What do you think?
Rate this book
Fleet School #1
Children of the Fleet
From Orson Scott Card, award-winning and bestselling author of Ender's Game, his first solo Enderverse novel in years. Children of the Fleet is a new angle on Card's bestselling series, telling the story of the Fleet in space, parallel to the story on Earth told in the Ender's Shadow series. Ender Wiggin won the Third Formic war, ending the alien threat to Earth. Afterwards, all the terraformed Formic worlds were open to settlement by humans, and the International Fleet became the arm of the Ministry of Colonization, run by Hirum Graff. MinCol now runs Fleet School on the old Battle School station, and still recruits very smart kids to train as leaders of colony ships, and colonies. Dabeet Ochoa is a very smart kid. Top of his class in every school. But he doesn't think he has a chance at Fleet School, because he has no connections to the Fleet. That he knows of. At least until the day that Colonel Graff arrives at his school for an interview.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2017
496 people are currently reading
3519 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
891 books20.7k followersOrson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
Want to read
May 13, 2017I'll read it, BUT
Why was this more important than Shadows Alive? Come on, man, two series, 14 books.... let's crank out that tie-together finale novel already.
Why was this more important than Shadows Alive? Come on, man, two series, 14 books.... let's crank out that tie-together finale novel already.
October 26, 2017
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
With Children of the Fleet, Orson Scott Card delivers the fast-paced, exciting space adventure he has long been synonymous with. This tale of teen genius Dabeet Ochoa riveting both in its re-purposing of battle school as well as its focus on the trial and tribulations of its new protagonist, as he encounters manipulation and mysteries along his way toward fulfilling his dreams.
After Ender Wiggin ended the Third Formic war, the focus of the International Fleet changed. Now, the old Battle School has been re-purposed as a Fleet School, tasked with producing a new generation of leaders, who will lead the Ministry of Colonizations’ expeditions to settle humans across the habitable worlds of the Formic Empire. The only thing which hasn’t changed is Hirum Graff is still involved, and child geniuses are still the preferred students for the new Fleet School.
Enter Dabeet Ochoa. This teenager is an immigrant to the United States and also a genius by any standard. He is driven, arrogant, yet cunning enough to cover-up his inner feelings of superiority with a veneer of politeness and harmlessness. Naturally, Dabeet aspires to attend Fleet School, though he doubts he will ever be accepted since he has no ties to the Fleet, but his motivations to do so are less grand or altruistic than others. All Dabeet really desires is to get away from his over-protective and smothering mother, who never tires of telling everyone elaborate lies (At least, Dabeet believes them to be untrue.) of a Fleet officer who impregnated her then abandoned her and Dabeet. The constant annoyance of his mother the driving force behind Dabeet’s success.
For all his plans and triumphs however, Dabeet never dreams of actually being accepted into Fleet School. At least, he doesn’t until one day he has a rather notorious visitor: Colonel Graff. The old teacher of Ender Wiggins having taken a personal interest in this gifted youth.
As many of you will have no doubt guessed, Children of the Fleet is a coming-of-age tale about Dabeet Ochoa, involves military-like training, and it definitely has some similarities to Ender’s Game in its general execution. But make no mistake, this is a completely different beast with new characters, different themes, and a more detailed build.
The main focus of the narrative and its greatest success is the character of Dabeet Ochoa. Orson Scott Card crafting a complex youth who has exceptional abilities yet severe weakness, specifically his difficulty making friends, judging people, and not allowing his arrogance and disdain for others to get in the way of being able to work with them. His flaws major hurdles to overcome if he ever wishes to become an expedition leader, who must lead large groups of people into space. This story a tale about Dabeet attempting to mend his ways, mold himself into the new sort of hero which the world now needs.
Complimenting this character study is a very intriguing undertone of political lies and intrigue. Something is going on in the Ministry of Colonization; their motives not as altruistic as one would expect from this organization. But what the Ministry is hiding and what their true motives are is never revealed, merely teased, and promise an unwelcomed surprises as the series progresses.
The only criticism I can level at the book is the fairly numerous explanatory sections of the narrative, which were lengthy at times. Certainly, new visitors to the Enderverse need to be brought up to date on everything which occurred with Ender Wiggins, but these interludes of tell-not-show were used a bit too much for my personal tastes, though others might not necessarily agree.
Overall, Children of the Fleet did a great job introducing a far different kind of character in Dabeet Ochoa, placing him on the pathway to exciting adventures and real character growth, and teasing readers with suggestions of far more dangerous and ominous intrigue taking place just outside their perceptions. Plus, it did something even more noteworthy to Enderverse fans: it returned Orson Scott Card to this beloved setting and promises even grander stories to come.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
With Children of the Fleet, Orson Scott Card delivers the fast-paced, exciting space adventure he has long been synonymous with. This tale of teen genius Dabeet Ochoa riveting both in its re-purposing of battle school as well as its focus on the trial and tribulations of its new protagonist, as he encounters manipulation and mysteries along his way toward fulfilling his dreams.
After Ender Wiggin ended the Third Formic war, the focus of the International Fleet changed. Now, the old Battle School has been re-purposed as a Fleet School, tasked with producing a new generation of leaders, who will lead the Ministry of Colonizations’ expeditions to settle humans across the habitable worlds of the Formic Empire. The only thing which hasn’t changed is Hirum Graff is still involved, and child geniuses are still the preferred students for the new Fleet School.
Enter Dabeet Ochoa. This teenager is an immigrant to the United States and also a genius by any standard. He is driven, arrogant, yet cunning enough to cover-up his inner feelings of superiority with a veneer of politeness and harmlessness. Naturally, Dabeet aspires to attend Fleet School, though he doubts he will ever be accepted since he has no ties to the Fleet, but his motivations to do so are less grand or altruistic than others. All Dabeet really desires is to get away from his over-protective and smothering mother, who never tires of telling everyone elaborate lies (At least, Dabeet believes them to be untrue.) of a Fleet officer who impregnated her then abandoned her and Dabeet. The constant annoyance of his mother the driving force behind Dabeet’s success.
For all his plans and triumphs however, Dabeet never dreams of actually being accepted into Fleet School. At least, he doesn’t until one day he has a rather notorious visitor: Colonel Graff. The old teacher of Ender Wiggins having taken a personal interest in this gifted youth.
As many of you will have no doubt guessed, Children of the Fleet is a coming-of-age tale about Dabeet Ochoa, involves military-like training, and it definitely has some similarities to Ender’s Game in its general execution. But make no mistake, this is a completely different beast with new characters, different themes, and a more detailed build.
The main focus of the narrative and its greatest success is the character of Dabeet Ochoa. Orson Scott Card crafting a complex youth who has exceptional abilities yet severe weakness, specifically his difficulty making friends, judging people, and not allowing his arrogance and disdain for others to get in the way of being able to work with them. His flaws major hurdles to overcome if he ever wishes to become an expedition leader, who must lead large groups of people into space. This story a tale about Dabeet attempting to mend his ways, mold himself into the new sort of hero which the world now needs.
Complimenting this character study is a very intriguing undertone of political lies and intrigue. Something is going on in the Ministry of Colonization; their motives not as altruistic as one would expect from this organization. But what the Ministry is hiding and what their true motives are is never revealed, merely teased, and promise an unwelcomed surprises as the series progresses.
The only criticism I can level at the book is the fairly numerous explanatory sections of the narrative, which were lengthy at times. Certainly, new visitors to the Enderverse need to be brought up to date on everything which occurred with Ender Wiggins, but these interludes of tell-not-show were used a bit too much for my personal tastes, though others might not necessarily agree.
Overall, Children of the Fleet did a great job introducing a far different kind of character in Dabeet Ochoa, placing him on the pathway to exciting adventures and real character growth, and teasing readers with suggestions of far more dangerous and ominous intrigue taking place just outside their perceptions. Plus, it did something even more noteworthy to Enderverse fans: it returned Orson Scott Card to this beloved setting and promises even grander stories to come.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
November 3, 2017
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/11/03/...
I confess, I’m not too well-versed in the Enderverse, with Ender’s Game being the extent of my experience with the series. Still, I was drawn to the Children of the Fleet because it was pitched to me as the beginning of a new story arc which runs parallel to the events on Earth as told in the Ender’s Shadow sequence, so I decided to give it a try in the hopes that I won’t get too lost.
In this novel, we are given the first look into Battle School, now re-purposed and renamed to Fleet School ever since Ender Wiggin brought an the end of the Formic Wars. Our protagonist is an 11-year-old named Dabeet Ochoa, a highly intelligent but also extremely arrogant little boy. Raised by his overbearing mother, he desperately wants to escape his life surrounded by mediocrity. His dream is to attend Fleet School which he believes is his prerogative, since—according to his mother—Dabeet’s father is an officer in the International Fleet who got her pregnant and then abandoned them both.
In truth though, Dabeet holds little faith in his mother’s claims, but believes that his high intelligence scores and academic merits should be enough to get him accepted. Fleet school may have been repurposed, but its mission remains the same: to recruit the best and the brightest children, and train them to become humanity’s future leaders. Naturally, filled with his own sense of self-importance, Dabeet believes he belongs in this group. Surely, if he sends enough inquiries and writes enough essays, he’s bound to catch someone’s attention. And indeed, one day Dabeet gets a surprise visit. Turning up on his doorstep is none other than Golonel Graff, the man who mentored Ender Wiggin and is now the head of the Ministry of Colonization, the administrative arm that runs Fleet School. However, to Dabeet’s surprise and bewilderment, the meeting doesn’t exactly go as he thought it would.
What follows is a story that mirrors Ender’s Game in a lot of ways, but also offers a few new spins on a familiar premise. We are once more thrust into a coming-of-age narrative that takes place in a sci-fi military school setting, but changes have definitely been made now that the alien threat is no more. Additionally, a much greater emphasis is placed on Dabeet’s personal journey and emotional growth, making Children of the Fleet more of a character study than an action-oriented adventure. In other words, the tactical training and battle games take a backseat to our protagonist’s own journey of self-discovery, evaluation, and eventual realization.
How you feel about this story will hinge upon how you feel about Dabeet. His character is at the center of this narrative, a singularly unique personality that demonstrates resolve, autonomy, and intelligence—all traits that should make him a natural leader, except he possesses not a shred of humility or social grace. Arguably, he is unlikeable by design. Exceptional even among the other gifted students at his school on Earth, Dabeet never met an intellectual challenge he couldn’t conquer, filling him with overconfidence and pride. He also has few friends, believing himself superior over others. His entire worldview is shaken, however, once he arrives at Fleet School and discovers just how average he is, surrounded by his fellow cadets who are equally talented, if not more so, than himself. Gradually, Dabeet realizes he must overcome his flaws in order to succeed, even if that also means forging relationships and working with others.
Although I never did warm to Dabeet, the later sections of the book showing his efforts to change his ways and become something more admittedly did make me feel more sympathetic towards his character. There’s also a background situation involving a conspiracy which our protagonist must try to uncover before his time runs out, and I found myself rooting for him to succeed. That said, I wouldn’t say I was riveted by this story because it was rather tame and slow to build (not to mention, we’re never given the full answers behind what is happening at MinCol even by the end of the book). At the same time though, I loved the greater focus on character building and development. Finally, because this novel is all about Dabeet, I found that I was able to jump into this book with minimal knowledge of the Enderverse and still follow along with no problems.
All told, I thought Children of the Fleet did a great job presenting a different point of view, letting us glimpse this post-Formic Wars universe through the eyes of a fascinating protagonist. Love him or hate him, Dabeet Ochoa is the kind of character who will stick in your mind, and hopefully his addition to this saga will open up many doors to future possibilities and new horizons.
I confess, I’m not too well-versed in the Enderverse, with Ender’s Game being the extent of my experience with the series. Still, I was drawn to the Children of the Fleet because it was pitched to me as the beginning of a new story arc which runs parallel to the events on Earth as told in the Ender’s Shadow sequence, so I decided to give it a try in the hopes that I won’t get too lost.
In this novel, we are given the first look into Battle School, now re-purposed and renamed to Fleet School ever since Ender Wiggin brought an the end of the Formic Wars. Our protagonist is an 11-year-old named Dabeet Ochoa, a highly intelligent but also extremely arrogant little boy. Raised by his overbearing mother, he desperately wants to escape his life surrounded by mediocrity. His dream is to attend Fleet School which he believes is his prerogative, since—according to his mother—Dabeet’s father is an officer in the International Fleet who got her pregnant and then abandoned them both.
In truth though, Dabeet holds little faith in his mother’s claims, but believes that his high intelligence scores and academic merits should be enough to get him accepted. Fleet school may have been repurposed, but its mission remains the same: to recruit the best and the brightest children, and train them to become humanity’s future leaders. Naturally, filled with his own sense of self-importance, Dabeet believes he belongs in this group. Surely, if he sends enough inquiries and writes enough essays, he’s bound to catch someone’s attention. And indeed, one day Dabeet gets a surprise visit. Turning up on his doorstep is none other than Golonel Graff, the man who mentored Ender Wiggin and is now the head of the Ministry of Colonization, the administrative arm that runs Fleet School. However, to Dabeet’s surprise and bewilderment, the meeting doesn’t exactly go as he thought it would.
What follows is a story that mirrors Ender’s Game in a lot of ways, but also offers a few new spins on a familiar premise. We are once more thrust into a coming-of-age narrative that takes place in a sci-fi military school setting, but changes have definitely been made now that the alien threat is no more. Additionally, a much greater emphasis is placed on Dabeet’s personal journey and emotional growth, making Children of the Fleet more of a character study than an action-oriented adventure. In other words, the tactical training and battle games take a backseat to our protagonist’s own journey of self-discovery, evaluation, and eventual realization.
How you feel about this story will hinge upon how you feel about Dabeet. His character is at the center of this narrative, a singularly unique personality that demonstrates resolve, autonomy, and intelligence—all traits that should make him a natural leader, except he possesses not a shred of humility or social grace. Arguably, he is unlikeable by design. Exceptional even among the other gifted students at his school on Earth, Dabeet never met an intellectual challenge he couldn’t conquer, filling him with overconfidence and pride. He also has few friends, believing himself superior over others. His entire worldview is shaken, however, once he arrives at Fleet School and discovers just how average he is, surrounded by his fellow cadets who are equally talented, if not more so, than himself. Gradually, Dabeet realizes he must overcome his flaws in order to succeed, even if that also means forging relationships and working with others.
Although I never did warm to Dabeet, the later sections of the book showing his efforts to change his ways and become something more admittedly did make me feel more sympathetic towards his character. There’s also a background situation involving a conspiracy which our protagonist must try to uncover before his time runs out, and I found myself rooting for him to succeed. That said, I wouldn’t say I was riveted by this story because it was rather tame and slow to build (not to mention, we’re never given the full answers behind what is happening at MinCol even by the end of the book). At the same time though, I loved the greater focus on character building and development. Finally, because this novel is all about Dabeet, I found that I was able to jump into this book with minimal knowledge of the Enderverse and still follow along with no problems.
All told, I thought Children of the Fleet did a great job presenting a different point of view, letting us glimpse this post-Formic Wars universe through the eyes of a fascinating protagonist. Love him or hate him, Dabeet Ochoa is the kind of character who will stick in your mind, and hopefully his addition to this saga will open up many doors to future possibilities and new horizons.
March 31, 2018
Another disappointing novel by Orson Scott Card
I really enjoyed Ender's game and a few of the novels with Bean as the protagonist. Unfortunately, this novel seems like yet another novel that is trying to build off Ender's game with little success. This book overall just feels like as boring side story that could have been fifty pages long but was meticulously extended enough to warrant another book. Fool that I am I like to finish a series I start but for those that liked Ender's game I recommend you stop there.
I really enjoyed Ender's game and a few of the novels with Bean as the protagonist. Unfortunately, this novel seems like yet another novel that is trying to build off Ender's game with little success. This book overall just feels like as boring side story that could have been fifty pages long but was meticulously extended enough to warrant another book. Fool that I am I like to finish a series I start but for those that liked Ender's game I recommend you stop there.
November 24, 2024
This is a good YA/coming-of-age story set in the post-Formic Wars Enderverse. It's got a Genius Kid protagonist, a trope I've grown a bit weary of, and which isn't helped much by the fact that Dabeet Ochoa is not a really very likable G.K.p. Several of the characters from the earlier main-sequence stories appear (including a cameo from Ender hisownself.) The story is set on the old Battle School station, which has been converted to Fleet School as the immediate Formic threat has been eliminated. Dabeet's classmates are an interesting and mostly engaging group, and Card develops and changes the characters quite subtly as the plot and the characters' interaction progresses. There's an interesting puzzle and some good outer space action, and pirates are almost always cool. It's a good stand-alone story, though it doesn't add much to the overall arc of the long series. I listened to the Macmillan audio which is read by nine different performers; sometimes the narration changes from one reader to another in the middle of an interior monologue that kind of throws you off but, overall, it was an enjoyable 11.5 hours.
October 3, 2017
I certainly hope that Orson doesn’t object when I quote him, but he sets the stage for his new series best: “Battle School has been re-purposed: It is now Fleet School, serving the brightest children from the International Fleet and the families and corporations that mine and manufacture in space, training leaders for the colony ships heading out from Earth to all the terraformed Formic worlds.” In short – he has a WINNER. Dabeet Ochoa, a genius level, arrogant 10-year old stand-out even in a school for the gifted, seemingly has exhausted all avenues to be accepted to Fleet School, where he just knows he belongs, when he is kidnapped. He plays along with the kidnapper’s proposal to secure his release and, you guessed it, is ultimately accepted to Fleet School where he must figure out how to do what he has agreed to and yet protect the School by thwarting what he knows to be coming. It is not made any easier by the fact that he is a loner who doesn’t make friends, has never before been off-planet, and what needs to be done cannot be done alone. Ender Wiggin removed the primary need for Battle School, defeat of the Formics, but aren’t the skills of a military leader pretty much the same as those of an expedition leader charged with survival of the human race via establishment of non-terrestrial colonies? You bet. Perhaps the Minister of Colonization has ulterior motives. You decide. This is an AWESOME read, following Dabeet, as he evolves and addresses the problem with which he is faced, particularly knowing that this is but the first volume of a new series by an exceptionally gifted mind. Join me. ENJOY.
December 20, 2018
This was OK. But if you, an author, repeatedly include passages of unattributed dialogue that are pages long, you are just being annoying.
September 28, 2019
The Enderverse continues to do best when starting a new branch of books. Much like Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Earth Unaware, Card tells a straight forward story with genius characters overcoming difficult situations for the first time. I can only assume the sequels to this book will also drop in quality and becoming increasingly redundant (like the other books' sequels did) but at least we're off to a good start.
Taking place after Ender's Game but before the end the the Ender's Shadow saga, the famed battle school that trained Ender Wiggins has now been rebranded the Fleet School where child geniuses and the children of members of the fleet train to lead colonization missions in the future. As far as humanity knows, we've won the Formic Wars and the threat is over, but readers of the Ender's Shadow books will be aware that unrest on the planet is going to affect everybody.
The protagonist of Children of the Fleet is Dabeet Ochoa, a ten year old genius who doesn't know the true identity of his father and who believes almost none of what his mother tells him. When he gets recruited to go to Fleet School, before he can go he is kidnapped by terrorists who hatch a plot with him to eventually have Dabeet be the mole inside Fleet School that will allow them to infiltrate for some sinister purpose. They threaten to kill Dabeet's mother if he doesn't help. Once Dabeet goes to Fleet School, the book is pretty split between him trying to acclimate himself to fleet school and trying to figure out a way to stop the terrorist plot.
Dabeet is not as easy to root for as Ender (who was an all time great protagonist) or even Bean (at least in the early books) but I did prefer him to the plucky space miner kid from the prequel books. Dabeet is written as arrogant and it's something he becomes aware of and tries to overcome throughout the book. The supporting cast was not particularly memorable with the exception of Monkey, a girl who is an expert at maneuvering outside in zero gravity.
Fans of the whole series will enjoy cameos here by several prominent characters from the other books. ***Spoilers follow*** In addition to Colonel Graff who is a main character in the book, characters like Ender, Bean, Achilles and Mazur all either show up or are heavily referenced. For the most part that's good, except I never cared for Achilles so his showing up didn't invoke nostalgia for better books like the others did. Also the twist involving Graff seemed unnecessary and made Dabeet seem less interesting than leaving the issue open. ***End of Spoilers*** The series as a whole is definitely getting unwieldy, as there's currently another prequel series still being written (The Hive, The Queen, The Swarm), as well as another Shadow book on the way in addition to this midquel book.
Taking place after Ender's Game but before the end the the Ender's Shadow saga, the famed battle school that trained Ender Wiggins has now been rebranded the Fleet School where child geniuses and the children of members of the fleet train to lead colonization missions in the future. As far as humanity knows, we've won the Formic Wars and the threat is over, but readers of the Ender's Shadow books will be aware that unrest on the planet is going to affect everybody.
The protagonist of Children of the Fleet is Dabeet Ochoa, a ten year old genius who doesn't know the true identity of his father and who believes almost none of what his mother tells him. When he gets recruited to go to Fleet School, before he can go he is kidnapped by terrorists who hatch a plot with him to eventually have Dabeet be the mole inside Fleet School that will allow them to infiltrate for some sinister purpose. They threaten to kill Dabeet's mother if he doesn't help. Once Dabeet goes to Fleet School, the book is pretty split between him trying to acclimate himself to fleet school and trying to figure out a way to stop the terrorist plot.
Dabeet is not as easy to root for as Ender (who was an all time great protagonist) or even Bean (at least in the early books) but I did prefer him to the plucky space miner kid from the prequel books. Dabeet is written as arrogant and it's something he becomes aware of and tries to overcome throughout the book. The supporting cast was not particularly memorable with the exception of Monkey, a girl who is an expert at maneuvering outside in zero gravity.
Fans of the whole series will enjoy cameos here by several prominent characters from the other books. ***Spoilers follow*** In addition to Colonel Graff who is a main character in the book, characters like Ender, Bean, Achilles and Mazur all either show up or are heavily referenced. For the most part that's good, except I never cared for Achilles so his showing up didn't invoke nostalgia for better books like the others did. Also the twist involving Graff seemed unnecessary and made Dabeet seem less interesting than leaving the issue open. ***End of Spoilers*** The series as a whole is definitely getting unwieldy, as there's currently another prequel series still being written (The Hive, The Queen, The Swarm), as well as another Shadow book on the way in addition to this midquel book.
March 6, 2019
Another entry in the Ender's Game universe.
The story takes up shortly after the third formic war. We see how Battle School has been repurposed, the effects of Achille's plots from a different angle, and for the first time get a much better sense of who Hiram Graff is, or at least, wishes he was.
There are a few continuity errors in the text (for example the main character is said in one scene to lack micro-expressions, and a few chapters later the author explicitly mentions his microexpressions giving away a lie).
Recommended for: Fans of the Ender-verse.
The story takes up shortly after the third formic war. We see how Battle School has been repurposed, the effects of Achille's plots from a different angle, and for the first time get a much better sense of who Hiram Graff is, or at least, wishes he was.
There are a few continuity errors in the text (for example the main character is said in one scene to lack micro-expressions, and a few chapters later the author explicitly mentions his microexpressions giving away a lie).
Recommended for: Fans of the Ender-verse.
October 18, 2017
I wanted to like this, but compared to the rest of the Enderverse it was on the lower end of spectrum. Still lightyears ahead of the crapstorm of Shadows in Flight, but nowhere near the quality of the rest of the (great) books either. The first 80% of the book was simply "blah," with an unlikeable main character and a plot that wasn't compelling. It's almost as if OSC decided to have a big reveal with one of the series' main characters, and quickly came up with a story to make it happen.
December 11, 2017
We've heard this story four times already, and nothing of value is added to the Enderverse. "Genius kid" has been over milked now and it's time for the series to end.
November 2, 2019
Entertaining for Enderverse fans.
August 31, 2017
and may I say what an incredible honor it is to professionally review the great OSC - seriously.
(I gave this four stars in the RTBR October edition: https://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-re...)
ard delivers the kind of fast-paced space adventure for which he is known, as well as the character development and relational conflict fans of Ender’s Game will appreciate. Readers new to Card or the Enderverse will have no trouble following Dabeet’s exploits, although Graff’s history lends an added dimension to his role as his new protégé’s guide. This new series will appeal to young adult science fiction fans as well as adults, particularly as an important secret continues to be withheld from Dabeet at the end of the novel.
Brilliant fifth grader Dabeet longs to leave his controlling mother and attend Fleet School to pursue his goal of becoming a space explorer and colonizer. When Minister of Colonization Hyrum Graff, famous for recruiting Ender Wiggin, shows up on his doorstep after Dabeet has secretly applied, he is stunned by Graff’s revelations. While Dabeet might be qualified intellectually, his interpersonal skills are sorely lacking, a problem that must be resolved when a raid threatens the school and the safety of the students. Learning how to make and keep friends and value their contributions is as important as anything else he might learn on the training ground, but can Dabeet overcome his manipulative tendencies in order to make his dream of a career in space come true?
(I gave this four stars in the RTBR October edition: https://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-re...)
ard delivers the kind of fast-paced space adventure for which he is known, as well as the character development and relational conflict fans of Ender’s Game will appreciate. Readers new to Card or the Enderverse will have no trouble following Dabeet’s exploits, although Graff’s history lends an added dimension to his role as his new protégé’s guide. This new series will appeal to young adult science fiction fans as well as adults, particularly as an important secret continues to be withheld from Dabeet at the end of the novel.
Brilliant fifth grader Dabeet longs to leave his controlling mother and attend Fleet School to pursue his goal of becoming a space explorer and colonizer. When Minister of Colonization Hyrum Graff, famous for recruiting Ender Wiggin, shows up on his doorstep after Dabeet has secretly applied, he is stunned by Graff’s revelations. While Dabeet might be qualified intellectually, his interpersonal skills are sorely lacking, a problem that must be resolved when a raid threatens the school and the safety of the students. Learning how to make and keep friends and value their contributions is as important as anything else he might learn on the training ground, but can Dabeet overcome his manipulative tendencies in order to make his dream of a career in space come true?
March 20, 2020
(better on audio)
In the time after Ender Wiggins, Bean, et all have won the last Formic Wars Battle School has become a Fleet school that is training young geniuses to lead colony expeditions at some point. Down on earth, Dabeet is frustrated and bored, so he uses his mother's passwords, takes all of the tests for every better gifted school and for the Fleet School, beating Ender's scores (but of course, not Bean's). But Dabeet isn't sure if his mother is even telling the truth about his father being an officer of the fleet; he is sure she is lying to save face.
Suffice to say, without giving any spoilers whatsoever, is that Orson Scott Card has developed an new super genius with his own challenges ahead of him, both in personal growth and anything he ends up doing, and since this has been tagged/shelved Space by at least a half a dozen users, this is absolutely integral to the plot in one way or another.
In the time after Ender Wiggins, Bean, et all have won the last Formic Wars Battle School has become a Fleet school that is training young geniuses to lead colony expeditions at some point. Down on earth, Dabeet is frustrated and bored, so he uses his mother's passwords, takes all of the tests for every better gifted school and for the Fleet School, beating Ender's scores (but of course, not Bean's). But Dabeet isn't sure if his mother is even telling the truth about his father being an officer of the fleet; he is sure she is lying to save face.
Suffice to say, without giving any spoilers whatsoever, is that Orson Scott Card has developed an new super genius with his own challenges ahead of him, both in personal growth and anything he ends up doing, and since this has been tagged/shelved Space by at least a half a dozen users, this is absolutely integral to the plot in one way or another.
February 10, 2018
An interesting read and a good addition to the enderverse.
March 12, 2018
Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yaficti...
3.5 Stars
A fresh new story the Ender’s Game universe—this smart military-esque sci-fi is appealing to longtime fans, without alienating new explorers.
With the Formic Wars behind them and exploration/colonization now at the forefront of humanity’s drive, Battle School has been converted into Fleet School—a softer, less competitive version of the child prodigy training environment from Ender Wiggin’s day. But there is still the looming concern that some of the Formics may have survived the extinction-aiming assault on their homeworld. And so, it’s become clear the best hope for humanity is to spread humankind out among the stars.
Children Of The Fleet is told largely from the POV of Dabeet Ochoa, a coolly rational child genius who longs to escape his mother’s overbearing love for him by making it into Fleet School. But despite his stellar test scores, his chances seem slim. Until his mother’s claims of his father being a member of the Fleet turns out to be more than wishful-thinking. But Dabeet quickly discovers that reality doesn’t quite fit his hopes, just as he finds himself caught up in the kidnapping and sabotage schemes of an unknown foe.
I spent most of this book unable to decide if I liked Dabeet or not.
He wasn’t awful… but wasn’t particularly endearing, either. He’s no Ender Wiggins, that much is plain. His disposition was a lot more cold, self-centered, and cowardly. (I’m all for characters having flaws and issues they need to grow through, but there were perhaps too few redeeming qualities here for my usual liking.) Although, I also didn’t agree with all the adults in this story who seemed to think Dabeet’s ego was unbearably obnoxious. Instead, I thought he came across as both a confident and over-cautious savant. (i.e. If he wasn’t immediately good at something, he abandoned investing his time and energy into it.)
It was almost as though he were on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. But rather than having a high Intelligence Quotient paired with low social intelligence, Dabeet had simply never put much effort into understanding the internal and emotional lives of others.
While there wasn’t too much by way of humor, I did laugh out loud over this little interaction:
“I’m not from your culture,” said Dabeet. “The flavor of kuso remains a mystery to me.”
"Kuso' means 'shit,'" said the boy.
"I knew what it meant," said Dabeet. You couldn't be in Fleet School for three days without getting a full vocabulary dump of all the offensive slang. "I just lacked your firsthand knowledge of how it tasted."
He gave the boy his best grin. The kind of grin, Dabeet realized, that several books he'd read described as "shit-eating." What a happy confluence of fecal references.
---------
To some extent, Dabeet is a protagonist who doesn’t know how to pro-tag. Things happen to him, and then he flounders around—afraid to make any definitive move. Most of the plot involves him coming to understand this fact. Fortunately, the chemistry between him and the outreaching characters of Zhang and Monkey brought a lot more flavor to the story arch. And fortunately for everyone, facilitated some much-needed development—starting with Zhang at about 1/3rd of the way in.
It took me most of the book, but I think I figured out why I wasn’t connecting as well with this story as I did with Ender's Game. It's not because of a lack of Ender (we actually had a guest appearance of him—er…auditory attendance?—and it didn't do anything for me). It's not even that I found Dabeet difficult to empathize with. It was the overall lack of emotion, both visceral and expressed. I felt as though I was watching passively instead of being invested. Almost as though an enriching layer was missing.
I truly liked the finale, however. The character growth was long in coming but refreshing to finally see. The resolution was both intriguing and satisfying. It answered most questions, while leaving a few open for future installments.
3.5 Stars
A fresh new story the Ender’s Game universe—this smart military-esque sci-fi is appealing to longtime fans, without alienating new explorers.
With the Formic Wars behind them and exploration/colonization now at the forefront of humanity’s drive, Battle School has been converted into Fleet School—a softer, less competitive version of the child prodigy training environment from Ender Wiggin’s day. But there is still the looming concern that some of the Formics may have survived the extinction-aiming assault on their homeworld. And so, it’s become clear the best hope for humanity is to spread humankind out among the stars.
Children Of The Fleet is told largely from the POV of Dabeet Ochoa, a coolly rational child genius who longs to escape his mother’s overbearing love for him by making it into Fleet School. But despite his stellar test scores, his chances seem slim. Until his mother’s claims of his father being a member of the Fleet turns out to be more than wishful-thinking. But Dabeet quickly discovers that reality doesn’t quite fit his hopes, just as he finds himself caught up in the kidnapping and sabotage schemes of an unknown foe.
I spent most of this book unable to decide if I liked Dabeet or not.
He wasn’t awful… but wasn’t particularly endearing, either. He’s no Ender Wiggins, that much is plain. His disposition was a lot more cold, self-centered, and cowardly. (I’m all for characters having flaws and issues they need to grow through, but there were perhaps too few redeeming qualities here for my usual liking.) Although, I also didn’t agree with all the adults in this story who seemed to think Dabeet’s ego was unbearably obnoxious. Instead, I thought he came across as both a confident and over-cautious savant. (i.e. If he wasn’t immediately good at something, he abandoned investing his time and energy into it.)
It was almost as though he were on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. But rather than having a high Intelligence Quotient paired with low social intelligence, Dabeet had simply never put much effort into understanding the internal and emotional lives of others.
While there wasn’t too much by way of humor, I did laugh out loud over this little interaction:
“I’m not from your culture,” said Dabeet. “The flavor of kuso remains a mystery to me.”
"Kuso' means 'shit,'" said the boy.
"I knew what it meant," said Dabeet. You couldn't be in Fleet School for three days without getting a full vocabulary dump of all the offensive slang. "I just lacked your firsthand knowledge of how it tasted."
He gave the boy his best grin. The kind of grin, Dabeet realized, that several books he'd read described as "shit-eating." What a happy confluence of fecal references.
---------
To some extent, Dabeet is a protagonist who doesn’t know how to pro-tag. Things happen to him, and then he flounders around—afraid to make any definitive move. Most of the plot involves him coming to understand this fact. Fortunately, the chemistry between him and the outreaching characters of Zhang and Monkey brought a lot more flavor to the story arch. And fortunately for everyone, facilitated some much-needed development—starting with Zhang at about 1/3rd of the way in.
It took me most of the book, but I think I figured out why I wasn’t connecting as well with this story as I did with Ender's Game. It's not because of a lack of Ender (we actually had a guest appearance of him—er…auditory attendance?—and it didn't do anything for me). It's not even that I found Dabeet difficult to empathize with. It was the overall lack of emotion, both visceral and expressed. I felt as though I was watching passively instead of being invested. Almost as though an enriching layer was missing.
I truly liked the finale, however. The character growth was long in coming but refreshing to finally see. The resolution was both intriguing and satisfying. It answered most questions, while leaving a few open for future installments.
March 27, 2018
Most of us can't read Orson Scott Card without some baggage. Mine comes in 3 sacks:
1. The joy of reading Ender's Game as a young teen. We got to study real sci-fi in school! It was fun. It was relatable. It felt original and cool. The sequels weren't all great, but they were interesting and kept a story going that I didn't want to end.
2. The horror of reading Card's Book of Mormon in Space series (whose real title I don't recall) a couple of years later. I didn't get every reference, but I knew it was mostly trash with a side of rollicking adventure. I had a hint this guy wasn't just writing for fun, but for a Higher Purpose I didn't appreciate or enjoy.
3. Card's personal politics/religious zealotry/books that are mere vehicles for bigotry and fundamentalism. I learned more about this when the Ender's Game movie came out and was appalled. I tried reading a contemporary thriller (whose title, again, I can't recall) and practically trashed it.
So it's fair to say I came to this book expecting it to carry me back to #1 to such a degree that I'd forget about the latter developments. It failed, and not because it is heavily ideological or quite as poorly written as those other books. It failed because it was boring.
Nothing about Dabeet Ochoa is inspiring or relatable. He's a genius who doesn't know anything about people. Wow, how original! His "adventures" at Fleet School lack gravity or suspense. He spends a bunch of time literally crawling, which reflects the pace of this story. His cultural pool is shallow and his friends carbon copies of the Ender crew.
I didn't realize until I looked it up on Goodreads that this is intended to be the first in a new series, but no wonder. If it had been condensed as the first couple of chapters of a novel about a kid who actually grows up and solves his origin mystery and goes on to do something great, maybe I'd be giving it a third star. As is, it's a solid "shrug."
1. The joy of reading Ender's Game as a young teen. We got to study real sci-fi in school! It was fun. It was relatable. It felt original and cool. The sequels weren't all great, but they were interesting and kept a story going that I didn't want to end.
2. The horror of reading Card's Book of Mormon in Space series (whose real title I don't recall) a couple of years later. I didn't get every reference, but I knew it was mostly trash with a side of rollicking adventure. I had a hint this guy wasn't just writing for fun, but for a Higher Purpose I didn't appreciate or enjoy.
3. Card's personal politics/religious zealotry/books that are mere vehicles for bigotry and fundamentalism. I learned more about this when the Ender's Game movie came out and was appalled. I tried reading a contemporary thriller (whose title, again, I can't recall) and practically trashed it.
So it's fair to say I came to this book expecting it to carry me back to #1 to such a degree that I'd forget about the latter developments. It failed, and not because it is heavily ideological or quite as poorly written as those other books. It failed because it was boring.
Nothing about Dabeet Ochoa is inspiring or relatable. He's a genius who doesn't know anything about people. Wow, how original! His "adventures" at Fleet School lack gravity or suspense. He spends a bunch of time literally crawling, which reflects the pace of this story. His cultural pool is shallow and his friends carbon copies of the Ender crew.
I didn't realize until I looked it up on Goodreads that this is intended to be the first in a new series, but no wonder. If it had been condensed as the first couple of chapters of a novel about a kid who actually grows up and solves his origin mystery and goes on to do something great, maybe I'd be giving it a third star. As is, it's a solid "shrug."
March 20, 2018
Great continuation of Enders Game. The old Battle School is renamed Fleet School is it no longer teaching kids to be the warriors but now explorers. Debeet Ochoa is a brilliant kid that is a "child of the fleet" though he doesn't know who his father is. He quickly gets caught up in political intrigue as he scores better than Ender (though not as good as Bean) and gets sent to Fleet School.
While at Fleet School he learns how to innovate and, more importantly, become a friend to his teammates. Oh, and naturally saves everyone in the process.
If you liked the Enders Game universe this is a must read.
While at Fleet School he learns how to innovate and, more importantly, become a friend to his teammates. Oh, and naturally saves everyone in the process.
If you liked the Enders Game universe this is a must read.
November 12, 2017
Not worthy of the rest
Card phoned this one in. Endless, repetitive internal monologue and ruminating by the barely likable main character, with very little actual story. Some of the tie-ins with threads from other books were somewhat interesting, but this could have been a 40 page novella for $0.99. As it is, I wouldn’t expect to pay $12+ for an e-book from an established author whose work I otherwise like, and end up skimming page after page, waiting for something interesting.
Card phoned this one in. Endless, repetitive internal monologue and ruminating by the barely likable main character, with very little actual story. Some of the tie-ins with threads from other books were somewhat interesting, but this could have been a 40 page novella for $0.99. As it is, I wouldn’t expect to pay $12+ for an e-book from an established author whose work I otherwise like, and end up skimming page after page, waiting for something interesting.
February 24, 2019
Card at his best. Telling stories about gifted, but flawed children.
March 3, 2022
3.5 I continue to enjoy this world and it's characters.
October 18, 2017
A new edition to Enderverse. I am a fan of the Ender and Shadow series. Ender's Game is one of my all time favorite science fiction books. I've read it in print and audio more than once and always enjoy it. This book is not in the same class of book as Ender's Game but it is still an enjoyable read. Those who love the Ender and Shadow books should enjoy it. I will read more in the series when published. Much of the enjoyment of this book, I think, requires being familiar with the Ender and Shadow series. It assumes the reader knows what happened with the Formic Wars and knows who Achilles is, as well as who Hyrum Graff is and who he might be talking to in the material that does not concern the day-to-day life of the start of the new series -- 10-year old Dabeet Ochoa.
Ochoa scored higher on all the tests than Andrew Wiggin (but not as high as Bean), the hero of the Third Formic Wars. He is an arrogant little prick, has no friends, and wants to get into Fleet School (the school for the kids of Fleet members that has replaced Battle School). His "mother" claims his father was a member of the Fleet and he wants what he deserves - entry to Fleet School. As the result of a rather unbelievable kidnapping escapade, Ochoa is able to get his wish. Of course, he is scorned by the team he is placed with at Fleet School. They call him Test Boy, as he never lets anyone forget about his scores. But then the kidnapping is back to haunt and plague him. Too quickly, Ochoa begins to self-access and mend his ways to become the "hero" of the day.
At first I gave this book 4 stars, probably because I was so glad to be back in Enderverse. But as I wrote the review, I realized it does not deserve 4 stars. But still, I enjoyed the story and it will join the other Enderverse books on my shelf.
Ochoa scored higher on all the tests than Andrew Wiggin (but not as high as Bean), the hero of the Third Formic Wars. He is an arrogant little prick, has no friends, and wants to get into Fleet School (the school for the kids of Fleet members that has replaced Battle School). His "mother" claims his father was a member of the Fleet and he wants what he deserves - entry to Fleet School. As the result of a rather unbelievable kidnapping escapade, Ochoa is able to get his wish. Of course, he is scorned by the team he is placed with at Fleet School. They call him Test Boy, as he never lets anyone forget about his scores. But then the kidnapping is back to haunt and plague him. Too quickly, Ochoa begins to self-access and mend his ways to become the "hero" of the day.
At first I gave this book 4 stars, probably because I was so glad to be back in Enderverse. But as I wrote the review, I realized it does not deserve 4 stars. But still, I enjoyed the story and it will join the other Enderverse books on my shelf.
December 11, 2017
A few years ago, I was blown away by Orson Scott Card’s classic, Ender’s Game. Since then, I’ve been in search of any book, which added life to the Enderverse and I wasn’t disappointed. Seems there are seven books in the Ender series (about the further adventures of Ender Wiggin). Then there’s five novels that make up the Shadow saga about another brilliant kid from Battle school named Bean. His stories run parallel to Ender’s and delve into Bean’s efforts to help save Earth from the aliens (or Formics) and itself. Sprinkled throughout these twelve books is the history of Ender’s and Bean’s families and how they intersect. Add to this mix, three books about the First Formic Wars (long before Ender’s birth) and a one novel (so far) about the Second Formic War. There are two more in this series that have not yet been published.
Reading Orson Scott Cards work is always an intellectual experience with plot twists and well-rounded character development. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I found that Children of the Fleet was available (which is set right after the events of the original Ender’ Game).
I was quite excited to start reading but that was about the height of my excitement. Without hitting any spoilers, the story is about ten-year old Dabeet Ochoa who has the potential to become a great military strategist. The problem with the story begins once Dabeet is aboard the Battle Station (which is now a Fleet School for children training to be planetary explorers). At times, the characters conversations are repetitive and their thoughts are too long and drawn out. When Dabeet is faced with a particular life-and death training, a few pages are used to describe the young boy’s thoughts when a few paragraphs would have been sufficient. The bottom line is that there is so much unnecessary detail that it becomes boring.
Perhaps Card is simply setting the stage for this new character to begin his adventures in possible new sequels but as a stand alone novel, Children of the Fleet is disappointing. Overall, the storyline is okay but not up to the level of the other series mentioned. I give the novel three stars.
Reading Orson Scott Cards work is always an intellectual experience with plot twists and well-rounded character development. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I found that Children of the Fleet was available (which is set right after the events of the original Ender’ Game).
I was quite excited to start reading but that was about the height of my excitement. Without hitting any spoilers, the story is about ten-year old Dabeet Ochoa who has the potential to become a great military strategist. The problem with the story begins once Dabeet is aboard the Battle Station (which is now a Fleet School for children training to be planetary explorers). At times, the characters conversations are repetitive and their thoughts are too long and drawn out. When Dabeet is faced with a particular life-and death training, a few pages are used to describe the young boy’s thoughts when a few paragraphs would have been sufficient. The bottom line is that there is so much unnecessary detail that it becomes boring.
Perhaps Card is simply setting the stage for this new character to begin his adventures in possible new sequels but as a stand alone novel, Children of the Fleet is disappointing. Overall, the storyline is okay but not up to the level of the other series mentioned. I give the novel three stars.
March 2, 2018
Make no mistake, I enjoyed reading this. But it's not a good book.
Ender Wiggin. Bean. Mazer Rackham. Achilles. And now Dabeet Ochoa.
Around we go again with the Boy Genius giving Card a reason to lecture us on something.
This time it's leadership, which of course has been heavily examined already in this universe.
I don't have any quarrel with what Card says here, and readers who haven't studied leadership might find it fascinating.
Speaking of Achilles: c'mon, was it 2002 he appeared. I've read a few other books since then, give me some back story to remind me.
The bad guys' plot is slapdash and implausible. The battle-room stuff with the walls was, about six words in, labeled Note This, It Will Matter Later; and it did, in a badly forced way. There's a lot of explaining, yet a lot of stuff that could/should have been explained but wasn't; that's usually a sign of Author Is Saving It For Volume Seven, and that's bad.
I am OK with Dabeet's journey of self-discovery, especially the later parts where he had to do things he wasn't sure he could do.
I am really tired of the puppet-masters in the background, like something out of Doc Smith of the Greek gods.
Ender Wiggin. Bean. Mazer Rackham. Achilles. And now Dabeet Ochoa.
Around we go again with the Boy Genius giving Card a reason to lecture us on something.
This time it's leadership, which of course has been heavily examined already in this universe.
I don't have any quarrel with what Card says here, and readers who haven't studied leadership might find it fascinating.
Speaking of Achilles: c'mon, was it 2002 he appeared. I've read a few other books since then, give me some back story to remind me.
The bad guys' plot is slapdash and implausible. The battle-room stuff with the walls was, about six words in, labeled Note This, It Will Matter Later; and it did, in a badly forced way. There's a lot of explaining, yet a lot of stuff that could/should have been explained but wasn't; that's usually a sign of Author Is Saving It For Volume Seven, and that's bad.
I am OK with Dabeet's journey of self-discovery, especially the later parts where he had to do things he wasn't sure he could do.
I am really tired of the puppet-masters in the background, like something out of Doc Smith of the Greek gods.
October 24, 2017
I'm sure that there will be many who will gripe that this was another attempt to draw out a series that should have been put to rest with the last in the Shadow series. There is some legitimacy behind that, but let's compare this series with the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises. Each has its following, but at least the Ender Universe has stuck to being written by Card and Aaron Johnston. Another justifiable critique is that the Second Formic Wars trilogy should have been completed before worrying about starting off on a new tangent.
Any way you want to look at it, the novel is here. At least there is one character that you know and potentially like (Graff) and references to one that you probably despise (Achilles). Dabeet Ochoa is a boy trying to find his place in the world or above it. A boy genius that has been shown through the tests to be as smart as Ender himself, but not to the level of Bean. Dabeet will take any chance to remind you of his intelligence as well, letting you understand why he is so unlikeable by the students at Fleet School.
There is a plot to destroy Fleet School and a plot by Dabeet to find out who his father is. The chapters begin again with the unidentified voices, leaving you to once again guess who is who, with a little too much confusion.
Overall a good story though and it will likely run a new series from the original spin off, but hopefully only after the conclusion of the second formic wars.
Any way you want to look at it, the novel is here. At least there is one character that you know and potentially like (Graff) and references to one that you probably despise (Achilles). Dabeet Ochoa is a boy trying to find his place in the world or above it. A boy genius that has been shown through the tests to be as smart as Ender himself, but not to the level of Bean. Dabeet will take any chance to remind you of his intelligence as well, letting you understand why he is so unlikeable by the students at Fleet School.
There is a plot to destroy Fleet School and a plot by Dabeet to find out who his father is. The chapters begin again with the unidentified voices, leaving you to once again guess who is who, with a little too much confusion.
Overall a good story though and it will likely run a new series from the original spin off, but hopefully only after the conclusion of the second formic wars.
November 15, 2017
I gave reading this the "old college try". I had read all of Card's Ender Universe books. Toward the end, I had to really push myself to read them as Card's style got severely preachy. When I got this book I thought it was part of the series of the early Formic Wars, not the Ender ones. But this seems an attempt to resurrect the Ender series. I found it quite boring and uninventive. Dabeet, the main character, seemed to be a theme and variation on Bean. His problems seem too similar to Beans but translated into post Battle School. Dabeet's primary problem seems improbable. There are many good books to read so I stopped reading it. I don't care what happens. The characters seem two-dimensional, and unforgivable sin for a writer of Card's status.
December 22, 2017
I LOVED the Ender series and I even liked the Shadow series. I was very excited to see where Card was going to take this book knowing it was "part" or a continuation of the Ender series. At times, it was a little tough and probably not as exciting as I remember Ender's Game being. Now that surely doesn't mean this isn't a good book, because it was a decent continuance to what has been set up in the past. In fact, I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen and yes, it did, but not the way I was expecting and it almost seemed like it appeared out of nowhere.
I look forward to continuing this series as it is perfect for putting the daily grind aside and enjoying something just a little different than regular life.
I look forward to continuing this series as it is perfect for putting the daily grind aside and enjoying something just a little different than regular life.
March 20, 2018
I have to admit to being less enthralled with this than others in this universe but that is less due to quality than circumstance. It incorporates hardly any of my favourite characters and if I’m brutally honest, I don’t really engage with any of the new ones in the same way. It’s well written though and has an engaging narrative that all comes together in the last third of the novel with an explosive finale.
January 16, 2018
This one was a little hard to read for me, because I didn't empathize with the main character as much as I did for Ender or Bean. There was a lot of inner monologue that I had to trudge through with not a lot of plot.
February 4, 2018
What fun to be back in Ender’s universe - and with a guest appearance by Ender too!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews