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I recently finished reading Xenocide for the first time ever and I really liked the novel! I think Speaker For the Dead is my favorite of the books so far (haven't read Children of the Mind or any of the Shadow series yet), but Xenocide is pretty good. I do think its a better novel then Ender's Game even (aside: Personally I thought Ender's Game was a good book, with a really good twist. It is no where as great a book, imo, as Speaker or Xenocide).
Xenocide is such a complex book too. Far more complex then Speaker for the Dead even.
I feel like Xenocide could have been split into to different books. One book would be the Ender/Hive Queen/Piggies/etc book and the other would be the book of the Path. I know that both storylines came together, but I sort of feel like the storylines really didn't have to. I don't know. Maybe I'll feel different when I read Children of the Mind.
Don't get me wrong, I like both the Ender/etc story and the story of Path, but the both just seem to have two different feels. One is very Philosophical (the story of Path) and the other, Ender and etc, is very science fiction (with some philosophy mixed in).
Both end up working together and yet, they could have easily not done that.
That all said, both stories are really good and I could easily read about both more. In fact, it would have been interesting if Path reall had been another series. I'd like to see more Han and his daughter. Though, I am happy to see that Wang-mu (sp?) will be back in Children of the Mind with Peter. That should be an interesting relationship...
Hmm. Anyway, another thing that I really like about Xenocide is the fact that it got me to think alot. Speaker For the Dead did that too (though possibly Xenocide did it more). I think Xenocide might be a better novel then Speaker, but I think I like Speaker better because I like how Ender comes into Speaker and changes the characters lives in that book. Its so amazing. And Xenocide is my second favorite, because it continues that storyline and evovles it. It reveals more and the characters grow and change.
Speaker ends up with a pretty good 'ending'. Xenocide on the other hand, has a very dark 'ending'.
I have to say that I was shocked when Quim did, I was shocked when the villigers killed some piggies, and the whole Novinha/Ender thing..man...poor Ender. And maybe most shocking of all was Peter and Valentine...as if he didn't have it bad enough.
I think, in a way, the things that happened to Ender in Xenocide were far worse then him being used in Ender's Game.
In Ender, he was used, manipulated, and that was terrible..but with Xenocide, he had a family, a wonderful life...and it was ripped apart. Everything he had built...his wife, the family, all ripped apart and plus..his nightmare and his fantasy were brought to life to mock him.
Ender didn't deserve any of this either. With everything that he had done...the family, the wife, the Hive Queen, the speaking, the piggies..etc...he had MORE then made up for his part in the Xenocide I think.
Ender couldn't and shouldn't have had carry all the blame for what happened to the Buggers. In fact, he was totally used. He was a good person, who was totally warped into something else. But by doing so many good deeds, he redeemed himself I think. He made himself better.
So in Speaker, we have the hero, in Xenocide he's torn apart.
I'm hoping that in Children of the Mind, that he is able to win back what he deserves after all that time.
I have already read Chapter 1 and 2 of Children at this site and I find Chapter 2 to be a VERY good sign. I liked it alot.
Anyway, please don't spoil any of Children in here. I want to be suprised by all that awaits in it. I hope to read it SOON!
DF2506 " I'm really hoping that Children of the Mind has a great ending! "
Miro, you are definitly not the only one who likes Xenocide alot. I think usually the people who don't like something speak louder then the people who like the something.
I think Xenocide is a rich and very complex novel. There's just so much to it. Perhaps, when I read it again one of these days, I'll like it even better. I'm sure there's prob some stuff I missed in it.
Btw, on another subject, I've been wondering what people think of the "science" in Ender. There's just so much "science" in it and wonder if any of it has any reality to it or if Card made it all up on his own. Either way, Mr. Card has to be a really smart person!
Xenocide is a really good book! I can't wait to read Children of the Mind!
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