Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card
Speaker For The Dead is part of the Ender Wiggins saga. At the time of this book Andrew Wiggins has been Ender the Hero, Ender the Xenocide, and Speaker for the Hive Queen and her buggers. Andrew carries all this history, and the cocooned Hive Queen, with him across time and many planets as a Speaker for the Dead. Speakers are called to speak the true story, not whitewashed and sanded down nor short-focused on one part of his/her life.
Andrew has been called to the planet of Lusitania to Speak the life and death of Pipo, a xenologist. Andrew will arrive 22 years after Pipo's death. The Roman Catholic colonists of Lusitania were already established when they discovered that there was a native sentient lifeform which they named Piggies. The Interplanetary government, responding to the xenocide of the Buggers, has strictly curtailed all contact with the Piggies. Pipo was one of only three people who was allowed to have contact. Just before Andrew lands to Speak for Pipo, Pipo's son Libo is also killed by the Pigges and a Speaker is colled for to Speak Libo and another colonist, Marcao.
Andrew lands in the colony and is faced with the antagonism of the local Church, the dysfunction of Marcao's family which is strongly tied to Pipo and Libo, and to the threat of dissolution of the colony by the interplanetary government.
The underlying concepts of humanity (with regard to other species) and the dignity of all human beings (through the Speaking) are likely to raise questions and while the story and messages are strong they encourage expanding the questioning to other areas rather than smacking one over the head with preconsidered conclusions.
A great book. I recommend Orson Scott Card to many people with a caveat about his spiritual and religious themes.
Andrew has been called to the planet of Lusitania to Speak the life and death of Pipo, a xenologist. Andrew will arrive 22 years after Pipo's death. The Roman Catholic colonists of Lusitania were already established when they discovered that there was a native sentient lifeform which they named Piggies. The Interplanetary government, responding to the xenocide of the Buggers, has strictly curtailed all contact with the Piggies. Pipo was one of only three people who was allowed to have contact. Just before Andrew lands to Speak for Pipo, Pipo's son Libo is also killed by the Pigges and a Speaker is colled for to Speak Libo and another colonist, Marcao.
Andrew lands in the colony and is faced with the antagonism of the local Church, the dysfunction of Marcao's family which is strongly tied to Pipo and Libo, and to the threat of dissolution of the colony by the interplanetary government.
The underlying concepts of humanity (with regard to other species) and the dignity of all human beings (through the Speaking) are likely to raise questions and while the story and messages are strong they encourage expanding the questioning to other areas rather than smacking one over the head with preconsidered conclusions.
A great book. I recommend Orson Scott Card to many people with a caveat about his spiritual and religious themes.
# posted by JJ @ 4:56 PM 
