Children of the Mind

Orson Scott Card's Children of the Mind is the direct sequel (and second part) of Xenocide. It starts of pretty much right where the previous novel left off. The story seems to be brings the series in to an even more philosophical and moralistic vein. However, it is still full of good sci fi adventure and comedy. We have adventures with boisterous Somoans, spontaneous teleporting, corporate Japanese influencers, and souls popping out of bodies.

However, the human relationships are what really drives the book. The "science" allows exploration of avenues that would be impossible to truly know otherwise. What if you could only do what your subconscious truly desired? Would the love shown be enough to truly do what the conscious brain says it would do? Is it justified being cruel to somebody for their own benefit? What does it mean to love someone?

With the heavy character development and the worry about the death/rebirth of computer/human Jane, the potential annihilation of the planet by a startship fleet is given short shift. It seems to be tagged on to the end to bring some closure and feels somewhat artificial in its resolution. (However it does provide for a Dr. STrangelove-esque bit of slapstick.)