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Ender's Game

Ender's Game

List Price: $6.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Ironic Adventure
Review: After reading Ender's Game, any reader can see that Orson Scott Card has written a book with a most ironic ending. Throughout the whole book, what the reader comes to suspect is totally changed by the ending and what goes on. Credit the author for writing a great book, as a reader; I felt the turnout threw me off, which caused the book to fade. The ironic endings were a huge surprise, but it took away from the book. Still this book was very well written, in the sense that it kept the reader guessing. Not knowing what was going to happen next, and expecting something different, left the reader on the edge of their seats. Many ironic situations come about right at the end of the book; Ender destroys the bugger species, Peter takes over the world, and then "colonists" settle on the buggers past homeland.

During Ender's vigorous training at the Battle School, he was, in a sense, separated from all the soldiers (solely because of his abilities). "You've been isolating the boy. Maybe he's wishing for the end of this world, the Battle School. Or maybe it's about the end of the world he grew up with as a little boy, his home, coming here," was said by Major Imbu and shows the way he was treated at Battle School. Never did the reader suspect that once Ender arrived at the I.F., he would be controlling his own Fleet. All along Ender thought he was playing a simulation, but really he was fighting the Buggers. At the end, when the I.F. finally gives Ender a chance for freedom, they trick him into destroying all of the buggers. Without his knowledge or permission, he ended a whole species. While all of this is happening, Peter is back on Earth, planning for total domination.

Peter lived his whole life as a supercilious person. He felt that he was always better then Ender and felt he should have been the chosen one. Peter talked of taking over the world, but thinking logically, how could a 12-year-old child take over the world? By himself alone, Peter was not smart enough, but with the minds of two genius children, he was most definitely capable. "But we don't think like other children do we, Val? We don't talk like other children. And above all, we don't write like other children." This shows that Peter and Valentine could manage such an enormous task, but they just needed the right opportunity, which came when Ender destroyed the Buggers. With Peter taking over the world, almost anything was possible, so why not colonize a planet they just destroyed?

Since the buggers were finished, and the world was under new leadership, many people decided to travel and settle on the non-populated bugger planet. Along with those explorers included Valentine. She didn't want to stay on Earth with Peter as the leader, but she wanted Ender to come with her. After much persuasion, Valentine changed Ender's mind about moving with her. He sought this as an opportunity to learn about the history of the species he had just destroyed. Studying about the buggers, and traveling the universe, Ender was going to try to start another bugger population. Not knowing if he was successful is how the book ended.

The ironic endings of the book Ender's Game, left the reader shocked, and filled with questions on why Orson Scott Card didn't notify the reader on what was going on. The reader never thought that Ender could end a species, especially because we came to see Ender as a person who was forced to kill, but did intentionally want to hurt people. Never for one second did the reader think that Peter was capable of taking over the world, when a few years past he was picking on his little brother. And ironically after Ender devastated a whole population, unwillingly he inhabited their homeland. This book is filled with irony, but that's what makes this book what it is.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tthe use of foreshadowing in Ender's Game
Review: In Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card used Foreshadowing really well. Foreshadowing is where an author will show or indicate something before it happens. He would always start a chapter off with a conversation between two adults. The adults would always be talking about what was going to happen in that particular chapter. I think this method of writing is good because it can help the reader understand what is going to happen in the chapter. This way if a reader gets confused they can always go back and reread the beginning of the chapter and it could help them fully understand what happened in the chapter. This method of writing helps keep the novel more exciting and suspenseful, because you know what is going to happen however you don't know how it happens so you will want to keep reading until the end of the chapter because you want to find out what happened.
Along with foreshadowing Orson Scott Card used third person omniscient as the type of narration. This type of narration helps him keep the readers in suspense as well. Third person omniscient helps him get into the mind of all of the charters heads and helps the reader further under stand what is going on in the world and the time and in space with Ender. Third person omniscient helps the reader know why Ender is afraid of peter and why the adults are not helping Ender.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ender's Game
Review: The novel, Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, is strengthened by the literary device imagery. It makes the novel better, because it helps you visualize what is going on in the novel. It also helps you feel the action in the novel.
In the novel, Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card uses imagery throughout the whole novel. The imagery that he uses makes the reader feel like they are in the novel. For example, "Ender went back to his bed to get his desk. As he leaned over to pick up the desk, he felt a hand jab roughly between his thighs and another hand grab his hair" (Card, 262). The imagery presented here by Orson Scott Card gives you a visual picture of what is going on. It also helps you feel the pain that Ender is going through.
Another imagery in the novel is, "His face and shoulders were being pressed into the floor by the old man's knee, while his back was excruciatingly bent and his legs were pinioned by the old man's arm" (Card, 262). In this passage, Orson Scott Card makes the reader feel the old man's knee pressing Ender's face and shoulders into the floor.
Therefore, imagery helps you see and feel the actions in the novel. Orson Scott Card does a good job of using this literary device. His writing makes you feel like you are in the novel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ender's Review
Review: Imagery is defined as the use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. In Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Card does an exceptional job of not displaying any imagery.

Throughout the novel, Card does not use any imagery when he is describing different parts of the novel. For example when he explains what the battle room is and made of, he conveys the minimal amount of description to depict the battle room. On page 89, the inside of the battleroom is clarified by Ender "The battleroom was different, too. Huge brown boxes were suspended in midair, partially obstructing the view. So these were the obstacles that the soldiers called stars." When Ender fights Bonzo in the bathroom, Card does not use elaborate words to describe this event. For example on page 211 when they begin to fight, Card states the least amount detail. "Without seeing him, Ender knew it would bring his face closer, almost in Ender's hair; so instead of kicking, he lunged upward off the floor with the powerful lunge of the soldier bounding from the wall, and jammed his head into Bonzo's face." Card does explain what is happening, but he could have gone into greater description illustrating this fight. Another example is when Ender confronts the entire Bugger fleet. On page 292 the enemy is described as "The enemy outnumbered him a thousand to one; the simulator glowed green with them. They were grouped in a dozen different formations. Shifting positions, changing shapes, moving in seemingly random patterns through the simulator field." Card tells how many there are and what they are doing, but does not go into great comparative detail about the fleet. Although Card lacks great amounts of imagery, this does not take away from the novel, in fact it makes the novel better. Ender's Game is a action book with constant activity, and if Card were to go into great detail with lots of imagery, it would make the action go slower and not have as great of an effect.
The lack of imagery also contributes to the bleak atmosphere of the book. Ender's life is meant to be without any comfort, softness or happiness. The focus of the story is that Ender cannot save the world if he has any hope of help from anybody. He is predicted to be the next Mazar Rackham and can only rely on himself to save the Earth from the Buggers. Card's lack of imagery contributes to the reader getting this impression of solitude and isolation.

Although the feeling of this book is bleak, the overall result is positive. The reader struggles with Ender against the injustices he endures, and, in the end, feels that justice is served. The lack of imagery contributes to the greatness of the book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Conflict in Ender's Game
Review: Conflict in Ender's Game
The book Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is successful because of its use of conflict throughout the story. In a site conflict is described as when the protagonist is opposed by some person or force in the play. There are 5 types of conflict: man vs. man, man vs. himself, man vs. fate, man vs. nature, and man vs. society. In Ender's Game the conflicts of man vs. man and man vs. society is used. Throughout the story Ender faces many problems of conflict and the conflicts are what makes this book so successful and fun to read.
One type of conflict that Orson Scott has Ender faces is man vs. man. Orson uses this literary device to help the book succeed by having the protagonist, Ender, have an antagonist who is brought out in his brother Peter and one of the kids Ender is with, Bernard. The conflict with Ender's brother Peter is helpful for the book because it causes chaos in Ender's life. Another reason why this conflict is helpful for the book is it makes the reader not want to book down. Something could happen with Ender and his brother at any moment.
The other conflict Orson Scott Card uses to help make Ender's game successful is man vs. society. This is another part to help the book have the readers not wanting to put it down. The kids that Ender is with do not take well to liking him at first. It takes awhile for him to make friends, especially when he goes around breaking their arms like he did with Bernard. Orson Scott also uses this conflict well because it seems like all the time Ender has some type of problem with someone.
The use of conflict throughout the story Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card makes it successful. There is non stop conflict which helps the action throughout the story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: enders game: well written and ultimately disturbing
Review: With an intergalactic war looming the earths' only hope is a child prodigy who is too young to drive let alone man the helm of Earths global forces. As with most science fiction novels, at first this exposition seems to be far fetched at best. However, with the realization and acceptance of the facts that make sci-fi what it is. The reader is prepared to delve deeper into the latent messages that card has woven into the fabric that makes up Ender Wiggins.
Taken from his home as a young child, Andrew "Ender" Wiggins is a 3rd child in a world where it is uncommon to be allowed to have 2 children and unheard of to be allowed to have 3. From the beginning we see that Ender is not like other children. He is even small for his age. He has been observed from his birth and scrutinized to determine whether or not he would be the savior of a world hardly worth saving. This pressure and the realization that he is ultimately alone in the world even left me, the reader, with scars. Card hits on 2 sublime points that I would like to comment upon:
1st) Might makes Right
2nd) Ender as a ticking time bomb
The Earth has evolved into a society of nations that has unified in the pursuit of one common goal, the destruction of another race. The marauding Buggers are deamonized throughout the book. It is an interesting parallel to note that the game that Enders brother plays with him is not unlike cowboys and Indians with the Indians being slaughtered in the end. Card manages to bring out the worst in us. He has managed to point out the dark truths about our basic belief system as a people. "Might makes Right" -Adolph Hitler-
It was supposed that the Buggers had exhausted all of the resources on their planet and therefore were in search of a new planet to consume. An interesting irony is the fact that that is exactly what the human race does as they split their post apocalyptic booty among the nations. Cards comments on society may slip past many readers; however, with deeper inspection of the motives behind the plot we are able to better understand Ender's character.
What made Peter the way that he was? What made him such a maniacal sadist? What made his sister Valentine so likeable and maternal? And what was it that made Ender a perfect combination of the two? The obvious answer would be, "Card did it to keep the story going you idiot." But there has to be something more to it. Ender is the battle of the Id and the Superego personified. Ender finds himself in pitiful situations through out the book whether it be being picked on by a school bully or hopelessly outnumbered in an intergalactic "battle simulation." His inclinations to kill, cripple and hurt others are only sullied by his desire to find acceptance and love; for crying out loud he just wants to find where he fits in the world. It is that point exactly that makes this book so appealing to young readers. They want to be good, they want to be free but most of all they want to be accepted. This internal angst that exists within Ender exists within us. The frightening thing is wondering who will win, the Id or the Super Ego. If the Id wins we will have several more 9-11's and Columbine's. For all our sakes I hope that our Superegos are victorious.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If you love sci-fi, you'll love this book!
Review: The beginning of the great Ender's series. Card simply pulls you into the story. You'll feel the characters. This is one of those rare books that you can truly say "That was incredible" after you read it. I recommended it to several people and they all love it and went to get the other books in the series. So try it out!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my Favorites
Review: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a book about a young boy who is a genius among geniuses. It is an incredible book that makes you use your imagination. You can not seem to put it down. Many times at night while I was reading this book I was forced to stay up and read more. I just kept telling myself one more chapter, one more chapter, and eventually it was over! I have read it numereous times and still have not found it boring. I always spot things I have missed the first time. So everytime I read this I look forward to finding new things that I did not get before or just did not see. Every page is something new and exciting. There are always new challenges for Ender to overcome and it makes it just that much more exciting. You always have to finish up the chapter before you can put it down. If you neeed a book to read and want it to be exciting I highly suggest this one its interesting from beggining to end.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Sci-Fi Book Ever
Review: OSC is one of the best writers in the US today. In fact I will go so far as to say he is second only to Stephen King.

This book and Ender's Shadow are both great stand-alone peices that he has written. I read Ender's game around 1996. I heard about Ender's Shadow a month or two ago and have recently finished the series. I have read all of the Ender and Shadow series and will continue to do so as long as they keep being written.

If you are not familiar with OSC, he is also the author/playright of the Abyss! Ender's Game is planned to be made into a movie by WB and the producer of a Perfect Storm. Read the book now, before you see the movie!

The book is about a young strategic genius that has to save the human race, and the world, from a race of hive-like aliens called the formics or Buggers. It is a very fast paced book, and it's unlikely you'll be able to put it down once you have gotten through the first few chapters. I would say more about the book, but I hate people giving away any information about books and movies so I won't.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: I highly recommend this book. In fact, have already bought the other books in the series (Ender Shadow was excellent too). The audio version has multiple readers, really helps with the many charecters. Great for yourself or a family car-trip!


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