Children of the Mind: Ender, Book Four

In this final book of the Ender quartet, Ender’s accidental “children”, young Val and Peter, are racing to help the people of Lusitania and Jane. Created from Ender’s fractured soul, or aiua, these young interpretations of his sister and brother are also struggling to exist on their own. Young Val is with Miro, traveling from planet to planet in search of safe places to recolonize for the pequininos and Hive Queen. Peter is traveling with Si Wang-Mu to meet with the great philosopher Aimaina Hikari in hopes of using his connections at Starways Congress to deter the fleet. But time is running out. Already ansible connections are being shut down and Jane’s impressive mental power has been considerably reduced. If all connections are severed, faster than light travel will end with her.

As for Ender, his relationship with his wife has become strained since the death of her son, Father Estevao, at the hands of a murderous Father tree. She has gone into a convent, and Ender has followed, rapidly becoming more and more ill in doing so. It is later determined that one aiua was not meant to inhabit three bodies and as such all three are breaking down. Ender must consciously, or subconsciously, decide which life is more important: his own without Novihna, young Val’s and her explorations with Miro, or Peter and his political adventuring with Si Wang-Mu.

For their parts, Miro and young Val are getting closer to each other and the truth about the descolada virus. Each planetary exploration has them arriving closer and closer to the descolada’s home world. Their feelings for each other are growing as well, and this causes Miro to be torn between his need and love for Jane and Val’s right to exist. Peter and Wang-mu are also getting closer -- to each other and to their goal of helping the peoples of Lusitania. It would appear that a great Samoan philosopher, Malu, may be the key in swaying Aimaina and stopping the fleet all together. A happy ending may be achieved, but at what cost?

Where Xenocide attempted to tackle the nature of humanity, Children of the Mind looks to the heart. It is a novel that has at its center a message of forgiveness and rebirth.

Recommended by Jamequa Summerall, Librarian