Xenocide by Orson Scott Card - Third book in the Ender Quartet, oh man did I like it! About halfway through it really got going and I sped through it. It's at the point in the series (any series) where you really have to give a crap about the characters or the universe for the ever more complicated details of the plot to matter. But I totally do and they totally did. And these books are just fantastic at presenting you with horrible moral questions that are plain old not simple. It's really great. I'm not sure where Children of the Mind is going to go, because I feel like the important questions were answered. I'm afraid what's left is a less interesting second coming of Peter. But we'll see! And I probably wont' post this until I've read a couple mroe books, including that one, so you'll find out what I think soon enough!
Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty - This is a podcast novel, which I love in theory. I think maybe I'll buy this one when money returns to my life just to support the theory. This is a story that isn't super well written, I'm afraid it feels just a little juvenile or immature to me. Not like, juvenile humor, just not super advanced writing. Not sure why, it just feels young to me. However, I love the world she's created. The idea is basically 3 "waves" or generations of super heroes. The 2nd one is powerful and what we think of for superheroes. The 1st and 3rd are small powers, mostly useless, like the ability to carry a bar tray perfectly steadily, or the ability to shoot shit out of your hands. I love the dynamic it creates with "powers" and "second class" powers, it's fantastic. So for the world and the story alone, I really liked this. I would be excited to see more done in this world.
Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card - Okay, I have three things about this to say, which were running through my mind as I read the last 20 pages, hopefully I can get them all out. First, most mundanely, I was worried about this book, I thought the really interesting questions had been asked and answered in the last 3 books (mostly the first, secondly the 3rd, less so the 2nd). The plot stretches, in true scifi or fantasy fashion, to encompass more fantastic things, because that's the only place it has to go. We see this everywhere w/ almost all fantastical fiction, the longer you go the more "out of this world" it has to become. Just to get out of the situation he had developed (even if he planned it from the beginning) requires a lot of faith in the consistency of the universe. Of course, the other side effect of a long running narrative is you (if it is good) completely buy into it and have no problem w/ that next big leap. So the first point is that really, it does what a lot of scifi/fantasy does, which isn't really great, but is ok. Second main point is that it's awesome. He is just a good damn writer, despite the necessary problems I associate w/ long running series and the lack if "big" questions left (except for a very etheric one which exists only within the framework of his own universe, i.e. he asks a question he made up and provides an answer he made up as well). As I say, despite this, it is gripping, awesome, I love it, it was great. Very deus ex machina (literally), but still fantastic. The third point, though, is all about his afteword. He talks about literature, what he thinks it should be, accomplish, represent, etc. How literature relates to his idea of "center" and "edge" nations, or more appropriately, cultures. What he aspires to, how he thinks he gets there, and how others do it. I find it all very fascinating. My biggest problem is I'm just not smart enough to parse it myself. I find myself the type of person who can be very smart in a conversation, with just a little bit of back and forth or input I can say smart things. But left to myself, I hit a wall very quickly and can't develop those thoughts. I feel that way about this afterword. Like there's a fantastic conversation to be had about what he says, how it relates to this series, and to larger issues. Unfortunately, I don't have any way to have that conversation. I think the one person with whom I had those conversations, who was probably the smartest person I've ever met (in this analytical respect), isn't available for such conversations anymore, which is kind of sad. So anyway, I'm not sure where to go with it, I hope sometime to find a way or a conversation that helps me understand what I know is right there to be understood.
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