While Dabeet’s stiffness never entirely disappears, once he realizes that Graff’s challenge to “make use of the knowledge has” includes respecting the expertise and humanity of others and taking ownership of the mistakes that he has made, Dabeet’s own development, as well the story’s, pick up nicely.Ĭard writes confidently the development of exceptional children is certainly his wheelhouse and we see much of his characteristic style, including with plenty of his ‘blank white room’ dialogue at the beginning of chapters that lacks any type of dialogue tags. Unlike Ender, whose innate compassion tempers his brilliance, or Bean, whose difficult life circumstances make his superiority more relatable, Dabeet has neither internal or external circumstances to help the reader connect to him. However, when reading CHILDREN OF THE FLEET it’s difficult not to compare Dabeet to the protagonists of the first two series. Of course, being a ‘relatable’ character is not a prerequisite for a great book–in fact, many novels rely on unlikable protagonists. Unfortunately this means that for the first (almost half?) of the book, Dabeet is a very unlikable, difficult character and it can feel difficult to fully engage with his story. The weakness of novel is also the very crux of the book–Dabeet’s journey from an unlikable, arrogant, self-unaware child into someone who has the potential to be a powerful leader. These moments help the book feel adequately paced and entertaining, more so once Dabeet is in Fleet School. Card is in his element here, as we watch children accomplish adult tasks, and we, as readers, get to learn along with them. Card gives us breaks along the way, such as showing the reader new features of the battle room and having Dabeet learn some basic rules of space survival. Although the approaching threat to Fleet School and Dabeet’s mother give the narrative a forward momentum, Dabeet’s personal growth is the real focus here and his character development comes primarily through conversation and reflection. MinCol’s interest in Dabeet sparks the attention of another, less well-intentioned group, who kidnap Dabeet and threaten to kill his mother if he does not help them conduct a ‘raid’ on Fleet School to scare the International Fleet, a goal that Dabeet immediately suspects hides darker, ulterior motives.Īlthough Dabeet’s eventual placement in Fleet School is never really in doubt (the novel is titled CHILDREN OF THE FLEET, after all, not Children Whose Applications Were Summarily Rejected), what is in question is whether Dabeet will take responsibility for the plot he has helped set in motion, which could potentially result in the deaths of everyone at Battle School.ĭespite the threat of death, this is not an action-packed story. Our old friend, Hyrum Graff, now the Minister of Colonization (MinCol), is less convinced, and bluntly informs Dabeet that he is not fit for the school. Dabeet circumvents his mother and applies to Fleet School, confident that with scores even higher than Ender Wiggin’s (although, of course, not as high as the famed Julian Delphiki’s) that he is guaranteed admission.
Dabeet even views his mother, the only person he is close with, as an obstacle to his progression. More importantly, he doesn’t understand why he should desire human connection. While Dabeet is highly intelligent, he nonetheless struggles to forge meaningful human relationships. Dabeet Ochoa is a preternaturally intelligent child who is convinced that he belongs in Fleet School, not stuck on Earth.
Set in the aftermath of Ender’s victory in the Third Formic war, CHILDREN OF THE FLEET ( Amazon) begins after Battle School has been converted to Fleet School, a place to train future leaders for humanity’s colonization efforts. By limiting himself to a relatively simple plot and using the already familiar setting of Battle Fleet School, Card can fully explore the emotional journey of Dabeet Ochoa. While it’s not exactly a bottle episode, Card’s narrative shares a similar intense focus on depth, not breadth.
In his newest addition to the Enderverse, CHILDREN OF THE FLEET, Card immerses his readers once again in a world of precocious children, absent but watchful adults, and a life or death mission. Not only are ‘bottle episodes’ cheap to shoot, relying on one set instead of several, they are also light on plot, allowing writers to spend more time focusing on character development. While the premise is absurd, trapping everyone in the same room allows for hilarity, as well as serious revelations about their relationships, to ensue. One episode of Season 2 takes place entirely in a locked room as the characters search for a missing pen. I first learned the term “bottle episode” while watching “Community” (thank you, Abed).
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