Pretty good book... I read it VERY quickly too - it's the kind that just keeps you going from one page to the next.

In comparison to Ender's Game, I can say first that there wasn't as much adventure, maybe not even as many passions or as much excitement to soak up. But it was definitely deeper - the ideas presented have a much broader impact and are probably more important to consider. Some of the allegorical/symbolic aspects of the book were also captivating, particularly as a Christian ... (show more)

Pretty good book... I read it VERY quickly too - it's the kind that just keeps you going from one page to the next.

In comparison to Ender's Game, I can say first that there wasn't as much adventure, maybe not even as many passions or as much excitement to soak up. But it was definitely deeper - the ideas presented have a much broader impact and are probably more important to consider. Some of the allegorical/symbolic aspects of the book were also captivating, particularly as a Christian reader. On top of that, Orson Scott Card did a decent job with the anthropological aspects of the novel - something that's quickly becoming one of my favorite sub-genres in science fiction.

But as a critique, I can say that Ender, though much older, is still too all-knowing, too good at understanding and manipulating human emotions, even just too good in general. It's fairly unbelievable in a main character and that's not a good flaw in a book. But, that's who he's supposed to be and you have to just accept it. Certainly the moments that display his own unreconciled guilt over his past are a bit poignant and it helps to shed a little more light on his current actions. Secondly, I can say that, of the anthropological aspects of the book, too much ignorance was assumed of the ones whose very jobs it was to study the alien cultures. Obviously, the reader has a lot more omniscient benefit than the characters, but what wasn't written was still easily understood LONG before the characters (supposed experts) figured it out themselves. Maybe that works well for other readers less familiar with anthropology and foreign cultures, but for me it was almost as much of a flaw as having a main character that's "too good".

Nonetheless, I read it quickly, it brought up a decent number of interesting ideas to consider, it was an interesting follow-up to Ender's Game while taking a significantly different direction altogether, and I enjoyed it all the way through. So, I can say it was a pretty good book and keeps me wanting to read the others in the series. (show less)

Speaker for the Dead is the first science fiction (in the aliens and space ships and made-up technologies) novel I have ever read that actually elicited a truly emotional catharsis. It's difficult to discuss without revealing a series of pivotal plot spoilers, but I must say that the novel effectively transforms a novel about three alien races, two families, and one three-thousand year old murderer into one about faith, understanding, and morality. The characters are full and dynamic even ind... (show more)

Speaker for the Dead is the first science fiction (in the aliens and space ships and made-up technologies) novel I have ever read that actually elicited a truly emotional catharsis. It's difficult to discuss without revealing a series of pivotal plot spoilers, but I must say that the novel effectively transforms a novel about three alien races, two families, and one three-thousand year old murderer into one about faith, understanding, and morality. The characters are full and dynamic even independent of Ender's Game, the worlds are well-actualized and consistent without losing their brilliant capacity to surprise, and the story woven between character and community, between science and faith, and between reverence and truth produces one that generates the sort of compassion the novel constantly questions the possibility of between alien races. In effect, the thing that, to me, makes Speaker for the Dead so powerful is that it not only manages to introduce an alien race and question their "humanity," but, as Ender searched to uncover their humanity--in the lexicon of Ender's universe, their status as "raman"--he did so in such a way that the reader also reached the conclusion at the same time as the characters that the Piggies, for all their differences biologically and culturally, truly are raman. Although my biggest criticism of Orson Scott Card remains that he doesn't comprehend how to cut chapters up (with his routinely running 40-50+ pages), chapter seventeen of Speaker might be the greatest single chapter of science fiction ever, especially considering it should have been four chapters! Regardless, Ender's second story is much deeper and powerful than the first and truly a major piece in the literature of science fiction. (show less)

EXCELLENT!!! The original "Ender's Game" left us off with Ender and Valentine leaving Earth and fleeing through the stars. "Speaker for the Dead" picks up where the original left off. Valentine is married with children, and Ender is making a career for himself by continuing the religion he started, the religion calling for Speakers for the Dead. No one realizes he is the one who began this religion so many years ago, save for his student Plikt. I enjoy the intense plot... (show more)

EXCELLENT!!! The original "Ender's Game" left us off with Ender and Valentine leaving Earth and fleeing through the stars. "Speaker for the Dead" picks up where the original left off. Valentine is married with children, and Ender is making a career for himself by continuing the religion he started, the religion calling for Speakers for the Dead. No one realizes he is the one who began this religion so many years ago, save for his student Plikt. I enjoy the intense plot of this book. In my mind, it surpasses even the original novel. Card did an excellent job in continuning the story of Ender. So often authors will return to the original and neglect the time that has elapsed; meaning, Ender would have returned to Earth. However, this is not the case. Card abandons the Battle School and so forth and starts with a fresh new canvas to continue Ender's life on, the planet Lusitania. I enjoy that he still lets the Battle school live on in Ender's mind as the character battles with the dark demons that have hunted his soul for the deeds he committed back in the Battle School. All in all, this is an excellent book. I enjoyed this story far more than the original. Excellent. Five stars. (show less)

Earlier this year I read Ender's Game. I loved it. I read it in one sitting (okay I was on 8hr watch but still). Enthralling action, character interactions and strategy made it a new favorite. I picked up Speaker For the Dead as reading for waiting for/riding the subway on my recent vacation to New York. How much did I love it? I'd stop random parks to sit and read a chapter. I'm on vacation in New York and I stop to put my nose in a book - like I was at home. A completely different tale t... (show more)

Earlier this year I read Ender's Game. I loved it. I read it in one sitting (okay I was on 8hr watch but still). Enthralling action, character interactions and strategy made it a new favorite. I picked up Speaker For the Dead as reading for waiting for/riding the subway on my recent vacation to New York. How much did I love it? I'd stop random parks to sit and read a chapter. I'm on vacation in New York and I stop to put my nose in a book - like I was at home. A completely different tale than Ender's Game but just as fascinating. To talk plot would ruin it for all who have yet to read it, so I shall not go into that. In fact, I'll cut myself off with the following. I love the Ender character and I cannot wait to read Xenocide and Children of the Mind (along with the concurrent/prequel series/short stories, etc). And I also love how Card deals with space travel and time. So many options and possibilities with that. (show less)

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
1987 Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel and 1986 Nebula Award Winner for Best Novel

More than a year after finishing Orson Scott Card’s famous Ender’s Game, I finally got around to reading (well listening to) its award-winning sequel Speaker for the Dead. The later novel concerns the discovery by humans of a second intelligent alien race, called the Pequeninos on the recently settled planet Lusitania. The Brazilian Portuguese settlers of the planet a... (show more)

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
1987 Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel and 1986 Nebula Award Winner for Best Novel

More than a year after finishing Orson Scott Card’s famous Ender’s Game, I finally got around to reading (well listening to) its award-winning sequel Speaker for the Dead. The later novel concerns the discovery by humans of a second intelligent alien race, called the Pequeninos on the recently settled planet Lusitania. The Brazilian Portuguese settlers of the planet are thereafter confined to a single city and their growth permanently limited by congressional order. The Pequeninos are a small, technologically primitive species with pig like features (earning them their other nickname, Piggies). Congress decides that the best thing for the Pequeninos is that they get as little contamination from humans as possible, and the only people allowed contact with them are specially trained xenologers (anthropologists for aliens) who have to work their hardest to learn about the Pequeninos while not letting the Pequeninos learn anything about them. I can’t really say much more about the plot without spoiling some very important parts of the story.

Speaker for the Dead is a fascinating book that explores important questions of personhood, religion and psychology. General consensus says that Ender’s Game is a far superior book to Speaker for the Dead, but I’ve heard at least two people disagree with this assessment. The first is my friend John Schiefer, and the second is Card himself, who thinks Speaker is the far more important book. In general, the former group are considered rather heretical by the science fiction community at large, but I’m afraid that I have to throw in with them. Not at all to diminish the quality of Ender’s Game, but I simply felt more invested in the world and characters of Speaker. Ultimately, the world felt more creative and the themes addressed are ones that seem more important to me.

The book is not entirely without its flaws, however. I really only have one minor complaint. This is that Speaker is very clearly written to have sequels, which means that while it addresses the major question of the book, it also leaves some things open so you’ll read the sequel. While I know that this is one way to do things, I’ve never been a particular fan of it.

Anyway, Speaker for the Dead is a great book and I highly recommend it. Of course, to read Speaker for the Dead, you first have to read Ender’s Game, so go pick up a copy and read it, and then treat yourself to Speaker (show less)

While this doesnt equal the master piece that is Ender's Game, it is by far one of the best sequels to a outstanding first book that i have ever had the pleasure of reading. The main question of the book to me is what determines if something is human and at what level to we define humanity much less senitient beings.

The author does a wonderful job creating a whole new alien race and culture that is foreign for everything that we uinderstand to be our own culture to be that at first we ar... (show more)

While this doesnt equal the master piece that is Ender's Game, it is by far one of the best sequels to a outstanding first book that i have ever had the pleasure of reading. The main question of the book to me is what determines if something is human and at what level to we define humanity much less senitient beings.

The author does a wonderful job creating a whole new alien race and culture that is foreign for everything that we uinderstand to be our own culture to be that at first we are repelled. But slowly and surely we are drawn and begin to understand and empathize with the "piggies" and want ot see them prosper. The author also does a wonderful job of creating and introducing new characters that help to flesh out Ender's personality. These new characters help to redeem Ender and make him human again. Overall its a wonderful read, going into some philosophical depths and deep questions but nothing that a avid Sc fi fan should fear. (show less)

Ender of the first novel, known as the saviour of Humanity, also becaomes the most reviled man in the cosmos as the Genocide due to a book he wrote anonymously about the Hive-Queen as a kind of explanation/apology. He lives a double life: he's both Ender the Genocide and the revered Speaker for the Dead. He wanders, seemingly aimlessly, trying to find the balance of the two and when he hears of the colonists of Lusitania, the killer disease called the Descolada, a new species the locals cal... (show more)

Ender of the first novel, known as the saviour of Humanity, also becaomes the most reviled man in the cosmos as the Genocide due to a book he wrote anonymously about the Hive-Queen as a kind of explanation/apology. He lives a double life: he's both Ender the Genocide and the revered Speaker for the Dead. He wanders, seemingly aimlessly, trying to find the balance of the two and when he hears of the colonists of Lusitania, the killer disease called the Descolada, a new species the locals call the Pequininos, and the hideous injustice of a proposed attack to destroy the colony along with all sentients- Human and Piggie- he sees an opportunity to prevent another Genocide and to make things right within his own soul. It is his interaction with both the people of Lusitania and the Piggies that helps him find what he's been looking for so endlessly...

Possibly the best sequal I've ever read, this book is a must for First-Contact-fiction fans. He creates a wonderfully-alive alien race with their own views and philosophies and portrays the careful and clumsy attempts by the local humans to understand them. The novel also has one of the most creatively-designed alien reproduction-cycles that I've encountered, too. I have to say there are spots in the book that made me weep, as this novel whipsaws your emotions all throughout. He goes a little over the top with his melodrama, but it's still a very enjoyable read. You have been warned! (show less)

While nothing can compare to the masterful piece of work that is Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead does its predecessor justice as a follow-up novel, which is something that most sequels fail to do. Sequels are almost always a failure, and generally shouldn't be written. Speaker for the Dead clearly does not subscribe to that rule. The book follows Andrew "Ender" Wiggin as he lives out his life in the post-Bugger era. The book also introduces some new characters which are just as c... (show more)

While nothing can compare to the masterful piece of work that is Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead does its predecessor justice as a follow-up novel, which is something that most sequels fail to do. Sequels are almost always a failure, and generally shouldn't be written. Speaker for the Dead clearly does not subscribe to that rule. The book follows Andrew "Ender" Wiggin as he lives out his life in the post-Bugger era. The book also introduces some new characters which are just as complex, interesting, and loveable as the kids you knew from Ender's battle-school days. Speaker for the Dead offers new insights into the ideas of love, marriage, and what it means to be human, all while keeping you hooked with an addicting and intense story. The ending isn't as explosive as Ender's Game was, but its hard to even come close, and Speaker for the Dead does a very good job with plot, with several surprises along the way, for both the characters and the readers. All in all, Speaker for the Dead is a fitting follow-up for Ender's Game, and if you enjoyed the first book in the Ender series, you will definitely enjoy this second one. (show less)

I have a great love for the first book in this series, Ender's Game, and was therefore very much looking forward to reading the second. However, right from the start, this book is nothing like the original. There are a few characters (and species) which remain the same, but overall, this is a totally different story. Card keeps his writing style and develops all of the characters very well. You are not only involved with the characters you know and understand, but the alien characters as well... (show more)

I have a great love for the first book in this series, Ender's Game, and was therefore very much looking forward to reading the second. However, right from the start, this book is nothing like the original. There are a few characters (and species) which remain the same, but overall, this is a totally different story. Card keeps his writing style and develops all of the characters very well. You are not only involved with the characters you know and understand, but the alien characters as well. The plot is thick and twisting keeping the reader very much involved as well as constantly guessing as to what will happen next. At times, this felt less like a science fiction novel, and more like a philosophical analysis of humankind. That being said, it is science fiction and quite good at that. The ideas, the development of the "Piggies", and the interconnection of all of the players make this a fantastic work. Although different from the original, it is a great follow-on to the first installment. The work is rich, complex, and (in my humble opinion) very well written. Highly recommended. (show less)