Ender's Game

Title: Ender's Game

Author: Orson Scott Card

Release Date: 1 January 1985

Genre: Middle-Grade Science-Fiction

Series: Ender's Saga #1

Pages: 324

Goodreads Description:
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's world is so bleak.

A 6 year old being sent to army school, which emphasizes more on the army than on the school part. When I was 6, I just finished reading Roald Dahl and took 1-hour lunches (I am a slow eater) while watching Hi-5(the old crew).

I initially started this book after I saw it in my school library, and the cover intrigued me. Besides, I was hunting for some good middle-grade science fiction.

I felt some of the words used were a little crass, but thankfully it didn't span the whole book. And they had a weird obsession with the word 'fart'.

This is set in the future, where there are "buggers" or just your average alien who really wants to kill humans and is preparing an all-out invasion in space for the third time(humans won the first 2). Ender is sent to battle school which is in space to learn how to fight at six. This disconcerts me somehow. Anyways, the teachers really want him to be the best so they push him a lot. not directly of course.

Their hierachy is very special. And interesting. First, there's the Commanders. they are assigned their own army and are mostly 12 or 14. Then there's the toon leaders. They have their own group to command. The toon leaders are under the commander's rule.

So therefore Commander - Toon Leader - Toon(aka soldiers). There are many armies in the school, ergo many commanders. Glad I sorted that out. All of the children also have an aptitude to violence. It is a prerequisite to just be eligible to be in Battle School.

I really really really enjoyed the part on the "invasion game", yes the games at the end. The twist was so unexpected! But reasonable. There was also something on of the characters said that I agreed with. "The teachers are the enemies". They are the manipulators behind the scene.

The psychological games really sickened me. I hate the teachers. They don't even TEACH in the first place. The kids have to learn how to fight by themselves in battle school. They really adhere to the "kill-or-be-killed" rule, huh?

I liked Demosthene and Locke the best. That part was wicked cool. Two pseudonyms for political speakers on the internet? And given their real identity? Boy, was I blown away. This idea was amazing. And the political opinions actually made sense, not like in other books when they create these sort of advice stuff and they don't make sense at all.

This book was also excellent at conveying how badly adults undermine children. Major theme. But of course, in the end,children are the best, aren't we?

I would recommend this book to any science-fiction lover, and people who can immerse themselves in a book. I know people who would hate this book because they won't take the time to try and understand what is going on. When I read, nothing else matters, therefore concentration is paramount if you are to read this. But anyways, just give it a try. I did and it rocked my world.

Oh by the way, you should check the book description by the author. Longer, though it may be a little better. http://www.hatrack.com/osc/books/endersgame/endersgame.shtml

5/5