Speaker for the Dead

Speaker for the Dead is one of those books that hit me hard in all the right ways. It's so close to perfect that I'd easily put it on my short list of favorite books ever. I liked Ender's Game a lot, but this one takes everything to a whole new level. The writing, the emotional depth, the way the characters develop—it all feels so much more mature. Ender feels like he grew up along with the story. This book stayed with me long after I finished it.

The worlds and cultures Card creates are so detailed that they feel real, like you could book a flight there if you had the right tech. The alien race in this story was described so vividly that I could easily imagine them. And while the sci-fi elements are super creative, the heart of the book is its people (well, ramen). Card's known for writing “hard science fiction,” but what makes his work special is how completely character-driven it is.

If I had to nitpick, the only thing that pulled me out of the story now and then was how every character seemed ready to spout wisdom like they'd been rehearsing it in front of a mirror. Card wanted to make sure we got the message, and sometimes that made the characters sound a little samey. Still, this is a tiny hiccup in a story that's otherwise incredible.

Speaker for the Dead is the real deal: a thoughtful, layered story that takes everything Ender's Game set up and digs much deeper. It sets the bar so high that Xenocide will have a hard time not being disappointing. We'll see.