Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
The third installment of the Ender Series takes the reader even deeper into the philosophical, moral, ethical dilemmas of the world Ender inhabits. This book is a bit more hefty in length and depth of the content; but has Card's strong signature prose style and story development. This is a literary 7 course meal that will put your mental digestion to work.
This book made me truly question my intellectual ability to understand the "outer world" that Card has created. The author truly is masterful at weaving a very intricate tale of technological and philosophical developments without really ever clearly explaining the technical aspects. In many ways reading this installment was like talking to a super smart intellectual that is trying to explain a concept to you but does not have the right words to explain it clearly. In fact that is often exactly what happens in the book between the intellectual characters. This is a one or two chapters at a time kind of book; not because it is boring, but because your brain needs down time to absorb the abstract ideas and questions being bantered by the characters.
If you are a person that enjoys exploring the deepest realms of some of the most impacting moral, ethical, philosophical questions that exist in the universe then this is your book. At one point there is a very deep discussion about free will that gave me a headache. There were times where I wanted a reading partner, a professor, a teacher to help me decipher and comprehend the abstract thoughts that were presented. At many times I felt like that first day of philosophy class in college when the professor looks at the class and says "Is this desk REALLY here?" I thought I knew, but alas in the world of philosophy I am often too surface in my thought process.
Good book. Frustrating book. Challenges my brain book. Not a light read book.
- Lexile Measure: 890L
- Series: The Ender Quintet (Book 3)
- Mass Market Paperback: 608 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books; 4th ptg. edition (August 15, 1992)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0812509250
- ISBN-13: 978-0812509250
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