Xenocide

3.5* Not as profound as the first two books in Ender's Saga, but still definitely worth reading. This entry continued the focus on religion that was developed in the 2nd book, Speaker of the Dead. There is a lot to think about: Are we genetically destined? How much free will do we really have? Where do community rights overcome the individual rights? Can xenocide be justified? What constitutes sentience? Is faith enough? How screwed up can a family be? At times, so many questions weighed down the plot and it took me a long time (for me anyways) to get through the book. That said, I found all the characters and the world building on both Lusitania and Path really well done. Also, the "godspoken" OCD purification rituals and all genetic theory was very interesting. I had mixed feelings on the end: one subplot involving Ender seemed a little unnecessary and silly, but the Qing-jao sub plot was very satisfying.