Title: Xenocide
Series: Ender’s Game, book 3
Author: Orson Scott Card
Narrator: Full cast
Publisher: Macmillan Audio Books
Duration: 20 hours, 15 minutes
Copyright: 2004
Genres: science fiction, plague, aliens
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Xenocide is the third installment of the Ender series. On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequeninos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought. But Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus which kills all humans it infects, but which the pequeninos require in order to transform into adults. The Starways Congress so fears the effect of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered the destruction of the entire planet and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way and a second Xenocide seems inevitable, until the Fleet vanishes.
MY THOUGHTS: I was curious about the title of this audio book at first because the xenocide really occurred in the first audio book, “Ender’s Game." By the time I was about halfway through "Xenocide", however, it became clear that the title was very appropriate. We find ourselves on the verge of another xenocide, but Orson Scott Card keeps us guessing this time. We don't know which race is going to be wiped out: the newly resurrected Buggers, the Pequeninos, the Descolada, or the mysterious new life-form that calls itself Jane.
Orson Scott Card has created some fascinating characters in this series. He develops them well and really convinces us as the readers to care about them.
NARRATOR: Orson Scott Card wrote this series of audio books from the perspectives of several different characters. For each character’s perspective, there is a different narrator. This is uncommon in an audio book, and at first I found it a bit odd. After I got used to it, however, I really began to enjoy and appreciate it. It helps the different characters develop their own persona in my mind
As with the first two audio books in the series, “Xenocide” did not have the names of the narrators anywhere in the recording. As I have mentioned before, I find this a distasteful practice. The narrators did a good job and should at least have their names mentioned. At audible.com, the narrators are listed as follows: Scott Brick, Amanda Karr, John Rubinstein, Stefan Rudnicki, and Gabrielle de Cuir.
FINAL WORD: I like the message Orson Scott Card delivers in “Xenocide" and the other audio books of this series. Just because we don't understand something, that doesn't mean we have the right to destroy it. A good message, and a good piece of science fiction.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Audiobook review)
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (Audiobook Review)
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card (Audiobook Review)
Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card (Audiobook Review)
If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "Xenocide" (Book 3 of the Ender series) [Audiobook][Unabridged] (Audio CD) from Amazon.com.
This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
Come back soon for more audiobook reviews from Audiobook Heaven.
I would fear the effect of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania,too.
ReplyDeleteAnything that sounds that ominous has got to be bad news, especially to an entire species.
I'm not a sci-fi fan, but these books sound like something Adam would sink his teeth into. :)
But the perspective shifts? Now that interests me since we just did P.O.V. in f2k. I told everyone when the pov shifts so does the perspective. Now I may have to read this.
What a wonderful review!