5 Star all-time favorite best book. I have no idea why this second reading of Speaker for the Dead was so moving. My previous rating of 3 Stars is now incomprehensible to me. I am not a very emotional person and I have seldom been moved to laughter, tears, heartache or sheer joy while reading but this book did all that. I was mesmerized by the story of Ender, the colonists of Lusitania, the pequininos, Jane, Novinha and the Hive Queen. So very different from Ender's Game and, yet, so perfect a sequel. There are hundreds, if not thousands of reviews on the book. I can add little except note that you will find:

LaughtertGrief
DelightttAnger
JoyttSorrow
DesirettRejection
Serenityt Ragett
ElationttDesolationt

Treat yourself to Ender’s Game and follow up with this one. What a little treasure.

Waaay different than the first book, but very, very good in its own way. Ender's Game is a tightly written, perfectly turned out story from top to finish, whereas Speaker for the Dead is more philosophical and makes you think.

Il secondo libro del ciclo è più avvincente , più vario e la trama è più complessa, per cui l'ho apprezzato di più.

I read this one in a rush thirty-some years ago so I'd have it finished before our book club met to discuss it, and now have revisited it via audio. I'm glad I did; I didn't appreciate nearly enough that first time around. It's a sequel to Ender's Game, but I'd say upon reflection that Ender's Game serves more as an introduction to this, the main feature. It continues from that story, but adds so much more in exploration of religion and responsibility in relationships and depth of culture that it seems a whole new universe is being introduced. Card deserves more recognition as a master of the genre than he's ever received.

Note: HEAVY Ender’s Game Spoilers will be featured!!

Speaker for the Dead is a very unconventional sequel yet moving at the same time. It’s a book better because of how radically different it is than its predecessor, as OSC stated in the introduction:

Speaker for the Dead is a sequel, but it didn’t begin life that way—and you don’t have to read it that way, either. It was my intention all along for Speaker to be able to stand alone, for it to make sense whether you have read Ender’s Game or not. Indeed, in my mind this was the “real” book; if I hadn’t been trying to write Speaker for the Dead back in 1983, there would never have been a novel version of Ender’s Game at all.

When you complete Speaker for the Dead, it makes sense. It deals with the direct aftermath of Ender’s Xenocide, but not in the way you expect. Because this is a science fiction book, we are able to witness how humanity, from a global perspective, would react within the span of three millennia. Ender’s recording his history as the Speaker for the Dead and condemning his past life, despite him unknowingly obliterating all the buggers. I find the reactions to Ender’s Game to be interesting, with people viewing it as a pro-war book. Yet more accurately, it’s "kill or understand" instead of "kill or be killed," which is a false dichotomy. Ender’s Game's ending implied that Ender would devote his life for penance, forgiveness, and knowing how to move on. Speaker for the Dead tackles full-force from his introduction, still dealing with the Hive Queen and his own sins. This is probably the reason why Ender sought to aid Novinha, because she was a reflection of himself, and he was realising his own issues. Even though there's a plot reason he left, I believe this was the real underlying reason for his departure.

This leans into the biggest strength for Speaker for the Dead is the theological implications, or how we view a person after death. Less so about life after death, but how we perceive someone who is deceased. How we can either romantised or villify someone because they can't debate anymore. The sort of dangers of rewriting someone's history and the importance of depicting someone authentically—the good, the bad and the ugly and be understanding of their life, not excusing them but portraying the real person. As it states in the text:

“No human being, when you understand his desires, is worthless. No one's life is nothing. Even the most evil of men and women, if you understand their hearts, had some generous act that redeems them, at least a little, from their sins.”

I can’t say I 100% agree with this quote, but I do get it. Even the vilest person should have their truth known and be judged from that information, not portraying either extreme of good or bad. I just fundamentally disagree that an atrocious person can be redeemed a little from their sins because of some good they have done in life. Like the examples given in the actual text, yeah, I see good in them with context, and I get it supposed to reflect Ender; however, he was not a willing participate. He was just a child being used by adults, tricked into thinking it was just a game, and he wasn’t given the opportunity to communicate. Which might be the point, but yeah, you get what I mean. Anyways an interesting idea that you can think about people in your life.

The sci-fi concepts were pretty good. I don’t want to delve into spoilers, but there’s plenty to bite your teeth into. The Pequeninos, who are often referred to as "piggies," are one good example of the sci-fi elements. They are an intentional contrast to the Buggers. Would history repeat itself again? Would humanity cause another xenocide because of a lack of understanding? That’s for you to discover, but the final result, I will just say, was an interesting contrast to Ender’s Game. It’s one of the main reasons that the original book is a must because of this deliberate contrast.

The characters were strong in this one, like Ender, Pipo, Libo, Novinha and some of her family, Jane (I don’t want to spoil, but she was a good new addition), and Valentine. I think you empathise with them and understand what makes them tick. Some very nice changes and some nice emotional moments Lastly, the epigrams at the beginning of every chapter were fantastic.

In conclusion, Speaker for the Dead is a fantastic book that’s absolutely worth reading if you have already read Ender’s Game. I liked both books, but both brought a unique experience. I’m not sure if I will read the sequels afterwards, but Speaker for the Dead had a good ending.

8.5/10

Calling this book the sequel to Ender's Game is like calling Mary Poppins the sequel to Star Wars. It's boring, overly observational, and totally unrelated in style and setting to Ender's Game.

You wouldn’t read a terrible book written by an excellent person would you?

So don’t excise an excellent book just because it’s written by a terrible person.

It shocks me to write out this realization, but I think Speaker for the Dead is a superior book to Ender’s Game, and one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time.

This book seems to be divisive for many reasons. One reason is that it’s a book about spirituality, morality, ethics, and redemption written by a guy who seems to fall short in many of these areas. No one likes to be preached at by a hypocrite. Another reason is that it’s the sequel to Ender’s Game, a wildly successful and accessible action packed military science fiction book. Speaker for the Dead has hardly any action at all, and it’s tone is so decidedly different that many readers who enjoyed Ender’s Game could likely feel baffled by this sequel.

Speaker for the Dead follows Ender Wiggins, or Andrew as he’s known now, 3000 years after the dramatic conclusion to Ender’s Game. Despite the passage of time Ender is still in his early 30s due to flying around in his spaceship and relativistic near light speed traveling and don’t think that hard about it. Ender is still carrying with him the guilt of the xenocide along with his chance for redemption wrapped up in the cocoon of the hive queen.
The quest to plant the hive queen leads Ender to Lusitania, where a new species of aliens are being studied by local xenologists and causing quite a stir. These aliens, known as Pequeninos, and nicknamed Piggies by their human neighbors, are a source of endless mystery, fascination, and confusion for both the characters in the book and the reader alike. However, it isn’t just the Piggies and a potential home for the hive queen that brings Ender to Lusitania. He’s called to speak the death of 3 individuals, which leads him into a lovely and emotional entanglement with local cold potato Novinha and her brood of misfits.

What makes Speaker for the Dead so good? First, I will say that Card’s prose here is at its apex. Ender’s Game felt methodical, precise, direct, clean and efficient; whereas Speaker for the Dead is poetic in parts, lyrical, rhythmic, haunting, and beautiful. I didn’t know Card could write this way. He seemed to be channeling Ursula K. Le Guin, which could have been intentional as the plot important ansible was borrowed from Le Guin as well.

Second, the character work is remarkable. Ender could possibly be the least interesting character in this story and he is in no way boring. The real stars are the Pequeninos and Novinha and family. Learning about Novinha’s childhood in the first few pages of the book had me absolutely heartbroken. Despite her being a character brimming with flaws she remains somewhat sympathetic, which is a major theme throughout this book. Every single one of her children has a distinct and well drawn personality and factors into the plot. And when Ender enters the mix he stirs the pot in such a way that rotten eggs become a souffle. The Piggies are also completely fascinating. I don’t want to reveal anything about their culture as it would ruin some of the mystery, but they are so quirky and strange and oddly endearing, despite the communication barrier which threatens all involved similar to Ender’s Game.

Third, it’s a mature work filled with powerful ruminations on faith, love, redemption, philosophy, communication, community building, family, and probably many more that I’ve missed here. It’s a book that makes you think, ponder, reflect, and has the power to inspire, to hurt, and to create an emotional response. This is no small feat, and it helps to level up this story.

Fourth, despite its slower, more thoughtful approach it remains incredibly riveting and at no point in the story did I have an easy time putting the book down.

I can understand why Speaker for the Dead doesn’t resonate with some readers. Usually books in a series step on the same path, but this novel has its machete out hacking a new trail through unexplored lands. If you’ve ever eaten soup and bitten into a radish when expecting a potato it can be quite disconcerting. I also think Ender’s Game has a universal appeal and can be enjoyed by kids, teenagers, and adults alike. Speaker for the Dead feels like more of a niche treat to me, and I don’t imagine I would have loved it as a fifteen year old.

With all that being said, Speaker for the Dead instantly enters my science fiction hall of fame and I will definitely be rereading it in the upcoming years to see if it holds up.

Story-10, Language-10, Ideas-9, Characters-10, Enjoyment-10, Overall-9.8

Muy interesante el tratamiento tanto del método científico (y como este tiende a estar regulado por la ley y la moral) como del contacto entre dos especies inteligentes. El tratamiento de los personajes también es más elaborado, pues nos permite conocer a un Ender más humano, con sus errores (aunque estos no sean muchos) y un Ender cargado de culpa.
Una muy buena continuación, pues se aleja del tono de El juego de Ender sin perder su esencia.

After reading Ender's Game, I had to find out what happened in Ender's future. At first I was disappointed to find out that so much time had passed between Ender's Game and this book; at the end of Ender's Game, he was 9 years old, but in Speaker, he starts in his 20s. However, I found that this allowed Ender to face more complex issues than he had as a boy.

Religion features much more prominently in this book and the other 2 books of Ender's Saga than in Ender's Game, and I don't like the way it's handled.

I didn't like this book as much as Ender's Game. One of the major reasons I liked Ender's Game is because I enjoyed seeing Ender’s thought process; watching him think his way out of problematic situations. There’s not as much of that in this book because he's more in control than he was in Ender's Game.

I didn't care about most of the characters; not Novinha, her family, or the other Lusitanians. Ender, Jane, and to a lesser extent, Valentine, were the only characters I was really interested in. And I didn't care as much about Ender in this story as I did in Ender's Game. I found the story overly emotional and dramatic (there's too much crying). I wasn't a fan of the Pequeninos (piggies).

This is the same type of sci-fi as Ender's Game; the technology only plays a supporting role in the story, and the focus is actually on the people and the challenges they face in their relationships and religion.

At the end of the audiobook, Card explains that Speaker was the real story he wanted to tell, and that Ender’s Game was simply background information or a prequel. He thought the message of Speaker was more important; that when you truly understand someone, you can empathize with them, no matter how horrible they were and what atrocities they committed. I disagree with that premise, and disagree that Speaker is a better story than Ender's Game.

The Macmillan Audio audiobook is excellent.

After reading Ender's Game, I moved on to the Shadow/Bean series, and pretty quickly decided that Card was pretty much a hack who was getting every last ounce of blood out of his one good idea. I was wrong. I don't know what prompted me to pick up this book after drawing that conclusion, but I'm glad I did.

In many ways, this book is more original than Ender's Game. For the most part, that book is a re-hash of many familiar stories of the misfit in school or the military who manages to overcome his initial status and triumphs. It was very well done, but it was also pretty comfortable. Speaker for the Dead has a story in structure which was much less familiar, at least to me.

Mankind has found only one planet with intelligent life since Ender destroyed the buggers. This time, the authorities are being extra careful about how much contact is allowed with the discovered life form. So there is a human colony on the planet whose sole purpose is to study them, but only one person in the colony is allowed to have any direct contact with them. When that person gets vivisected, and staked to the ground, things heat up.

It's a very cool premise, and Card takes things in directions that I would not have expected. I especially liked the idea of the biological adaptation on the new planet, and also the idea of "Jane," who is a benign computer version of HAL from 2001, who longs to be recognized as being a person. The book works as a novel, but it is also an exploration about what it means to be human. Ultimately, I don't think its particularly profound, at least not in the basic ideas that the characters espouse, but there is some depth built into its structure, and it holds a lot of promise for the rest of this series.

My sole big complaint in this book is that Ender has become more like St. Francis of Assisi than like the Ender of the original book. In subjective time, he's only about 35 years old now. But he seems much older, and he also seems to have lost some of Ender's explosiveness and killer instinct. I don't think the character is a total miss from what Ender was in the first book, but if you had taken away then names and the references to his past history in this book, I don't think many people would have identified the adult Ender with the child.

Update: After my third (or was it fourth?) read/listen-through, I'm officially calling it - this is my favorite book.

The audiobook is wonderful. The voices are excellent and powerful.

I just really love this book. I enjoy the entire Ender series, as a whole, but I could read this book, on its own, again and again. I love the theology, philosophy, and human spirit in it. It moves me.

I'm pretty sure I would be a Speaker for the Dead, if I could. :)

5 Stars ( Amazing)

Speaker for the Dead continues with a powerful and wildly original sci-fi saga about Ender Wiggins and the exploration of humanity in space.

Certainly Orson Scott Card became most famous for his original work with 'Ender's Game'- a book about a boy who is groomed to become a mastermind commander of Earth's fleet against 'invader alien' species known as the 'buggers'. 'Ender's Game' was a massive hit and placed Orson Scott on the map. The book was eventually adapted into a major motion picture. Yet as Orson himself describes it:

" I wrote Ender's Game as a background story and reference... the story that I always wanted to tell was 'Speark for the Dead' " - Orson Scott Card


What an amazing tale of humanism, compassion and acceptance is seen in Speaker for the Dead!

I was blown away by this concepts of this book!

Set over 3000 years after the events in Game, the story has Ender — only in his mid-30's due to the relativistic effects of a lifetime of interstellar travel — leading a nearly monastic life as a Speaker for the Dead, voyaging from colony to colony and performing a eulogistic ceremony in which he "speaks the truth" about the lives of the recently deceased. The events of the previous book have
a profound impact in Ender's life, and as he transforms himself into the ``Speaker for the Dead,'' he takes the opportunity to atone for his earlier actions.


The narrative although rich and descriptive can have some confusing elements in the beginning. Ender tries to save the last surviving 'buggers' by finding an ideal world where they could thrive and not be threatened. He finds a planet of Lusitania , inhabited by an alien species known as 'piggies' and colonized by 'Portuguese' settlers. Especially in the beginning many names and quotes are in Portuguese, which could be troublesome for many English readers. I'm lucky as having 'Portuguese' as my first language, so it was all quite seamless and organic.

After the initial introduction, the story flows quite naturally and all sci-fi elements and humanistic components really fall into place! This long, rich and ambitious novel views the interplay between the races from the differing perspectives of the colonists, ethnologists, biologists, clergy, politicians, a computer artificial intelligence, the lone surviving bugger and the piggies themselves. One amazing component is the A.I. known as 'Jane' that is all knowing and her interaction with Ender!

Ender's Game was a character book, a coming of age set in the background of an exciting space opera. In contrast, in Speaker for the Dead the reader already know about Ender's fate and how he got there. There's an impressive amount of depth to this story, and central themes revolve around picking up the pieces. But it is also a story that confronts issues of duty and accountability, to oneself as well as others. In the end I felt tremendous empathy as a reader for the characters in the book and moved me to continue reading the series ahead.

5 Stars