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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card   (218 ratings)

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Rating (218 ratings)
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Book Information  
AuthorOrson Scott Card
TitleEnder's Game
SeriesEnder
Volume1
Year1985
GenreScience Fiction
 
Book Reviews (submitted by readers)
 
Submitted by Renee 
(May 15, 2007)

My name is Renee and I am a high school student in San Diego. Reading Ender's Game was an assignment for my English Literature class and,honestly, I never would have read the book if it were not. But, I came to understand the story and its characters and enjoy it enough to recommend it to others.
Orson Scott Card is obviously a good science fiction writer because several of his books have been awarded the Hugo and Nebula awards. Ender's Game has rightfully won both of those awards. I enjoyed the book because it was very different from other books I have read. For example, the children in Ender's Game were extremely mature for their age intellectually and their thinking process, but still very childlike in the way they treated their peers. When Ender's 10 year old brother was first introduced, I had to look back and check the children's age because in reality it is unusual for someone so young to have so much rage and jealousy.One thing Card could have improved upon was how he explained the politics. There is a government system reffered to throughout the entire story, but the author never gave enough of an explanation for the reader to get a good understanding.
Although the story takes place over 6 years, it seems to be fast paced because there is always something interesting and different happening so that the reader never gets bored. The characters are very well developed and the 3rd person point of view allows the audience to understand the characters' personality and therefore to become more connected to the book. The characters are not developed through impersonal descriptions, but rather through how they handle their experiences and through their thoughts; which helps to build a solid, instead of a hollow connection with the reader.
The author uses many literary techniques; a few of which are, flashbacks, magic realism, and side story. Throughout the story, Ender has many flashbacks of the different stages of his life which are accompanied by thoughts and emotions that permit the audience to follow Ender's character development. Magic realism is a technique in which events are described realistically, but with strange customs and beliefs. Although many things in Ender's Game are unfamiliar to the
readers; the book takes you into a new reality where you are able to accept the alien threat, differing foreign affairs, and children with no sense of innocence if just temporarily for your enjoyment of the novel. At the beginning of every chapter there is a side story, or narrative, between two varying officers that gives information to show the reader a new side of the story and foreshadow what will happen later in the book; this keeps the reader interested and guessing at how the side story will tie into the major story.
Ender's Game has something for many types of people. The story and the characters are very complex, which allows for a flexible audience in which many different people will enjoy many different aspects of the story. Action lovers will enjoy all the combat and Ender's "win all battles at once" attitude, strategists will like the quick wittedness of the children, and the sensitive types will be sympathetic with Ender until the very end when his troubles are satisfactorily redeemed.


Submitted by Willis, The 14 year old reader 
(Aug 28, 2005)

I first read this book at the age of 9 and it enthralled me. I couldn’t believe that I had never hear of Card before. I have reread this book about 5 times until I could finally have the horror of sending a 6-year-old boy into space, planted in my mind. While reading this book you are treated to a couple of moments where you hear Graph speak about breaking Ender, which was depressing. I have read all the books and this one is overflowing with compassion and understanding of a 6-year-old boy trying not to go crazy with having every person in the world wishing they were him.


Submitted by Demosthenes 
(Sep 05, 2004)

A thrilling novel which can make you smile and choke on tears at the same time. Ender is a strong character whose emotions can be felt by the reader. He is sensitive and intelligent and most of all perceptive. Ender knows himself, the people around him and- his enemies.
This novel is not only an exciting sci-fi adventure for any age but it also approaches worldly issues on a deeper level. Issues of humanity, politics, morals and values, war and peace, guilt, love, and acceptance.
This novel makes you question humanity, how seperate different cultures and countries are from each other and what would happen if all of humanity on earth were to bond together in order to fight for a greater cause. Scott Card deals with aspects of greed which effects so many leaders and politicians while the war against the buggers is going on. Many of the humans on earth are anticipating the end of the bugger war so that they can have their highly intelligent children returned to their home countries to fight for their country in a war against other earthlings. In the end, Ender's brother Peter, regains utlimate power of earth through his ideas and his voice, not through war. With the coroperation of all humanity, Peter supervises the development and colonization of other planets in outer space.
But Scott Card doesn't just deal with war between human groups or between humans and aliens, he also deals with war between peers, between students and authority and between oneself. At battle school, Ender must protect himself from the bullies who, out of pride and jealousy of Ender's great intelligence, try to kill him. Ender battles with the teachers too. Ender is constantly being pushed harder than any of the other students, he is being worn out physically and emotionally and his teachers are initiating the pressure and pain, watching the whole time without helping him, and Ender knows it. Ender tries to find a way to bring the students together and beat the teachers and their extreme expectations for him. Yet the conflict is so much more complex than a war between students and teachers. The teachers, especailly Graff, love Ender but they need him to be the best he can be so that humanity may be saved. Ender understands the importance of his training and suffers emotional turmoil as he feels rejected by his teachers and helpless in situations which are set up against him. For example, when Ender is on the space shuttle to battle school with his peers, he is exposed to the other children in such a way by proffeser Graff that he has a tough time making friends.
Ender also battles with his own sense of guilt. He feels guilt for fighting the buggers when no communication between humans and buggers is available. He also feels guilt for hurting others around him in self-defense, and in order to bring the best out in others, (as is the case with Bean). Ender also battles his strong and over powering feelings of love which he feels for his friends and for his sister Valentine, whom he still remembers after years in battle school.
Still the novel goes deeper, digging into all sorts of social and psychological levels. Forgiveness is a huge aspect by the end of the book as Ender is forgiven by the hive queen and given a chance to undo the xenocide crime he commited against his will.

Ender's Game, along with the rest of the Ender's Game series is highly recommended due to its literary depth and ability to entertain.


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