Speaker for the Dead
by Orson Scott Card · first published 1986
35% recommend62% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Mature, thought-provoking sequel to Ender's Game, with a grown-up Ender and an alien-contact story. Many rate it equal to or better than the original; suits readers wanting more complexity and emotional weight.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Ender Wiggin, the young military genius, discovers that a second alien war is inevitable and that he must dismiss his fears to make peace with humanity's strange new brothers.
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The Harry Potter series remains the most enjoyable books I've ever read. The Pillars of the Earth comes close though. Terrific sci-fi reads were Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Hyperion, Ringworld, and to a lesser extent A Deepness in the Sky. Also Excession, whose human characters are poorly developed and written but whose world-building and AI characters are amazing. Terrific…
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗Long answer to bonus question has already been written and published. "Speaker for the dead" by Orson Scott Card. I am restraining myself from giving a summary here. I don't want to spoil your couple of weekends spent well. Be sure to read the introduction as well.
on “'Second Earth' found, 20 light years away” ↗I am going to tirelessly promote this movie because it is one of my favorite books from when I was a kid, but even more so because I really want to see the sequel, Speaker for the Dead, get made into a movie. Speaker for the Dead is a much more mature, thought provoking book, in which a grown up Ender struggles to come to terms with his actions from the first book. Speaker won both…
on “"Ender's Game" movie happening” ↗…Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation. Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should…
on “Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?” ↗…one not-very-long novel. After that novel is a whole series of novels that follow Ender into distant futures and places, as he literally runs from his past to keep it from defining him. The first one, Speaker for the Dead, is very recommendable for follow-up reading. The others I would only recommend if you've already decided that you want to read more of the series. However, there is also a different set of sequels,…
on “Neon Genesis Evangelion (2019)” ↗…post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though. I found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read. Enders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series…
on “What are your favourite sci-fi books?” ↗…completely changed the face of society. Very interesting stuff. This has probably been my favourite read this year. Nightfall - Interesting ideas of the role of religion in society and mass hysteria Speaker for the Dead - Really fascinating book. I love sci-fi where there is an alien species that humans have trouble understanding for whatever reason Books I unrecommend: Heretics of Dune - Ugh. Tedious. I actually…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…reservations. It's not very long, and a very stimulating read. If you enjoy that one, and want to read more, then I'd recommend reading either one or both of the immediate sequels (Ender's Shadow and Speaker for the Dead). Iff you read either of those, and enjoyed it, and want to read more, then (and only then) should you concern yourself with the trails of sequels.
on “Neon Genesis Evangelion (2019)” ↗…his books. As a child I didn't understand, and now as an adult I can't bring myself to care. Its not like the royalties go to him - he's dead. I struggle more with Scott Orson Card. Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead are fantastic books. Both different, and both absolutely excellent. I'd rather not support him financially given he's used his platform to attack gay people. But I also suspect it would have taken someone…
on “Hundreds of changes made to latest editions of Roald Dahl's books” ↗I still think Speaker for the Dead is worth reading, and there's no reason you can't stop after that.
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗It is truly amazing how similar this is to the descolada in Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead Quite a visionary that man.
on “Scientists Learn How Genes Can Jump Between Species” ↗Gödel, Escher, Bach Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Enders Game Speaker for the Dead A Brief History of Time I Am a Strange Loop Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 or 6 book trilogy) Dune
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…trilogy) - Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) - Alfred Bester (The Demolished Man, The Stars My Destination) - Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon) - Orson Scott Card (Ender’s game, Speaker for the Dead) - Fyodor Dostoevsky (Crime and punishment, the idiot, notes from the underground and many more) - Plato (apology, the republic) - Bible, Torah, Quran and any other sacred text - Mythology (Greek, Indian,…
on “Ask HN: You've got $300 to fill an empty library. What do you choose?” ↗…xenophobia and the seemingly intractable problem of diplomatic entente between nation states where one or both are threatened with survival. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress on revolutionary colonial politics. Speaker for the Dead on the corruption of ecologies that we fundamentally don’t understand. Real literature has never felt accessible to me. Sci-fi gave me a joy of reading that Candide never did.
on “Ask HN: How do you stimulate your creativity on a day like today?” ↗Speaker for the dead (second book in Enders game series). After many years first book I read in one sitting.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗