First the praise. Card does an excellent job in characterization and that is the main strength of the book. The reader familiar with the previous novel will learn new and important things about each main charcter: Bean, Petra, Peter, Achilles and Sister Carlotta. We even get a deeper understanding of the more peripheral characters in the novel, such as Ender's parents. And they are all, very, very interesting characters.

I was troubled a bit by the plot. I think partially because I made the mistake of reading an online "chat" with Orson Scott Card on... , where he came across in some answers as a bit snobbish about his religion and not very forthcoming about some of his other points of view on issues. That's his prerogative, but I found his dismissiveness annoying. Secondly, I read the afterward before reading the book and didn't much agree with what he had to say there about America (or in the online chat) quickly becoming a marginal player in world affairs. I do agree with many of his criticims of the US, but I find it highly unlikely that the US will be marginalized so quickly. I'm saying this simply to state I had some biases before I start the book.

Nevertheless, the plot is thin and there's little reasonable or rational reason why Achille's or Peter could pull the strings of world powers so easily. I need more convincing than what Card offers, which is extremely little. Second, I still don't like the easy way he sweeps nuclear weapons under the rug using the IF. And finally, that the Western hemisphere is a non-player in the whole the shebang.

Basically, I don't think the plot that plausible and the author doesn't do enough to convince me.

BTW, I was also maybe put off a bit because there are corrections to the novel posted on Card's official website at ...