Ender's Game

Plot: It is the future. Earth has survived an attack from an insectile alien race - barely. Population control laws are in effect. Families are limited to 2 children. Young children are monitored to see if they have military potential, and those that show promise at an early age are whisked away to train in the military's Battle School, in the hopes that by the time they reach adulthood, they will possess the necessary skills to defend the Earth, if the aliens - "buggers" - ever return. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a rare third child in his family. His older brother and sister showed intellectual promise, but his brother was too ruthless and his sister too compassionate to qualify for Battle School. So the Wiggin parents were permitted a third chance to produce a military prodigy. And they succeeded. Ender is whisked away to Battle School at the ripe old age of 6. The School, located on a space station orbiting the Earth, is populated by military officers and child prodigies. Ender is one of the youngest. And these are not your average children. They train daily in space military tactics, weaponry, and combat. Although they are all at an age that we associate with Dora, Spongebob, and Hannah Montana, these kids are nothing like the children currently roaming your local elementary school hallway. They are calculating, intuitive, sometimes ruthless, always dangerous. One of the main focuses of the School is the battleroom, where the children are equipped with special suits and laser guns that allow them to fight each other in zero-gravity. On Ender's first trip to the battleroom, it becomes quickly apparent that he is a cut above the other students. Some of his peers respect this. Some are threatened by it. And as Ender works his way up through the ranks of Battle School, his teachers take notice, and wonder if perhaps Ender is the child they've been waiting for. The child who can change everything. The child who can save Earth. Why I Love It: Don't let the summary throw you off. Ender's Game may be a book about children, but it is by no means a book for children. The children in this book are nothing like how we picture children (as the mother of an almost-6-year-old, I can say this pretty definitively). Everything about this book is aimed at an adult audience. Ender's Game is not a thriller or adventure story, although some of the battleroom scenes are exciting. More than anything, it's an examination of the mind of Ender Wiggin, the culture he lives in, and a world under military rule. And it's all fascinating. Mr. Card writes Ender in a way that while you understand he is just a child, you can still be awed, chilled, and amazed at his thoughts and actions. As a matter of fact, all of the characters are interesting and intriguing, from his friends at the Battle School, to his sociopath brother Peter, to the Commander of the Battle School, Colonel Graff. There is a twist at the end of Ender's Game. You may see it coming; you may not. I did, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment of the book one bit. The fact that I have read this book over and over again, in spite of knowing the twist ending, speaks to the strong writing of the rest of the book. The book doesn't exist just to throw you off at the end. The book exists to make you think, to draw you completely into the character of Ender, and to absorb you in the science-fiction world he lives in.

Being a first-time reader of Ender's Game at the age of 26 (perhaps late to the party), I soon came to find that this book is not by any means easy to put down. In fact, I read most of it between customers at work on my iPhone. I recall reading sci-fi quite a bit when I was in junior high and high school, but most of the novels I read were just expansions on already popular film works such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Aliens, etc. None of those were particularly memorable in having a great degree of depth, but the stories were still enjoyable. That being said however, Ender's Game is far more than just a science fiction novel. Unlike other books in the sci-fi genre, I felt compelled to pay close attention to every detail. I'm actually glad I picked it up now that I'm older and able to comprehend the complexity of emotion and ideas present in such a book--a feat which I'm sure would come at a much younger age for Ender himself. From the very first page, it's obvious that Colonel Graff is the "bad guy", until you later come to realize that in this book, such terms make about as much sense as floating in nullo gravity. In fact, Card's entire description of the like combined with his emphasis on the reorientation and breaking down of a young, impressionable mind through such tactics as surrounding Ender with enemies, constantly moving and pushing him, forcing him into positions that demand the most of abilities he is still too naive to realize are within him--much as he may deny them--all of it creates a constant tension. What you eventually discover about the story itself is that this tension provides just enough gravity by which to anchor the reader down before hurling you into the Battle Room, where you must then abolish your preconceived notions of what it means to be good or evil and right or wrong. In Ender's Game, these ideas are frequently challenged, frequently protested, but always justified. Everything depends on Ender's abilities as much as his willingness to continue. Whether the imminent destruction of Earth will occur or not is irrelevant to him. What matters most is his personal desire for love, happiness, and comfort, yet even these are often stripped away as inconsequential--be they from higher authority or at rare points, even by Ender himself--when it comes to his deep underlying NEED, above all, to UNDERSTAND--and therefore LOVE, in its highest form--that which he hates most. Sometimes, it is himself he hates the most. Sometimes it is Graff, other times it's the enemy of the chapter or scene. Stilson, Bonzo, Rose the Nose, etc. From any perspective you view it however, he is constantly learning and understanding more about himself as much as he understands the system. That's his journey. He knows that he entered the Battle School willingly, perhaps in order to understand himself, though he may grow to hate it. In this way, it should have been clear to him from the start that it is meant to crush him. Because he strives to understand things, because at heart he is pure. He wants to learn, to understand, and to love. But he will also crush that which he loves if he allows himself to be pushed by the wrong people. Ender is easily manipulated because of his willingness and desire to understand, and in this way, he perhaps retains a bit of his childhood innocence. He is not completely naive however, and his most brutal actions are either committed out of frustration in not being able to understand or not being able to communicate on the same level--this is consequentially the same plight the Formics faced in their first dealings with the human race, and so it comes as no surprise that Ender is able to relate to them. Above all, it hits on some age-old questions. Why can't we communicate with each other? Why can we not understand? And is it sometimes futile to attempt to understand? For when you believe you have the answer to everything, it's not always so obvious as you thought. Can evil actions be justified in the name of self-preservation and war? What happens to soldiers when the war and its intensity are over, how can they re-adjust from such a grueling life, and how can they live with the lives they have taken? There are many questions this book both asks and answers, and of course such answers will all depend on how you are able to reorient yourself in a zero-gravity environment. This book has made me look at life and human interaction in a very different way, and despite that I may not agree with the author's personal views, I can sure appreciate his talent in crafting such a great story...especially one that renews and strengthens my own desire to both understand and love that which I've hated most. I was absolutely obsessed with this story, and I'll definitely be purchasing the rest in the series.

La historia es increíble, nos introduce a un mundo que fue azotado por una especie alienígena, y se ha levantado nuevamente para asegurarse de que no vuelva a suceder un ataque similar. Nos presentan a Ender, el protagonista, que ya no les diré más por que deben leerlo.

Amizing book! So intresting and easy to read.

There is a reason Ender’s Game is considered a classic of the genre. The world-building is seamless, and the concept of Battle School—training child geniuses through high-stakes games to save humanity—is addictive from page one. ​The pacing is perfect. I loved watching Ender evolve from a bullied six-year-old into a master tactician. The way Card describes the tactics and the 'Mind Game' computer simulation is years ahead of its time. Even if you aren't a huge sci-fi fan, the character development of Ender and his siblings, Peter and Valentine, provides a grounded, human core to the interstellar conflict. I couldn't put it down!

Ender’s Game was one of the first sci fi books I’d ever read. It was given to me as a gift even though it wasn’t my genre of interest. I’m so glad I read it, it is an amazing read. It is more a Character driven story and I connected with Ender and his struggles. The plot is tightly woven and has a stunning ending.

Un testo di fantascienza come non se ne sono mai scritti, di una profondità disarmante. Non è un libro di svago, è un racconto filosofico.