The saga of Ender Wiggin continues, as a young girl called Gloriously Bright among her peopple holds in her hands the fate of the human colony on Lusitania, and two of the intelligent species. She is dangerously close to learning the truth of what happened to the fleet Starways Congress sent to destroy Lusitania, to prevent the spread of the descolada virus to the rest of the Hundred Worlds. She is also close to discovering the existence of the Jane, the intelligence that inhabits the ansible network that links the Hundred Worlds together. Meanwhile, the humans on Lusitania are a race of their own. The descolada is discovered to be intelligent, and adaptable...it will only be a matter of time until it figures out an adaptation that will wipe them out. The hive queen is building a starship that will allow them and the pequihinos to leave, risking the spread of the virus to other worlds. And Ender and his sister Valentine are in a race to prevent war from breaking out between the pequihinos and the humans on Lusitania. Card continues to explore the moral, ethical and scientific dilemas posed in Speaker for the Dead, and does an admirable job of presenting all sides of each argument. If anything, however, he overpresents in some areas, and this causes the pace to become a bit plodding. Bear with it - because the payoff will be worth it, and the stage is set well for the final chapter. The characterizations also remain strong.
A solid read, even if you have to work for it just a little. |
1/4/05
