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Ender's Game (Ender Wiggins Saga (Audio))

Ender's Game (Ender Wiggins Saga (Audio))

List Price: $39.95
Your Price: $26.37
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best science-fiction book for NON science-fiction fans
Review: Incredible! Everybody loves Ender, the boy genius, plucked from his home, his family, and his planet and shuttled off to Battle School to fight the Buggers; an alien species, intent on colonizing Earth and destroying the human race. A non-stop action adventure and perfect for everyone young and old. The best science-fiction book for anyone who claims not to like the genre.The first time I read this book I did so on a 45 hour road-trip from my home in New Jersey to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Myself and three buddies from college all read it during our two-week adventure. It was recommended by the brother of one of the guys who was a West Point cadet. It turns out Ender's Game was on the Required Reading List for his freshman class. While in Jackson, I bought book 2, Speaker for the Dead, and read it on the trip home (naturally putting it down when it was my turn to drive).Since then, I have given this book to my mother, two of my sisters and their two sons. All loved it. In fact, my 12 year old nephew loves the Ender saga so much he gave me Children of the Mind for Christmas

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: Mankind is at war with aliens called the buggers, who want to wipe out mankind. A sensitive young boy called Ender Wiggin is recruited to Battle School, a place where children are trained to become future soldiers in that war. It is hoped that Ender will become the next great military commander. If he is not, mankind may well be doomed, as there will not be enough time to train someone else before the buggers get to earth.

I found this to be a very good book, and one I got into easily. Ender is a compelling character and you can empathise with him and the terrible situations that he is placed in, and what he is forced to do in those situations. Throughout the book Ender suffers: he is bullied by his sadistic older brother Peter; he is separated from his family and loved ones; he is manipulated and isolated by his teachers; he is even set up so that other boys at the Battle School will hate him. His teachers also place him in life threatening situations, whilst they watch to see what he will do. All this is done to Ender in the name of preparing him to save mankind from the buggers. Ender comes to realise that there will never be anyone to help him in any situation he finds himself in; that he can only rely on himself. I take a quote from the book:

'There was no doubt now in Ender's mind. There was no help for him. Whatever he faced, now and forever, no one would save him from it. Peter might be scum, but Peter had been right, always right; the power to cause pain is the only power that matters, the power to kill and destroy, because if you can't kill then you are always subject to those who can, and nothing and no one will ever save you.'

Despite everything that is thrown at Ender, he still makes friends with other children at the Battle School: Bean, Alai, Petra, Shen, Dink and others. The great tragedy is that all the children who go to Battle School end up losing their childhood, because of the great responsibility placed on their shoulders: fighting against the buggers on behalf of mankind. This is the main theme of the book: children who are not children; children with adult responsibilities and adult dilemmas. Indeed, sometimes you forget how young Ender and most of the characters in this book are (Ender is six at the beginning of Ender's Game, and twelve by the end of it). We also have as a subplot Ender's siblings Peter (aged 14) and Valentine (aged 12) publishing essays on the newsnets which influence politics and the world. So as well as being a story about the trials, tribulations and anguishes of Ender Wiggin, Ender's Game is also a story about extraordinary children with capabilities beyond their years. It is also a tale of lost childhood, and a brilliantly conceived one at that. Well done to Orson Scott Card.



Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Magnificent---I don't know who would be dumb enough to argue
Review: Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME is the best book in the WORLD! I read a lot of reviews saying otherwise, so I say this: read how many good reviews there are compared to bad ones. Believe me, ENDER'S GAME is a must-read!The plot sounds dull but OSC's terrific skills in writing takes that over.

Who can say that a book about a genius boy among geniuses in a genius school who hates himself because he is too much like his evil brother and misses his affectionate sister is not interesting? What about when there is a little boy in the genius boy's army who is only about six years old? What about if these kids act and talk, not like children, but adults? What about when the teachers ruin the kid's life so much that he has horrid dreams and bites himself in his sleep? Sounds gruesome now? Wait 'till you read the book, becase if you don't you are really being mean to yourself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ender's Game
Review: Personally, Ender's Game is the best science fiction book I have ever read. From the beginning all the way to the end, the book is smart, it is exciting, and it is hard to put down. I think the book is so successful because people can relate to the main character, Ender. He is a young genius being used like a tool as a military commander. The future, set about a hundred and fifty years from now, is believable and lacks many of the scifi luster that plagues many books. Ender is taken to a school in space that trains children to become officers, however, his training is different and special. The book is sad, because Ender nearly destroys himself to ensure that he never loses. The antagonist in the book is superficially the buggers, the aliens that have attacked Earth twice. At a different level, the antagonists are the adults that are ensuring Ender never loses his edge. And, ultimately, the antagonist is Ender himself.
Enders Game is a book that I would recommend to anybody. It is deep, and for some reason it appeals to people that don't normally read science fiction. Be warned: if you read it once, you will probably read it again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This is a game worth playing!
Review: Reading the negative reviews is very revealing. The majority of the one-star reviews resort to insulting those who have enjoyed the book. Criticism that consists of name-calling is a high form of praise.

Which is not to say that a little bit of controversy surrounding Ender's Game isn't inappropriate. A six year old child is taken from his family and trained for battle with other children and ultimately commits genocide - xenocide, to be more accurate. Not a happy, uplifting tale by any stretch of the imagination. Yet there is something nevertheless compelling in the tale of how Ender overcomes every obstacle placed in his path to not only succeed but, ultimately, grow into a better person than most. Card's prose is at times spartan, but the pages turn so fast one doesn't notice.

Be warned that the "sequel," Speaker for the Dead, is not really a sequel at all. It would be difficult to find two more different books marketed as the same series. Ender returns, but where Ender's Game is largely action-driven, Speaker for the Dead dwells upon inner turmoil and family struggles. Speaker is by far the more powerful and provocative book, and one does not need to read Ender's Game to appreciate it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: The Earth had suffered two invasions by the buggers. The buggers are an alien race out to destroy the earth and all of the surviving humanity. To prevent further attack, the nations of the world have allied together and created a base in outer space that would be called "Battle School". This is a place where they send up and train super smart and talented kids to be soldiers. Ender Wiggin is one such child who is selected to go to battle school even though he is only 6 years old! Ender is immediately separated from the other kids as one of the smartest and as one who is more intelligent than some of them who are twice his age. The commanders see Ender's immense potential and separate him from the rest of the group to see how he fares. Ender plays many "war games

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Really good
Review: There's no way someone would not be atracted by this book. I had never read anything by Orson Scott Card and now I'm looking for almost everything he's written.

"Ender's game" is the story of a boy, who is possibly Man's last hope. In a long war against a not well known adversary, the insect-like "buggers", Ender Wiggin, a six year old child, is taken to the Battle School to learn the tricks that maybe will lead humanity to its survival. He can have no friends, no grown-up will be there to help him in his personal struggles against older boys filled with envy, he's taken from his family and his beloved sister... This could be a terrible life, but Ender's sense of responsibility always drags him back to his supposed duty.

Orson Scott Card was able to create a sci-fi story in the middle of a, let's say, story of a life. The reader will always stay with Ender (except in the chapters when we are told Ender's brothers lives, but that helps to understand his relations to his family and some of what happens to him when he's away in Battle School, and some of what happens near the end of the book); we will see him become a master of military strategy, and we will see him abandon everything he holds dear in order to achieve a greater feat.

There were parts of "Ender's game" that reminded me of other books, such as "Lord of the flies", "Starship troopers", and some others, and I think that's a high compliment.

This is not your common sci-fi book, it is something much more subtle and has many levels of meanings, but can be read just as a good entertainment, so enjoy.

Grade 9.5/10

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Please Make it End
Review: When my friend highly recommended this book to me I should have know that it wouldn't really be my thing. Our tastes in everything pop culture are completely different. So where to begin. Ender's Game in not a horrible book, nor completely without merit. I have never read another book quit like it, so it IS unique. But there are a few things about it that irked me enough to make me not enjoy it.

*The name-calling in the book was utterly ridiculous. Now mind you, I enjoy a bit of name calling now and again, but at least make it above a kindergarten level! There's only so many times you can hear the word "farteater" before a book loses its literary value altogether. It's as if Card was trying to portray how he though children would speak, but it went horribly wrong. I mean, weren't these kids supposed to be geniuses? I would expect them to be more creative than that.

*The characters are really corny and stereotypical. Not much originality there. Good brother, bad brother, sweet innocent sister caught in the middle. Tough love major general. Furthermore, I didn't feel any real attachment to any of the characters.

*The book seems dated to a time when video games first hit mainstream.

*I admit, some of the concepts were interesting. For example, the constant evolving game Ender plays on his Notebook was really fascinating. After awhile, however, the Battle School Ender attends and the battles themselves get repetitive.

I'm not the biggest Science Fiction fan, so maybe this book just wasn't for me. But if you enjoy this genre, you might liked this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: yes, it¿s a good book and people adore it¿ but honestly it¿s
Review: Why You Should Read This

If you regard(ed) yourself as a gifted child you will find the reading cathartic. If you're a parent of a gifted child then you should regard this book as non-fiction. Anyone looking for a very good book to read over the weekend or during some other short interim of time then there are really no finer books. Ender's Game is an excellent book to give or recommend to someone unfamiliar with the genre who isn't desirous of much in the way of high-brow literature. If you've read other books by Card and are (rightly) puzzled and disgusted at his iconic status then you should give this one a try.

Why You Should Pass

There is an extraordinary amount of hype surrounding this book. Do not flip the cover open expecting to have your life changed. Have realistic expectations for what it is: a decent book with mass-market appeal. If you're looking to have your life changed or affirmed, seek other books. Do not expect heavy philosophy here, you won't find it. If you're looking for heavy philosophy likewise seek elsewhere.

READ MORE AT INCHOATUS.COM

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Modern masterpiece
Review: With Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card manages to create a masterpiece. Card creates a wonderful character in Ender Wiggin. He uses wonderful characterization and includes a healthy dose of psychology, giving great depth to an already fascinating story. The situations he places Ender in create empathy in anyone who ha ever faced the great challenge of peer judgement or sibling rivalry.

Ender Wiggin and his family rise up to great challenges and overcome them, despite their age. This sends a great message, because often in our society gifted children and teenagers are overlooked and passed off as inferior.

Ender's Game is filled with intensity. The battles and fight scenes thorughout the book are so well written that I found myself unable to put the book down while I was reading them. Maybe after people read this they will realize how capable some children are. A modern masterpiece, Ender's game is a must read for all.


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