Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game (German language, 2005)
411 pages
German language
Published Jan. 1, 2005
Ender's Game is a 1985 military science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. Set at an unspecified date in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind after two conflicts with the Formics, an insectoid alien species they dub the "buggers". In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, children, including the novel's protagonist, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, are trained from a very young age by putting them through increasingly difficult games, including some in zero gravity, where Ender's tactical genius is revealed. The book originated as a short story of the same name, published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. The novel was published on January 15, 1985. Later, by elaborating on characters and plotlines depicted in the novel, Card was able to write additional books in the Ender's Game series. Card also released an updated version of Ender's Game in 1991, changing some …
Ender's Game is a 1985 military science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. Set at an unspecified date in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind after two conflicts with the Formics, an insectoid alien species they dub the "buggers". In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, children, including the novel's protagonist, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, are trained from a very young age by putting them through increasingly difficult games, including some in zero gravity, where Ender's tactical genius is revealed. The book originated as a short story of the same name, published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. The novel was published on January 15, 1985. Later, by elaborating on characters and plotlines depicted in the novel, Card was able to write additional books in the Ender's Game series. Card also released an updated version of Ender's Game in 1991, changing some political facts to reflect the times more accurately (e.g., to include the recent collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War). The novel has been translated into 34 languages. Reception of the book has been mostly positive. It has become suggested reading for many military organizations, including the United States Marine Corps. Ender's Game was recognized as "best novel" by the 1985 Nebula Award and the 1986 Hugo Award in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Its four sequels—Speaker for the Dead (1986), Xenocide (1991), Children of the Mind (1996), and Ender in Exile (2008)—follow Ender's subsequent travels to many different worlds in the galaxy. In addition, the later novella A War of Gifts (2007) and novel Ender's Shadow (1999), plus other novels in the Shadow saga, take place during the same time period as the original. A film adaptation of the same name, written for the screen and directed by Gavin Hood, and starring Asa Butterfield as Ender, was released in October 2013. Card co-produced the film. The novel has also been adapted into two comic book series.
I am definitely the type of person that would adore this book. The relationships between the characters are relatable for my own relationships in life. I found the world building to be so creative by pulling from interesting concepts. The twist genuinely made me put the book down because I really, really was not expecting it. And, the ending was satisfying.
Alors, ce un livre sur Andrew Wiggins, aka Ender Wiggins, et c'est bon. Je pense premier, non, c'est un livre mal, mais c'est bon.
My French fucking sucks. It's a great book and it surprised me. Well worth reading.
Difícil. É uma obra prima! Único. Um retrato do fim da infância. Uma reflexão sobre brutalização e o papel da linguagem.
Mas é machista e homofóbico.
Mas não mostra o quanto incomum são seus personagens pois não se relacionam com outros personagens comuns.
Mas não mostra o que há de certo ou errado na genética dos irmãos Wiggin.
Em suma, não é perfeito. Talvez não fosse em 85 e com certeza não é agora.
Mas é singular.
I finished reading this today. I planned on dropping it about 30% of the way through. A couple days ago I was really inebriated, and Ender's Game was about all I could read in that state, so I ended up finishing it after all.
I don't enjoy reading about a character who never loses. All the grief and trauma Ender goes through seems to only be written for his accomplishments to be even more impressive. The writing is so self-indulgent and gratuitious that I almost feel bad for making fun of it. If I was a bullied little kid, this book would probably mean a lot to me.
I really wanted to like this book. I really wanted to review it with an unbiased point of view, but I'm not sure I can so I'm not going to try. I honestly don't see the genius in this book. I think the whole idea of training a 6-year old boy, regardless of his own genius, to become the commander of a world army is a little disturbing. I guess the long and the short of it is, while I was never bored I was never really entertained, either.
This book goes SO beyond the sci-fi setting and is really more of a political/conspiracy that is merely set in space.
Can not suggest this book enough.
Anyone who was ever treated as the "smart kid" and likes sci-fi would have a hard time resisting this book, I think. It kept me up late, which is not a habit for me. At times a got suspicious that the whole story would be a tribute to child militarism justified by a faceless evil enemy, but this aspect of the story remains ambiguous enough that I may indulge in the sequel also.
This was one of those books that everyone was reading, when I was in high school. Based on the high volume of reviews, it seems like it still is. I read it, at the time, because of the glowing recommendations from a number of people whose opinions I valued.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why this book is so popular.
The characters are wooden in their portrayal, and some of the most implausibly written children I've ever read. The pacing is awful, rushing through sequences. It's as if Card's written a timeline checklist, and is trying to get through each point as quickly as possible. Which would explain why every instance of characterization is so damn heavy-handed.
Worst is the fact that Card's Mormonism is a driving factor to the plot. A different planet for each religion? Pro-militaristic dogma? Overt homophobia? Even when I was 15 and …
This was one of those books that everyone was reading, when I was in high school. Based on the high volume of reviews, it seems like it still is. I read it, at the time, because of the glowing recommendations from a number of people whose opinions I valued.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why this book is so popular.
The characters are wooden in their portrayal, and some of the most implausibly written children I've ever read. The pacing is awful, rushing through sequences. It's as if Card's written a timeline checklist, and is trying to get through each point as quickly as possible. Which would explain why every instance of characterization is so damn heavy-handed.
Worst is the fact that Card's Mormonism is a driving factor to the plot. A different planet for each religion? Pro-militaristic dogma? Overt homophobia? Even when I was 15 and had no idea what Card's ideologies were, the book still left me feeling queasy, annoyed, cheated.
I'm not even sure why I'd given this book two whole stars when I first rated it, poor as it is. I'll adjust that.
