Factual error: Britons will be grateful to know that it would be impossible for the UN to order the nuclear destruction of Great Britain. The UK, being a member of the Permanent Security Council has the power to veto any UN decision.
Continuity mistake: In the first chapter, when the Thunderclan hunting patrol meet the Shadowclan border patrol; the Shadowclan cats taunt the Thunderclan cats and Birchfall jumps on Snaketail. Snaketail's apprentice Scorchpaw then jumps on top and Hazeltail joins in to help Birchfall. It says: 'Hazeltail launched *himself*' but it says in the Allegiances section that Hazeltail is a she-cat.
Continuity mistake: In Chapter 2, Hester Latterly tells Mary Farraline about her brother James who was killed in the Crimea. But in previous books (for example, The Face of a Stranger), her brother who was killed in the Crimea was called George.
Factual error: During Soneji's trial in part four, the prosecuting attorney objects when the defense asks Cross a leading question. Since Cross was called by the defense as a hostile witness, it is legally permitted to ask him leading questions.
Factual error: On page 296, Clapton mentions rehearsals for the Cream reunion began in May 2005 and lasted almost a month. But the reunion itself was held the first week of May, so it should say rehearsals began in April.
Factual error: On page 512, line 10, there is a mistake in the "voice over" when dealing with the killing of Desi, "the feel of his own blood spurting between his fingers with each pulse." The jugular vein was cut, and veins don't spurt with each pulse; they ooze. Arteries do the spurting with each pulse.
Factual error: In chapter 9, 1941 during world war II, Chuck Dewar is stationed in Hawaii where he windsurfs, although windsurfing was first invented 20 years later (in the 60s).
Continuity mistake: David and Steve are playing racquetball. There is nothing on the brown wooden floor, and neither have a towel. David becomes woozy, so Steve checks on him. There is a white towel on the floor, behind their feet, which disappears when they resume their game. (00:01:42 - 00:02:20)
Plot hole: In chapter 19, while talking about Leah Rose, it is stated "She and Rayford had spotted the seal of the believer. Otherwise she might have never given him the time of day." Fact is, when she is introduced in the series, it is Buck whom she meets and they notice the mark of the believer on each other's forehead. When she meets Rayford much later, they both already know each are believers.
Plot hole: It took Ender only a few hours to unravel a mystery that 3 generations of highly educated and skilled xenologists and xenobiologists were unable to do. Pipo, of the first generation, was restricted by the rules imposed on him by the congress and he found out the truth but died because of it. After that Libo should have simply asked the piggies what happened and should have digged into the piggies' reproduction system, like he should have done in the first place as that is his job. Both Libo and Miro and Ouanda broke the rules so they shouldn't have had a problem with asking the right questions. They weren't afraid of the piggies either, loved them even. Libo would have had the answer to the reason for the death of his father and understood the piggies in a week, even though Novinha had hid the original data. If not him Miro and Ouanda would have had plenty of time to figure it out as well, just by asking questions. They would have learned a lot more about the descolada virus decades sooner as well, giving them more chance to combat it successfully.
Suggested correction: This entry first claims that it took three generations to find the solution, then states that individual in the first generation found it. If one xenologist can arrive at the solution from scratch, a literal genius like Ender can certainly rapidly come to the same conclusion using the data the next two generations compiled in the meantime.
They were all geniuses. The other 2 generations should have found out just a quickly or even quicker if they would have just simply done their jobs. It doesn't make sense.
But in Xenocide Miro's siblings like Ela, Olhado, Quarra and Grego are in the same league as Ender in intelligence, solving impossible questions without either Ender or Valentine even grasping it well enough to understand. Surely Miro isn't the only one lacking. They got that genius from their parents, the second generation xenologists Libo and Novinha who are both geniuses as well. At least the third generation should have figured it out long before Ender showed up. Mostly my point is they haven't actually done their job in all this time instead of them not being as smart as Ender to figure it out. Just ask the right questions like Ender did and voila. Its their job to ask questions but they didn't do it and their attitude towards the piggies is all wrong.
Continuity mistake: In previous books (such as The Face of a Stranger), Hester Latterly's sister-in-law is called Imogen. In Chapter 7 of this book, however, her name is given as Josephine.
Other mistake: In the hardcover edition, published 2008. The mistake is on page 100 - "And when did faux mitzvah enter everyone's vocabulary accept mine?". 'Accept' should obviously be 'except.'
Other mistake: In the picture of Twig's woodtroll village (Corgi edition page 291), it shows the village with a large tree cabin in the middle. At the bottom of this tree, you can see Twig and Cowlquape standing with a small figure that is probably an oakelf. We can assume this oakelf is Spooler because the only other oakelf is Taghair, who is in his caternest. If the figure is Spooler then this is a definite mistake because Spooler died in the last chapter. Twig and Cowlquape should be standing with Goom the banderbear.
Factual error: The main character, a WWI U-boat captain, mentions his vessel as having chemical air regenerators, an underwater airlock for divers to leave by, and of course dive suit(s), but I don't believe such craft of that era had any of those.
Continuity mistake: In the first book, A Wicked Slice, Graham Sheldon was either 30 (beginning of Ch.2) or 31 (end of Ch.7). Now, in this fourth book, it is two years later, and Graham is "now at the age of twenty-nine" (middle of Ch. 1). He is getting younger.
Continuity mistake: In the second chapter it states specifically that Lillith is texting on her iphone however after receiving a text from a friend she says she closes her phone or snaps her phone shut suggesting that she is using a flip phone.
Continuity mistake: In section 12 of chapter 11, Henry thinks about how "He, Pete, Beaver and Jonesy's wife had kept a secret among them", that Jonesy's "heart had stopped twice" after he was hit by a car about 10 months earlier. This is a mistake because earlier that day, in section 8 of chapter 3, Pete hadn't known about it - Henry tells Pete that Jonesy's "heart stopped in the ambulance", and Pete is shocked to hear it.
Factual error: The geographical issues begin about mid-way through with the characters at Glacier National Park in Montana for a wedding. When everyone begins to leave, Nick is taking the scenic route back to New York via car. Harper is getting a ride to South Dakota to catch a plane. The scenic route in Montana is Hwy 2, which the author labels as US Route 2 (technically correct but Montanans call it Hwy 2). Continually talks about 2 lane roads. Yet the next location the car stops at is Sleeping Elk. Higgins has them spending the night there. Sleeping Elk is a smaller than small town that is by the Interstate which entails getting off another Interstate to make the connection. Sleeping Elk has no motels and is less than 10 minutes from Bozeman. Higgins makes it sound like they are in the middle of nowhere when in reality, they are not. Also never mentions the passing by of other large cities including the state capital but rather mentions the smaller cities that are on Hwy 2.
Plot hole: It is revealed in the book that Melancholia's reflection is killed instead of Melancholia to cover their tracks. But reflections are frequently described in the book to be able to be spotted by sorcerers "a mile off." And yet not one Sanctuary Agent or the cleanup crew notice and alert the Sanctuary or Skulduggery.