Ender in Exile

(Spoilers abound: I feel that the only way to review this book--and indeed, this whole series--is to discuss its details, so be warned!) For me, there has always been a large and conspicuous gap between Ender Wiggin of Ender's Game and Andrew Wiggin, Speaker of the Dead, in the following trilogy that starts with "Speaker for the Dead". By "gap", I don't mean the 3000 years that have passed between the end of the Formic War and events of the trilogy ... I mean the gap in the soul and personality of Ender and Andrew, ostensibly one and the same person. But Andrew is not the same Ender that the reader came to know and love in Ender's Game. And his quest is not the one he is left with in Ender's Game. Oh, yes, he still has the hive queen in tow and eventually finds a home for her. But Card's heart is clearly elsewhere, and he uses Ender and the increasingly hollow characters around him as his mouthpiece for his rather idiosyncratic worldview, which is an odd mash of views regarding religion, biology, culture, politics, and of course an incredible preoccupation with procreation. Ender is a rather uninteresting shell of his former self, and when he meets his bizarre end at the end of the trilogy, no one seems to notice. I would argue that Card uses Ender as brutally--but not as compassionately or effectively--as Graff does to accomplish his objectives! Ender in Exile is in some ways a re-write of Chapter 15 in Ender's Game. But it's more than that. One reviewer states that it is more a sequel to the Shadow series than Ender's Game, but I'd disagree strongly. That might have been Card's intent originally ... but clearly the influence of Ender's Game is stronger than the loose ends tied up from the Shadow series, and they only come into play tangentially at the end of this book. No, instead, Ender in Exile is the maturation and self-awakening of the bent-and-almost-broken Ender we left at Battle School in Ender's Game. Ender faces a series of external challenges (ranging from scheming admirals, manipulative vixens, and an angry man-child) that seem trivial compared to both his previous trials and tribulations as well as the internal anguish and isolation he is suffering from. Along the way, he says goodbye to nearly everyone who knows and loves him. I found this maturation to be particularly engrossing and poignant, although the introspective nature of most of this book might turn off some. I've always enjoyed Card's epilogues, because they affirm my sneaking suspicion that he doesn't always "get it" with regard to the Ender's Game series. He fancies himself a philosopher, and thus is eager to rush into the confused existential musings that eventually sank the Speaker of the Dead trilogy. Reading between the lines, I always get the feeling that he wonders why Ender's Game gets all the love and attention, even though it's "only" a precursor to the "deep" trilogy he considers his masterpiece. But what Card doesn't understand is that his

Scott Orson Card has crafted yet another brilliant novel in the Ender series. As a reader, I was first familiar with the End Game novel as recommended in my kids school, so when Exile arrived, I dove right into it. As a novel, it occurs between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead and includes some threads from the Shadow books. We come to the novel after Ender (Ender Wiggins) has left battle school and now seeks redemption. To properly enjoy Exile, it would make sense to be familiar with the rest of the series, as many references help make sense of the general themes. It is not necessary, but it does make the book more satisfying (or is that just a ploy to get readers to buy the other books?). I was very intrigued with the themes Card manages to weave into the Ender mythology. There are leadership themes, survival themes, morality and iimmorality, the value of life and values of life, and regret. Exile is no light read. The amazing thing about the series is how it has been accepted by readers of all ages and occupations. Audio novel, comic book, and novel, it has expanded to all of the media. Good fiction has the power to do that. Thank you for an exceptional book and series. May it never 'end'! Tim Lasiuta

Ender is acknowledged as the victorious warrior against the notorious buggers threatening Earth in Orson Scott Card's momentous first novel, Ender's Game. Ender in Exile is the sequel to that first novel, revealing Ender's life-long quest to free himself of guilt in the death of Stilson, Bonzo and all the formics in the universe. But Ender clarifies this issue by stating he's not to blame for their deaths but he is responsible. Intent is not the issue but consequences are. While Ender is attempting to reconcile his outer reputation as a savior of the earth with his killer, instinctual responses and consequences, the reader discovers the evolution of so many who touched his life and he theirs in some way during that questionable, short time span. Colonies are being formed on all the former formic worlds and it is through the ansible email communications that we learn how Peter, Ender's brother, evolves into the Hegemon, a world leader who can wreak peace or devastating war on earth. What will he honor, knowing his own destructive, evil nature? Hyrum Graff could retire as the engineer of the ultimately victory Ender won; instead, he has bigger plans as Minister of the Colonies now in the process of being rebuilt and shaped by humans traveling in and out of stasis to their destinies as the creators of a different world than strife-ridden Earth. Who is smarter about that process, the court-martialed, shamed Graff or Ender and what is the destiny of those affected by these plans? Ender's sister, Val, is the single-minded relative and person who has Ender's best interests in mind and agrees to sacrifice her relationships with Peter and her parents to be a guiding force to heal Ender of the crushing burden he carries for past actions and as the first Governor of the planet, Shakespeare. How will Val reconcile her sacrifice and Ender's resistance to her advice? Are they really opponents or is there more behind their genius plans and conversations? What about other members of Ender's "jeesh" or battle squads, those with him and those banished before and after the final war with the Hive Queen? While he might be worshipped by many of the world, what of Bean's descendant, Achilles, who carries a twisted story of the past and is determined to wreak punishment on the one who hold's the world's highest regard? This and so much more fills Ender in Exile with a story that covers the gap between the end of the war and the Speaker for the Dead story in Orson Scott Card's brilliant science fiction series. A brief afterworld expresses not only thanks to the countless individuals who supported and assisted Card in this huge endeavor but also offers a singular message to those to whom this story is really directed, a significant, needed and moving tribute indeed. Ender in Exile can be read as a stand-alone novel, with enough repetition for a new reader to understand what preceded this novel. It's also an excellent prequel to Speaker for the Dead which took

This book is more properly considered part of the Ender's Shadow series, rather than a sequel to Ender's Game. It is stylistically like the Shadow series, features many of the same characters, and ties up loose ends from those books. Card has found a clever way to do that, while centering the story on Ender and Valentine. Readers of Ender's Game will recall that Ender and Valentine left on the first colony ship because there were some good reasons Ender could not return to Earth. This book picks up just before that voyage begins. However, that voyage takes decades because of time dilation. So the events of the Ender's Shadow series all unfold during the voyage. That allows a different slant on those happenings, while also resolving much of what happened to Ender during that period. Ender still has some life issues to face, and this novel shows us how he faces them. I don't recommend this as anyone's introduction to the world of Ender. Read Ender's Game for sure before this. I'd also recommend at least the first couple of books of the Ender's Shadow series as prerequisites. The more of the series you've read the better you'll lke this, though I don't think you needed to read all the way through that series to enjoy this book. (By the way, it's unnecessary to read Speaker for the Dead and its sequels. They take place later in the timeline and you won't suffer any loss of enjoyment if you have not read them.) However, if you liked Ender's Game and want to know what happened to Ender as a teen in more detail, this is the story for you. And if you felt there was one major loose end at the end of Shadow of the Giant, you're right and that loose end plays into the story as well. I was pleased because the sequels to Ender's Game (Speaker for the Dead, etc.) really didn't give me a satisfying view of Ender's character. I concluded at the end of that series that Card really didn't like Ender that much, based on the life he lived in those novels. Perhaps I was mistaken, or perhaps Ender has grown on Card over the years, because the tone of Ender as a character is completely different here than in those books. There are some minor inconsistencies in this story and the other books and stories in the series. Card details these in the Afterword. The biggest conflict is with the story where the computer character Jane is introduced, which was in the collection First Meetings in Ender's Universe. For me these inconsistencies did not get in the way of the story. If you have read and liked just about any of the Ender books before, you'll definitely want to get this one to complete some disparate storylines. If you're like me, you'll read it fast. It just came today; I finished it before bedtime and felt motivated to write this review right away.