Ender's Game (Ender, Book 1)

• #18 in Best Science Books

2545 Reviews

Sort by: Most Helpful ▲ Date Rating

I've had a paperback copy of Ender's Game on my bookshelf for years, but for whatever reason, I never got around to reading it. When I found out there was going to be a movie of it coming out, I decided to look the book up on Amazon.com and read some reviews. Wow! I've never seen so many five-star reviews for anything. Not Citizen Kane, Star Wars, Animal House, Shakespeare, not even the Bible. I figured it was time I give the book a shot. Now that I've read it, I can add my opinion to this ever-expanding forum.

I think I should premise my remarks with a couple of preliminary statements. First, I'm 27 years old and I've been a huge fan of science fiction since I saw Star Wars when I was four. I've read one previous book by Orson Scott Card: the novelization of James Cameron's The Abyss, which I thought was pretty good. I know Ender's Game is a very well-loved book, and in expressing my opinion, I'm not trying to anger anyone, but am just trying to say what I feel. Here goes...

I really wanted to like Ender's Game, but I just didn't think it was all that great. It wasn't bad, but it just never really involved me the way that a great book does. What bothered me first off was the quality of the writing. I thought it was extremely poor in places, and at best mediocre. Card doesn't even seem to follow the basic conventions of fiction writing. He'll be in a third-person descriptive paragraph and then throw in a first-person thought mid-stream without any set-up. I found this kind of thing distracting. It's not that the rules and conventions of writing shouldn't be challenged and bent (good writers are always doing this) it's just that I felt in this case, it wasn't Card using artistic license, but rather just writing poorly.

Other aspects of the writing itself bothered me. The lack of vivid description was one of them. Except for in the case of some of the better action sequences, I generally felt that I was reading about something that had happened to somebody else instead of feeling like I was there experiencing it myself. That's the first job of any great writer, to be able to paint with words in a nuanced way that makes the reader feel he or she is uniquely experiencing the world of the story in the first person. I never felt that in Ender's Game. Also I felt the language was overly simplistic and at times unceasingly idiotic. What's with all the fart talk? Surely by having them use a certain amount of slang, Card is reminding us that his characters are children. But I really got tired of reading the word "farteater" after a couple dozen times. That one in particular became very grating. Even the adults say it to one another. Coupled with the weak writing, the language choice and crude dialogue just seemed to undermine the integrity of the story-telling.

Now on to character. I just felt these characters weren't very deeply drawn. I wanted to sympathize with Ender, but from the beginning, didn't feel very close to him. He's supposed to be superhuman (either a Christ-like figure or a second coming of Hitler, or maybe a mixture of the two, depending on how you read the character) and I felt this just made me feel extremely distant from him. I could never see myself making any of the choices he makes. There's too much cold calculation in Ender, and not enough genuine human feeling. I felt that Card's attempt to humanize the character through his relationship with his sister Valentine was forced. There's a lot of telling in this book. Card tells us that Ender loves his sister, that Ender is a genius, that Ender is afraid of becoming the killer that his brother Peter is, but there is precious little showing. There was never a quality scene between Ender and his sister that made me feel what they felt for each other. I have a sister that I love very much and I know what that love feels like, but I never felt those kinds of feelings while reading about these characters.

I don't want to be overly critical. There were some good things in this book, too. It was definitely a page-turner. Despite my earlier criticisms about the writing, the story itself is well put-together. Once you get involved, you're compelled to finish it. If you're a somewhat fast reader, you probably won't need to bother with a bookmark for this one. Also, I would say overall it was a pretty fun read. I'll give this book three stars, because I think there's some great potential here that, in my opinion, is just not fulfilled.

I don't mean to slam this book if it's your favorite. I don't like it when some one says this or that is a "bad book" or a "bad movie" period. I don't believe in those kinds of absolute labels. Every reader brings something unique to a work of fiction and experiences it on a special plane that no one else can ever quite know, even if that other person is your twin brother and has read all of the same books you've ever read and seen all the same movies and known all of the same friends. The experience of reading a book is a magic one, a sacred one even. If you loved Ender's Game, I have nothing bad to say about that. In fact, I think books are a great thing to be passionate about. This one just didn't do it for me. My favorite science fiction book is hands-down Hyperion by Dan Simmons. That whole series, in my opinion, is some of the best written, most thought-provoking, emotionally-involving storytelling out there. Thanks for your time. Here's to good reading....

Whenever I talk about this book, it's hard not to make it sound like I am a science fiction junkie. I love and defend sci-fi, but I am not limited to the genre. Neither, I think, is this magnificent book. To label it simply a sci-fi classic would be like labeling "Moby Dick" a great book about boats. All great books, regardless of the genre, say something truly profound about the human condition.

"Ender's Game" not only manages to have a strong message, but it is also a joy to read. The plot is enthralling, the characters are complex and realistic, and the descriptions of the battleroom fill your head with fantastic images that make you wish your school had been like this, without the burden of saving humanity. The subplot involving Valentine and Peter is superb and cannot fail to inflame every reader's megalomaniacal side. Though the book is about children, it never condescends and gives kids the credit for the intelligent creatures they are (a big plus for teenage readers). The characters are exceptionally bright, but they are still identified as five- to twelve-year olds, not as mini-adults. It's no wonder that so many gifted young readers have made the statement, "I am Ender." I hope "Ender's Game" is able to make the rare crossover from lowly sci-fi to recognized, so-called "legitimate" literature.

Not only will you not be able to put the book down, you won't be able to read this book just once.

First, I'm embarrassed, as the author, that I have to give a rating in "stars" in order to comment here. But since I do have to do so, I'm not about to bring down the average by rating my own book any less than five .

For those who didn't believe the storyline, I can't offer much help. It IS fiction, but people have different levels of tolerance for extravagant variations from their experience in everyday life. As Johnny Carson used to say, "Buy the premise, buy the bit."

For those who have commented that the reason the book is awful is because I don't describe, or my language is so very direct and plain, I must point out that there are several stylistic traditions available to a writer. I, for one, have little patience with writers who show off and try to dazzle readers with their language. The style I choose to use has been called "The American Plain Style," in which the author tries to become as invisible as possible, bringing the reader to see things as if experiencing them along with the character, instead of having a writer constantly commenting and interrupting the flow of the story. Moreover, ever since my days as a playwright I have preferred the bare stage to a realistic set: I found that the less I put on the stage, the more the audience would imagine a much more compelling set than I could ever build. Likewise, in my fiction I describe only as much as is asbsolutely necessary in order to understand what is going on; the rest, the readers create in their own imagination, if they're willing to use it. I try never to describe anything that the point-of-view character would not notice, because such extraneous descriptions take you out of the story. However, when I find it necessary I do describe, and when it is useful (especially at moments of denouement or release) I use more evocative language; some of my story endings (though not Ender's Game) are written as blank verse, though of course I run the lines together so as not to distract the reader. I am also constantly aware of the sound and rhythm of the language, so that it flows and remains pronounceable, since at an unconscious level readers all "read aloud" even if their lips don't move - the written word is inexorably tied to the spoken.

In short, there are many aspects to style, and while those who complain about the style of Ender's Game are entitled to their preferences, it's rather parochial to condemn a book because the author is following a stylistic tradition with which they are unfamiliar. Of course, they are hardly to be blamed for this, since so many literature teachers in American colleges and universities teach as if there were only one way to write well, and one kind of story worth telling.

Of course, those who approached Ender's Game skeptically or because they were "forced" to read it can hardly imagine their response is valid for those who read it as volunteers or with belief: No book, however good, can survive a hostile reading.

In the end, a storyteller tells the tale that he believes in and cares about, and the natural audience consists of those readers who are also willing to believe in and care about that tale. Naturally, I would like to engage as many readers as possible with each story I write; just as naturally, every story ever written pleases some and offends others. I do think, though, that it is possible to detest a book without attacking people who loved it, and I do wish that those who disliked Ender's Game would not personally disparage the readers for whom the story had some particular importance. Such judgments as "best I ever read" or "complete waste of time" are so utterly subjective that in my opinion, at least, one should only report one's own response, not condemn others for having a different one.

I thank those of you who have given your hearts to my story of Ender Wiggin; I also thank those who, while you did not like the book, wrote your negative views with dignity and with reasonable respect for others - including, I might add, the author, who, while he might have written a bad book, did not thereby commit a crime or unnatural act. If America can forgive Bill Clinton, surely there's room for a bit of forgiveness for the imperfections of a few bad writers now and then.

- Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game was written by Orson Scott Card in 1977. Since I was born, I have never read such a compelling, gripping, and intense story such as this one. Ender's Game is truly a masterpiece; it completely blows away any competition it might have had since its publication. I would absolutely, positively, without a doubt, recommend this book to every single person on this planet, and perhaps beyond.

Ender Wiggin, the main character of Ender's Game, is one of the most developed characters to ever be portrayed in all of literature. The reader encounters immense amounts of information regarding him. However, it is never in the form of direct statements of fact. Instead, Card reveals Ender through his various actions and dialogues. For example, at the beginning of the book, Ender is being physically tormented by another kid named Bernard. Ender waits patiently for Bernard to punch him once more. Then, Ender is able to catch Bernard's punch and throw him to the opposite wall. Instead of Card explaining how intelligent and patient Ender is, Card shows these qualities solely through Ender's actions. This alone suggests that Orson Scott Card is an outstanding writer. However, as one continues to read Ender's Game, Card's skill as an author is clearly evident by the beautiful construction, as well as the story line, of the novel.

The science-fiction aspect of this novel serves only as the setting. Ender's Game really has little to do with science-fiction, aliens, and other planets. Instead, it is a passionate tale of strength and weakness, courage and fear, love and hatred, and ignorance and knowledge. Ender is a tool which Card masterfully uses in order to convey these intense emotions. In addition, Card expertly creates feelings of suspense, anticipation, and trepidation. All of these emotions combine to produce one of the best books ever written.

As one reads Ender's Game, he or she will become completely absorbed in it. The book will become impossible to put down, and the reader will devour pages by the hundreds. Time will seem to stop for the reader, and he or she will become so engrossed in the novel that finishing it will become a top priority in the reader's life.

Ender's Game is certainly one of the best books ever written. I would adamantly urge everyone to read it

I bought this book wanting to like it. Given the awards it has won, I fully expected to like it. But I was completely disappointed. The reason for the book's popularity is clear: it panders to a very common personality flaw among young, intellectual males: a belief in one's own intellectual superiority, the notion that one is rejected simply because one is so much "smarter" than others of the same age. The way the characters talk about their own "smartness" is totally juvenile and ridiculous. This theme of the intellectually superior adolescent is also hackneyed beyond belief. It turns up over and over again, especially in science fiction; and no doubt this happens at least partly because the author knows it will sell to the cadres of geeks who imagine themselves geniuses. For a mature person, this sort of stuff is simply tiresome.

This book is a "Starship Troopers" for the Information Age, where enemies never come within a thousand kilometers of each other, but live or perish depending on how well they play computer games.

Six-year-old Ender has his personal monitor removed after living with it for three years. Now isolated from his overseers, he's a target for the school bullies and his homicidal brother, Peter. Only after he overcomes these obstacles is Ender allowed to join the International Force's Battle School in space.

This is the beginning of Ender's real struggle.

Humanity was once almost wiped out by aliens called the buggers. Only the brilliance of a single general saved us. Now the International Force is trying to create a new general before the buggers show up again and complete their genocide.

Ender is an extremely likeable genius--the exact opposite of the clichéd 'evil genius,' which I was getting pretty bored with anyway. He's a sort of six-year-old Byronic hero, earnest and determined to succeed in spite of his new enemies (geniuses themselves) at Battle School. His new mentors immediately and publicly single him out as someone special, and as a result Ender has to break one bully's arm on the shuttle up to school.

Thanks a lot, Teach.

This book's science is plausible, the background story is interesting, the mock battles are exciting and a great device for revealing Ender's growing tactical genius. His character is strengthened through his constant struggle with his envious and sometimes sadistic classmates. I wasn't too interested in the chapters concerning his psychopathic brother and loving sister, but I suppose they're important to the numerous sequels to "Ender's Game." This book's ending is a bit contrived, its climax impersonal and deflated, but other than that Orson Scott Card treats us to brilliant science fiction that is well deserving of its Hugo and Nebula. Ender is the true heir of Heinlein's smart, likeable, believable heroes.

I know I'm in the extreme minority on this one, but I have to say that I just hated almost everything about this book.

Ender is the elite of the elite -- he is a 6-year old kid who possesses the most advanced physical and mental abilities of anyone that the universe has ever seen. Let me try and sum up some of his most incredible accomplishments: he figures out that he can impersonate someone else's log in name by adding a space after it, he figures out that any direction can be considered up in zero gravity, and he develops winning laser tag strategies like not assembling your troops into rigid formations. I mean, sure that's all great for a six-year old, but we're talking about the guy who we're counting on to save the universe here.

The plot itself is very thin. It's good versus evil in a video game battle. I'm sure this was all a whole lot more exciting when it was written in 1977, before the internet and when video games were in their infancy. But that is no excuse for the way over-simplified story line, the ethnically-stereotyped characters, and the painfully crude dialogue. It reads like it was written by someone who hasn't been around kids for 30 years trying to remember how kids talk.

Don't waste your time with this one.

Wouldn't it be neat if somebody recognized how brilliant you were, and took you out of the boring school you're at, and took you away from your dorky parents who don't like you anyway, and put you in this neat training facility with really cool arcade games and even a battle game that you got to play in zero gravity? No? Well then you must be a reader who's outgrown adolescence, and you won't like this book.

How this piece of juvenile fiction ever won the Nebula and Hugo awards I'll never know. The premise is that inter-stellar armies are best run by children with a predilection for violence. Ender is the smartest and most violent of all and he manages to win every fight he's in by miraculously re-writing the book on tactics all on his own. He outsmarts all the kids and adults he's up against with strategies that are bewilderingly original to the other characters in the book, but incredibly obvious to the reader. It's kind of like Harry Potter goes to space, but with much less thought and writing talent.

What a waste of time.

Let's see if I can do some serious damage to my reviewer rating here. This must truly be the most overrated book in the entire science-fiction canon. Card writes prose with the vocabulary of a moderately intelligent adolescent, and since "adult-acting" kids (in the most generous sense) constitute all the major characters of his book, that's who most tends to love this novel. And for all the older readers who think Ender's Game is the greatest thing since sliced bread, well, I guess some of us started our second childhoods a tad early. The best thing about the book is probably the whole subplot about Ender's evil brother and loving sister, and trust me, that ain't saying much. The bulk of the novel, however, is devoted to young Ender's rather unbelievable extended military training, which mostly consists of excruciatingly dull faux-battle scenes whose outcomes are thoroughly predictable. How will Ender and his minions outwit the bad boys-yet somehow earn their grudging respect-this time? Gee golly whiz, Tom Swift, I can't wait to find out! Oy. The capstone of this book's awfulness, apart from its obvious glorification of war for children (maybe Army recruiters should hand it out to junior high schoolers in West Virginia) and its characters' obsession with farting, is Card's utterly pretentious introduction to this "author's definitive edition." What a pompous bore! 'Tis a sad commentary on things that this man got rich and famous off of such nonsense. Anyway, if you like sophisticated science fiction with well-drawn characters and intricate plots, you should definitely look elsewhere.

I really enjoyed reading ENDER'S GAME, although I certainly had a few qualms along the way. I found it to be an entertaining, engrossing read that had me quickly flipping through the pages, eager to see what came next. But, to be honest, I'm a bit baffled by the overwhelming praise directed towards this book. Sure, it's good, but I didn't find it nearly as powerful as others have.

Plot is the most important part of this book, coming at the expensive of style. The prose is mostly workmanlike, though it's deceptively good at slowly ratcheting up the tension. Characters are virtually nothing more than ciphers for the storyline, and while they're distinctive, they're rarely given much depth. Ironically, I felt the only character that approached full-development was Ender's sister, Valentine, and she is really only defined by her relations with her two brothers.

One thing I should mention is that I absolutely hated the ending of this book. Hated, hated, hated it. It took the suspension of disbelief that I'd been managing to hold onto for three hundred pages and just threw that out the window. I can accept that selectively bred children can be perfectly reasoning geniuses. I can even accept that they can talk in perfectly formed little speeches to each other (though this is a bit harder to digest, to be honest). But I simply cannot believe that any organization (I'm being deliberately vague in order to avoid spoilers) would allow that certain decision to be made by a character of that age. It's laughable. Ridiculous. And unfortunately, coming at the end as it did, it put a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Not enough to ruin the previous chapters, mind you, but enough to turn me just a little bit away. I can take (and often enjoy) fictions that are overly cynical, but this seemed to be cynical just for the sake of being cynical, i.e. very contrived. It felt exploitative and manipulative. Given that the main themes of the book are exploitation and manipulation, this may very well have been deliberate, and the reaction I felt was exactly what the author wanted me to feel. But you can't expect me to like it.

Maybe the kudos that this book receives is because it's a fictional novel that asks and hints at a lot of heavy, deep philosophical questions. Of course, humankind has been asking these same questions for a few thousand years now, and I'm not convinced that ENDER'S GAME is bringing anything particularly new to the table. Truthfully, I enjoyed this book simply as a straightforward science-fiction action-adventure, nothing more. The philosophizing and moral dilemmas were presented in a slightly too clumsy and obvious a manner for my tastes. Clearly, mileage will vary on this point, as many, many others would evidentially appear to have got a lot more out of this than I did.

That said, I think the book's attempt to tell the story more or less completely from the point of view of an especially gifted child was a success. On the other hand, the eventual reason for the main characters being so young does come across as a bit of cheat at the end, and one wonders if it wouldn't have been a tad more believable to make these mature-seeming people just a slight bit older in age too. Still, it worked for me, so I can't complain too much. When Ender must deal with bullies and other "child" problems, he is presented as more (adult) rational than (child) emotional (not what I would have expected), but ultimately he does come across well as an unusually composed youth. The parts where I really felt disturbed by the cast's age was during the more bloody of the fight scenes; in particular, when two pre-pubescent boys stand naked in a bathroom kicking each other in the groin until one of them collapses. I suppose the point was to make the reader uncomfortable, but I think it really could have been done better in a less distasteful way.

My copy of the book (a paperback of the 1991 reissue) contains an overly defensive introduction from Orson Scott Card wherein he attacks opponents of his book for being too insecure and unable to empathize with gifted, intelligent children. He seems to be of the mind that people either loved his book unconditionally or loathed it utterly, with no room for opinions in the middle. Looking around at the other reviews, he may very well be right. But I find myself in a rare position. I abhorred some portions of this book, but really enjoyed others. Overall, it more than maintained my interest and kept me speeding through, and I'll give it a lot of credit for that. I didn't fall in love with the novel, but I enjoyed it enough that I'll probably get around to the sequels eventually.

(Oh, and I was amused to note that Card seems to have correctly predicted the rise of the Internet-based political blogs, although he does get confused as to whether he wants his would-be power-grabbers to be merely influencing memes or controlling people and events directly. Of course, in his fictional universe, we're to believe that people take on-line political scribblings a lot more seriously than they do in ours.)

I tried reading this juvenile SF novel when it first appeared, and stopped halfway through -- I was put off by the ludicrous subplot, in which the brilliant hero's sweet sister and mean brother (not deep characterization -- they only need one adjective each) use invented Internet alter-egos to take over the world. Billions of people on the Web, and not _one_ has a single idea, except for Ender's siblings. But that's the pattern of the book, a book that makes no attempt to describe the contentiousness or complexities of real life.

Ender, the hero, is no more a character than, say, James Bond -- Ender always wins, always bests every obstacle, defeats every enemy, shames every teacher, with a mininum of effort. Other characters exist only to extol or mirror his greatness; the handful who don't admit to his superiority are easily disposed of. There's an almost pornographic feel to the final chapter, in which Ender founds a new space colony, saves the alien race he thought he had single-handedly destroyed, and invents a new religion(!), all the while wallowing in the self-pity that started at page 2 and never stopped.

I would give this the lowest grade possible but for two factors -- Card is a facile, easy-to-read writer, and the book might do some good to bright pre-teen boys who aren't getting much support from their environment. Of course, "Playboy" might too, but it isn't art either. Not recommended for adults at all.

This is not the worst book ever written, but how Amazon can put this in its best SF of the Twentieth Century is quite beyond me. To me, this is what gives SF a bad name: juvenile militaristic rubbish with religous propagandist underpinnings; stereotypes instead of characters, a by-numbers plot; no depth, no complexity, no intelligence. I read this first when I was a teenager and thought it was bad then. I'm afraid it hasn't improved with age.

Ender's Game is one of the most popular science fiction books of all time. Had it received enough media attention (or were it written today), it would have almost certainly garnered as much (or more!) hype as Harry Potter. Don't make the mistak, though! Ender's Game is not a children's book, despite the fact that most of its characters are children - the deeply questionable ethical discussions, the overall message and trimmings of the book may confuse children, or simply pass over their heads.

An unprepared Earth has been target of a sudden, devastating attack by the mysterious alien Buggers, and to prevent it from happening twice, the command of Earth has been seized by the military. Thus, Earth is unified - for now. The military is examining and collecting especially bright children for advanced military training for important military positions. The training takes place at the top-secret Battle School - an enourmous orbiting complex. But Andrew Wiggin - Ender - is special. For some reason, the teachers single him out. He is grouped with inept platoons for the mock battles. Teachers try to goad him into falling over the brink, breaking down his moral values, his sense of pity and commiseration. In other words, they are making him into a perfect weapon - Earth's only hope for the final battle against its alien invaders.

Why is Ender's Game so successful? Because Card created one of the most appealing central characters the world has ever seen: Ender is young (don't you want to re-experience childhood?), he is amazingly intelligent (don't you think of yourself as intelligent?), and the entire world is out to get him (self-explanatory). Never mind that the convoluted train-of-thought passages are often discussions of complex ethical dilemmas, and that the answers that Card achieves may surprise or shock you. Never mind the appaling lack of imagery, the low number of well-developed characters, cliche aliens, and some very questionable scientific premises. Ender's Game is all about your ability to associate with Ender. By the book's end you will be ready to die for him if needs be.

The chapters increase the pace, bit by bit. The epilogue is truly stunning. It sets you up with royal hopes for the remainder of the books in the series. Alas, that path is strewn with disappointments :(

Orson Scott Card tells a futuristic tale, yet it is only a prediction of what the modern world would look like. In Ender's Game, he explains the hardships of gifted children who are isolated in order to develop prowess.

Card is a writer of various genres including science fiction, fantasies, biblical works, and guides to writing. He also writes screenplays, which are possibly influenced by the encouragement of plays by the Mormon Church in his childhood. He writes commentaries in "Uncle Orson Reviews Everything," a writing column which appears online, as well as giving his opinions on culture, politics, and the world. In fact, he offers writing assist programs, which are offered on his website.

Card clearly demonstrates the tales of Ender that he created and displays his goal throughout. As an example, Bonzo, an elder, Hispanic student, abhors Ender because he disobeyed Bonzo's orders and assaults him. A cornered Ender manages to overcome Bonzo and injures him. As a result, Ender believes he is a murderer like his diabolical brother Peter because he harmed others. Ender struggles himself because of his discoveries of possible similarities with his nemesis sibling. Unlike his brother, Ender does not take pride in destroying others and commits this action because he is often pushed into situations which demand physical defense. This portrayal and situation in the novel justifies Ender's actions. Card connects many readers to the feelings and situations Ender has to endure. In fact, people who read the book believe they are similar to Ender.

Although Ender's epic quest in the military academy as well as his hardships draw the readers' attention, the novel does not challenge them with difficult vocabulary or language. However, this is not the intent of Card, who instead exercises a simple array of vocabulary in order to allow his novel to be understood by many people, and this is part of the reason the book managed to achieve its success.


(data from paragraph 2 from: http://www.hatrack.com/osc/about-more.shtml)

Ender Wiggin is one of the children chosen by the world government of Earth. For the last three years, from age three to six, he's worn a monitor-a device designed and used to watch him day and night, so finely tuned that he'd started to believe that it could read his thoughts. Then, when he was six, the device was removed. Ender's whole world changed. Hated by his brother Peter, loved by his sister Valentine, Ender suddenly became prey for the bigger boys at his school. After an altercation in school and a display of viciousness and cold cruelty on Ender's part, he's told he made the program for the International Fleet, the first line of defense against the Buggers, an alien enemy encountered nearly fifty years ago that came short of destroying the planet. Graff, the man from I.F., tells Ender that he qualified for the Battle School program, where Ender will learn how to fight Buggers. The downside is that he won't get to see his family for ten years. And Battle School doesn't turn out exactly the way Ender had envisioned it would.

Orson Scott Card is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer. In addition to the Ender Wiggin series (ENDER'S GAME, SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD, XENOCIDE, CHILDREN OF THE MIND, ENDER'S SHADOW, SHADOW OF THE HEGEMON, and SHADOW PUPPETS), Card has also written the Homecoming series (THE MEMORY OF EARTH, THE CALL OF EARTH, THE SHIPS OF EARTH, EARTHFALL, and EARTHBORN) and the Tales of Alvin Maker series (SEVENTH SON, RED PROPHET, PRENTICE ALVIN, ALVIN JOURNEYMAN, and HEARTFIRE). HOMEBODY, TREASUR BOX and LOST BOYS are three of his works that heavily involve the supernatural in today's world. He's also written two novels about women from the Bible (REBEKAH and SARAH), and several stand-alone novels and other trilogies.

ENDER'S GAME is a wonderful read for old-time science fiction fans that cut his or her teeth on Robert Heinlein. The same depth of character in a young protagonist that Heinlein was noted for is present, and the world-building skills are sharp. At the same time, Card embraces the younger readers of SF by laying much of Ender's story in action and gameplay. Every young reader out there is living in an SF world when he or she plugs into a PlayStation game, and Card entices those players by showing how much fun his vision of the future is with null-gravity and gameplay. Ender comes across always as a real person with real problems. The pacing is quick, always pulling the reader into the next situation, providing tidbits of information that locks in the bigger picture by the time the reader gets there. Card's creation of words, situations, and tech-and the ease with which his characters (and the readers!) interface with it-is amazing.

This book is heartily recommended for readers already familiar with SF through Heinlein and Asimov, and to new readers who want a deeper and more immersive experience than the world presented by the latest video game. Well-written books are the closest things to virtual reality that exist at this time, and ENDER'S GAME is one of the best.

Recently, I went on vacation. My close friend asked to borrow a book of mine and in return, he shoved his battered copy of Ender's game into my hand. I shoved it into my suitcase.

I hate science fiction! I have read hundreds of books and can count on one hand how many were science fiction. But a funny thing happened on my trip. I finished the two books I had with me..uh-oh. So I rummaged through my suitcase and dug out this book.

This book is about a young boy, Ender Wiggin, who is a genious, a frowned upon "third", or a third child, in a society where NO ONE has three children. He goes off to military school and is destined to become a great miliary leader in the war against the "buggers", a harsh alien race. He is pulled away from his family, his hated brother and loved sister.

This book was absolutely absorbing. I read the whole thing in two days, pretty good for me, who scrutinized books and reads them many times.

I highly recommend this book to people of all ages who need to escape the real world and meet ender and his feirce group of first grade friends, and read all about their accomplishments.

I guess there's no accounting for taste, but why does anyone like this book? The idea of a 6 year-old military genius is absurd. And if there was one, the idea that the people of power would put a child in command of anything is even more absurd. Does Card know any human beings? Can't tell from reading his book. As for the storyline, it's trite and extremely predictible. The subplot about the boy and girl who take over the world via USENET is even more unbelievable than the main plot. (Doesn't Card realize that the people who run things don't have time to read USENET and couldn't care less what is said there?) I can't think of a more naive book. If you know nothing about military matters, human nature, and the nature of power, this book might appeal. But only if you also have no taste in writing. To those who like this book and are over 14 years old I can only say: read more!! I suggest something like Dune for a story with a more realistic picture of the complexies of human nature. Or some Mark Twain to get an idea of the difference between clear writing and good writing.

This was a book recommended to me by a friend who also happened to tell me the ending before I read it. Remind me to give him a nasty stare!

Anyway, this book starts off with a rather long introduction which the author wrote himself about his influences and motivation for writing Ender's Game. The author has had the idea of a Battle Room since he was sixteen. Only much later did he piece together the story of Ender and his mission to save the earth.

Ender Wiggin is a special boy. He is the youngest (6 yrs old when the story starts) of a family of child geniuses (Peter being the eldest, then Valentine). This story is set in the future where aliens (called Buggers because of their physical and mental traits) have tried to invade the earth twice. Twice the Earth defeated them, but at great cost. The government is scrambling to make sure this never happens again by training the next set of star fleet commanders from childhood.

In this futuristic world, only the government could sanction the birth of a third child (for population control reasons). In a way, Ender was born for a purpose. Peter and Valentine were both tested for giftedness and they both possessed it; however, he was ruthless and evil, and she was too soft and kind. Ender was a perfect balance of decisiveness and innocence, and so chosen from the beginning to go through Battle School. It is in Battle School that Ender learns military strategy and the history of wars between the Earth and the Buggers. It is also in Battle School that Ender makes friends and molds the perfect platoon leaders.

What's really unique about this story is that Ender is forced to grow up so quickly by the "adults." The teachers of the school and high government officials all have one thought in their minds. And that is to eliminate the alien threat at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing the health and sanity of a child. Ender is subjected to so much isolation and abuse throughout the story, that I felt really bad for him. He has to learn to think like an adult through the eyes of a child. His biggest fear is becoming like his brother Peter (who, in Ender's eyes, is a cold blooded killer -- keep in mind that we're talking about the thoughts of a child who hasn't even reached puberty) is slowly becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy as he matures. The ending of this story is just amazing. I will not give it away!

I recommended this book to a 13 year old boy before having finished the book. Now I'm thinking twice about my recommendation. Although this book's main characters are children and centers around the premise that child geniuses will save the world, there are a lot of adult themes and references to ancient history that probably only an adult would appreciate. I believe references to the Warsaw Pact, the League of Nations, Locke and Demosthenes will confuse the younger readers. Also the themes of murder, deception, isolation, rules of engagement in battle might be viewed as inappropriate by parents for their kids. With this in mind, I urge the reader to consider the maturity of the intended audience before recommending this book even though this is a terrific story.

Suggested Reading: Tales of Pirx the Pilot, by Stanislaw Lem. In this book or its sequel, find out what a real writer can do with stories about a space cadet.

What can account for the popularity of Ender's Game? Card's prose is mushy and numb, his dialogue fake-sounding. The book gets off to not a bad start, but things quickly get worse rather than better. The pace is slow enuf to kill a horse, especially the interminable middle section in which Ender masters the stupid "battle room," or whatever it is called. The climactic moment is anything but. The denoument,in which Ender rockets away to the stars with his ripe and comely sister is total, horrible crap, bringing to a close one of the mostest dumbest books I've readed in years.

I would guess this thing is most popular with people who not only do not normally read science fiction books, but who normally do not read books. It may also appeal to disgruntled adolescents or psychologically-damaged adults who got the stuffing beat out of them a lot as kids; now they read Ender and imagine they're beating out other people's stuffing as a little 8-year-old soldier. What does this book teach the talented but misguided 10-year-olds who wrote most of the 1,200 reviews? All of the meaningless crap-work, all of the emotional and physical abuse, all the boredom, all the stupidity from authority figures -- there's actually a good reason for all of it. You're fighting the buggers, kid (speaking of that, the only enjoyable part of reading this was ferreting out the dozens of latent yet sexy gay references-woohoo!).

How can you consider yourself a fan of Science Fiction if you've never read Ender's Game? Actually... I only just read it a month ago- but boy am I ashamed of myself for having waited so long! I had to read it again a week ago since I couldn't believe I'd loved it so much, and when phrases like, "The best book I've ever read!" come to your mind- you'd better be pretty certain. It goes high on my list with Dune and very few others. It will enrapture you.

The story is simple. It is the future. The Earth has had a severe run-in with a race of hostile aliens we call the "Buggers". They have invaded our planet twice, nearly wiping us out if it weren't for some amazing luck. Now, decades later, the Earth prepares to retaliate against the Buggers- defeat them before a third invasion can be launched against us. We have a massive fleet, but need a leader. With that in mind, the military turns to children for salvation... filtering out the most brilliant strategic minds and molding them into commanders with what it takes to win the war. At age 6, Andrew Wiggen (ENDER) is their best hope. This is the story of his trials and training and SO much more.

Card does everything right in Ender's Game. As a 24 year-old, I couldn't recommend any book higher. If you are new to sci-fi, this will get you addicted. ............

I realize that absolutely everyone reviewing this book simply loved it. I wanted to love it too, but for the life of me couldn't figure out the attraction. It was not a bad book, but it was by no means a great one, either. Perhaps I don't have a deep enough appreciation for science-fiction. But in my mind, there was very little sci-fi to this tale - it was a military technical manual - nothing more, nothing less. There were a few attempts at humanity with Peter the bad brother and Valentine the good sister, but I couldn't help but think that there are episodes of the Simpsons where Bart and Lisa are more engaging than these two. In the introduction, Card explains how the idea first appeared as a short story in Analog Magazine. Perhaps it should have stayed in that form. But no - that's not the way the publishing world works. Instead we have three sequels and the newest so-called `companion novel' - essentially the same story told from Bean's point of view. Companion novel?? What's next? Gone with the Wind through the eyes of the Tarleton Twins? Misery through the eyes of Annie Wilke's pet pig??

"Ender's Game" is the novel that brought me back to science fiction. After an adolescence spent reading every last word of science fiction and fantasy I could get my hands on, I went off to college, became an English major, and discovered I had terrible taste. I stopped reading the genre for almost a decade, until a friend of mine shoved a copy of "Ender's Game" into my hands and told me to remember what reading was all about. And "Ender's Game" is an all-out page-turning, idea-laden, exciting read with the best surprise ending of almost any novel I can think of offhand. Although Orson Scott Card denies ever having read Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers," the novel is an almost point-by-point refutation of Heinlein's closely argued paean to the morality of war. I adore Heinlein's book, even though I disagree with most of his arguments; Orson Scott Card's plea for tolerance and rational discourse before violence strikes my post-Vietnam mindset as far more valid. But I go back to "Starship Troopers" just to keep my mind sharp; a part of me thinks Heinlein knew what he's talking about. In short, "Ender's Game" and "Starship Troopers" are the bookends to any discussion about the future of the military and our species' proper stance when the (hopefully) inevitable contact with extraterrestrials takes place some day. And until then, I will always be grateful to Card for waking me up from my snobbery and sending me back to my roots. "Ender's Game" is a novel that needs to be read by everyone, both for its ideas and its sheer, fierce joy. I've taught it now for four years, and few students can keep themselves from finishing it the first night they start it.

At the risk of offending almost everybody in this review group, I'm simply going to highlight some SCIENTIFIC problems with this worthless novel.

(1) Instantaneous communication. The "philotic parallax instantaneous communicator" - "they can talk to each other even when they're across the galaxy. And the buggers can do it without machines."

The problem here, ladies and gentlemen, is action at a distance. As some of you may know (they teach this in high school) action at a distance does not exist. There is a finite, maximum velocity for the transfer of information in the real world. It's called the speed of light. This is the whole point of special relativity.

I might add that by bringing Mazer Rackham back as a twin-paradox (sending him out at relativistic velocities so that the world aged 50 years but he only aged eight) Card implies that he accepts special relativity. But you can't have it both ways. Either you have special relativity or you have instantaneous communication, but not both in the same novel.

(2) Artificial gravity - "It could not land directly because Eros had enhanced gravity."

Ladies and gentlemen, one cannot "enhance" gravity. As some of you may know, general relativity explains gravity in terms of non-Euclidean geometry. One can no more "enhance" gravity than alter the truth of the Pythagorean theorem.

By the way, check out the real Eros on the internet. Look up "NEAR". Eros was an unfortunate choice of asteroids for Card. The real Eros is now viewable by satelite. He got the shape wrong!

(3) Dr. Device - "At the focal point of two beams, it sets up a field in which molecules can't hold together anymore. Electrons can't be shared . . . Then the field dies down, the molecules come back together, and where you had a ship, you now have a lump of dirt with a lot of iron molecules in it. No radioactivity."

Excuse me? The "beams" create a "field" that disrupts matter at the level of electrons . . . then matter reassembles and you get, not hydrogen and helium, but "dirt" and "iron", without radiation?

Ladies and gentlemen, this contradicts the second law of thermodynamics, the laws of chemistry, and the laws of quantum mechanics all at the same time.

(4) Eugenics. Ender is the product of a genetic experiment; his brother and sister are smart too.

Ladies and gentlemen, eugenics is a discredited science. The most famous twentieth-century proponent of eugenics, Adolph Hitler, murdered six million people and committed suicide. That should tell you something. Think about it.

By the way, isn't this whole book a rip off of the ideas of Robert A. Heinlein and A.E. Van Vogt?

. . . . .

Interested readers may wonder why I took the time to write a diatribe against a children's book. I love science fiction, and there are so many good books out there, but this is not one of them . . .

This book was required reading for my 14-year-old daughter who was about to enter ninth grade. I object to this. It sets a bad precedent. Encouraging wishful thinking in children is not what education is all about. I can't believe that her English teachers selected this book out of all of the millions of books in the world's literature. Sloppy wishful magical adolescent thinking epitomized. A book for dumb teenagers. Good Grief!

Oh dear, oh dear. Whay do people rave about this book? Trite ideas, religous propaganda (though less overt than some of his earlier books), poor characters and average writing all add up to a pathetic juvenile adventure story that falls far short of the great (Herbert) and even not-so-great (Heinlein) writers he is imitating. I have been told the later books are better, but after this I have no desire to find out. This is equalled in its awfulness only by L. Ron Hubbard, another religous nutcase. How did this guy win awards? I hear the sound of airport cash-tills ringing...

...the best book on leadership, the best book on strategy, and possibly the best sci-fi story I have ever heard.

I am not even much into science fiction, not in reading at least. But I devoured this brilliant debut novel from Scott Card (1985) from cover to cover. It's intoxicating, educational and very, very gripping.

We follow the life of our young protagonist Ender (nickname for Andrew) who is billed as a dynamic potential leader to save the Earth from "buggers" (malicious aliens). Reviewers lament that it potrays children as saviours of the earth from but this is not exactly an impossibility -- kids today are already a lot sharper than they used to be 20 years ago. It's a fascinating testament to the adaptability of human beings -- you impose demands, we will rise to the task. Come to think of it, the book does frequently bring up the inhumane element of pushing kids to the limit as Ender gets disillusioned about the mission that was forced on him several times during the course of the story.

Above all its interesting setups and games in a training camp in space, the book touches upon some out-of-box thinking by kids to win their games. For this reason, it makes for a FABULOUS strategy book. As Ender wins and develops into a leader of kids a lot older than he is, we are exposed to a lot of leadership situations that are so real in actual life it's almost eerie.

The book has a bunch of lessons about morality, good and bad, leadership, thinking, etc etc. Something I'd recommend in a blink to anyone I care about. Get this phenomenal novel even if you don't have a taste for science fiction. You'll love it.

When I first read this book, I was in junior high school and I don't think I really had an appreciation for all that was included in the book. This summer I picked up the book again and started reading. I was captivated, the book hooked me instantly and I couldn't put it down until it was finished (which was unfortunately only a few hours later).

I definitely enjoyed reading it, and I'd recommend it to others. However, if you are picking it up with the thought that it is an excellent piece of literature packed full of political philosophy that will change the way you live, you should probably find something else. I praise this book mostly for its entertainment value. The book relies on some cliched techniques to hook the reader, but it works. However, I think the book loses a little bit of value for me towards the end when Card attempts to wax philosophical. I think that Card steps into some very deep issues and fundemental problems with society, but I also think that he doesn't get any further than the wading pool. The political thought references and the genius of Ender is impressive and enjoyable, but I think that Card is trying too hard to make the book into something that it isn't.

I'm looking forward to reading the sequels and despite my criticism, I give this book four stars and I strongly recommend it. Just don't take it into your philosophy class.

I know this is going to make me unpopular, but it must be said: It seems to me that this book has become famous for being famous. I can't account for the overwhelming popularity in any other way.

It isn't particularly well written, although others who disliked it gave it credit for technical proficiency. It is essentially a story about bullies, video games and cookie cutter characters bought for half price at the Stereotype Barn and jazzed up with reflective neon tape applied to their fender flares. The misery of plodding through page after page of what amounts to the Lazer Tag Semi-Galactic Finals is made incalculably worse by the glacially slow pace at which these less-than-riveting events unfold. It's like enduring a root canal in slow motion. Without benefit of anesthesia. While the dental assissant reads aloud the latest celebrity gossip congealing around Paris Hilton. Ok, to be fair, it's not QUITE that bad, but lord! it sure ain't good. I can suspend belief with the best of 'em, but I have limits, and nothing these children do or say strikes me as being authentic. The problem with so many novels that feature young children or teens as their protaganists is that the author is writing through a filter; he is attempting to reconstruct the thoughts, feelings and dialogue of childhood from the perspective of adulthood. Please read 'Tom Sawyer' again and compare it with 'Ender's Game'. The disparity is glaring.

Comparing this to the genuine classics of the genre does not improve Ender's overall credibility. Both Frank Herbert's 'Dune' and Joe Haldeman's 'Forever War' are so much more compelling and thought-provoking. If you rated this book 5 stars do yourself a favor and give the titles mentioned a shot--you'll be rating them at 10 stars or beyond. :-)

Before I begin my review, I want to quickly comment on the considerable following enjoyed by Orson Scott Card's 1977 novel, Ender's Game. If you read through some of the Amazon reviews, you'll freqently see comments like "Best Novel of All Time", "My Favorite Book", "The Best Sci-Fi Has to Offer", etc. etc. I don't normally take this type of hyperbole seriously, but then I noticed that I had to scroll through more than two dozen reviews before I found one that rated the book with less than 5 stars. I couldn't find one reviewer who rated it with less than three.

Making the situation even more puzzling, intriguing, and finally astounding is the sheer number of postings for this book: more than 1960 independent reviewers took the time to review this book as of mid January 2004 -- this means that Ender's Game has been reviewed on Amazon more than the following five SF classics *combined*...
1) 2001: A Space Odyssey (205 reviews)
2) Dune (830 reviews)
3) Childhood's End (202 reviews)
4) Rendevous with Rama (173 reviews)
5) Stranger in a Strange Land (443 reviews)

The above situation is really what drove me to read the book in the first place, as I figured all these people couldn't have been wrong (avg. rating is 4.5 stars). Now having read Ender's Game, I am now not only intrigued/puzzled/astounded, but I am also befuddled and mystified at how all (most) of the reviewers could be driven to over-hype what is really an uninspired science fiction novel about manipulation, deceipt, and the devastating effects of revenge and fear.

Here's the story (w/o spoilers): at the start we come across Andrew Wiggin (a.k.a. Ender), a 6 year old boy who, at the behest of the American government, is bred, somewhat brutally monitored/analyzed, and finally -- by the time he is eleven -- trained to Command all of humanities troops against a once invading alien force, that has for several decades been retreated to its home planets. During the training, Ender brutally beats to death two of his peers (one six, one slightly older) as he "perceives" them to be so threatened by his greatness that they will stop at nothing short of his destruction. His teachers/handlers observe the megalomaniacal behavior and beatings (murders) passively and consider it part of Ender's training. Card continues to attempt to rationalize and justify Ender's treatment of these two children throughout the book -- and maybe this worked in the 70s -- but in this post Columbine world, it made me sick to my stomach.

If I told any more, it would spoil the story for those who haven't read it. So let me net it out from here:

Pro's...
+ Must read for sci-fi fans as it consistenly makes most top ten lists
+ Unique stoccato style delivery of the prose that makes for quick reading
+ Card does a great job of building tension in some of the trials that Ender is put through

Con's...
+ Very difficult to suspend disbelief as six year old Ender acts as proud and decisive as Russel Crowe's character in the Gladiator
+ Very little science fiction
+ Completely failed thread of a sub-plot involving Ender's brother and sister
+ Exhaustive and finally meaningless use of sibling rivalry

And one suggestion: if your version of Ender's Game was published post 1991, make sure that you read Orson Scott Card's introduction last. He really slings the B.S. in the intro and reveals some personal things that quite frankly ruined the book for me.

"Ender's Game" is about a military school for boys aged 6 to 12. In particular, it's about a "genius" boy named Ender who's about 30 IQ points smarter than your average adult Nobel laureate. Ender heroically wins fights against other boys, both individually and leading an "army" of 40 boys.

Ender never misses his parents. Occassionally he misses his sister, but he wills himself not to cry or show emotion. Being a genius makes Ender unpopular with the other boys, so he has no deep friendships, just an occasional boy who says something nice.

In Africa, thousands of children are taken away from their parents and taught to kill. Read "Child Soldiers: The Role of Children in Armed Conflict," by Ilene Cohn and Guy S. Goodwin-Gill. You'll see that real child soldiers don't grow up like Ender.

And where are the girls? In Scott's vision of the future, all leaders are men.

A friend's mother, who had a Ph.D. and had once been a lab assistant for Crick and Watson, constantly told her youngest son that he was a genius and would someday be the greatest scientist who ever lived. By second grade the boy was having so many problems in school that two teachers asked him to be moved out of their classes. He's now in his mid-30s. He never graduated from college, has never held a job for long, and has little social life.

Orson Scott Card has a good imagination and can keep you turning the pages. But I found myself turning the pages despite feeling disgusted by this book. I got three-quarters of the way through and stopped reading it. [...].
--
Review by Thomas David Kehoe, [...]

I'm sure when it happened. Maybe it started as far back as when Jules Verne and H.G. Wells first began reflecting our society through the mirror of alien worlds, but at some point in the last century a surprising trend became evident: The most brilliant minds in the literary universe were writing science fiction. No book emphasizes this point more then Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game", one of the most chokingly powerful books I have ever read (and as a librarian, I've read quite a few).

"Ender" is comparatively underread, though, because its story of one boy's redemption in the face of unspeakable crimes is disguised as a rollicking space-story. So if you are one of those people who as a rule stick to just one genre (or as a buddy of mine told me the other day: "I'll read anything but science fiction") please, PLEASE don't let that stop you from reading this incredible book. And if you do give it a chance, please don't read anything further about the plot; the full impact of Scott's genius is best felt with no prior preperation (that's why I haven't given a plot summerary). When he finally pulls all the threads of the story together, you'll feel like you've just slammed into a brick wall.

This is a novel that stays with you forever, warning you of the ease of losing your soul , and filling you with hope if you're looking to regain it.

Absolutely not to be missed.

I'm an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader, and my uncle had given me this book 3 times in a row for my birthday so I felt that I should write it and, well I did.

This book is definitely one, if not the, of the greatest sci-fi's written, as I said in the title. Card weaves a tale both fascinating and well thought out. I have read several of the bad comments that people have written for this and many of the things that they point out are:

-Lack of description
-Transitions between 3rd person and 1st person
-Projecting images of false humanity onto people in the story

I have read this book 5 times in my 3 years that I have owned it and I can agree, there is a lack of description, but what I think many people fail to see is that this story does not really need the description. The tale more about the workings of the inner mind and relationships between people, not about the color of the walls.

Transitions abetween 3rd and 1st person may be difficult for some people but I find them quite easy to deal with once you understand the concept they are being used in. Card, in this story, always uses 3rd person to describe situations, but then may switch to 1st person to give an incite into what the character is thinking at the time. This is the ONLY use 1st person is used for in the book, to describe what the character is thinking and feeling at the time.

While some of the descriptions of the characters may seem a little too mature for children from 8 to 15 years of age (around there anyways) this is purposefully put into the book. The children in the book are supposed to be geniuses, so of course they are going to be drawn out as more mature. Most people who find this aspect of the book frustrating don't really understand, I think, that these children have an IQ of around 170 and above to even be in the school described.

I find that people who don't thoroughly understand what they are reading usually think of the material as bad or poorly written but this book, it is not possible to see any of this in the story. Overall, even if you don't read sci-fi, you should read this book just for the way Card has people think and interact with their environment. Great read.

"a masterpiece," "the greatest book ever," "a science fiction tour de force"!!!

These are some of the catch phrases used by reviewers here. I just have to say...get a grip! Ender's Game is a decent adolescent, soft sci-fi book that has somehow garnered legendary status within our public school system (my wife is a teacher). Yes it's an (extremely) easy read, yes it's entertaining, but it is not a masterpiece that can be uttered in the same breath with such fictional works as Dune, The Lord of the Rings, Hamlet, etc.

A little perspective is required when reviewing something you really like. Step back and evaluate it with an honest eye before elevating it into the pantheon of pulp fiction legend.

Ender's Game is the first book of the Ender Universe, probably one of the most important science fiction milestones of 20th Century. Written following every thought and deed of Andrew Wiggin, it is mostly a relation of the events of 3 years of his life, when he is depicted as a the most promising child genius of Earth, trained to become a general commander against the 3rd alien war. Card succeeds showing with great intensity and a voice full of truthfulness what a genius child would do in a situation where the future of human race would eventually lie in his hands. From the first pages, it deftly make us feel empathy and admiration for the strength and morality of the little kid and a fervent desire for him to succeed. I think it's mostly a fight of a tragic hero, Ender, who is object of fateful situations where to win he has to do what he abhors most: to kill. And how he is tricked and manipulated into using his abilities to do whatever the generals of the Fleet would want. It all results in great surprises that exhilarate the avid reader.

I think the book as a whole is brilliant and also well structured. I mean, it has a nice pace although at the end is so fast that your head spins. I also like the way he writes it, from Ender's point of view. It's very clever as a whole and very believable as a story although it's quite contrived. Of course I love stories of geniuses, they are always very exciting and surprising.

Ender, in contrast, is a very introspective person, but it's from there where his strength comes. He knows what to do to gain power, leadership and just and plainly win. He knows no failure. We learn to love him for his physical weakness, for his struggle to be self sufficient, to do what is right, to beat the odds no matter what gigantic chances are against him. He has the ability to earn love.

"Ender's Game" is a brilliant book. I had heard a lot about it from friends and just finally got around to reading it. I'm really glad that I did. In fact, I wish that I read it much earlier in my life.

I don't want to give the plot away and summarize the book. I didn't know anything coming into it, and I think that increased my enjoyment of the book. I will say this, though: Card covers some big issues, and he really validates the wisdom and potential of children. Some have complained that the children don't talk or act like children. I think that these people haven't given children the benefit of the doubt. They are much smarter than most people give them credit for. So, I found the characters to be quite believable -- particularly when you consider that virtually every child you come in contact with in the story is a genius!

Card's writing style is straight-forward and snappy. Most every detail moves the plot forward in some way. The chapters are paced well, and the ending... well, it's nothing short of perfect.

In his introduction (one of the better ones I have ever read) Card says that (and I am paraphrasing here...) "If you enjoy this novel, think of it not as something I have created, but something we have created together." What a fabulous thing to say! It's something I think most people take for granted -- that a great deal of a story is what the reader brings to it (which is why movies are always disappointing to everyone). So, in that sense, I think that many people can create their own fantastic versions of "Ender's Game" in their heads. The scholar, the military person, the pacifist, the athlete -- there really is something that everyone can identify with. This book is for everyone. It is a must-read.

Very highly recommended.

... you ignore what Card says makes a good leader. Ignorance, mindless aggression, never learning to deal with any challenges, being genetically superior to everyone else and being immune from any responsibility for your actions.

Hmmm, a messianic, child Hitler figure is the hero and this is ignored by all those 5-star reviews?

I'll ignore the reviewer's debate on what a 6 year old Napolean's behavior would be because who can really know. I'll ignore the predictable ending plot twist and the lack of any real conflict or character development because perhaps this was meant for grade school readers who like simple, easy to read books.

What I can't ignore is that the basic point of the book, reflected in the actions and thoughts of all the major characters, that power and brutality are noble and honorable if you are born to them.

As a summary, the plot says that it must be cool to be an amoral, semi-divine being. Somehow I don't agree.

Throughout the book it is dominated by hatred and violence, it is a mindless world only abusing and killing prevail, all these happen among small children is even more disturbing. It is not suitable for kids, neither for adults.

Card is a human hater, in his world, children are manipulated to hate each other by adults, to train them to be killing machines, to do that they need first kill each other, the only compassion in this book is from the buggers and for buggers, not for human.

The writting style is awful, the story line is as good as an arcade game's(that's why it attracts kids, for worse), the character just keeps going to other levels to fight other monsters, yet they are all the same, only bigger. This repeats over and over, and all the dialogues are like the sound of scraping metal sheets. In the end, if you have children, try your best to protect them from this book, it is poison.

This book could have been written as a short story ... by a thirteen year old.

It could be retitled "Recess goes to Space".

How anyone could rate this little-boy-saves-the-day story alongside the greats of SF is utterly beyond me.

This book was lent to me by someone who simply couldn't wait to see what I thought of the twist in the tale. I won't repeat the conversation we had after I finished.

Thank God I didn't spend money on this simplistic, trivial, waste of paper.

Orson Scott Card has written many fine novels, but this will always be by far my favorite. Many other reviewers go into depth about its content: a young boy, Ender Wiggin, trains at Battle School to defeat the aliens and save humanity. This bare-bones summary cannot possibly convey the multi-layered depth of this extraordinary tale. Many readers do not like sci-fi because they feel there is a lack of characterization, little grounding in reality, and an over-emphasis on unlikely technology. These criticisms are valid for a number of books in the genre, but do not hold true for Ender's Game.

Ender's Game is not perfect. The age of the children, even though they are the smartest children on Earth, is still a bit unbelievable. Some say Card's prose is not flowery enough, although I find his style refreshing and particularly appropriate for a book with a high degree of military content. These small issues, however, are beside the point considering that in overall plot, originality, characterization, and themes, Card pulls together a story that is read over and over again because, quite simply, it appeals to almost everyone. You may not like sci-fi, you may not like the idea of small children fighting a war, but you will probably love this book, and you will love Ender Wiggin. His story is a classic of the genre, and a favorite in many readers' hearts.

I know everyone seems to love this book, but I hated it! It isn't "science" fiction (like A.C. Clark books), but fiction. I could not suspend my belief THAT much to appreciate what the pre-pubescent main character could do. Perhaps I'm too old (30?). I think this book appeals to pre-high school kids, but it did nothing for me.

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, is a science fiction book that takes place a couple hundred years in the future. It is about a little boy named Ender who is rejected by his family because he is what is called a "third" or third born. That makes him an outcast. Despite his lack of friends, Ender is a genius, and he is sent off to a school in space to learn to become a commander to fight the "buggers" that tried to invade earth twice in years previously. He goes through many challenges that the teachers at the school throw at him, and it soon becomes evident to everyone that he is indeed the best of the best. In the book, Card is trying to explain why people act the way they do. Throughout the story, Ender is isolated from his family, and grows up in a different atmosphere than his brother and sister. That causes him to become a completely different person from the people in his family. At the space school, he is taught that victory, no matter what the costs, is all that matters. By living in that type of atmosphere, he learns that to be true, and that has great effects on how he acts throughout the book. The characters are very well defined. Card uses a third person-narrator that switches between the minds of different people at different times. The reader is always able to tell what each character is feeling and why. He or she then knows almost everything about each character that is needed for a storng plot. This book was written in 1977, so it is a little out-dated. For instance, there are many references to the Warsaw Pact, which was created by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Since the Soviet Union fell and the Warsaw Pact no longer exists, it is obvious that this book is a little behind what is happening today. Other than that, it has an excellent futuristic setting. The reader is also able to relate to Ender in many ways. Ender is always the outcast no matter where he is because of his intelligence. When Ender first enters the school, the people he came with leave him isolated because the man in charge of the school was constantly praising him on the flight there. Rejection, like with Ender, is a very common thing in the world today and the reader always knows how Ender feels when he finds himself in positions where he is looked down upon. I think that this is an excellent book. It is easy to read, and once you start reading, it is hard to stop. This type of book is very captivating and interesting, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read science fiction.

After working my way through the endless 10's in an attempt to find those 1's and 3's and see the reasons people gave them, I finally decided to respond.

Ender's Game is, in one word, awesome. It has been over a year since I read it and I still remember almost every detail. That to me is a sign of how good it was. It has all the trappings of a great novel, in depth characters, an interesting plot, political and social overtones, and the ability to make the reader have to think. Throw into this mess some decent action and nifty sci-fi-esque gadgets and you've got one hell of a book. If you haven't read it, do so now.

As for all those 1's and 3's based on the books so called lack of reality. It's a science FICTION novel. No, 6 yearolds aren't that smart...yet. But who knows, it's a big what if. No, we can't take over the planet via the Net yet, well after Microsoft who knows.. But the possibility is there. Use that wonderful gift we humans have, imagination.

As for why the 9? It just physically hurts me to give something a 10. :)

This book was a major disapointment. The 1 star that I rated it is an exageration to itself (its not worthy of even that). I was tricked into reading this book by all the great reviews everyone posted about it- I assumed this wasn't going to be a waste of my time. Unfortunately, as Orson Scott Card did in writing Enders Game- people do make mistakes- and so did I by reading this shallow book. I can't even begin to criticize this book because I don't even know where to start. The plot-line itself was flimsy- one must realize how unrealistic the character portrayal is- a 10 year old saving the world from these "buggers" (was this some sort of a joke- the idea of that is just plain ludicrous). As if that alone wasn't bad enough- the sub-plot is even worse- Ender's brother and sister starting some worldwide controversy through the nets, WHAT? I DONT THINK SO, the concept of this is mind boggling- I have trouble taking into account that the majority is actually liking this. The denouemont was also frivalous. One must realize that a child and his loser little buddies are not going to save the world. This sorry example of work can be summarized in a mere 5 pages. This book isn't the least bit feasible and I find Orson Scott Card to be a piece of science fiction in himself. I can go on and on but to be honest just reviewing Orson's work is bumming me out by itself.

Before considering reading this, I think that one should look to Norman Spinrad's review of it as it appeared in Issac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Failing that, at least realize that the entire book is a deliberate button-pushing saga, following the patterns of human mythology that are older then history, in a completely manipulative way. Read Frank Herbert and you'll see that he wants to show the emptiness of the Messiah complex; Card celebrates it. Herbert wants to explore what humanity is about; Card wants to explore how much money it has.

In general I was turned off by this book. In the end, I think it is a child's book. It was quite easy to read and good enough to fill the time on my flight, but in the end, I was bothered to have read it. As someone who has experienced sleep deprivation, combat training, science training and much of what described in the book, I just found it pandering. Perhaps it is because in this age, being able to handle three dimensional thinking and movement and game play just isn't that spectacular. The world is full of people who spend hours fighting in games on-line and is also full of people who are bright enough to compose these games. I can't compare this to great writers whose work transcends science or presents philosophical context. It seems dated and naive in retrospect, but perhaps those who love it simply are impressed by things many now take for granted. This could be a commentary on the generational seperation in the wired world.

the plot is clever ..training a child genius in a military school in space to save the world, ..ludicrously..six year old military geniuses dont miss parents, dont go wide eyed with wonder on seeing new places, dont even crave for ice -creamor cookis and have the self discipline which would put the monks to shame! wow!!

..but actually its the hidden messages in the book which are the most repulsive part of the book. for eg:

1. treating young children in a tough manner and sadistically only makes them tough and thus for their benefit.

2.The final test of greatness is whether u have the courage to crush /wipe out others completely when push comes to shove. such ppl are heroes.

3. Its OK to wipe out races, countries, people as long as they are 'others' ie. not us. you can feel sad about the mindless killing but its necessary to cleanse the world.

4. Children have monstrous minds and filthy language. (might be true ::).

5. evolution of human beings meant learning how to kill and a good thing too..or how else could we have killed the tigers. (im paraphrasing)

7. Homophobic refernces against gays.


all in all a better writer could have done a much better job with the plot.

It's probably impossible for me to know what I'd have thought of this book when it first came out, since I knew the "punchline" to the story going in. On the other hand, a truly great novel would have a lot going for it beyond the climactic revelation, and Ender's Game, well, doesn't.

The crippling flaw to the story is that the characters (other than Ender himself) are absolutely flat as boards. None of them have any nuance or subtlety or distinction to them. Moreover, large chunks of the book (especially those relating to Ender's siblings and their machinations while he's away at school) are entirely redundant to the story as a whole. They could have been cut out completely and made the novel leaner and more focused.

So what's good about the story? Essentially, it's a series of high-pressure puzzles presented to Ender as he flies through the ranks of the military (at ages 6-to-11!), and seeing how Ender reasons out how to deal with them (whether they're regularly scheduled combat exercises, or encounters with his antagonistic fellow students) is exciting and fun. The moral dilemmas which Ender must confront - being violent when he doesn't want to be, being a leader when he's not inclined to be - are real, though they suffer greatly from lack of depth or characterization in the world around him.

Ender himself is the only character we really get to know. I never believed that he was a child - he almost never behaves like one - but that's not so bad, since it's his odyssey - not he himself - which is the focus of the book. But the potential of his character is largely unrealized, since he's generally forced into making particular choices, and we don't get to measure what sort of a person he is through his deeds, since those choices are taken away from him.

In many ways, Ender's Game reads like it was written in the 1950s, an era of flat characters and straightforward plots, which is what this novel contains. It feels primitive next to its contemporaries from the mid-80s (never mind nuanced fiction from the 70s like that from Varley or Zelazny), especially in its no-frills writing style. At this point, I don't see what all the fuss was about; it's a light read, but not a very satisfying one.

I feel like I should respond to some of the comments which have been made regarding Ender's Game. First of all, I should say that it is my favorite book; I have read it seven times, and each time I find new things to like about it. Those who claim that it is a "beach book" or "easy read" are completely missing out on Orson Scott Card's genius. Perhaps they are turned off by the fact that it is often classified as a science fiction work, or perhaps they are just incompetent readers; whatever the reason, I hope that no one has been dissuaded from reading Ender's Game by the few negative reviews, as they do not accurately reflect the book's quality.

Although Ender's Game does include some features traditionally ascribed to the science fiction genre, such as futurism, space travel, and extraterrestrial life, it thoroughly transcends the genre. The plot is gripping, fast-paced, and always interesting. Nevertheless, Card never fails to provide excellent descriptions of the characters and settings in the book. In fact, his writing style is so smooth and clear that I had trouble remembering that I was reading the book, as opposed to a character in it. However, what makes the book special is the characters themselves, both Ender and the supporting cast. Through their development, Card creates a story of incredible depth, power, and meaning. Ender's Game is at the same time a narrative of a young boy's struggle to persevere in the face of the most horrible choices, and an unflinching portrait of humanity as a whole. It is a study of the military mind, the drive towards power, the will to survive, the torture of guilt, and ultimately human redemption. Its full greatness cannot be expressed here; suffice it to say that it has moved my like no other book ever has, and that anyone who doesn't read it is sorely missing out.

You would have to be a masochist to like this book. Chapter after chapter, all the main character does is try to drown himself in self-pitying drivel. 90% of the cast of characters are sadistic psychos, and the terrible "aliens" couldn't hurt a fly, much less conquer a planet. I mean really, you never get to see them in person, and insect-like hive creatures have great promise! I was expecting a book about a grown man who actually does more than get picked on, wallow in self-pity, and play video games! The book is more a view of "What Earth Could Be" ( horrible and judgemental, kinda like Earth today), and is more fiction ( fantasy) than science fiction, with a few starships and orbital space station throw in for good measure. The part about Ender's sister and brother taking over world via internet and public opinion is amusing, but unrealistic. I'm glad I took this doozy out of the library and finished it in a day, rather than buy this. I'm still going to try a few more of Card's book, but since this is the first of his books I read, I'm rather unsure. Live long and prosper, but for your own sake, don't read this book!

This was the first and last Orson Scott Card book that I will ever subject myself to read. The book was very bland and had a very mediocre style. One thing that bothered me about the book is the way Card told you the information; the information was very blunt and concise with no obvious meaning. Beyond that, the plot line was tawny and unfulfilling: NO BUILDUP, to much of the fighting sequence, and totally unrealistic strategy. The sub-plot was another problem. The sub-plot was totally flawed just as the plot was- the idea of Ender's brother and sister causing so much world wide controversy through the internet is beyond ridiculous. Basically to break this book down, this book should have remained as a short story. Don't bother reading this book if you are atleast 13; you should find more negatives than positives in this novel. If this is the highlite of your reading career or a life fulfilling novel than I would have a firm basis to assume that you have never read a good book in your life. If you are looking for that double fudge chocolate cake, look somewhere else, because all you will find is a spoonful of oatmeal.

I had to read Ender's Game as a summer reading assignment for my 9th grade advanced english class, and after a month or so of reading it, I finally finished it. I was happy when I finished reading it. It was boring. The book was descriptive and I could picture in my head what was happening, but I couldn't really relate to any of the characters (except for Ender, maybe -- since I'm gifted, like he is).
Also, I really didn't like the awfully odd names that the characters called each other -- farteater and scrunchface, to name a couple. What is up with that?
To me, the only truly interesting part of Ender's Game was when Peter and Valentine were on the nets as Locke and Demosthenes.

Although there are tons of people that like and/or love this book, I'm certainly not one of them -- especially since I dreaded reading the book (and I normally love reading books).

Ender Wiggin is a Third. In an era in which human population controls limit families to only two children, Ender was a government authorized birth of a third child. The reason for allowing the exception was the increase the chances of finding viable candidates to attend the military's Battle School to help win an interstellar war against an alien insectoid species referred to as Buggers. The Wiggin family already had two children, Peter and then Valentine. Each one demonstrated some of the characteristics the military was looking for. Peter had the ruthless nature and ambition while Valentine had the tempered knowledge and compassion. Combined, those traits would be exactly what the Battle School was looking for. Hence, the government authorized Ender's birth in hopes that this 'third' would be the perfect candidate. If so, he would be taken from the family at age 5 for Battle School training. If not, the Wiggin family would count their blessings of having another child of their own. Various secretive tests seemed to indicate that Ender might not be the chosen one until one day, he stands up to a bully who had been tormenting him all year. Ender brutally attacked the bully leaving him prostrate on the ground. He hated having to resort to violence, but he felt he had no other choice but to hurt him enough so that he wouldn't try to hurt Ender again. That rationale proved that Ender was the answer the military's wishes. A child with his vast capacity for knowledge and his conflicted temperament would be the perfect child to train to one day lead troops in victorious battle against the Buggers.

Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" is one of legendary works of modern science fiction. A winner of both the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, "Ender's Game" has found its way on to numerous school reading lists and in the heart of every science fiction fan. Ender Wiggin is one of the more memorable characters created in sci-fi. Ripped from his home life at a very young age to become the next great military genius, Ender struggles mightily with his motivations to continue going and with the various tests the Battle School administrators have foisted upon him to see if he truly is the chosen leader. Ender is emotional torn regarding his family. He doesn't particularly miss his parents because he knows that they have already accepted that they will never see him again and have moved on. He doesn't miss Peter because he was another violent bully in Ender's life. He does long for the companionship of his sister Valentine because she was one of the few people he talk to and who would stand up for him. In Battle School, Ender overcomes early difficulties and resentments to earn the respect of his fellow young soldiers through brilliant displays of leadership. But, just as soon as he feels comfortable with his fellow comrades, he is yanked from that army and thrust into a completely new situation with older soldiers and new sets of hostilities to overcome. All this is designed to see if Ender will end up being able to lead the full military armada that is massing for a final attack at the Bugger homeworld and will be emerging from its hyperspace journey in just a few shorts years. Ender seeks solace in a virtual reality video game, mentorship from Mazer Rackham (the hero of an earlier Bugger War), and any number of ways avoid reaching the mental breaking point that he is careening towards. Can he complete the training and lead the fleet in a mission to save humanity? Are the military's objectives as clear as they would like them to seem? In the end, will any of what Ender does, matter? All of these questions drive Ender and provide the fuel for this spectacular story.

The Battle School is a finely realized setting for Ender's struggles. One wonders what it would be like to enter battle training arena. The propaganda put forth by the government and military elements harkens back to the propaganda of World War II and some of the themes in Robert Heinlein novels. "Ender's Game" stands alone as a spectacular literary achievement and also serves as the start of the remarkable Ender's series of books. "Ender's Game" is book to be read once and then read again and again. Few novels have that quality.

Made me feel depressed, desperate, and depersonalized. No thanks.

I'm sure my reviewer rank is going to get clobbered for this one but I have to complain about this book. I've been putting off reading Enders Game for about 8 years now. Every time I would get in a discussion about books the question would come up and I would have to shamefully hang my head and admit to not having read IT yet. "But I do have it on my hot list, and I am planning on reading it soon." I would declare lamely.

So last year I made a New Year's Resolution to finally read it. I finally found it on tape unabridged and drove about 40 minutes to a library in a different city to pick it up.

Over the course of two weeks I read/listened to it and I was in shock. Nothing happened. It was generic sci-fi. Halfway through I started to realize the story wasn' about him fighting aliens, it was about him training to fight aliens and actually my favorite part was what was happening with his brother and sister back on earth.

I never really understood the political situation on earth, who was allied with whom, or what the hedgemon was.

Yes of course I was touched by the little boy's plight but the entire book was just a bunch of filler so that he could pull off a startling climax. Then there's the last chapter or two which should have just been stapled into the book as a late addition. The chapter should have been titled -Setup for the Sequel-. It just didn't fit, it was like you saw someone turn off the video camera and then start it back up somewhere else. I believe he should have kept it a short story, the climax wasn't worth 300 pages of semi-boring, (though well written) fluff.

I think comparing this book to Dune is like comparing -Tom & Jerry- to -The Simpsons-. It's a whole different level of entertainment.

My resolution this New Years was to read the classics, the great novels that everyone ought to read once in their lifetimes. Along with Shakespeare and Dickens, I started to read ask my friends what their personal favorites were, and read them as well. The name 'Enders Game' came as a suggestion from one of my friends, and I reluctantly agreed, expecting yet another unrealistic and mediocre sci-fi epic, drenched in spaceships and overplayed heroism. I was amazed to realize that this novel was actually one of the most engrossing and well-written of all of the books I had recently read. Card's clear, concise and descriptive writing tone made the story believable and fast-paced. I above all commend him for not patronizing children. All too often their ideas, quite occasionally as clever and intellegent as adults, are swept aside and discarded purely for the reason that the person was below a certain age. This was truly a remarkable book, and I urge everyone to read it.

Ender's Game is a sci-fi classic of staggering depth, and with it Orson Scott Card establishes himself as a writer to be mentioned in the same breath as Asimov, Clarke, Dick, and Gibson. Ender's Game flings the reader headlong into an Earth reeling from two alien attacks. To prevent defeat in a third, the fleet takes the smartest children of Earth to be trained as fighters and commanders. Of all these children, Ender Wiggin is the smartest. The leaders of the fleet are convinced he is the one who can lead humanity to victory. But before he can do that, Ender must survive his training, where jealous soldiers conspire against him and his teachers put him through tests more rigorous than anyone has ever faced before. Card's portrayal of Ender's struggle against his peers, his superiors, and ultimately the aliens shows the tension of human interaction under the pressure of impending war. Ender presents one of the deepest, most impelling characters ever to hit the pages of a sci-fi novel; the reader feels his pain and his pleasure as he makes his way through a world not many could endure. This book is an essential addition to any complete sci-fi library, or any library at all.

If there is even a slight a chance that you will read this book than please DO NOT read the review from Clayton posted a few days before this one. It gives away away the suprise ending.

I first read Ender's Game over almost two years ago and it contineus to be my favorite. I have now read it more times than I can remember. All of the characters that Card creates are complete people, the pacing is swift and draws the reader in, and the ending is unbelievable. This novel is not just for science fiction fans, or younger readers; it is for everyone. In general, I don't read science fiction and when I first saw the book I thought silly, based on the cover art. I won't repeat the old cliche, but you all know what is is. This turned out to be one of the best books I've read.

This has to be the worst book I have ever read. I cannot understand why anyone would give it even a satisfactory review. The authors descriptions were so vague that you could not even picture it in even the most beckoned mind. If you are considering buying this book, please reconsider and buy a little more mature book, like Curious George.

As I read review after review describing Ender's Game as one of the best books of all time or a work of complete genius, I was compelled to make a comment to balance out the gross hype this book gets everywhere you hear of it. I first read this novel as an eighth grader, and just re-read it as a freshman in college.

I have to say that this may be one of the most overhyped books of all time. While this book is clearly a page-turner, it is just that, and nothing more. It is a purely plot-driven story, and will fail to capture the mind of anybody who actually enjoys reading real literature due to its poor character development, plain prose, lack of intellectual depth, and an extremely unrealistically justified plot twist at the end of the book. Before bashing this book, I want to say that if you're a young student or somebody who looks to reading for nothing more than an entertaining story, you will most likely find this satisfying. The story is creative, the premise very interesting, the story moves very quickly, and even if it lacks depth, it keeps you guessing at what will happen next.

In the case that you are looking for quality literature, you will be disappointed. Aside from the protagonist, none of the characters are meaningfully fleshed out. Characters generally fit the binary template of "good" or "bad", and they hardly evolve or change in their personality over the course of the story. And even though Card gives us continual insight into the protagonist's mind, I found it hard to empathize with him for two reasons: First, his thought processes are overly simplistic, alternating between mindsets such as total apathy and complete determination, or extreme anger and debilitating sadness. My second criticism of Ender is that he is basically perfect. The author fails to show where he lacks in any part of his character. He is more intelligent than anybody he comes across, extremely athletic, and has no trouble dealing with any circumstance, intellectually or physically. At first I was not irritated by his supreme intelligence, but as you move through the story, you realize, Card endows him with the emotional and psychological understanding of a socially gifted adult. So not only is he intellectually perfect, but emotionally as well. Ender faces little to no trouble in overcoming obstacles over the course of the story, basically plowing through everything thrown at him. His extreme resilience is something that no normal human being can actually empathize with, and after a while, I gave up on trying to relate to him. Just because the author gives us consistent access to the protagonist's train of thought does NOT denote that the character development in this story is of high quality. Perhaps Card intended to make Ender perfect, and knew that his effort to do so would inherently create a division between him and the reader, but he does nothing to compensate for this, such as seriously developing other characters.

As I mentioned before, this book lacks serious depth. The prose is devoted purely to furthering the plot, and in no way enhances the story. The scientific and philosophical ideas that are occasionally brushed upon are discussed too superficially to add anything to the book or stand on their own to be talked about outside of the context of the plot.

The last complaint I have is that while on the surface the action in this book is very interesting, we are given such little insight into it and such vague descriptions of the way that it transpires, that it is extremely difficult to appreciate the "genius" that Ender creates in the games. Descriptions of action generally were bland and lifeless, rather than making me feel as if I was actually there.

Ender's Game is a fun, quick read, but it is written at a high-school quality level and lacks the depth, whether philosophically or in terms of its characters, to serve as much more than a good book to read on a long plane ride.

This book is amazingly bad. It has every single trait of a bad book, it is:

A: Repetitive
B: Boring
C: Long
D: Depressing

The book is about a genius 6 year old cadet in military school where everyone is violent and evil and wants to injure or kill everyone else. His brother (who is only slightly older than he is) is homicidal. This is a very popular book, but I sincerely and absolutely hated it.


(In fairness to the book, however I did not finish it. I only read half because I was so bored with it I stopped.)

We read books about unappreciated geniuses all the time. How often do we read books about geniuses that are appreciated? Not only appreciated by lauded? And not only lauded but miserable beyond belief? When author Orson Scott Card first wrote a full length book out of his short story "Ender's Game", he could never have predicted the impact it would make. Since its conception, gifted children have read it on a personal level. Members of the military have viewed it as their epic. It has been taught in schools as an example of leadership, about its use of problem solving, about the role of self-creation, as a political book, and even as religious fiction. The book is infinitely adaptable and easy to relate to. Few would contest that it is Card's best written work today.

Our hero is Ender Wiggin, a boy who starts this tale at the tender age of six. The third child in his family (ala the book "Among the Hidden" third children are illegal in the world) his birth was approved of by the military. Ender is a genius, more intelligent than either his psychopathic elder brother Peter or his calm loving sister Valentine. When it becomes clear that Ender is capable defending himself in violent confrontations, the military recruits him. It seems the world was once nearly destroyed by creatures now referred to as "buggers". Though the Earth was saved, barely, in the last invasion, they're looking for a military genius to beat the buggers a second time. That's where Ender comes in. He is seen as the world's last hope. If he can rise to be the commander that leads Earth's ships to military success against the bugger scourge he will have saved humanity itself. That is, if he can survive the military itself.

A great writer (it may have been Anne Lamott) once said that a good writer should never be afraid to put his/her characters into painful situations. Well, I can clearly state here and now that Card is in no way afraid to put Ender through the paces. This kid suffers often and regularly and if you're not comfortable reading about a miserable little child then you may as well put this book down right now. There's a real bent of cruelty to this story, some of it violent for the sake of violence and some of it done with the intention of making Ender stronger. Card's at work on this story in a variety of interesting ways. Not only does he make you think of the role of war for humanity (I found myself wondering if humans fight with one another just to keep their brains amused) but also the nature of propaganda, the toll of genius, the price of significantly affecting a child physically and emotionally even if that child is brilliant, etc. You can come at this book from a million different angles and interpretation and, even if you dislike it, you can't stop talking about it.

Now the book does suffer here and there from what I like to call sci-fi sexism. The explanation about why genius girls aren't entered into the school much says, "They don't often pass the tests to get in. Too many centuries of evolution are working against them". Better still, the one girl that Ender does meet at the school is the first to freak out when, towards the end, he uses her in a complicated bugger game. So there you have it. A woman's instincts to stay at home and raise children make her evolutionarily less likely to want to hunt and gather and fight like her male counterparts. Due to the fact that this book was published in 1977 originally as a short story I might have forgiven this flub. The fact that Card kept it for the 1991 revision... less forgivable.

Now, if you're going to purchase a particular edition of "Ender's Game", I'd like to personally recommend the Author's Definitive Edition. Not only has Card written a delightful and though provoking introduction to his tale but he has also gone back and fixed, "the errors and internal contradictions and stylistic excesses" that have bugged him for years. The introduction puts the book into perspective, recalling not only the process by which Card as an author came to his story, but also the responses he's received to it over the years. For anyone who enjoys the book, this introduction is necessary for a really thorough reading. Also, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to kids. Teens yes, kids no.

Though not without its flaws, it's unlikely that you'll ever find a science fiction book that has touched so many people in so many different and various ways. It is an excellent view of games and (in some ways) the role of videos games on children. Or maybe it's a book about childhood itself. I can't begin to try to pick apart the different things the author is trying to say here. All I can do is say that it's a great tale with a great story to tell. An obligatory text for anyone interested in young adult fiction.

well, i'm not sure how so many people enjoyed this book, perhaps it was not the right day for me to pick it up and read it. but seriously, it was disturbing....definately not something i will be giving my kid brother to read any time soon...naked children, child wars, lies and deceit, and more!rather insensitive towards real world issues-this is not just a game happening in sci-fi books, has anyone looked in the news lately, ie. child soldiers in liberia?

What is with the kids getting naked every other chapter? There are times when it is just not appropriate. No, I didn't expect Ender to take a shower in his spacesuit, but what's with him making all the 4-6 year olds jog around naked carrying their spacesuits? I'm sorry, but that naked fist fight gave me the willies. Not to mention how disgusting it is to kick someone between the legs when they're not wearing any pants. Serioulsy tho, why does Card have to have everyone sitting around in the buff while studying when Ender arrives at Camp Crystal Lake 3000? Just not necessary. I understand sometimes nudity can help in story telling (Garden of Eden?), but in this book it's ALWAYS CHILDREN. Kinda disturbing, which brings me to my next point.

By far the only truly engaging character is Peter. I just wish we could have had insight into him. Ender's is too simplistic "He doesn't want to kill but he has too" or something. Peter, I'd love to know what drives him. He's a wacko with a consience. And he knows he's a wacko. See, toward the end, he's willing to use his wacko-ness to commit evil for the greater good of humanity. That's what I got out of it. And what's with the heart to heart Peter gives Ender while he thinks he's asleep? It's never ever followed up on.

What gets to me is the super genius starts spinning out of conrol after awhile. It's like: Ender's smart, but Peter's reallllly smart, but Bean's really reaalllllly smart but then Peter gets even smarter so he's reallllly realllly reallly smart! But then Ender takes Bean under his wing so then Bean gets REALLY INHUMANELY IMPOSSIBLY YOU'RE-TOO-STUPID-TOO-COMPREHEND HOW SMART! And he's like four. Even the greatest of fantasy needs the reigns pulled in otherwise you wind up with something like Waterworld, and we don't want that, now do we?

Having been on a nostalgic classic Sci Fi trip lately I decided to pick up as many classics as possible and Ender's Game fit the bill. I have heard a lot about this novel and it's sequels as a definitive Sci Fi collection so I expected solid things from Card's work. Alas I was disappointed. Perhaps it is because I am relatively young and in this modern age classic Sci Fi is becoming outdated by modern technology but I also found Cards writing to be a tad borish. I read the entire book on a flight to Las Vegas so it is not a long read but the plotline really dragged. The characters didn't seem to define themselves in any great manner and the biggest issue I had was that the whole point of everything was never truly presented. At times I got a little lost at what was going on and had to track backwards to pick it all up again. Once able to keep on track I found the plot to be predictable and redundant. Ender was kind of an annoying character who just beat obstacle after obstacle with little explanation of how he did so. By the end of the novel my mind was so numb from the monotonous plotline I pretty much missed the whole point of the book. I wanted to like this book but it was just too dated and too simple to really have met my expectations. It is truly an example of how Sci Fi is getting dated in todays society and if you want some real good classic sci fi stick to Herbert's Dune series or some of the newer stuff coming out.

There are certain books that seem as though they change your way of thinking, your opinions and reactions to the world around you. In many ways, Ender's Game does just that, and it does it without being obvious.

There are over a thousand reviews posted here, so I don't think I need to tell the storyline here, most of you already know it. What is important to note is how the storyline is nothing but a diversion. What is at the heart of this book is human nature; why we do what we do and think what we think. Many of us relate to Ender, to his isolation and his feeling that he just isn't the same as those around him.

Orson Scott Card offers several dichotomies here, and Ender himself is nothing but an exercise in duality. This works. I've read this book half a dozen times and have used in in my college English curriculum. It had that much of an effect on me.

Many of my students reject the sci-fi element of the book in the beginning but almost all of them come to a point where they appreciate what this book has to say.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is amazed at the workings of human nature. It doesn't portend to have all the answers, but it certainly will make you think, and you'll enjoy the process.

This is destined to be a classic, if it isn't one already.

This is not going to be a popular opinion, but I didn't like this book and can't figure out why it's such a classic. Basically, genius kid is recruited by interplanetary military and trained in the art of war so that he can destroy an alien species deemed to be a threat to earth. Meanwhile, back on earth, genius brother and sister of genius kid post op-ed pieces on the internet and quickly attain worldwide followings and more or less control world politics. These are all little kids, and they don't get much older in the course of the book.

There are two main problems for me. First, I don't like books where the characters end up being world political leaders and changing the course of history. Most books with this kind of plot are incapable of capturing the charisma and brilliance that such people actually have, and so I'm never really convinced that these characters could have accomplished these great feats. That's the case here, too. There just wasn't anything about the kids - other than that they didn't sound like little kids when they talked - that seemed especially brilliant or interesting or charismatic, or that could have enabled them to accomplish the things they did. There was a bit more effort in that area with Ender, but his brother and sister seemed completely unconvincing to me. There was no way in which they didn't sound like ordinary people.

The most interesting part of the story was Ender's trials at battle school, where his teachers manipulated him into isolation from his friends. The detailed descriptions of his victories gave some small credence to the claim that he was intelligent, but nevertheless were not overly shocking in their brilliance. Still, this part of the book was pretty interesting and kept me reading. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book, where all the kids wound up being world famous leaders and changing history, that I was annoyed at the silliness and unlikelihood of that.

The second problem I had with the book is that a