Children of the Mind

September 4, 2006
Nothing mars this straightforward, solid production of the final book in Card's Ender series. Every narrator conveys his or her character's personality with nuance and realism. The fleet sent to destroy Lusitania is about to arrive and all the planet's denizens are scrambling. They rush to colonize new worlds, to save two intelligent species from extinction, to try to stop the fleet, to find the creators of the Descolada virus (a threat to all living things) and to find a way for the computer entity Jane—whose faster-than-light travel makes all the other goals possible—to survive shutting down the network that sustains her. Children
is philosophical about the purpose and meaning of intelligent life, the interconnectedness of all things and the power of love. These weighty topics could easily sound corny in less skilled hands, but the text is saved by the honest and emotional narration by Gabrielle De Cuir, John Rubinstein, Stefan Rudnicki, Scott Brick, Amanda Karr and David Birney. Light touches of music and special effects for the aliens blend seamlessly into the flow of the production. High quality work all around. (Reviews, July 22, 1996)

Starred review from July 29, 1996
The first two volumes of Card's Ender saga, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, each won the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel. This adept fifth volume in the series (after Xenocide, 1991) continues the story of Ender Wiggin, hero, social conscience and unwitting mass murderer. Here, however, Ender, feeling the weight of his years, plays only a limited role in the desperate attempt to avert the destruction by the Starways Congress of the planet Lusitania and its three intelligent races. Foremost among those at center stage are Peter and Young Valentine, Ender's "children of the mind," copies of his brother and sister whom he accidentally created on his trip Outside the universe in Xenocide. Also central is Jane, the prickly Artificial Intelligence whose unique ability to use the Outside to transcend the light-speed barrier is key to all attempts to save Ender's adopted world. Peter, Val, Jane and their companions must criss-cross the galaxy to find new planets for Lusitania's refugees while trying to influence the politicians and philosophers who have the power to stop the Congress's approaching war fleet. Readers unfamiliar with earlier Ender novels may have trouble picking up some plot threads. But Card's prose is powerful here, as is his consideration of mystical and quasi-religious themes, and his ability to write convincing, at times heartrending, scenes of intrafamily conflict is as strong as ever. Though billed as the final Ender novel, this story leaves enough mysteries unexplored to justify another sequel; and Card fans should find that possibility, like this novel, very welcome indeed. Major ad/promo; 200-copy limited leather-bound edition, $200, ISBN 0-312-86191-5.

July 29, 1996
The first two volumes of Card's Ender saga, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, each won the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel. This adept fifth volume in the series (after Xenocide, 1991) continues the story of Ender Wiggin, hero, social conscience and unwitting mass murderer. Here, however, Ender, feeling the weight of his years, plays only a limited role in the desperate attempt to avert the destruction by the Starways Congress of the planet Lusitania and its three intelligent races. Foremost among those at center stage are Peter and Young Valentine, Ender's children of the mind, copies of his brother and sister whom he accidentally created on his trip Outside the universe in Xenocide. Also central is Jane, the prickly Artificial Intelligence whose unique ability to use the Outside to transcend the light-speed barrier is key to all attempts to save Ender's adopted world. Peter, Val, Jane and their companions must crisscross the galaxy to find new planets for Lusitania's refugees while trying to influence the politicians and philosophers who have the power to stop the Congress's approaching war fleet. Readers unfamiliar with earlier Ender novels may have trouble picking up some plot threads. But Card's prose is powerful here, as is his consideration of mystical and quasi-religious themes. Though billed as the final Ender novel, this story leaves enough mysteries unexplored to justify another entry; and Card fans should find that possibility, like this novel, very welcome indeed. Major ad/promo; 200-copy limited leather-bound edition, $200, ISBN 0-312-86191-5.