Xenocide

By: Orson Scott Card

Reviewed by: Carolyn Howard

"Xenocide" is the third installment of the Ender's Series written by Orson Scott Card. In this book we follow Ender as he continues to live on the planet of Lusitania with his new wife, Novinha, and his five adopted children. After the human colony makes a treaty with the intelligent species of the Pequininos, and the Buggers, all three races are living peacefully. That is until Starways Congress sends a fleet to destroy the planet because of the deadly Descolada Virus that it carries, which kills all humans that come into contact with it. As the genious biologists of the Lusitania colony try to make a new virus, called the Recolada, the computer entity, Jane, that lives in the ansibles, makes the Fleet disappear by making the order to destroy the planet never reach the fleet. The last thing Starways Congress ever wanted to do is have another xenocide, like the atrosity caused by Ender Wiggin 3,000 years ago. If the fleet continues though, they will have two xenocides, the Pequininos and the Buggers, on their hands.

While all of this is happening on Lusitania, there is another planet, Path, that has super-intelligent, re-designed humans. One of these super humans is Qing-jao, or Gloriously Bright. She has been given the talent to speak with the gods, just like her father. In order to get honor and godship for her father she must discover what happened to the missing Fleet and what made it disappear. This seemed like a hopeless task until she met Si Wang-mu, who became her secret maid, and also helped her discover what happened with the fleet. To discover if Qing-jao tells Congress what really happened, and to discover if her decision causes more xenocides, you will have to read the book.

"Xenocide" shows that even if you are just a simple secret maid, one godspoken among hundreds, or one biologist on a small planet with two other races, anyone and everyone can play a part to the outcome of some ones life. This book was really well written and continued Ender's story fabulously. The author actually taught me some things about science that i thought were interesting. I give "Xenocide" by Orson Scott Card four stomps out of five.