Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead

Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead:

I write about both of these books together for a specific reason: one would not exist without the other. Those who do not know a lot about them are probably thinking, well of course the sequel wouldn't exist without the original book. True enough, however in this situation Ender's Game would not exist without Speaker for the Dead.

Ender's Game was originally a short story. I've read it and while it is good, it is obviously lacking in a lot of the story and character development that has made Ender's Game such a popular book. When Orson Scott Card was trying to write Speaker for the Dead he found a lot of dead ends. It was coming out like he wanted. Then he had the thought, what if the main character were Ender. Thus the novel, Ender's Game, was born.

These books are both incredible. Orson Scott Card has a way with characters that I've seen in very few characters. He makes you want to read more about a character that you hate. Ender's game is no exception to this idea. He draws out these characters in a tough and fascinating setting and makes you believe them. At the same time he's pulls out brilliant descriptions of military strategies and alien politics. The end is surprising and dark, bringing into full light the source of Ender as the complicated character that he becomes in Speaker for the Dead.

Speaker for the Dead does not take up where Ender's Game left off. Rather, it skips a couple thousand years. The most brilliant thing about this book is that Orson Scott Card creates a compelling story, full of mystery and lacking an antagonist. The simple fact that there is no "bad guy" emphasizes the point of the book as whole.

On a distant planet called Lusitania a new sentient species is discovered. A base of study is set up and the human's begin to interact with the "Pequeninos." After years of studying one of the Xenologers is found dead, cut open and eviscerated by the Pequeninos. When Ender comes to the planet he is faced with the resulting hostilities as well as the effects they have had on one dysfunctional family.

Speaker for the Dead tells a compelling story about understanding the things alien to us. Orson Scott Card expounds on his most complicated character who is no longer the boy from Ender's Game.

I would recommend both these books to anyone, but I would not recommend reading one without the other. Speaker for the Dead is on my top 5 favorite books list and Ender's Game isn't far behind.