Author: Orson Scott Card
Title: Ender’s Game
Place Published: New York
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
Year Published: 1991
No. of Pages: 324
Price: Php315
Place Bought: Fully Booked Rockwell
Ender’s Game, as far as I can remember, is the first science fiction (sci-fi) book I’ve ever finished reading. It only took me half a day to read Orson Scott Card’s book, and I'm glad that many first-time sci-fi readers found it just as accessible. More than being an easy read this novel also won the prestigious Hugo Award (1985) and Nebula Award (1986), both annually given to outstanding literature.
Synopsis
The earth is recovering from a second alien attack. In response, world governments unify. They begin training military geniuses in the art of war at a very young age. Six-year-old Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is one of the trainees recruited and transported to Battle School in outer space.
There is only one ‘game’ in Battle School: non-lethal anti-gravity battles between two teams of students, where the goal is to take control of the other team's gate. Ender quickly establishes himself as a skilled combatant and leader in this 'game,’ and climbs the ranks quicker than his companions and even the earlier trainees.
Before long, Ender is given command of his own army. As commander, he wins every game, but is he ready to stop the alien invasion?
Meanwhile, back on earth, tensions are building among the united nations. Earth’s peace is hanging on the threat of a third alien invasion. Ender's older siblings Peter and Valentine seek to prevent war on earth by spreading political rhetoric on the nets (online). They write under the code names Locke and Demosthenes, and together influence the political world of adults.
As the human race prepares for war on and beyond earth, Ender’s game is only beginning.
Book Review:
I'm really excited to see the movie version.
Ender’s Game is a great introduction to sci-fi literature because it is both accessible and well-written.
Some readers complain about Card’s young characters--like Ender, Peter, and Valentine--thinking and acting like adults. They say that children in real life aren't supposed to think and act this way.
I disagree with these critics. The children in this novel are raised under the constant threat of alien invasion. In fact, they constantly watch videos of these in school. They are trained to think and act like adults in the hopes that they will be recruited for battle school.
I remember how I always thought I was smarter than my parents and all the older kids around me when I was a child. What more the child geniuses in this novel, who are the smartest children in their fictional world?
On a different note, I love how Orson Scott Card described the battledome games in which Ender and fellow Battle School recruits compete. Each game is gripping because it is both action-packed yet easy to imagine, like a sci-fi version of Quidditch games in Harry Potter (at the very least they are similar because of the fact that they are (1) games, (2) exciting, and (3) easy to imagine).
Still, it is the story of how Ender copes with his responsibilities, which is the most gripping and interesting. Will he be able to save the world without becoming a ruthless person like his brother Peter? Will he have the courage to do what needs to be done, or is he too compassionate, like his sister Valentine? As he rises up the ranks, will he be able to keep his friends, or does success come at the cost of love and friendship?
All these questions and more plague Ender, who should only be thinking about homework and video games at his young age. This seeming contradiction between maturity and childhood is not the novel's weak point. In fact, this is what makes the novel so great in the first place.
How Orson Scott Card develops his story and Ender along with it prove not only that he is a master of sci-fi literature, but that he is an excellent storyteller as well.
My Rating:
Title: Ender’s Game
Place Published: New York
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
Year Published: 1991
No. of Pages: 324
Price: Php315
Place Bought: Fully Booked Rockwell
Ender’s Game, as far as I can remember, is the first science fiction (sci-fi) book I’ve ever finished reading. It only took me half a day to read Orson Scott Card’s book, and I'm glad that many first-time sci-fi readers found it just as accessible. More than being an easy read this novel also won the prestigious Hugo Award (1985) and Nebula Award (1986), both annually given to outstanding literature.
Synopsis
The earth is recovering from a second alien attack. In response, world governments unify. They begin training military geniuses in the art of war at a very young age. Six-year-old Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is one of the trainees recruited and transported to Battle School in outer space.
There is only one ‘game’ in Battle School: non-lethal anti-gravity battles between two teams of students, where the goal is to take control of the other team's gate. Ender quickly establishes himself as a skilled combatant and leader in this 'game,’ and climbs the ranks quicker than his companions and even the earlier trainees.
Before long, Ender is given command of his own army. As commander, he wins every game, but is he ready to stop the alien invasion?
Meanwhile, back on earth, tensions are building among the united nations. Earth’s peace is hanging on the threat of a third alien invasion. Ender's older siblings Peter and Valentine seek to prevent war on earth by spreading political rhetoric on the nets (online). They write under the code names Locke and Demosthenes, and together influence the political world of adults.
As the human race prepares for war on and beyond earth, Ender’s game is only beginning.
Book Review:
I'm really excited to see the movie version.
Ender’s Game is a great introduction to sci-fi literature because it is both accessible and well-written.
Some readers complain about Card’s young characters--like Ender, Peter, and Valentine--thinking and acting like adults. They say that children in real life aren't supposed to think and act this way.
I disagree with these critics. The children in this novel are raised under the constant threat of alien invasion. In fact, they constantly watch videos of these in school. They are trained to think and act like adults in the hopes that they will be recruited for battle school.
I remember how I always thought I was smarter than my parents and all the older kids around me when I was a child. What more the child geniuses in this novel, who are the smartest children in their fictional world?
On a different note, I love how Orson Scott Card described the battledome games in which Ender and fellow Battle School recruits compete. Each game is gripping because it is both action-packed yet easy to imagine, like a sci-fi version of Quidditch games in Harry Potter (at the very least they are similar because of the fact that they are (1) games, (2) exciting, and (3) easy to imagine).
Still, it is the story of how Ender copes with his responsibilities, which is the most gripping and interesting. Will he be able to save the world without becoming a ruthless person like his brother Peter? Will he have the courage to do what needs to be done, or is he too compassionate, like his sister Valentine? As he rises up the ranks, will he be able to keep his friends, or does success come at the cost of love and friendship?
All these questions and more plague Ender, who should only be thinking about homework and video games at his young age. This seeming contradiction between maturity and childhood is not the novel's weak point. In fact, this is what makes the novel so great in the first place.
How Orson Scott Card develops his story and Ender along with it prove not only that he is a master of sci-fi literature, but that he is an excellent storyteller as well.
My Rating:
Comments
Post a Comment
I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.