The Apolyton Science Fiction Book Club: Ender's Game

[JohnT]

Book: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Published: 1977 (short story), 1985 (novel).
Copyright: Orson Scott Card

Synopsis:

After a couple of brutal attacks by another interstellar species known as "the bugs", the human race rushes to develop a program for breeding military geniuses. Due to their flexibility and ability to adapt, children are brought into the Battle School at a very early age as to begin their military preparation.

Ender's Game is the story of Andrew (Ender) Wiggin, the Alexander the Great of the Bugger Wars, a child who was brought into the Battle School at a very early age, mastered the art of War as no other has, and finally practices and hones his craft on a battle simulator which is, in reality, anything but.

Ender also has a pair of siblings, Peter (the oldest and a very cruel child) and Valentine (the middle child, a girl who loved Ender and feared Peter). Ender's Game also concerns itself with their story, and how they came to dominate the worlds political scene.

Praise for this novel is pretty universal, and for good reason: it is one of those rare (in SF at least) novels where victory does not bring happiness, and self-exploration doesn't bring peace. It won both the Nebula and the Hugo award in the same year, being one of a few novels in the history of the genre to do so (along with The Left Hand of Darkness, Ringworld, and the sequel to Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead.)

[Static Universe]

This is a book I've taken a pass on reading several times over the past decade or so. Once I actually had a copy in my possession, and threw it away!*

I have to admit this is an excellent novel. Kudos on its nomination and selection. Not sure if I completely buy into the actual details of the Peter-rise-to-power sub-plot, but on the whole I give it a .

The copy I read was the "Definitive Author's Edition." I'm curious as to what other editions of this book exist, and what changes may or may not have been made to it. Anybody know?

Also, it was interesting to see a sci-fi book written by what appears to be a practicing Morman. I'm not sure I've ever had that experience.




* The anecdote: In the U.S. Army in 94, I was deployed to Panama to guard Cuban refugee camps. The USO, or somebody, sent down several boxes of books for the soldiers, and "Ender's Game" was one of the books. It sat in its box for several weeks, until I plucked it out, along with a copy of "Catch-22", which I had already read several times before. I walked about twenty yards/meteres, looked at the cover of "Ender's Game" and said to myself "This looks stupid." Then I tossed it into a nearby trashcan rather than walk back and return it to the boxes. In those days, I was generally of the opinion that things that were unworthy of my attention were also unworthy of existence.

[gunkulator]

I concur that Ender's Game is excellent. I admit to being floored by the ending. I also agree that the whole Peter plot is a bit contrived, however Card has written additional novels to flesh out that story line a bit more.

While I liked Ender's Game a lot, I've enjoyed each of the sequels less and less. IMHO, Card is not-so-subtlely sneaking Mormon theology into his stories as a kind of deus ex machina for his heroes.

[Eli]

Not sure if I completely buy into the actual details of the Peter-rise-to-power sub-plot

Try reading the last three books in the series.

While I liked Ender's Game a lot, I've enjoyed each of the sequels less and less.

Xenocide and Speaker for the dead were more deep(read: boring), but the "Bean Saga" is even better than Ender's Game IMO.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Eli

Xenocide and Speaker for the dead were more deep(read: boring), but the "Bean Saga" is even better than Ender's Game IMO.

I agree. I did not like Xenocide and Speaker for the Dead that much but I really liked Ender's Shadow. Reading that in conjunction with Ender's Game is interesting as several events are told from different points of view. The last one, Shadow of the Hegemon was also pretty good.

[gunkulator]

I like the Bean stories better than Speaker and Xenocide but to me they have that "Back To The Future Part II" feel. Also, the character of Bean is turning out to be even more of an ubermensh than Ender was which IMO makes makes the stories just a bit too predictable.

[Static Universe]

While I buy into the advanced state of Ender character and most of the other children in the book, I'm finding the Bean character just slightly too precocious and "irrepressible" to be believable. I hate spunk*. I think Alai would have been a much more believable second for Ender, had Card chosen to go in that direction.

Peter is perhaps too knowledgeable as well, but I'm willing to suspend disbelief here, as his character serves as an evil counterpoint. Plus, I love a good bad guy.

For the most part, I think Card handles children characters well, although I think he could have toned it down a bit in certain areas.

Card indicates in his introduction that children respond very positively to this book. Do you think that the children you know would find this book believable?

*Swiped line

[Zero]

I didnt like speaker for the dead as much but xenocide was pretty good.

Howerver there should be no doubt ender's game is the best.

[reismark]

The Bean series is more compelling than the Ender series, largely because Xenocide and Children of the Mind are not worthy to have the Ender name, and because Peter Wiggin is one of my true literary guilty pleasures (and he has much more to do in the Bean series, for obvious reasons).

Ender's Game, though, stands tall as the best of the seven (and probably eventually eight).

[ranskaldan]

ENDER! ENDER! ENDER!

Among the better books I've read recently.

I found the next three books of the Ender series somewhat tiring, though I'm quite sure that I'll enjoy them a lot more if I went back and read them more carefully. And the Shadow series was interesting in its own right.

Sigh... I have a craving to go back and read those things again.... :/

[monolith94]

The last one, Children of the Mind I believe - I really like that one, although the middle two were a bit... tedious...
<3 Bean!

[Nubclear]

The book was boring. It just seemed too forced and unlikely.

[Wraith]

--"I admit to being floored by the ending."

You know, the book gets pretty thin when you get close to the end...



Haven't read the series past Speaker, actually.

--"Do you think that the children you know would find this book believable?"

I think that the children I know would have trouble figuring out which way up to hold the book. A couple of the children I knew wouldn't find it believable mostly because they wouldn't be convinced there were that many smart people in the world.

But that's just public schooling for you.

Wraith
"Now dance for your diplomat! Dance! Now Riverdance!"
-- Dogbert ("Dilbert")

[St Leo]

I found Card's excuse for the low female contingent ("centuries of evolution working against them") very flimsy considering that I am not exactly sure which evolutionary change Card was referring to. Ender's sister didn't strike me as atypically brilliant and the actual job requirements didn't involve being able to crush beer cans with your elbow joints.

[Wraith]

--"I am not exactly sure which evolutionary change Card was referring to."

I think he's referring to aggresiveness. In which case he's never seen how vicious a group of women can be to someone they don't like, but it is a different sort of aggresiveness than what usually goes into a war...

Wraith
"I love you cold, unfeeling robot arm."
-- Zim ("Invader Zim")