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Summary: One of the best sci-fi books ever.
Review: This book has become a classic in the sci-fi realm. It is an extremely entertaining and fast read. It is defintely on of Mr. Card's best works. But even if you love this book, be careful on it's sequels - they are very different in story and tone. If you're looking for a great follow up - try "Ender's Shadow" - which is the same story told froma different character's point of view. I know it sounds kind of forced and trite, but it is actually very good and will give you what you want if you're an Ender's Game fan.
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Summary: Child Genius, Believable?
Review: I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and contrary to some opinions, very believable. If you want a complete review, read no further. If you are interested in why this book delivers convincing fiction, read on:It is often stated that the flaw in Ender's Game is the assumption that a child could become a military genius. Is it conceivable? Although Ender is young, he became a military genius in the context of a futuristic war. In Ender's Game, war is a tactical simulation controlled remotely like a computer game. In this isolated world where only the "game" exists, Ender's ability to excel is similar to Bobby Fischer's ability to excel in chess. Thus, Ender became a general, but not in a form as we would recognize today. Readers occasionally criticize how effortlessly the main characters gain control of world powers through ficticious personas and the media. Again, if you find this part unbelievable, think of the future context in which Card presents his story. In Card's world, the 'net' is omnipresent and media is both centralized and uniformly believed by the masses. With this type of medium, is it possible for a small group of people to gain control of the powers that be? (Before the 'net', consider Hitler, Macarthy, Martin Luther King). Decide for yourself and give Ender's Game a try.
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Summary: On the edge
Review: This was a way diffrent book then I expected. The plot is wonderful, but kind of hard to follow. YOu really have to pay close attention to every word. The main plot is a boy, about 6 is transferred to a space station where they train to kill and destroy buggers(aliens). Ender is supposed to be the best of the best, and he is. But life here is not so easy. Jealousies, Trials and Fears dominate the air. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. If you like Sci Fi, this book is for you.
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Summary: Read only this, pass the other books in the series
Review: It's an amazing book, indeed one of the best science fiction books I've ever read. I read it when I was about 12 and it was a great introduction to the science fiction genre. The fact that the hero is a kid makes it a great book to the younger readers, and it is an interesting book, that I read again and again, even today, 6 years later, and still enjoy it. A good gift to the 13th and on birthdays.
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Summary: Pinnacle of SF
Review: Perhaps I'm a little biased, being an avid Star Trek fan, but I really am convinced that science fiction is an excellent and far too often underestimated literary genre. Perhaps the reading community is off-put by the admitted bucketloads of SF that wouldn't meet any self-respecting fiction publisher's standards. Or maybe it's just the fantastical, sometimes unbelievable settings or the futuristic technology. It's true: frequently, SF doesn't go much for that whole Suspension of Disbelief thing. But maybe we're missing the point.
Science fiction is unique in that by removing this necessity for settings and concepts to be located somewhere in the real world, one is opening up a literal universe of possibilities to explore. This unlimited landscape is just what some characters require to grow and learn.
"Ender's Game", above all else, is a story about human nature. As exaggerated and cliched as that might sound, it's essentially the truth. Ender, despite his obvious genius, is just a lonely human boy who has been shoved unwillingly into a role that he has no desire to fill. Card explores ideas such as intelligence, innocence, violence, war, hatred, and manipulation by fashioning a futuristic world in which his characters can interact. Which isn't to say that Card couldn't have explored these themes in any contemporary or historical setting. However, I believe that the fact "Ender's Game" is set in a futuristic, created universe forces the reader to concentrate on the ideas instead of the fictional world.
This is, in my opinion, what SF was designed for. And, it should be noted; the fact that it is SF does not detract from the human qualities of the characters or the plot. Card is a talented and unsentimental writer through and through. The one thing I had a problem with, though, was the last chapter: the short story otherwise known as "Speaker for the Dead". While it's an intriguing story on its own, associating it with (i.e. tacking it onto the end of) "Ender's Game" weakened both the novel AND the story. "Ender's Game" was such a complete and polished entity on its own that I think it should have been left untouched.
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Summary: Don't be fooled by the cover
Review: Ok, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan. I've never enjoyed reading about things that I just couldn't believe. But that's why this book was so wonderful. Yes, it did take place in outer space, it did have aliens and all those other sci-fi essentials. But that's just the beginnning of this book. Unlike most science fiction that I've read, however, there was real character development, I understood and felt for Ender, I liked his friends, I laughed with him, got worried about him, and cried for him. The story was full of twists, turns, and other cool things. Everything about this book was great- the plot, the characters, the writing style, the suspense... Everything! Especially the character Ender is so real. After reading this book you feel like you've lived with him at Battle School and been with him through all the major events of his young life. This is the kind of book that I would reccomend to anyone who wants a good read. It's not just for guys or just for girls, not just for kids, or just teens, or just adults, and it's definitly not just for sci-fi or fantasy fans because I'm not one and I loved it!
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Summary: Thank you Card
Review: Finally a book I can actually sit down, read, and enjoy. The plot line is great and the games keep you guessing. When your reading, you cant stop untill you find out how Ender beats this or how Ender does that. One of the best thing Card does (that atleast I like) is that he can sum up long priods of time, were nothing happens, in only one paragraph. So you never get tried of reading it. I cant wait to read "Speaker of the Dead".
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Summary: The beginning of an adventurous saga
Review: I loved this book and this series. Orson Scott Card is a marvelous story teller. The plot is wonderful, the character development is fantastic, and the ending is marvelous. There is nothing bad I can say for this book and it is little wonder it has won several awards and is now being developed into a movie. But don't stop with this book. The adventure continues with the other books written on these characters through the eyes of not only Ender but of his right-hand man (boy), Bean.
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Summary: Read it Immediately
Review: Everyone will like this book, which is the first in a series of four that traces the entire life of Ender Wiggen in chronological order. This may sound boring at first, but Ender Wiggen and his small circle of friends have more impact on the human race over a period of 3000 years than everyone else combined. If you are unfamiliar with the amazing ending, you must read this book immediately rather than risk someone spoiling it for you.
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Summary: Understands human existence
Review: Card has a firm grasp of human frailty and emotion, as well as military (or space, rather) strategy. Although a sci-fi book, 'Ender's Game' doesn't read or develop like one. A classic outside of any genre.
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