Review: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

genre: sci-fi
age: all!
rating: 8/8 tentacles

At six years old, Ender Wiggin leaves his family behind to attend Battle School in outer space where the government attempts to mold him into someone they hope will rise up and defeat a terrifying alien race called Buggers.

Years of writing workshops have trained me to read critically and now I can’t help mentally editing everything I read. The weak points of a story seem to light up before my eyes and I am constantly asking myself: How would I make this better? Every once in a while, I come across a book or an author that transcends my editing abilities. Puts me in awe. Makes me despair of ever being a great author because how could I create something as astoundingly brilliant as this? Ender’s Game is one of these books.

I like novels that push me to think, to solve puzzles, to strategize. Looking at the world through young Ender Wiggin’s eyes was an enlightening experience. He is always coolly observing, calculating consequences, manipulating his environment and the people around him like pieces in a game of chess. He consistently surprises everyone with his ingenuity and unconventional solutions to every challenge the government and the Battle School throws at him. As I read, I found myself wishing I could absorb some of his genius. And he is a genius, but beneath his lofty intellect he is also a tired, lonely, little boy who wants only to be left alone, to avoid hurting people, and to go home to the sister he loves. Readers can admire him as a hero for his skill and dogged persistence under pressure but we can also love him as a person for his sadness and compassion. And I do love Ender.

The Battle Room and Ender’s computer game are fascinating and imaginative additions to a plot containing suspense, heart, and great insight as well as an excellent twist. I was also impressed by Card’s use of dialogue. If you follow my blog, you probably noticed that I couldn’t resist copying down quotation after quotation (and sharing them all). I didn’t want to forget Card’s words.

I am currently reading Children of the Mind and though I’ve immensely enjoyed each installment of Ender’s Saga, my favorite remains Ender’s Game.