Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet) by Orson Scott Card
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Book Reviews of Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet)
Book Review: Not as good as the rest of the series
Summary: 3 Stars
Ender's Game and Speaker were fabulous books. This book is not as good.
Honestly, I recommend skipping it and going onto the Ender's Shadow series, which is excellent.
Book Review: Not terrible, just ruined by Xenocide
Summary: 2 Stars
Orson Scott Card was just criticizing Star Trek in the Houston Chronicle. So it's amazing that this book feels just like a bad Star Trek book. This is because of how XENOCIDE ended. The first two Ender books were perfect, and why? Because they WEREN'T STAR TREK! There were a few liberties taken, but generally the books were quite intelligent, even if the pacing was warped and disorienting in SPEAKER. I first realized the series was declining in XENOCIDE when I read the argument about Jane cutting off the fleet, which was really quite stupid and pointless, and didn't feel like pro sci-fi. Fortunately, I was drawn into the emotions of Qing-Jao and Wang-Mu...then BAM! Jane decides "oh, let's make a hyperdrive", and not only do they, but *gasp* a bunch of guys pop out of Ender's and Miro's heads! Then, Peter shows up at that Chinese place and says "Yo, guys, I'm gonna go take down an interstellar empire and all it'll take is some talking and a little traveling! But I've got a hyperdrive, so hop on!" or something like that.
I put the book down, swore a lot, and made a commitment that, while I would buy the last book so that I would be satisfied with finality, I would never buy another OSC book ever. EVER.
As Card explains, this is the second half of XENOCIDE, expanded a bit. And it is ridiculous, it gets worse and worse, and it's all thanks to Xenocide. Peter and W-M hop around the star systems trying to get people to stop Congress--yeah, great. And I bet that all it'll take to convince Americans to take over D.C. and establish an imperial world government is some talking and two weeks, too.
And then there's the Descoladores. Another side-story set up by the third book. The entire debate about the virus being intelligent was unneeded, just fattened up the book a bit. The fact that the inhabitants of Lusitania manage to discover another sentient species of aliens--with which the humans will probably be warring--even as the Fleet approaches. Getting a bit far-fetched.
The book really sinks to the level of common sci-fi. The only refreshing character is the Fleet Admiral, but even he is paper-thin. And pretty stupid, too.
If only it weren't for Xenocide. This could have been great...but it just isn't. Instead, it's a joke.
Speaking of which, OSC has announched his next book after Majic Street:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Franchises: Kill a Franchse Without Really Trying!
Book Review: Good, but still disapointing
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is undenaiably a good book. That being said, it was still a trementous disapointment. I have read and adored the other books in the series, and after finishing Xenocide I was expecting somthing just a wonderful. This book was not it. I feel that Card has beglected his characters and beautiful ethical dilemmias for a plot that, while interesting, was not spectacular. The book is frusterating to read, with favorite characters dissapearing, and with inconsistencies with the earlier books. I would recommend this book to anybody who has read the series simply because it resolves the earlier books, but I wouldn't really recommend it for its own sake.Book Review: Picks up for an exciting ending to the Ender Saga.
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading Xenocide, which I thought was a bit boring for lack of action and was really just a book on fictional philosophy, I didn't really have high hopes for this book. I was very pleased to find that this book contained more of the old Card I was used to reading. The story line reaches a desperate climax as the death of Jane and the destruction of Lusitainia seem inevitable and yet are prevented by the resourcefullness of three (four counting Jane) species working together for the first time in the Enderverse. This book contains some very interesting ideas about life, love, and happiness by exploring the inner thoughts of all sorts of people from Ender himself to his puppet-like creations, Young Valentine and Peter. The characters in this book are easy to fall in love with and bring the reader through many human emotions. Children of the Mind provides good and solid closure to the Ender saga for everything except the Descoladores. I wouldn't mind reading something about the future of the united races of Humans, Buggers, and Piggies and their relationship with the creaters of the descolada virus.
Book Review: The Decline and Fall of Orson Scott Card
Summary: 3 Stars
Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors, and many of his books have become touchstones in my life. Children of the Mind, however, is not one of those books. After Xenocide, I really feel that Card had told all the stories about Ender and the gang that could well be told. And, as the others reviewers have mentioned, the odd return of Peter and young Valentine is just plain weird. I really think this whole book could've had 80% of its plot and action gutted and been made into three chapters at the end of Xenocide. The ideas expressed here are too far flung and don't feel like a natural or meaningful completion of the story that began when Ender won his way into Battle School. Moreover, I feel that Children of the Mind marks the point at which Card's powers of creation begin to decline.
Having said all of that, Card's worst books are still better than most people's best ones. As a standalone, this book is still pretty strong. But I found that I was happier with my mental idea of the Ender series before I read this book. If you'd read the first three, you too might be happier to just leave the loose ends dangling and imagine what might have been yourself.