Ender in Exile
Tor Books, 2008
Science Fiction
ISBN: 0765304961
384 pages
Synopsis
Just after the war with the Formics has been won, 12-year-old military genius and leading commander of the war finds it difficult to go home. In an attempt both to save him from an abnormal life and to keep him from being competition, Peter, his older brother, ensures that Ender is a governor of a new colony 40 years away from earth. It will only be a two-year journey for Ender and his sister Valentine, but 40 years will pass from the time they leave until the time that they arrive on the planet. During this journey, Ender finds himself amidst a psychological battle between the ship’s captain and a scheming mother who gets the captain to fall in love with her, and wants Ender to fall in love with her daughter. Ender must find a way to have genuine friendship with this young woman in order to play their game and come out on top. In addition, there are several other short stories that fill in many of the gaps left throughout the other books in the series.
Critique
Card himself notes that although the main story that emerges from the narrative is this two-year journey across to the new colony, the true purpose behind writing the book was to fill in many of the gaps from the other books in the series. Honestly, I found it a little boring, and although Card’s ability to intricately weave a web of strategy and psychological battle, there’s not enough going on in the meta-narrative to keep my interest. With many of the other books in this series, there are great wars being fought on the outside as well as the battles between characters on the inside. This one is largely lacking the great wars being fought on the outside to keep the tension high. The psychological interplay is interesting, but not enough to keep me turning from page to page as fast as possible.
Also, it’s good that Card is filling in some of the gaps, and that will make this an interesting read for lovers of the Ender series and Ender universe, but on their own, the shorter stories aren’t that engaging.
The other books in this series involving Ender as a child are Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow.
Rating Rubric
Enjoyable Read:
Original Fantasy:
Original Plot:
Language:
Asthetics:
Depth In Characters:
Depth In Story:
Social Commentary:
Layers/Complexity:
Classroom Text:
Overall Rating:
For the Classroom
Since this story takes place in a different world than our own there’s not much to be used within the classroom.
Other Books You May Like
