In the aftermath of the Bugger War, humanity's hero, Ender Wiggin, bore the burden of Earth's shame at committing the xenocide of an alien race. Unable to return to Earth, Ender left with beloved sister, Valentine, for one of the new colony worlds (made available by the extinction of the Buggers). It was there that he realized that he had an almost supernatural connection and understanding of the Buggers. Despite his role in the destruction of their species, they entrusted him with the sole remaining larval queen of the species and gave him the responsibility of restarting the race when the time was right. Ender's new enlightenment led him to write a famous treatise on this species called "Speaker of the Dead for the Hive Queen". In it, he told the true story about the Buggers in such a frank and honest manner that it created a sensation on Earth. Suddenly, humans could empathize with their former enemies and understand the fallacy of having destroyed them. Ender's work created a demand for him to be a 'speaker for the dead' of many more people. The sensation caused by Ender's writings created an entire movement of literary thought and a near army of 'Speakers for the Dead'. As Ender was too restless to stay in one place very long, he traveled to many different worlds and, as a result of time distortions due to space travel, actually was still relatively young some 3000 years after his 'Speaker' movement began. It was now an accepted part of human culture and frequently called upon when people died. It helped all gain and understanding and, perhaps (but not necessarily), give closure. Ender and Valentine finally found a world to settle on for the rest of their lives and seemed content, until one day, a desperate call for a 'speaker' came from a distraught child on the nearby colony world of Lusitania. So begins the amazing story that powers "Speaker for the Dead"
Ender travels to Lusitania first to respond to the pleas of a young girl whose life was torn asunder by the heroic deaths of her parents. Her parents were able to find a treatment for a vicious contagion that threatened to kill all human life on Lusitania, but were unfortunately unable to save themselves. In the 30-year window of Ender's space travel (which was merely a few weeks to him), this little girl has grown up and started a family, but it's a family that is mired in tremendous strife as the burdens of the past still weigh upon the children of the present. All this happens among the ongoing interaction with a semi-intelligent species of indigenous life called 'piggies'. Understanding them, while still being restrained by archaic colonial policy, leads to much discord among the colony members.
"Speaker for the Dead" is Orson Scott Card's sequel the famous and award-winning "Ender's Game". Those who are expecting the just a rehash of some science-fiction scenarios first played out in "Ender's Game" will be sorely disappointed. However, for those who loved "Ender's Game" and were able to see deep enough into the story to understand the truly important elements, "Speaker for the Dead" will be an amazing read. One must understand that the science-fiction elements to Card's books are just the skin to the entire body of his stories. Card's literary power comes from his understanding of human relationships and dynamics and writing in such a way that the reader empathizes (and even sympathizes) with the characters in the books. One cannot help by to feel a powerful emotional investment into the lives and struggles of these people. Whereas "Ender's Game" intertwined the human relationships amid the backdrop of Battle School and the Bugger War, "Speaker for the Dead" is almost completely and totally about the human element. Such a dramatic change in focus is no less compelling. Clearly, critics felt this way about the sequel, because "Speaker for the Dead" garnered the same Hugo and Nebula Awards that "Ender's Game" did.
It would be unfortunate if fans of "Ender's Game" (and they are legion) were to overlook "Speaker for the Dead" and its sequels simply because of the change in focus. Lovers of "Ender's Game" will find that "Speaker..." is equally impossible to put down. The human drama is so real that the reader feels like they are a part of the story. No greater compliment can be granted to such a novel.
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