Paperback, 324 pages
English language
Published July 5, 1994 by TOR Books.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He will grow up fast.
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine …
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He will grow up fast.
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.
Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Though featuring child characters so unrealistic they border on being not relatable, the book's end has resonating depth with progressive themes, making it shocking that its author is such a backward-thinking asshole.
1) ''He imagined the ship dangling upside down on the undersurface of the Earth, the giant fingers of gravity holding them firmly in place. But we will slip away, he thought. We are going to fall off this planet.
He did not know its significance at the time. Later, though, he would remember that it was even before he left Earth that he first thought of it as a planet, like any other, not particularly his own.''
2) '''I can't believe you haven't seen through all this crap yet, Ender. But I guess you're young. These other armies, they aren't the enemy. It's the teachers, they're the enemy. They get us to fight each other, to hate each other. The game is everything. Win win win. It amounts to nothing. We kill ourselves, go crazy trying to beat each other, and all the time the old bastards are watching us, …
1) ''He imagined the ship dangling upside down on the undersurface of the Earth, the giant fingers of gravity holding them firmly in place. But we will slip away, he thought. We are going to fall off this planet.
He did not know its significance at the time. Later, though, he would remember that it was even before he left Earth that he first thought of it as a planet, like any other, not particularly his own.''
2) '''I can't believe you haven't seen through all this crap yet, Ender. But I guess you're young. These other armies, they aren't the enemy. It's the teachers, they're the enemy. They get us to fight each other, to hate each other. The game is everything. Win win win. It amounts to nothing. We kill ourselves, go crazy trying to beat each other, and all the time the old bastards are watching us, studying us, discovering our weak points, deciding whether we're good enough or not. Well, good enough for what? I was six years old when they brought me here. What the hell did I know? They decided I was right for the program, but nobody ever asked me if the program was right for me.'''
I had no familiarity with the story or expectations going into this book and it met and surpassed them all. This was an incredibly fun and entertaining read and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys action with sci fi in a distant future from our world. I've moved onto a few other books that O.S.C. wrote in this series just to get a little more of tales as a Launchy and how to defeat Buggers.
I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! I ultimately found it very moving.
Just read this and once I started I couldn't stop. Very interesting idea and not-so-surprising end. Still very good.
Wow. The book completely consumed me. The story of 6 year old boy learning, fighting, surviving military training amongst peers and growing older. Of what it means to be human. Book asks the same question I have been for some time. Is the result/action more important than intention? What happens when you can't tell the right from wrong? Parts I probably enjoyed most were fights/battles Ender has been through. You can see a small boy turn into a brilliant tactician, stratego and killer. I still have goosebumps. The book kept me up for 6 hours straight, until I finished it during one night. Flawless
Powerful, inspiring and heart-breaking. Science fiction at its best.
Le premier volume de la trilogie Ender.
Ender's Game is a classic science fiction story definitely in the canon of late 20th century fiction works.
This is a classic science fiction adventure book. But wait, before you write it off because it's science fiction, let me try to sell you on it.
I don't like most sci-fi. It's boring, it's all about weird gadgets and aliens and has nothing to do with reality. Orson Scott Card, however, writes some of the most convincing, true-to-life characters ever. His stories are not about space ships, gadgets and aliens, they are about people, people who you can believe in and who you want to know more about. Give it a try. It's a really fast, light read, and there's something in it fore everyone.
