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Children of the Mind

Children of the Mind

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Thankfully, this is the end.
Review: Personally, I am glad that this is the end of the "EnderSaga". Basically every character has already been exploited tothe fullest, and addition of any more characters would seem artificial and contrived. It is particularly sad that Card doesn't seem to intend to flesh out the characters fully - in some places (particularly Grace Drinker's house) the chracters don't seem to think, but rather blurt out pieces of the plot. They are either omniscient or Card chose to leave out the wonderful passages delineating the characters' train of thought that were the key features of the earlier books. Likewise, the imagery is quite lacking. Despite the fact that the characters hop from planet to planet I felt little difference. The very idea that each nationality settled a single planet that is exactly like their homeland seems "a bit" contrived. The superscience (exchanges of soul, instant travel, etc.) is poorly handled, at least in my opinion. Card seems to use Jane's "teleportation" just like Ender's incredible intelligence in Ender's Game, to surpise and overwhelm foes. But unlike Ender's Game, where the reader cheers for Ender, in CotM I found myself thinking that Wang Mu and Peter were exploiting someone else's resources. It is truly a sad sight to see one's once-favorite character's die down. The plot is somewhat naive. The character's are either tangled up in their personal relationships or are very crude in their means (once again, Peter and Wang Mu). All in all, I am happy that this is the end. Any more would be stupid.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: fini'
Review: I think this book was an original ending to an original saga. It is not the best of the four(of course Ender's game is,) but it does leave the series feeling complete in an original and exciting way. I completely enjoyed the series and highly recomend them all to my friends and also to you. I give the quartet +1 .....5 STARS ENJOY!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A stunning key concept framed with mediocre subplots
Review: As hard as Card may have tried, the charm of the earlier books in the series is still out of his reach. The book is simply lacking. Card abandoned his usual pacing and wrote a book that feels completely rushed. Any part of the book could have been so much more. Even the superscience Card adds into the plot cannot make up for bad characterization, lack of description, and poor logic.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Book that should not have been written
Review: It's sad to see the Ender saga fizzle away in ever-increasing complexities and meta-physics which are not substitutes for new concepts and plot directions. Sometimes when you have painted yourself into a corner it's better to jump out a window and forget the little bit that is left to tidy up. I feel that it is at least two books ("Children" and "Shadow") past the point that this series should have been left to stand on its undoubted early merit.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A True Literary Masterpiece!
Review: I am truly astounded by Orson Scott Card's novel "Children of the Mind". The novel can be thought of as a literary masterpiece; there are very few books out there that fit into this category. It's pages are filled with depth of character, plot, and issues pertinent to how life is viewed. Card is a great philosopher, and his work is full of theology, sociology, economy and other thought-provoking topics.

Don't worry about the heaviness of the subject matter in "Children of the Mind" though. There is plenty of scientific thought and experimentation, and action to feed those who favor less introspective literature.

Card has managed to combine the best elements of all kinds of storytelling to create a believeable, interesting, and entertaining sci-fi novel that is also a great commentary on humanity and its interaction with the Universe around it.

"Children of the Mind" is one of the few books that deserve the epithet "must read."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT ENDING TO THE BEST SCI-FI SAGA EVER WRITTEN
Review: "Jane closed her eyes, smiled, and then all four of them were gone. Only the mothertree remained in the center of the clearing, bathed in light, heavy with fruit, festooned with blossoms, a perpetual celebrant to the ancient mystery of life" I write this last paragraph of "Children of the Mind" from memory as I felt it was worth it to memorize the ending to the greatest SCI-FI saga ever written. This book ending the "Ender's Saga" is a masterpiece of writing. The characters are rich and full of life both good and bad. The morale battles waged are gripping and thought provoking. I recommend without any reservations that anyone who loves to read a well written story that they buy all the books in the series and pass them on to friends, family and loved ones as you will be giving them a gift of more than just words on a page but a gift of what life is all about.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Read ENDERS GAME and ENDERS SHADOW skip the rest
Review: ENDERS GAME and ENDERS SHADOW are two of the best science fiction books ever. The other books in the series are bubble gum for the brain

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Conclusion to a Great Series!
Review: Children of the Mind is indeed a stunning and well-written conclusion to the best science-fiction series of all time. It is the second-best book that I have ever had the privilege to read, next to Ender's Game. The relationships are so well-developed that it makes one feel as if they themselves are in the characters' positions. Card does such a brilliant job of drawing the reader into the plot that I was almost unable to put it down. The book also gives surprising twists, as with the complications made by the young Valentine and Peter. Ender's step-children's personalities are also given depth in this book, showing their humanity. Ender is also portrayed in a different light, showing the dependent, vulnerable side of him rather than the headstrong, independent man that many thought he was. If you have not read this book but have read Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide, I recommend that you immediately purchase and read it. It is a worthwhile experience that should not be missed.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: ugh- what a dull end to a great series
Review: Don't bother reading this final book in the Ender series. I know, I know, the ending of Xenocide was a cliffhanger. However, you'll be more disappointed if you read Children of the Mind than if you imagine your own ending. The answers to how the fleet sent to destroy Lusitania is stopped do not merit an entire book. Children of the Mind is long and boring. All of the characters of the previous books seem like ghosts; they just fill the space. It is also very weird. Ender created young copies of Peter and Valentine, but they depend on him for life. Since they aren't their own people, they are not really Peter and Valentine at all, but Ender's personality in new bodies. Ender doesn't have the energy to keep three bodies going. The question of who will be discarded is a main focus of the book and is not satisfactorily dealt with. I found the whole idea rather stupid. Children of the Mind does not have the same feel as the other books. Almost no attention is given to alien species and several new principles are introduced that just don't seem to belong in the Ender universe. I had read Xenocide a few years before I read Children of the Mind, and I was satisfied with the end of that book. The series has been going downhill, and this book is rock bottom. It took away from the series instead of adding to it. Card should have left the series alone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Almost as good as the original
Review: Card did an excellent job in re-writing the Ender's Game story from Bean's point of view. It compliments Ender's Game quite nicely. It fills in what may be considered some voids in the initial story as well as lending a very different view of the battle school, Ender and the armies. A very good read!


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