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Summary: GROWNUPS BEWARE
Review: I'm on a science fiction reading binge right now, and I read Ender's Game based upon recommendations here and the fact that it won the Hugo and Nebula awards. Take these glowing reviews with a grain of salt. Ender's Game would have blown me away too....when I was 11.
On one hand, Ender's Game is a page turning good read. I truly enjoyed it, and I give it three stars because it was easily better than average. The downside is that this book is nowhere near as good as the reviews here would lead one to believe. Essentially, it's a children's book, and judging from the rave reviews, which seem to be mainly from children, a very successful one.
While enjoyable overall, there are elements of the plot that are so unrealistic as to be annoying. The characters, even Ender, are one-dimensional. Ender's brother and sister are just a bit too "smart" to be believable. The ending is unsatisfying. Nevertheless, Card does have some insights into leadership and the burdens that intelligence places on children, a theme that undoubtedly resonates with many science fiction fans.
I might recommend this book to a child as an intro to science fiction. I'm glad I read it, but I would never recommend it to an adult. There's just too much science fiction out there that is clearly superior.
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Summary: Ender's Game, Saving the Minds of Kids From Video Games
Review: This is a truely wonderful book. It follows a young boy, Andrew Wiggin, nicknamed Ender throught his tough times in the Battle School. He was a "Third" in the family, meaning a rare third child birthed by parents, allowed by the government because His brother and sister weren't accepted for his tedious deed. He is taken into outer space for training in a Battle School to fight an alien race, whom they dubbed the Buggers. In the Battle School, they make realistic fights seem like games for training. He becomes an expert at all the games, and even beats an "unbeatable" video game. He makes many friends and enemies along the way, and at a very young age, surpasses his older counterparts. They know he is the only hope for the world, but can this young boy handle the task of the genocide of a full alien race?
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Summary: Ender's Game
Review: Ender's Game is a powerful science fiction novel that takes place in the future, when two alien invasionshave previously occured. Ender is a military genius bred to save the world from the aliens. He is shipped off to Battle School, a remote place set in space. At battle school, Ender must struggle to deal with his special gift, as the adults are pushing him to his limits physically and emotionally. He must prove himself, and on the way he must also grow up. He must struggle with the choice society has chosen for him.
Although science fiction isn't particularly my favorite genre, Ender's Game is still a book i love. Orson Scott Card is able to create images in the imagination that are unbelievable. The characters' personalities are all so interesting that one feels like they know them personally. I recommend this book to everyone that is looking for a real page-turner.
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Summary: Ender's game
Review: Ender Wiggins is not a normal child. Most children would go to a school to learn things like math and languages, but Ender Wiggins gets sent to a space station to learn how to command an army against an alien species. In Enders game, by Orson Scott Card the students on this space station are constantly manipulated and forced to encounter situations that could be harmful, so the teachers can know more about them, and therefore decide how to and prepare them to command an army. Unfortunately, dangerous and harmful things will sometimes happen because of their teachers' decisions.
The book isn't exactly science fiction, even though it deals with things like aliens and space stations. Instead, much of it is about the human mind, and what is right and wrong. Should the childrens' lives be at risk so the military can have better commanders? It takes the reader inside the mind of a child who is in this situation and shows what happens and how he thinks, and what the results are of this school he goes too. I would recommend this book to people who like science fiction or books that make them think for a long time after reading it.
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Summary: 'Must read'
Review: Is this how warfare of the future will be fought? How generals of the future will be trained? Who knows. Possibly. The ending is superb, and most definitely thought-provoking and intriguing. Intense ideas imho.
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Summary: Awesome
Review: This book is one of the best i have ever read. It is also unlike anything i have ever read. It has the abliltiy to draw you in to the story and experience it almost first hand. Orson Scott Card's imagination and ability to create such vivid descriptions in his writing is amazing, he is truly one of the greatest writers in history.
Enders Game is a very harsh and brash book. It shows the journey of one child from being a sheepish little schoolboy that is tormented by his sadistic brother and pampered by his caring sister, to becoming a ruthless soldier that is focused on ridding the universe of the buggers (An insectoid alien race controled by a hive mind). Thi sbook will leave you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. (would also make an excelent movie).
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Summary: Ender's Game
Review: "The enemy gate is down"! As I read this book, I thought of how I could relate myself to Ender. Always being the small one, the outcast, but working my way to the top, just to get manipulated again. That is what this story is mainly about. I would highly reccomend this book to any Sci-fi or action fan.
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Summary: Cruel Reviews
Review: Let me begin by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and others in the series. It provides an interesting look into the lives of children. Descriptions of huge explosions and action packed, outer space dogfights are not found on every page; nevertheless, I found the character driven nature of Orson Scott Card's book to work. The only reason that I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 is because after reading some negative reviews I understand that for many, suspending their disbelief while reading this book may be difficult (still, it is sci-FICTION). (...) Perhaps Ender's Game is not Science Fiction in its purest form. Maybe there are parts that are not completely believable. But as I see it, that's part of the attraction. I love STAR WARS, but "who has ever heard" of a person like Luke Skywalker who can use the Force to call objects to his hand? Sure most kids don't act and talk as they do in this book, but in an exaggerated way Card shows the isolation that many children (myself included) have felt at some point or another (be for being gifted in certain areas or having difficulty in them). If you were "expecting a book about a grown man" then yes, you did read the wrong book. (...) (...)
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Summary: Dont be turned off by the beginning, it gets a LOT better
Review: Before reading this book i hated science fiction. I loved fantasy but i DESPISED science fiction. I had never been able to find anything remotely decent. I was not overly fond of H. G. Wells or Ray Bradbury, and no other "classic" sci fi books were of much interest to me. That is, until i came to Orson Scott cars's book, Ender's Game. It was my own fault for not reading it before, my brother owned a copy and urged me to read it. Even strangers wanted me to read the book. I was reading a Raymond E. Feist book in an airport, and some guy, a complete stranger came up to me and said that if i liked that, i should read Ender's Game. I finally gave in, but my pre conceived notions were still too strong. I read the first chapter and put it down, i could not get into it. FINALLY, yet another person, a friend of mine also begged me to read it. He admitted that the begginning had problems, but that it got much better later on. I remember saying the same thing, in reference to both the Harry Potter books and the Lord of The Rings series: Some of The best books I have ever read. I decided to tough it out, and read Ender's Game. I made the mistake of picking it up at 10 o clock at night. I was awake until three in the morning reading until I was forced to go to bed. It was a fantastic book, and i eagerly finished the other books, Speaker For The Dead, Xenocide, Children Of The Mind, Ender's Shadow, and Shadow of the Hegemon, in less than 4 days each. Even now I cant really find any Science Fiction I enjoy, though I have not gotten around to reading Anne Mcaffrey, whom is supposed to write great Sci-fi/Fantasy books. I even tried 1984 and hated it. The point that I am attempting to make, and you may be able to discern from my ramblings and endorsemnents of several other books, is that you dont need to have any particular love of Science Fiction to enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the Best Sci-Fi I've ever read
Review: I usually read fantasy (Brooks, Jordan, etc), but when I read this, I was hooked. I've read it a dozen times and it gets better every time I read it. This is the ONLY fiction book on the Commandant of the Marine Corps required reading list. It should be on everyone's required reading list.
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