Ender

I'm about half way through Orson Scott Card's Xenocide.

So far, Card's reach has exceeded his grasp. He clearly had a lot he wanted to accomplish with this novel, so much that he must have plotted it all out in detail. Then he worked his way through the plot, point by point.

While he may have plotted the other novels in the Ender series, until now, none particularly read that way. Speaker for the Dead was pure brilliance, and really deserves a place in the annals literary history. Yes it is set in the future and has aliens, but really it's a novel about family and the human condition.

Ender is a marvelous character who embodies the ubermensch described by Nietzsche. Well, to be honest, I don't know if Ender is what Nietzsche had in mind, but Ender is what I had in mind when I read Nietzsche. In this character we have the perfect balance of Mr. Fred Rogers's sensitivity and wisdom with children, Captain Kirk's audacity and courage, Jimmy Carter's ability to communicate with alien leadership and Alexander's ability to lead an army into combat. This is what I aspire to be.

Now, I know I ain't Ender, I ain't Jimmy Carter or Fred Rogers. I ain't Alexander (I don't even know much about Alexander), and I sure ain't Kirk. We all need heroes though, don't we? And Card has provided me with one who I enjoy immensely.

Even in the over plotted Xenocide, the light shines through. I do hope he settles down for the next installment.