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Title/Author

Xenocide

Orson Scott Card

Average Review Rating Average Rating 6/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Legend

Published : 1991

Copyright : Orson Scott Card 1991

ISBN-10 : PB 1-85723-858-3
ISBN-13 : PB 978-1-85723-858-7

Publisher's Write-Up

Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead were two of the giant SF novels of the eighties. Now, after a wait of five years, comes the enthralling Xenocide.

Ender and Valentine Wiggin: brother and sister of genius. Their lives have shaped history. Valentine is 'Demosthenes' whose subversive writings fight the monstrous power of Starways Congress, the masters of the Hundred Worlds. And Ender… As a child, Ender brilliantly commanded the human war fleet that wiped out a planet. The triumph of his life is his perpetual fight to stop it happening again.

It may be his tragedy that he cannot. For Congress has sent a war fleet to Lusitania, home to Ender and his family, two alien species - and the deadliest virus ever known. The war fleet carries an order to destroy the planet. To commit xenocide.

Orson Scott Card combines the vast mysteries of space with very real portraits of men and women caught in epoch-making events. Rich, long, brilliant, Xenocide is a towering novel, classic SF of the highest order.

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Reader Reviews

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Review by Nigel (010302) Rating (6/10)

Review by Nigel
Rating 6/10
Xenocide continues straight on from Speaker for the Dead in time and sees Miro travelling to meet Valentine, Ender's sister, on her journey to Lusitania. The main story involves the inhabitants of Lusitania trying to find a way to save themselves, the Piggies and the Hive Queen from Xenocide when the fleet sent by Starways Congress arrives to destroy the planet. On top of this, the Descolada is starting to show signs of intelligence itself and may be a sentient species as well.

This is the third instalment in the Ender series and it seems to be running out of steam a little. The overall story is good but as I went along I got the impression it was padded with Mr Cards philosophical thoughts. Admittedly, some of these were interesting, but weren't really necessary for the story.

Overall a good third book adding to the series but let down a little with the rambling.
Nigel (1st March 2002)

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