The Apolyton Science Fiction Book Club: Ender's Game

[JohnT]

That's it, Wraith.

[Eli]

--"How did the bugs hack into the system?"
I read that as them "hacking" into Ender's mind, not into the game. Remember the string of nightmares he had?

And using the program as a bridge to connect them and Ender. That's how Jane got created and bla bla [insert lots of philotic nonsense here].

[Wraith]

--"And using the program as a bridge to connect them and Ender. "

No, they used the ansible as the bridge to connect them and Ender. The just pulled the Giant's Drink images from his mind to make their last message to him.

Wraith
I am the Imp of the Perverse - Knowing this won't help you, either.

[Eli]

No, they used the ansible as the bridge to connect them and Ender. The just pulled the Giant's Drink images from his mind to make their last message to him.

The ansible as a physical bridge for instanstaneous communication, but I remember that Jane's aiua was something like a bridge between them.

But then it's all so weird that I could easily be wrong.

[Static Universe]

Who's Jane?

[reismark]

Just a little note to the people who hate Bean from reading Ender's Shadow: You really need to continue on and read the second book in the series, Shadow of the Hegemon. It finally gets Bean out of Ender's shadow and explains why he rules the universe so much.

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by reismark
It finally gets Bean out of Ender's shadow and explains why he rules the universe so much.

And this is a good thing?

Spoiler for those who haven't read Ender's shadow.

Spoiler:

I think Ender's Shadow is sort of an ironic title, since he really isn't in his shadow at all, it seems to me.

Edit: put in spoiler

[Wraith]

--"Who's Jane?"

A character that doesn't show up until the second book of the series. Makes me pretty sure she's not the one who's doing the bridging between Ender and the buggers in the first one

Unless the author is indulging himself in a bit of revisionist storytelling, of course.

Wraith
For every vision there is an equal and opposite revision

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by Wraith
--"Who's Jane?"

A character that doesn't show up until the second book of the series. Makes me pretty sure she's not the one who's doing the bridging between Ender and the buggers in the first one

Unless the author is indulging himself in a bit of revisionist storytelling, of course.

Wraith
For every vision there is an equal and opposite revision

Ah, thanks.

It wasn't clear, but I assumed the buggers were at least doing some hacking into the system since there seemed to be something odd about the fantasy game that Ender played. Even the Battle School staff noticed it as wrong, but Card doesn't go into detail, so that's just my take on it.

[Jon Miller]

I thought that Ender's game was great

unfortunately Card seems to go for revision

I think that there was some in the later books (But not a lot)

but I think there is a lot in the new Bean Trilogy

that is why I am not into them

Jon Miller

[JohnT]

Any other comments?

[St Leo]

I just bought Shadow of the Hegemon.

[JohnT]

Better read Red Mars first.

[Carolus Rex]

Yeah, I'd like to add my two cents.

I've read Ender's Game a couple of times, I think it's great. I also enjoyed Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind, although I rate them below EG. When I got to know about Ender's Shadow the cynical part of me got the upper hand. Writer running out of ideas goes back to his major hit to squeeze some more bucks-kind of thing... Not surprisingly, I liked it a lot since we're back were it all began...

About how Card portrays children. First, it disturbed me. Why didn't he make them a little bit older, making it easier to accept? I quickly let that feeling go, or rather, I got too absorbed by the book to let it annoy me. And why should they be more realistic? It's science fiction, the kids are geniuses and Ender's alienation and isolation at Battle School is superbly well-conceived.

His increasing loneliness as the responsibility weighs heavier and heavier on him... The change of rules, the increased difficulty, each test he successfully passes... None of it brings him relief, it only singles him out even more... The way how Card decribes this in the book is outstanding...

I had more difficulties accepting Bean's early story in Ender's Shadow, although he's genitically manipulated (IIRC?). Surviving in a toilet tank before the age of one? Science fiction in action...

Carolus

[CyberGnu]

I just finished Enders Game, and I'm left with the same feeling I get after eating a bag of potato chips... It was great while it lasted, but right now I wonder why I did it...

Snowfires post was spot on. Ender isn't really a genious, but apparently the only guy with an IQ above room temperature (Celsius). Warfare has apparently regressed to the Napolenic area, even though they have fast firing weapons...

And while I could understand it if the instructors told the kids that formations were the only way to do it because that would simulate fleet combat, Card never used that excuse...

For space combat, I would recommend the Honor series by David Weber (although I'm seriously starting to hate the main character), and for the "training for war" experience I much prefered "Starship Troopers".