SK

I just couldn't bring myself to finish this one. I was enjoying it for the first 20% of the book or so. But it just grinds to halt in the middle and I just didn't sense that the payoff was going to be worth grinding through another 150 pages.

I really loved this book with some major reservations. Overall, the story was thoroughly engaging. I have always enjoyed Niven's somewhat dry style. The Earth is struck by an almost world ending meteor. We see the lead up to the strike and then the slow recovery of civilization in one small area (Southern California). The major flaw is that the only group of black characters in the book just happen to become a roving band of cannibals. It's not unreasonable to think that some people might resort to cannibalism, but to make the only black characters the only cannibals... If you simply make this group a mixed group it in no way changes the overall story but makes it far less racist.

The perfect 5. No flaws that make this book particularly bad. But nothing stands out that makes it particularly good either. Its like a Star Trek episode that I might skip on a re-watch. Or not. Depending on my mood.

On some days I think this book is the best of the series and on other days I think it's Ender's Game. This book explores some philosophical ideas in ways that Ender's Game never does. The speech Ender gives as Speaker for Marcao still brings me to tears every time. However, Ender is a bit too perfect. He just walks into a room and instantly analyzes every person perfectly and immediately says the exact right words to changes the hearts and minds of those around him. I still love this book, but just like its predecessor, Ender's Game, I no longer hold with quite the same level of reverence.

One of the very few 1 star reviews I've given (most 1 star books I am able to avoid before I open them).
I really, really wanted to like this book but I gave up about 2/3 of the way in. The story is just absurdly boring and I didn't care about the characters at all. The main character is incredibly spineless, though I do assume (hope) that by the end of the book he rectifies this. But I just couldn't get that far.