Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (1992), Edition: Reprint
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML: In Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequininos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. But Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus that kills all humans it infects, but which the pequininos require in order to become adults. The Startways Congress so fears the effects of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered the destruction of the entire planet, and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way and a second xenocide seems inevitable. Until the fleet vanishes. The task of discovering how the ships disappeared falls to Gloriously Bright, the most brilliant analytical mind in a world of people bred for superintelligence. There is little doubt that she can solve the puzzle; but will she choose life or death for the three races who live on Lusitania? Xenocide is the third novel in Orson Scott Card's The Ender Saga..… (more)
Media reviews
Bár a regény korántsem tökéletes, mégis megérdemli, hogy kiemelkedőnek nevezzem, hiszen kétségtelenül az utóbbi évek legötletesebb és legérdekesebb regénye. Card igazi profi, aki új színt hoz a sci-fibe: a pontosan kidolgozott karakterábrázolást, mely - valljuk be - az egész
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sci-fi műfaj leggyengébb pontja. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member lorax
This much-maligned book has two virtues which raise it to the level of one star rather than half a star:
1. There's a good novella buried in there, the "Gloriously Bright" sequence. Pity about the horrid Ender plot that surrounds it and that it gets tangled up with at the end.
2. The ending provides
1. There's a good novella buried in there, the "Gloriously Bright" sequence. Pity about the horrid Ender plot that surrounds it and that it gets tangled up with at the end.
2. The ending provides
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perhaps the most textbook example of "deus ex machina" penned in the last few millennia, and thus serves as an example of how not to do things. The central dilemma is resolved quite literally by wishing hard enough. Terrible to read, but it's good that it exists since it is such a perfect example. Show Less
LibraryThing member Frozeninja
The third book of four in the Ender series Xenocide doesn't really deliver on everything that I expected it too. In a way I suppose books rarely do, but in this case I felt it didn't defy my expectations in the best of ways. There's nothing of the satisfying semi-conclusions present in Ender's Game
The book begins when Valentine meets up with Miro in transit to Lusitania , and rapidly carries on from there until the landing 30 years after the original ending of Speaker for the Dead. Ender, Novinha and the children have been carrying on their lives dealing with the Descolada and the two other sentient species present on the planet.
At the same time we learn about a world that contains 'Godspoken' individuals called Path, which is based on Chinese culture. We learn of Han fei-tzu and his daughter Qing-Jao and their communion with the gods of their world.
Xenocide was full of the philosophical and quite frankly mind-bending issues that I have come to expect from him and definitely does not disappoint on that. From the issues of Jane's "creation", to the investigation of the connection between the Hive Queen and Ender, it fascinates and boggles the mind how Card continually produces this outstanding material.
The book is an enjoyable read through and through, it's slow and in places and fast paced in others, as has come to be expected. I think the main problem with the book was that not all that much actually happened, beneath the morality issues and the philosophical and indeed religious discussions. The book simply didn't have enough substance to it to qualify for a higher rating. That and the ending as I've already discussed quite infuriated me.
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and Speaker for the Dead, it is instead left completely and rather infuriatingly open for the next book to clear up.The book begins when Valentine meets up with Miro in transit to Lusitania , and rapidly carries on from there until the landing 30 years after the original ending of Speaker for the Dead. Ender, Novinha and the children have been carrying on their lives dealing with the Descolada and the two other sentient species present on the planet.
At the same time we learn about a world that contains 'Godspoken' individuals called Path, which is based on Chinese culture. We learn of Han fei-tzu and his daughter Qing-Jao and their communion with the gods of their world.
Xenocide was full of the philosophical and quite frankly mind-bending issues that I have come to expect from him and definitely does not disappoint on that. From the issues of Jane's "creation", to the investigation of the connection between the Hive Queen and Ender, it fascinates and boggles the mind how Card continually produces this outstanding material.
The book is an enjoyable read through and through, it's slow and in places and fast paced in others, as has come to be expected. I think the main problem with the book was that not all that much actually happened, beneath the morality issues and the philosophical and indeed religious discussions. The book simply didn't have enough substance to it to qualify for a higher rating. That and the ending as I've already discussed quite infuriated me.
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LibraryThing member LisaMorr
Xenocide is the third book in the Ender's Game series and explores the increasing risk to Lusitania, a planet housing the only other two sentient species in the galaxy, along with a virus that would kill every human if it could. The book starts in space as Ender's sister travels to Lusitania to see
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her brother. It also reaches far away to a planet called Path, where certain citizens are touched by God, which causes them to be both incredibly smart and also servants to brutal OCD symptoms. Card somehow brings this all together into a really interesting mix, at times having the two non-human sentient species talk to each other. A good book and I'm looking forward to what happens next. Show Less
LibraryThing member Celarius
WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
I am quite divided about this book.
On the one hand, the book is rich with original, thought-provoking ideas, like the two first in Ender's Quartet.
One of the ideas which most struck me was the moral question under which conditions it would be justified to annihilate another
I also very much appreciated the reflection on the question of free will applied to IA : Jane is doubting that she is alive, because she is just a (very sophisticated) computer program, unable to accomplish anything without cause. But cannot the same be said of human beings?
On the other hand, the plots contains imho some crucial deficiencies which make it hard to believe (and I do not even refer to the deus ex machina of faster-than-light-travel-through-wishful-thinking or all this pseudo-philosophical babble about philotes). Let me mention briefly the following questions :
- Going back to Speaker for the Dead, why did Jane cut the communications between Lusitania Fleet and Congress, if she knew - or couldn't possibly ignore - that this act would ultimately lead to her own destruction?
- Why doesn't Jane, this all-knowing, practically almighty IA, just hire a serial killer to get rid of Qing-jao? Why doesn't she take control of any computer-controlled device (cars, university equipment, whatever) to make her death pass as an accident? Why, at least, doesn't she alter slightly the message sent by Qing-jao to Congress, so that neither she nor Congress would ever detect the fraud?
- And why, more fundamentally, doesn't Jane just blow up this bloody Lusitania Fleet? Causing an accident by tampering in the computer of a few ships cruising near light speed should not be THAT difficult, nor forging a false report pretending there was an insurrection on board or whatever - did not Ockham's Razor law command to explore those possibilities, instead of concentrating so much energy on the unlikely attempt to discover a way to travel faster than light?
- Finally, knowing how dangerous the "new" Peter is, why doesn't Ender just get rid of him, instead of allowing him to wander freely in the universe and institute himself as a new Hegemon? For a man having committed xenocide twice (buggers & descolada), is the killing of only ONE pseudo-clone so difficult? And why doesn't Jane, arguably so wise and having had all the time the study the life of the real Peter, see the danger which represents his new avatar?
Fortunately, these inconsistencies did not prevent me from finishing and even enjoying this book, but make me seriously wonder whether I'll turn soon to the last part of the Quartet.
I am quite divided about this book.
On the one hand, the book is rich with original, thought-provoking ideas, like the two first in Ender's Quartet.
One of the ideas which most struck me was the moral question under which conditions it would be justified to annihilate another
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sentient species. Most of the books is devoted to the debate on this topic between Quara (being of the opinion that EVERY sentient species has an absolute right to live) and Ender (being of the opinion that only if the other sentient species is able to communicate with mankind and able to reach a deal with it not to destroy each other, it has a right to live).I also very much appreciated the reflection on the question of free will applied to IA : Jane is doubting that she is alive, because she is just a (very sophisticated) computer program, unable to accomplish anything without cause. But cannot the same be said of human beings?
On the other hand, the plots contains imho some crucial deficiencies which make it hard to believe (and I do not even refer to the deus ex machina of faster-than-light-travel-through-wishful-thinking or all this pseudo-philosophical babble about philotes). Let me mention briefly the following questions :
- Going back to Speaker for the Dead, why did Jane cut the communications between Lusitania Fleet and Congress, if she knew - or couldn't possibly ignore - that this act would ultimately lead to her own destruction?
- Why doesn't Jane, this all-knowing, practically almighty IA, just hire a serial killer to get rid of Qing-jao? Why doesn't she take control of any computer-controlled device (cars, university equipment, whatever) to make her death pass as an accident? Why, at least, doesn't she alter slightly the message sent by Qing-jao to Congress, so that neither she nor Congress would ever detect the fraud?
- And why, more fundamentally, doesn't Jane just blow up this bloody Lusitania Fleet? Causing an accident by tampering in the computer of a few ships cruising near light speed should not be THAT difficult, nor forging a false report pretending there was an insurrection on board or whatever - did not Ockham's Razor law command to explore those possibilities, instead of concentrating so much energy on the unlikely attempt to discover a way to travel faster than light?
- Finally, knowing how dangerous the "new" Peter is, why doesn't Ender just get rid of him, instead of allowing him to wander freely in the universe and institute himself as a new Hegemon? For a man having committed xenocide twice (buggers & descolada), is the killing of only ONE pseudo-clone so difficult? And why doesn't Jane, arguably so wise and having had all the time the study the life of the real Peter, see the danger which represents his new avatar?
Fortunately, these inconsistencies did not prevent me from finishing and even enjoying this book, but make me seriously wonder whether I'll turn soon to the last part of the Quartet.
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LibraryThing member rakerman
A disappointing end to an otherwise excellent trilogy. Went completely off the rails - jump into some kind of subspace and imagine something and it is created.
LibraryThing member nickelcopper
It took me awhile to get into this one. Card sets up three different scenarios and it seemed to take forever to get them to link. When they finally did, he developed a significant plot twist at the end of the book that was left unsolved. You have to read the next book for any type of absolution or
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closure. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cerbryx
Orson Scott Card's Xenocide is a space opera with verve. In this continuation of Ender Wiggin's story, the Starways Congress has sent a fleet to immolate the rebellious planet of Lusitania, home to the alien race of pequeninos, and home to Ender Wiggin and his family. Concealed on Lusitania is the
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only remaining Hive Queen, who holds a secret that may save or destroy humanity throughout the galaxy. Familiar characters from the previous novels continue to grapple with religious conflicts and family squabbles while inventing faster-than-light travel and miraculous virus treatments. Throw into the mix an entire planet of mad geniuses and a self-aware computer who wants to be a martyr, and it's hard to guess who will topple the first domino. Due to the densely woven and melodramatic nature of the story, newcomers to Ender's tale will want to start reading this series with the first books, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. --Brooks Peck Show Less
LibraryThing member Demosthenes
Part of the Ender series. I love Card and all his works. Read the first book though, otherwise you'll be confused. Well worth it though
LibraryThing member KevlarRelic
Most of this book was spent with the characters exhaustively discussing viewpoints and ethics, with only one or two parts of real actions being made, and the ending was way too convenient with an easy solution to all their problems appearing all of a sudden, which made what came before almost
What I am trying to say is that Card used a lot of words to accomplish just very little in this book. Worth reading, though, just for the interesting ideas, and as a lead-in for the next and final book.
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pointless and unsatisfying.What I am trying to say is that Card used a lot of words to accomplish just very little in this book. Worth reading, though, just for the interesting ideas, and as a lead-in for the next and final book.
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LibraryThing member nicoletort
My least favorite of the Ender books. Very good, but seemed to be more of a filler between Speaker for the Dead and Children of the Mind. But worth reading, especially so you can understand Children of the Mind.
LibraryThing member Grumpus
So Enders Game was good and the follow up to the first book was nothing like the first book and still very good. This book is significantly different than Ender's Game AND Speaker for the Dead and it lives up to the other two in many ways. My personal preference ran towards the first two but I
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would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who barely liked the first two. It is a whole new story with all new twists and inventions. Show Less
LibraryThing member gorgeousnerd
My favorite part of this story might not be the interactions between Ender and the people he's close to, although the ending of the book is fantastic. What keeps drawing me back to the book is the story of the people living on Path, their devotion to their gods, and how Jane unravels the mystery of
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it all. I sort of wish that subplot was a stand-alone story or part of its own series. Show Less
LibraryThing member klarusu
Xenocide is the third book in the story of Ender Wiggin and for me in some ways the weakest so far. Ender is still on Lusitania, the world of the pequeninos. All species on that world are now threatened by a fleet sent to destroy it - the two alien species that live there are threatened with
My main problem with this book was that it didn't 'live' for me the way Speaker for the Dead did. Card still crafts a good story but the jarring introduction of the world of Path to offer a counterpoint to the religious arguments and a resolution of some of the problems in the book didn't quite sit right for me. Nonetheless, I still whipped through this book and was engaged throughout with the characters and tale.
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xenocide as they exist nowhere else. A virus, deadly to all worlds exposed to it that cannot adapt or protect themselves is present on Lusitania and it is this that is used for the justification of the destruction of the world. This is the backdrop to a book which deals with questions of religion, of how we characterise sentient life, of where the line should be drawn in cases of self-protection. Still the broken family of Speaker for the Dead follow their path to salvation and still Ender continues to age. My main problem with this book was that it didn't 'live' for me the way Speaker for the Dead did. Card still crafts a good story but the jarring introduction of the world of Path to offer a counterpoint to the religious arguments and a resolution of some of the problems in the book didn't quite sit right for me. Nonetheless, I still whipped through this book and was engaged throughout with the characters and tale.
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LibraryThing member iisamu
Once again Card delves into the question of what makes a sentient species worth communicating with. He paints a pretty good picture of the human psyche and how people with different backgrounds can view the same information yet arrive at radically different conclusions. Though most of this views on
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religious life tend to be negative, he still is careful to not paint anyone of his characters in a one dimensional light. All in all, I think this is a very insightful look into human nature, and though set in a Science Fiction background, I would say this is more of a moral tale. Another masterpiece by one of Science Fictions greatest authors. Show Less
LibraryThing member rufty
Continuation of the Ender saga taking off where speaker for the dead left off.
OSC does his usual excellent job of painting this world. Things do drag a bit when you're just wanting him to get on with it. If anything I feel there is too much characterisation and back story; or at least he is writing
Still a nice continuation of the series, I just believe that speaker, xenocide and children could have been condensed into a single book and would have benefitted from this.
OSC does his usual excellent job of painting this world. Things do drag a bit when you're just wanting him to get on with it. If anything I feel there is too much characterisation and back story; or at least he is writing
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too much detail for the amount that I cared about the character.Still a nice continuation of the series, I just believe that speaker, xenocide and children could have been condensed into a single book and would have benefitted from this.
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LibraryThing member robinamelia
This is the third in the Ender Series and it's the book in which the numerous elements that had been in play in the previous two novels come to fruition. Card is a master of weaving a variety of elements into a dazzling whole that explores questions of ethics as well as the nature of reality.
LibraryThing member janemarieprice
This installment is fascinating for its study of the characters. Both of the alien species, the humans, and the computer become complex and real. Other worlds are developed to very good levels and it keeps you turning the pages.
LibraryThing member heidilove
not my favorite of the wiggin series, certanly. perhaps i missed the point.
LibraryThing member dgrayson
Definitely not as good as the first two books. It leaves the end hanging, so you have to read the next book.
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
Xenocide is the third Ender book by Orson Scott Card. It takes place shortly after the end of Speaker for the Dead. The ansible has been disconnected from Lusitania to protect it from the Starways Congress' anger, effectively hiding the planet from unwelcome guests.
The Congress calls upon its
Jane, the AI living within the ansible network, is discovered to be the culprit, and the daughter Han suggests shutting down the network, effectively killing her.
Meanwhile, the humans on Lusitania, as well as the Hive Queen, must find a way to survive the local virus that destroys all life other than the indigenous, and is responsible for enabling the indigenous life to continue.
The father Han, disappointed by the actions of his daughter, helps the Lusitanians develop a replacement virus. The only problem is that this virus, while a solution to the problem, is an impossible thing to make.
With the greatest stroke of luck, Jane discovers "the Outside", which is basically the chaos universe parallel to our ordered one, in which all live, theoretical or otherwise, exists, and in which spatial relativity is irrelevant. Merely envision it strongly enough, and it's yours.
Call it deus ex machine or thinking outside the box, the ending was what it was. Card is able to write a book that people will read. It may not be the best prose ever, but just the same, it's worth a read.
Though I enjoyed this book, as I have with the other Ender books, I must admit that it did drag at time. Some books do. But nevertheless, I read every page and was pleased with what I read. So much so that I acquired the next book in the series to be read at a future time.
If you're a really big fan of the Ender books, you'll probably like this. If you're an elitist who likes to complain, you'll also enjoy this book, as it will give you something to complain about.
The Congress calls upon its
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smartest people, the citizens of Path, who are brilliant, but crippled by their genetically programmed OCD. The Han family works on the problem of finding out the disappearance of Lusitania.Jane, the AI living within the ansible network, is discovered to be the culprit, and the daughter Han suggests shutting down the network, effectively killing her.
Meanwhile, the humans on Lusitania, as well as the Hive Queen, must find a way to survive the local virus that destroys all life other than the indigenous, and is responsible for enabling the indigenous life to continue.
The father Han, disappointed by the actions of his daughter, helps the Lusitanians develop a replacement virus. The only problem is that this virus, while a solution to the problem, is an impossible thing to make.
With the greatest stroke of luck, Jane discovers "the Outside", which is basically the chaos universe parallel to our ordered one, in which all live, theoretical or otherwise, exists, and in which spatial relativity is irrelevant. Merely envision it strongly enough, and it's yours.
Call it deus ex machine or thinking outside the box, the ending was what it was. Card is able to write a book that people will read. It may not be the best prose ever, but just the same, it's worth a read.
Though I enjoyed this book, as I have with the other Ender books, I must admit that it did drag at time. Some books do. But nevertheless, I read every page and was pleased with what I read. So much so that I acquired the next book in the series to be read at a future time.
If you're a really big fan of the Ender books, you'll probably like this. If you're an elitist who likes to complain, you'll also enjoy this book, as it will give you something to complain about.
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LibraryThing member Neale
Another great novel from Orson Scott Card. If you liked Speaker For the Dead you'll also enjoy this novel. A bit slow to start, but finishes really well. Has some interesting concepts that may get your head spinning but that's what's Sci-Fi is for.
LibraryThing member MrStevens
Wow. What a disappointment this book was. I really enjoyed the first book in the series and the second book was a good read too. This book had it's moments but on the whole was a waste of good reading time. This will probably be my last book in the series unless someone can convince me otherwise.
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The explanations and revelations at the ending left me groaning. I almost gave it 2 stars but other than the unlikely plot the book is written well. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbradley
Nowhere near as good as it should have been. The Ender series begins its decent with this book, a decent that will continue through the next book unfortunately. I came away from the other books in this series, and the subsequent shadow series, desperate to learn what happens next. This book
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didn’t leave me with any such feeling. Card has had an excellent grasp on science and humanity in his other books, but Xenocide seems to have ignored all of that. The story is only redeemed by the fact that it is part of the Ender series, save for that I would have put this book away and tried to forget what just happened. Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
The amazing follow on to Ender's War and Speaker for the Dead. Ender is now far from Earth, being forced to flee before becoming a pawn for this brother and the other governments of Earth. He is still trying to atone for the Bugger War, and raise a family on a far off planet, while staying out of
If you liked the first 2 books in this series, you won't be disappointed by this one.
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what are now multi-system politics. Those who still remember him are trying to smear his reputation by calling him 'Ender the Xenocide' more and more.If you liked the first 2 books in this series, you won't be disappointed by this one.
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LibraryThing member melydia
The third book in the Ender Wiggin saga was not originally intended to involve Ender at all, and it kind of shows. Most of the story revolves around a couple "god-spoken" denizens of the Chinese-ish world of Path, who believe the gods tell them what to do in between demands for absurd and
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humiliating purification rituals. The characters are generally either uninteresting or unlikeable, but Card's writing is good enough that it isn't too tiresome. However, the metaphysical, philosophical, and religious discussions get old, and too often Card falls into the trap that ensnares so many male SF/F writers: making women self-righteous harpies in lieu of actually giving them personalities. Ella alone escapes this fate, though that may be due to her lack of romantic interests. While I enjoyed the more in-depth discussion of the descolada virus and Jane's origins, I could have done without Ender's unrealistic marital problems and the deus ex machina of "outside." (Those who have read the book will know what I mean.) I sincerely hope the next (and once last) book in the series, Children of the Mind, will bring some closure to the ridiculously tangled story going on here. Otherwise I'll probably wish I'd stopped after Speaker for the Dead. Show Less
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1992)
Association for Mormon Letters Award (Winner — Novel — 1991)
Prix Cosmos 2000 (1994)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1991-08
Physical description
4.49 x 1.28 inches
ISBN
0812509250 / 9780812509250