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Summary: Painful and intense
Review: I have been reading science fiction since I was 12 years old. I've never encountered a novel like this before. The author, in the preface to the copy I have, wrote that people either loved the book or hated it. I understand why. Ender Wiggins is subjected to an unpleasant life that is not of his choosing, yet, considering the circumstances, there might be no alternative. Somehow, he finds some enjoyment in his life. The first part of the book is almost unbearable in its emotional intensity. There's no gore in the book, but a lot of psychological torture. Not recommended for the squeamish.
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Summary: Cards Best Work
Review: As a reader of Sci-fi and Fantasy sagas I've found this entire series to be engaging reading. Ender's Game, the first book in the series, is well written, show's a great amount of insight, and easy a pleasant read. The plot is viable, and the caracters are well developed. The only rival in the series to this work is "Ender's Shadow".
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Summary: Sci Fi Fans Needed
Review: OK - I read this one on the recommendation of a sci-fi/fantasy fanatic, which I am not. I thought it was an OK read, but I found the violence really disturbing. Normally that is something I can get past, but not this time. I think sci-fi fans would love this novel for various reasons, but if that is not you, be careful.
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Summary: A Must-Read for Almost Anyone
Review: 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.
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Summary: Sci Fi for people who think they hate sci-fi
Review: The premise: In humanity's first encounter with an alien race, all the humans were wiped out. Since then, human society has been centered on producing military leaders capable of defeating the aliens in our next encounter. Ender Wiggin is seen as the child who may have the capability of leading humans to victory. The book chonicles his experiences in Battle School, where he and other kids train for the impending confrontation. While this plot is the superstructure, it's the substructure of the book that makes it great: young kids bearing enormous responsibility, in a hyper-competititive environment, being used for purposes they do not entirely comprehend. (SPOLIER WARNING: the next sentence contains information about the ending!)For anyone who's ever put everything they had into some goal or objective and been disasterously surprised by getting what they want, the ending of this book will resonate strongly. I am not much of a science fiction fan, but this is a great book.
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Summary: not really for adults
Review: if you are older than a teenager you will find the direction of the story pretty obvious. Children are the main characters and adults are to be "mistrusted." The aliens are a back-story to the "drama" of kids working togther as team. Card really needs to tackle deeper topics before he can be taken seriously. He compares himself to Asimov in the new introduction which leaves me speechless. I cannot believe the number of 5 star reviews this novel gets -- please read Neuromancer instead if you are looking for speculative insights about the near-future. Or maybe Snow Crash, but avoid this silly novel about kids who learn how to be "team-players"
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Summary: Main character I could relate with
Review: If I truly enjoy a piece of fiction it is always because I can relate with the characters somehow. No matter how good the plot, how smooth the writing style, how creative the setting; if the characters aren't believeable, I can't enjoy the book. Ender Wiggins suffers ordeals that I could understand, and responds to them in an intelligent, believeable manner. Believeable, that it, for a child genius of unprecidented intellect. An adult genius would not behave the way Ender does. A child of average intellect would not behave the way Ender does. The thought process Ender uses to analyze social situations in this book are what I can relate to most, because they are what I believe a child with superior intellect yet limited social experience might follow. He sizes up situations based not on experience, but logical thought, and responds in a very extreme manner, not yet having learned moderation through life experiences. Those who say that he does not behave in a believeable manner either don't remember what it was like to be a child, or lack the intelligence to imagine how a child of such vast genius would respond to things such as being bullied or pushed beyond their physical limits. Children seek immediate solutions. Acceptance by their peers and family is their whole world. Really, this book to me was a fun journey into the world of Ender's mind, allowing me to imagine doing the sorts of things I wish I had been clever enough to think of when I was his age. There are aliens, yes, and war games too. Yet these elements were merely plot devices to bring out the fullness of the title character.
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Summary: one of the best books i have read
Review: we had been given a list of books to read and among about a hundred of books, I found Ender's Game most interesting. I recommend this book to all those who are bored, like me now, and would like a good read. And for the science fiction lover, this is a must
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Summary: OSC's timeless classic does not fade with age
Review: I first read this book when I was 15 years old. At that time I had never heard of Orson Scott Card, and I recall being somewhat skeptical because my mother had picked up "Ender's Game" and its sequel while visiting the LDS book chain, Seagull Books. I'm a proud member of the LDS church, but especially at that age, I was loathe to embark upon a sappy, sermonizing, or otherwise heavy-handed LDS-influenced morality play. OSC had a rep as "The Mormon science fiction author" and I was actually hoping more for a Clancy-in-space type techno thriller. Well, suffice to say, "Ender's Game" blew my socks off. This is a very adult novel, because its themes and setting are entirely adult, but the main characters are engrossing if only because I think any child, teenager, and most adults, can immediately empathize with Ender, or any of his cohorts. Card has an uncanny ability to put the reader into Ender's head and thus we see as he sees, hurt as he hurts, so that by the time the novel is under way we are already caught up in Ender's tragic struggle to extract love and survival from a harsh, war-ready world. I won't spoil the plot, but the only portion of the novel that dates is the Warsaw Pact. Keep in mind that this book was written in a time when the Soviet era seemed like it would drag on forever, and you can understand Card's employ of this traditional monolithic bad guy. But even so, the Warsaw Pact is simply a sideshow compared to the built-up horror of the Buggers, who we do not truly come to know until the final chapter or two of the novel. I recently re-read "Ender's Game" after picking up the Bean-centered parallel novels "Ender's Shadow" and "Shadow of the Hegemon". I wanted to refresh myself on OSC's future history and the characters that dwell within it, before inserting myself into the Bean novels. I'm 28 now and have joined the military, and I am stunned once again at OSC's gripping prose, the sharpness of Ender's journey through the Battle School, the grim necessities of real war, and the remarkable currency of the International Fleet's pre-emptive strike against Earth's enemy. OSC is a masterfull writer, and "Ender's Game" is probably his finest work, even after all these years. I would especially recommend it as a terrific starter novel for kids between 10 and 15 years of age, especially if they enjoy science fiction programs such as Farscape, Star Trek, or motion pictures like the Star Wars saga. Parents especially might appreciate the fact that the tale is free from needless sex, profanity, and violence. "Ender's Game" is a terrific piece of SF literature, yet new readers and younger SF fans won't have any trouble plugging into Ender's world, and the drama within it.
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Summary: Insightful and Exciting!
Review: Orson Scott Card has quickly become one of my favorite authors, mostly because of his work with the Ender series. Card takes you on a four-book journey through the amazing life of a truly remarkable man. Ender's Game ends with Ender still in his teens, and in later books you are taken to the end of his life. Don't be fooled by the cover art. Spaceships and aliens play a relatively minor part in this story. Ender's Game is by far one of the best books I have ever read.
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