Science Fiction

Background

Published in November of 2020, “Ready Player Two” is a science fiction novel written by Ernest Cline and serves as a sequel to his 2011 bestseller, “Ready Player One”. The story takes place in a near-future world where virtual reality technology has become even more advanced, and the line between the real world and the digital realm has become increasingly blurred. The story follows Wade Watts, the protagonist from the first book, as he discovers a new technological breakthrough that promises to change everything. However, as Wade and his friends delve deeper into this new world, they find themselves facing new dangers and challenges that threaten to upend everything they thought they knew.

My Thoughts

Unfortunately the quality of this book was down from the last. I really enjoyed Ready Player One but that may be it hit me perfectly as nostalgic for the 80s. This book felt tacked on.

Recommendation

Skip this one!

Background

Published in March of 2005, Shadow of the Giant is the fourth book in the “Shadow” series by Orson Scott Card. These books continue and deepen the story found in the “Ender’s Game” series.

This book finds Bean as an ever growing giant and watches the critical stages of Peter as he is trying to unite earth and end war forever. However, the question keeps coming up, “What to do with the Battle-school graduates?” They just keep stirring up trouble.

My Thoughts

This book closed up a bunch of gaps and brought some good closure to the series. There is another book so I will read it but this would have been a good stopping place for me.

Recommendation

Pretty good. Worth the time.

Background

Published in August of 2002, Shadow Puppets is the third book in the Orson Scott Card’s Shadow Series. This installment follows Bean and Petra through their marriage and sees the resolution of their conflict with Achilles.

My Thoughts

Not a bad book but again it seems to give so much power to Achilles were it doesn’t seem to make much sense. Peter Wiggin continues to be more understandable and we see continued redemption of the Wiggin parents. All made the characters more human and therefore more likeable. Well done!

Recommendation

Good book

Background

Published in December of 2000, Shadow of the Hegemon is the second book in Orson Scott Card’s Shadow series. While we know the Hegemon will be Peter Wiggin (older and more aggressive brother of Ender Wiggin) the book primarily follows Bean and Petra through their lives after the great battle of Ender’s Game. It raises the specter of war on Earth after we ran out of others to fight.

My Thoughts

While it made sense the nation-states would fall back into war, I was surprised the main villain turned out to be Achilles who grew up on the streets with Bean. I just didn’t see him as that much of a character. Peter Wiggin becomes more reasonable now that he is overmatched and knows it. Also, we finally see the Wiggin parents weren’t quite the 2-dimensional characters they were made out to be.

Recommendation

Not a bad read

Background

Published in August of 1996, Children of the Mind is the final book in the Ender’s Game series. It finishes the tale of Ender Wiggin and shows what happened to the 4 sentient life forms they knew about. Is there another?

My Thoughts

It was well written and I enjoyed the experience. Some of the ideas presented were one’s I hadn’t really thought about before (e.g. communicating via ingestion). All of which is fun enough. However, there was something about this book that was tugging at me and I haven’t been able to really put a finger on it. I don’t believe I will read it again though I will likely read Ender’s Game a few more time as least. Perhaps I will revisit this at another time.

Recommendation

On the fence. It was worth closing out the series but it left me wanting.

Background

Published in 1992, it is book 3 of the Ender’s Game series and was originally a larger story. However, the second half of Xenocide was split into another book published in 1996. This book brings in the story of another world called “Path” that was originally populated by people from China. However, they become pivotal to the fate of Lustitania and the 100 colonies.

My Thoughts

I’m confused about the cover-art as the ship on the cover and the setting it is in doesn’t really come up in the book. Oh well, it was the same with the last book. This was an interesting book. I liked the narration between the hive queen and Rooter. That was a fun literary device to push us to another perspective.

Recommendation

I was an enjoyable read but left me wanting.

Background

Speaker for the Dead is the book following Ender’s Game and, according to the author, the real story he wanted to tell by writing Ender’s Game. Published in 1986, it is the story of another world where there are sentient beings nick named “piggies” who the humans have been studying. Over 3000 years after the events of Ender’s Game, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is still alive due to the time dilation of light speed travel. Traveling with him is the hive queen who is the last of her kind and wants to establish a new colony. Will this world be the right one for both of them?

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the book but not as much as Ender’s Game. After thinking about it, there just isn’t much hope put into the future of humanity. I’d guess I like the optimism of the Star Trek universe over the possible future of ever-increasing factions and biases. Still, it was a good story and I will read the next book.

Recommendation

I’m on the fence with this one. If you are a more casual reader, I would say, skip it. Reading it has committed me to the next book and it may lead me to disappointment.