Ender in Exile, Orson Scott Card's newest addition to the Ender series, claimed to be a direct sequel. I would have to disagree with this claim due to the details given and left out of this book. There were many instances where the impact of his words would have been lost on me had I not read the rest of the series previous to reading this new installment.
It was very well-written, and I was giddy with the number of Shakespearean references and parallels. I had been yearning for this branch of the story to come about. I had always been curious about Ender's life directly after Battle School and the end to the Formic Wars. Despite having this information, however, I still think there's room for another book set directly after this one. I hope Orson Scott Card has another masterpiece in the works.
Ender's time on the ship was very well done, but I would have liked more of his time on Shakespeare to have been fleshed out more. The last part seemed to be over much too quickly. There had to have been more for him to say about that time of Ender's life. Though, I supposed due to his extensive travels throughout his lifetime, a two-year stint on Shakespeare may prove less significant than his other stays on the planets he visits in the other novels.
I am not yet sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing that the storyline that stuck most in my head was the interactions between Alessandra and her mother.
PJ Hoover thinks Battle School would have been way cool.
Hm, good question. You’re right that Ender’s actions tend to be calculated and effective. I think what made him sympathetic in the first book was that he struggled with the decisions he knew he had to make. The right thing wasn’t always the easy thing, and he would doubt himself. I guess we lose that sense of doubt as Ender gets older; he always seems to be in control.
Good point, Anna. He was very sympathetic in Ender’s Game, but I think in a series it is hard to carry that sympathy through, especially when Ender’s Game was such a great stand-alone book.
Hmmmm…very good question.
I’d say: no. Because from the start we learn that Ender has abnormally high intelligence, and his experiences have trained him to be a decent person (through his major mistake in the first book). So even if he’s a bit too good in one book, he always has the shadow of his past over him, and there’s enough seeding for his intelligence to make that believable.
That said, I’ve not read the whole rest of the series, and the ones I did read were a looooooong time ago. I will allow that Orson Scott Card tends to do much better external than internal plots, so while Ender is set up to be perfect for the rest of the series, a strong internal plot with him struggling with that persona and his own past may be needed–and may be lacking–in Card’s writing.
It brings up the greater question for me, Beth, in how character arcs should adapt over the course of a series. We see (normally) much arc for the main character in a first novel. But second, third, fourth…how much more can the main character arc? Seems like a good blog post in and of itself.
Thanks!
I remember the first time I read Ender’s Game and thinking how difficult it must have been to be in those shoes. He has kind of been forced to be perfect. Even his mistakes were turned into a way to turn and twist him into somebody else’s tool. I think at least part of the books that come after are reactionary to the reputation that precedes him. Not that he is really perfect, but that he has to be perceived as perfect by those around him. It seems like in the rest of the books, his big imperfection is his inability to truly relate to other people.
For me, I find the character of Bean and the books that revolve around him (Ender’s Shadow, etc.) to have a better character with an overarching story.
And yeah, some parts of Battle School would have been so freaking fun!
When you compare Ender and Bean, Bean seems more perfect than Ender in that Bean is more intelligent. However, because Ender has more people skills, he is a more likable character. Ender’s soft side is really what counter acts his perfection so that he doesn’t seem TOO perfect.
Wow – now you’ve gone and made me think. I love Ender!
I’ve read all the Ender books except for Ender’s Shadow. Maybe it’s all a matter of perspective and I wonder if in Ender’s shadow, his mistakes are more obvious because it’s not told from his POV. Also, the Buggers would think he’s made mistakes.
I think he always does what he thinks is best, especially in the later books. In Ender’s Game, he’s really a product of those around him – the adults, and Hyrum Graff in particular, as well as his brother and sister. So he reacts and does what is necessary. His mistakes may not be in battle, but his personal life isn’t so good.
We’d be great at battle school together
Very interesting analysis, Kayeleen, that his imperfection is not being able to relate to others. This I can totally see.
And I loved Bean though I was kinda sad he grew so big.
I’m feeling the need to reread Ender’s Game, Parker. It’s been a long time.
I should reread Ender’s Shadow with that in mind, Jay. Ender in Exile is much in his POV so we see him being very perfect.
And true, his personal life is a bit sad.