Ender’s Game: a review
Filed under Reviews on September 20, 2005
Keywords: books, Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
I finished this book on Sunday. “Plowed” would be a better word. After reading a chapter a night–and having to restrain myself from more so I could get enough sleep to avoid turning into a zombie at work–I had the opportunity to indulge myself Sunday afternoon. And I took advantage.
For those not familiar with the story, Ender is a child bred specifically for the purpose of entering military training with the hope that he will turn out to be the commander capable of leading Earth’s fleets against the alien “buggers”. The book starts when Ender is six years old.
The edition I read had a great introduction by Orson Scott Card. He talked about all the feedback he received from readers, how some people had a hard time believing gifted children would sound so intelligent, or how those who belonged to a community of specialists easily identified with the students of the Battle School.
Card also shared his philosophy on writing. His style and intent, at least with Ender’s Game, was not to create subtle layers of social commentary, but to present an engaging story. The commentary is there, but is not required to enjoy or understand the tale. The prose is evocative and the pacing felt very natural. I found myself wondering why Ender’s Game hadn’t been made into a movie yet (the fact that the majority of the cast would need to appear between the ages of six and sixteen might be a factor).
I definitely enjoyed it. I agree that the children didn’t sound like children or act like children most of the time, but Card presented a world in which this was believable. And there were moments of vulnerability where you were reminded that these were just kids after all. The twist at the climax was unexpected, but totally made sense. I did feel the end was a bit rushed; it felt like it belonged in a sequel.
There are indeed sequels to this book. I’m not sure if I will read any of them. Ender’s Game is a story that stands on its own and is satisfying enough that I’m hesitant to explore further into Ender’s world, lest I be disappointed.
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September 20th, 2005 at 8:54 am
Agreed. Ender’s Game is one of the genre’s finest.
It will be interesting to hear what you think of the sequels. No need to predispose you here.
//H
September 20th, 2005 at 9:50 am
Card’s been trying to get a movie off the ground for a while (as in he wanted Jake Loydd (sp?) (young Anakin) to be Ender). Check out his website (www.hatrack.com).
Movie update March 15, 2005: http://www.frescopictures.com/movies/ender/endersgame_update.html
September 20th, 2005 at 10:14 am
Interesting that the movie will be an adaptation of Game and Shadow. I guess I’ll have to read the rest of the series now and try to guess how they’re going to mesh it together.
September 21st, 2005 at 5:06 am
Ender’s Shadow covers the same story as Ender’s Game, but from Bean’s POV. I enjoyed it, and as a writer it was interesting comparing the two.
September 22nd, 2005 at 8:20 am
I enjoyed Ender’s Game — though I think I know EXACTLY how you feel about sequels. I hesitate to open myself to possible disappointment. Well, I guess we’ll see.
Cheers