Speaker for the Dead

Orson Scott Card

Nov 2009 · The Ender Saga Book 2 · Sold by Tor Books

About this eBook

Speaker for the Dead, the second novel in Orson Scott Card's The Ender Saga, is the winner of the 1986 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1987 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.

Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.

THE ENDER UNIVERSE

Ender series
Ender’s Game / Ender in Exile / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind

Ender’s Shadow series
Ender’s Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant / Shadows in Flight

Children of the Fleet

The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
Earth Unaware / Earth Afire / Earth Awakens

The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
The Swarm /The Hive

Ender novellas
A War of Gifts /First Meetings

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

After reading Ender's Game, I felt a little underwhelmed by this follow up. The progression of Ender seems hollow, as those around him seem dwarfed by his godlike status, despite no one knowing his true identity. Compassionate to the point of melodrama, I wish OSC had brought his skills to describing the alien world in greater detail. Great dialogue, passable descriptions of people and places. The plot churns a bit slowly for the first hundred pages, although in the end it is a compelling mystery filled with meaningful sacrifice and too-good-to-be-real characters.

This book is written to follow Ender's Games. It takes place during his mission to find the Hive Queen a safe environment to be reborn. It's not just science fiction. It has a scientific, religious, and political feel to it as well. You can't help but to fall in love with the characters and feel what they feel. O. Card does an excellent job writing this one even though it's not as action packed or strategy based as Ender's Game.

I loved the first book, but was only Luke warm to this one. This one is a who dun it mystery set in the scientific future. The time travel mixed with light speed is unique but the piggies nor buggies have garnered sympathy from me. Human supremacy reigns even to the sense of godliness in thinking we should and ought to live in harmony with all gods creations no matter what world they came from and to think they have the same like mindedness is in my opinion,arrogance..

About the author

Orson Scott Card is best known for his science fiction novel Ender's Game and it's many sequels that expand the Ender Universe into the far future and the near past. Those books are organized into The Ender Saga, the five books that chronicle the life of Ender Wiggin; the Shadow Series, that follows on the novel Ender's Shadow and are set on Earth; and the Formic Wars series, written with co-author Aaron Johnston, that tells of the terrible first contact between humans and the alien "Buggers".

Card has been a working writer since the 1970s. Beginning with dozens of plays and musical comedies produced in the 1960s and 70s, Card's first published fiction appeared in 1977--the short story "Gert Fram" in the July issue of The Ensign, and the novelette version of "Ender's Game" in the August issue of Analog.

The novel-length version of Ender's Game, published in 1984 and continuously in print since then, became the basis of the 2013 film, starring Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin.

Card was born in Washington state, and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he runs occasional writers' workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University.

He is the author many sf and fantasy novels, including the American frontier fantasy series "The Tales of Alvin Maker" (beginning with Seventh Son), There are also stand-alone science fiction and fantasy novels like Pastwatch and Hart's Hope. He has collaborated with his daughter Emily Card on a manga series, Laddertop. He has also written contemporary thrillers like Empire and historical novels like the monumental Saints and the religious novels Sarah and Rachel and Leah. Card's recent work includes the Mithermages books (Lost Gate, Gate Thief), contemporary magical fantasy for readers both young and old.

Card lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card. He and Kristine are the parents of five children and several grandchildren.