"Children of the Mind" by Orson Scott Card

This is the fourth and final (? not really) book in the Ender/Andrew Wiggin tetralogy. It took me much longer time to read it (besides busy schedule and a lay-off) because it is a difficult book to read.  There is very little action happening in the book, but most of it is philosophical conversations about different existential issues.  Issues covered overtly and covertly are the existence of a supreme out-of-this-concept-of-the-universe God (or Godhead would be more appropriate as the Gnostics called that entity), the relationship of this good with lesser entities, like angels (which could be Jane or the Queen formics), the role of free will in human's relationship with the supernatural, the concept of the soul and how could it fit within textbook physics, the role of marriage, sex inside (or outside) a marriage, the role of faith in the lives of people (humans and alien pecaninos), the role and duties of the priesthood class and finally Ender as a flawed Jesus Christ (in which case Jane might be the Holy Spirit).

The deep wish and urge of Card to explain his Mormon fate scientifically and universaly is painfully visible throughout the novel and is rather distracting. Auya is a soul, anyone can see that, but with the philotic postulations Card goes further to try to explain Auyas as must-haves, but then we get into discussing zombies (the new Peter and the new Valentine) who are alive but have no souls (Auyas), while the transfer of Auyas Card is describing reminds very closely of certain Voodoo rituals and possessions.

The book has some interesting concepts, but it is not based on a plot or a story, but rather Card's desire to rationally explain the irrational concepts his faith has imposed on him.  This effort, which is painfully obvious at times, detracts from the artistic side of the book and makes it of much lesser quality than the previous three ones.  I will not be reading any more Ender books (be they "Shadow" or otherwise).