender's series is wonderful. It tells the story of Young Valentine and Peter's attempt to stop the destruction of Jane and the planet Luistania by the Starfleet.

Take one last ride with Ender; It's a ride you will never forget.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Read
Review: It was an interesting read. I thought it was a little toospiritual at times but in the end a satisfying book. It is obviouslynot the last of this series - far too many loose ends and mysteries unsolved.

Rating:
Summary: Good book, but disappointing conclusion to Ender series
Review: As with most of Card's books I found this a very interesting book to read. But at the end of the book I was disappointed. I felt that I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if Ender was not one of the main characters. You fall in love with Ender in Ender's Game and you want to see him put his harrowing experience at Battle School behind him, but you miss the happiest years of his life in this series because we are watching Valentine in space. When he gets back together with his wife, instead of being happy he is "bored to death". And the book ends without really dealing with the descolada issue. The reincarnations of Peter and Valentine were interesting, but they really seemed ill-fitting to the rest of the plot. I am finding Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow much more worthwhile reads.