Speaker Series (About Ender as an adult)

By Orson Scott Card

Includes: Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind

This is an intellectually engaging series that deals with ethics of interspecies relations, in proxy for interracial. It deals with tolerance, acceptance, and also deals with power structures, especially the role of religion and government. Also discussed are issues of morality, why is fidelity in marriage and abstinence before is beneficial to society. I found these books quite engaging. It also deals with remorse, forgiveness and redemption. Premise of the Plot is that a sentient species is found on a planet that has been colonized by humans, the plot revolves around issues such as how should they be treated, also much more human aspects are about a family on the planet who are the main characters.

4 out of 5

Language: frequent swearing

Violence: some violence, including children fighting, and a father who is physically, verbally and emotionally abusive. A ritual involving disemboweling a living piggie, and human are depicted.

Morality: A portion of the book is devoted to evolutionary conjectures about how the other sentient species evolved, which included conjectures on their reproduction. At times this is a little uncomfortable. Randomly there will be innuendos that also made me slightly uncomfortable.

Age: 16 and up