394 pages
English language
Published Aug. 8, 1991 by Tor.
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.
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Just one of my favorites. Since I first learned about this book in middle school, it has been one of my favorites.
Compared to my previous two books, Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, felt quite fast and quick, but that doesn’t mean the story doesn’t develop just as well as the books I read last year, not at all!
The state of the world is not a good one, Humanity hasn’t really conquered the stars and flourished just yet, other than a few stations. Earth has been at war with the buggers, some insectoid alien race that had come in contact with the planet twice already. The first time it was just exploration, and Humanity managed to hold out. The second time, was colonization, and we almost lost. Thankfully, the genius strategist Mazer Rackham managed to stop them and became the hero of the story. We lived happily ever after.
But decades have passed since then, and a third invasion is on the horizon.
Now, kids are being monitored from birth, …
Compared to my previous two books, Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, felt quite fast and quick, but that doesn’t mean the story doesn’t develop just as well as the books I read last year, not at all!
The state of the world is not a good one, Humanity hasn’t really conquered the stars and flourished just yet, other than a few stations. Earth has been at war with the buggers, some insectoid alien race that had come in contact with the planet twice already. The first time it was just exploration, and Humanity managed to hold out. The second time, was colonization, and we almost lost. Thankfully, the genius strategist Mazer Rackham managed to stop them and became the hero of the story. We lived happily ever after.
But decades have passed since then, and a third invasion is on the horizon.
Now, kids are being monitored from birth, and those who show promise are drafted to become part of the army at a really young age, with the hopes of finding the next genius, who will command the fleet and protect the planet from the buggers.
Ender ends up drafted, and since he shows the most promise, he’s put into tremendous pressure by his superiors, making him go through quite a ton of hardships. Learning the tactics and strategy, by a series of games that put him and his army to the test. Zero G battles, Simulations, Games—as some might say.
The story really played with my feelings and morals quite a bit, no matter how cool and epic battles and victories were, things were just, wrong all the time, and yet, what else could be done? It really makes me think and feel uncomfortable, and it somehow remained hopeful, even if just a little.
The writing was great, the pacing felt alright, I couldn’t stay away from the book for long. It was a really intricate story where the protagonist has to sacrifice everything for the greater good—if there is any greater good at all. And the characters, the characters were amazing. Ender is such a complex character and the people that sorround him are really interesting too. The kids at school, his family, his superiors. Some of them only served for the story, sure, but they did so quite well.
Tragically, I had already watched the movie adaptation, and had an idea of the main plot and the finale. I was a little dissapointed by the fact that such a movie—which is pretty average—spoiled it for me. But I was still rather surprised by the twists and turns, as well as the points in the story that differ between the book and the film, or that aren’t even in it.
I am glad I gave it a read, highly recommended.
My copy of this book is completely fallen apart through being read and re-read countless times in childhood, I had to take a star off for the heartbreak I received when I found out about the author's personal views
Engaging story. Sci Fi holds up well because it does not go into detail regarding technology. The philosophical and moral aspects, arguably the core of the book, are a bit caricatured.
Not really a reader of sci-fi, I chose this as my intro to the genre. It's good, but I'm surprised at the undying praise it seems to receive. It's not that good.
The story is okay, but far too much time is spent describing Ender's battles during training. Maybe that's a genre thing, though. I'm interested in reading the novelette it is based on, as this story seems much more suited to that length.
While there are handful of great passages, the writing is clunky in many parts, often switching POV mid-paragraph. Again, maybe that's a genre thing.
Felt kind of like a sci-fi Harry Potter.
Rereading for the I-don't-know-how-many'th time. While there are sequels, and some of them are okay, the first book is still the best.
Reminds me of Asimov in his early Y/A days.
Little worried this won a Hugo.
An old classic I reread after watching the movie. It was good to see the Battle School and Ender's Dragon army again after so many years (decades?) after I initially read it. I'm glad I can still enjoy the book after all this time.
A full review is up on my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2014/01/book-review-enders-game-by-orson-scott.html
Would have rated higher if some editor could have kept the whole Locke/Demosthenes thing out of it.
I fail to see why this book is so hyped up. It is mediocre at best.
Quite a moody book but a good one. I thought I read it before but it seemed new and more potent than I remember.
One of the "classical" SciFi books that I hadn't read yet - fixed it. Ender is 6 years old, and he's seen as the final hope of humans in front of the imminent invasion of aliens (who already wreaked some havoc in the past). The promising children are sent to the war school so that they become soldiers and officers; the school supplies a number of games to teach military strategy to children. Ender climbs the grades very quickly, and we follow his training from his recruitment on. It's quite a nice read, even if it's sometimes hard to put it back in a context of "wait, he's like 7 years old now?".
A hive mind composed of thinking individuals is more resilient, but is it any more noble than pure central command?
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.
