Xenocide

Volume Three of the Ender Saga

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Scott Brick, Gabrielle de Cuir, Amanda Karr, John Rubinstein, Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Xenocide is the third installment of the Ender series. On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequeninos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought. But Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus which kills all humans it infects, but which the pequeninos require in order to transform into adults. The Starways Congress so fears the effect 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.

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©1991 Orson Scott Card (P)2000 Audio Renaissance

Critic reviews

"Thought-provoking, insightful, and powerfully written." (School Library Journal)
"As a storyteller, Card excels in portraying the quiet drama of wars fought not on battlefields but in the hearts and minds of his characters." (Library Journal)

Too much

Ender's Game had me riveted. I got so much housework done because I couldn't bear to leave the book (and I listen to books while doing housework.)

With Xenocide, however, the house is a mess. The ironing is piling up. I have to leave the story for long periods just to recover. I'm nearly at the end of the second part download, and the thought of a third just fills me with dread.

Which is a pity. What I've read so far is well written, and the narration is good. But I dislike so many of the characters, the odds against the planet are just too overwhelming. I know there's another book so I assume it all turns out well. I just don't want to hang around to find out.

Jumping the Shark?

The phrase "jumping the shark" describes when an otherwise good story, event, series, etc. crests from being great and relevant to being stupid and pointless. In other words, you might try to pinpoint exactly when a band or t.v. show or series of books (like Dune) went from being "great" to being "over."

There's a moment like that in Xenocide, involving negative space. I'm able to go pretty far with Card in his imagination of the future, but deciding that his characters would suddenly develop "faster than light travel" just seemed like a betrayal of the understanding of physics that we had come to expect from his universe. Of course there are precedents in the series (the buggers' use of "psychic" communication and the end of the Ender's world with the weird planet the buggers created for him) but I still found this aspect of the novel to be a bit much.

Having said that, it's still a good read. Like all the books in this series, Card's imagination is what shines through. He's quite an original thinker and this book is no different in that regard (I guess my problem about, then, is rendered moot!).

One of the Best in this Series

What made the experience of listening to Xenocide the most enjoyable?

The readers are excellent.

What did you like best about this story?

The entire story.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They bring excitement and draws you into the story completely.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I could not stop listening!!!

Any additional comments?

Everyone should read the entire series of Ender's Game.

an amazing tale

this series is amazing. ender's game was only the prerequisite for the rest of the story to take place.
i loved enders game, and speaker of the dead went into depths that i did not know would come from an adventure story. This delves into depths of humanity, the very deepest hurts and struggles that humankind has to deal with.

i do not agree with those who find this boring.

Would you consider the audio edition of Xenocide to be better than the print version?

no

What was one of the most memorable moments of Xenocide?

i do not think this is a book you can pick memorable moments with. this is a build up and continuation of a great epic story of Andrew Wiggin, Lusitania, the Pequeninos and all the other characters, plots and subplots in the series.

Would you listen to another book narrated by the narrators?

yes

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Quara's vehemence that the Descolada is a sentient species and that it deserves understanding and preservation. I see so much parallel between the Ribeira family and the interaction of the virus. The idea that one of the children of Novinha, who lost her parents and subsequent father figure and lover to the Descolada, could defend it shows Card's understanding of family structures, and human behavior.

Any additional comments?

I really did enjoy this book. I think Card's handling of the philosophical, ethical, humanistic elements of this series was really well done. I agree with one of the other reviewers in that this series is something of a place to escape, and any one of the books can transport you immediately away and into the Enderverse.

It's ruined by some really ugh performances

Good continuation to Ender's story arc, but the performances are much too robotic. Was that intended? I wouldn't imagine so for so many of the parts - it's not as though they're all playing AI's....

Warning-this book may make you think BIG thoughts

Any additional comments?

As the third book in a trilogy where you know the characters bringing additional depth to them without being predictable or trite is a real challenge. This book meets that, strong plot that can carry the listener - yet the topics, ideas and moral dilemmas are worthy of deep consideration. The narration is outstanding. Absolutely 5 stars

Meh

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I don't know how to really articulate how I feel about this book. There were certainly interesting parts, but there were a lot of really boring parts as well. Noivinha's family (herself included) were pretty much all insufferable. Ender's character seemed off, not himself. Was my time well spend? Meh.

How could the performance have been better?

One of my biggest frustrations with this book is the god-awful portuguese. It is offensively bad. I can't believe someone was PAID to read this, and didn't even bother researching how to say the 3-5 sentences in portuguese CORRECTLY. It's painful. And yes, I knocked off 3 stars for that, cause it was that bad.

love love the ender series!

make sure you buy children of the mind. this book was split in 2 - the author explains at the end if his audiobook.

well thought out and performed

Great book. wonderful follow up to the Ender books. really opens up a lot of great ideas for time travel, creation, manifesting, and control on life in general. looking forward to the next one.