Pros: Great character development, excellent plot twist, engaging story line, and well-developed sci-fi world.
Cons: Um...none that I can think of.
The Bottom Line: Exciting plot and cool technology, PLUS interesting moral questions and well-developed characters. I can't recommend this enough - you've got to read it!
watac's Full Review: Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game
I finished this book today, and it's the first Orson Scott Card book I've read. Normally, I don't read sci-fi books, even though I like sci-fi movies a lot. I was fascinated by the moral questions presented in the book. But before I go into that, here's my general take on the book:.
The main character, Ender, is unusual, but believable. As a child, he has exceptional mental abilities, but his thought process is very human and occasionally childlike. He's one of the greatest fictional characters I have seen (right up there with Howard Roark in the Fountainhead).
I also like the way Ender's relationships with the other children are described. The whole time I was reading the book, I kept wanting Ender to have a normal relationship with one of the other kids, but, because of his leadership positions, he was not able to really be a kid.
The plot twist near the end of the book was great (kind of like the plot twist in the movie The Sixth Sense). I didn't see it coming, even though it seems obvious now. Brilliant writing.
O.K., now about the moral issues -
The first intriguing issue was whether or not we are guilty of crimes that others trick us into committing. The author never answers this question, but he presents it numerous times -- in Ender's violent encounters with other students and with the Buggers (aliens).
Another moral issue was the fact that the individuals who experience the greatest self-improvement always seem to be those who experience the most conflict and hardship. Just as Graff, on of the adults in the book, keeps saying, the challenges Ender is forced to endure make him stronger.
Another issue was to what extent we become like the people with whom we surround ourselves. The students who spent the most time with Ender became like him. Similarly, Ender's sister, Val, became a little bit like Ender's brother, Peter, because of the time she spent with him.
I don't want to make this too long, so just take my word for it -- there are lots of other compelling moral issues in this novel. I didn't expect that -- I really just expect sci-fi books to have interesting plots and cool technology, which this book did. I think the moral content is what makes this book a classic, though.
The Earth is under attack and the survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the alien buggers. Recruited for military ...More at Barnes & Noble.com
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