In his introduction to Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card explains that most fictional protagonists are adolescents, or in an adolescent stage of social development, because adolescent characters are unfettered by the responsibilities that would prevent more mature characters from going on novel-worthy adventures. But in this story, Card chronicles Ender's transition from unencumbered, transient loner to responsible family man. As a reader who is often frustrated by a lack of mature adults (both in literature and in real life!), I like seeing Ender grow up.But because Ender is so emotionally armored in Ender's Game, the first book in this series, the empathy he exhibits in Speaker for the Dead is often confounding. A few times I had to stop reading in order to rant about the implausibility! But as I became more invested in Novinha's family and the alien species they study, Ender's unlikely aptitude for connecting with others became less important. Speaker for the Dead is emotionally engaging, the twist concerning the pequinos is delightfully inventive, and even those who don't like science fiction will probably like this book. For maximum enjoyment, read Ender's Game first.
The Brentwood Library has two copies of Speaker for the Dead and nine copies of Ender's Game. Place a hold on one of these today!
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