Not really plot spoilers, but some qualitative spoilers follow.
Ender in Flight is now available in issue #8 of IGMS. It's a good long story - 15,000 words. It would seem to be a portion of the Ender in Exile novel. It tells the story of Ender's voyage from Earth to the colony world he has been assigned to govern.
My thoughts: Ender's character seems to be made known through his actions - and their results - more than his words. Thinking back on it, this would seem to be true of all the Ender stories. Ender's voice could be the voice of Valentine, or some of his Battle School associates. I don't detect much of a distinct character in what he says.
But when he chooses to speak - and act - we see his character come out in the results. He says the right thing; perceives and manipulates the emotions and motivations of others around him. He's able to catalyze events like no one else. Most interesting to me, OSC takes care to reveal the nature of other characters through their reactions to and interactions with Ender, so the device - showing Ender to be an empathic and skilled manipulator by making all his efforts to manipulate work flawlessly - never strains credulity based on other elements of the story.
In this story we don't hear a great deal from Ender - and what he does say is in semi-generic Card Smart Character Voice. But Ender masters each situation. The basic plot is pretty predictable after the first half of the story, but OSC still did a convincing job of engineering the details to keep the story engaging.
However, I still yearn for more insight into Ender's thoughts. What I was hoping for, and didn't get, was more insight into how Ender copes with the pain of his lost childhood and his torment at Eros. Ender is stoic and doesn't talk about it. There's also nothing to illustrate how he deals with his capacity for violence.
I don't regret the $2.50 for the issue after reading just this story. I'm catching on that a lot of the Enderverse content in IGMS will show up again in novels, though, so I'll be paying twice for it...but there is plenty of other material to read in each issue, so it's not too bad.
I think OSC is still doing a great job in the Enderverse, and I'm quite looking forward to the release of the next two novels.
Posted by Roger Parkinson (Member # 7394) on :
I thought it was a good read. I always look forward to hearing more about the experiences of Ender. Even if he is the most perfect character ever.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I'm reading this now. If I read the whole short story, is it going to spoil any forthcoming book? Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
I really doubt it. The story might be connected to other plot threads but if I had to guess, I'd guess it's the first couple of chapters of the upcoming novel, and the main plot of the novel probably doesn't even get going until after the events of the story.
Pure speculation on my part.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Yeah, now that I've finished the story, too -- I agree that I think it is the first few chapters. Definitely a lot left hanging at the end that shows the story could go on.
Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
So it's probably like when OSC posted the first few chapters of SotG and SP months before their release, only now we have to pay for them. Fair enough.
Posted by la.SOMA (Member # 10608) on :
it cant be the first few chapters of the story. isnt ender in exile supposed to be based on at least the second planet he visists? if he's to meet up with randi and achilles II on this planet then he'd be much older by the time they got there.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
if you believe the Ender in Exile product description on Amazon, found here, then the story starts with Ender's decision to leave Earth. It could easily span a number of decades and planets. After reading Ender in Flight, and then that product description, I'm 99% sure the story material will also be in the novel. There is precedent, after all - the IGMS story "Ender's Stocking" made up a significant chunk of the "War of Gifts" book.
I trust Card will apply special relativity however needed to ensure meetups occur at appropriate ages.
Posted by la.SOMA (Member # 10608) on :
you have a point. and of course, i do put that trust in osc to deliver the proper amount of time.
it does seem a bit off track, though. i think i just lack the imagination on how ender is getting from A to B. if this is the first couple of chapters then it seems to be a bit off from the track that i've imagined meeting up with achilles II might be. i think i imagined ender in exile starting at his decision to leave shakespear.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
I wouldn't be surprised if the novel starts with his voyage from earth, then skims over a number of years and takes off again from where you imagined. I'm actually pretty excited to read it and find out.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
I really enjoyed it. I do wonder what the OSC stories do to the sales of the issue. I know that I wait to buy the issue until the OSC story is released rather than when the issue is first announced. I wonder if many people do the same.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)