Ender's Game

[Zevico]

ZOMFG DL!!!111
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Yeah, Ice and Fire is a very good series. Disturbing, and disgusting at times, but very good. Ender's game is alright, but people have really overrated both it and his other works. They're passable, but I never saw them as anything more than 'aeroplane books'.

[loinburger]

Speaker for the Dead was pretty good, Xenocide was a bit goofy, Children of the Mind was bizarro crap, and I don't really care for the Ender's Shadow followup series at all. If you want to read good Card, then read the Worthing Saga.

[Zkribbler]

I don't know what it is with Card. He starts our his series so well but then they fizzle.

I liked "Ender's Game" a lot; "Speaker for the Dead" was okay, then I couldn't read "Xenocide." I heard book 4 was bad but that book 5 was good/great, but I never read those last two.

The begining of the Alvin Maker series was again terrific: "Seventh Son" and "Red Prophet." (The execution of George Washington scene was great. ) But by "Prentice Alvin" again I had lost interest.

The Homecoming Series was good all the way through... but 1-4 dealt with one generation and was never resolved. Then Book 5 jumps ahead several generations, is perhaps Card's best book, but has almost nothing to do with the rest of the series.

"Songmaster" and "Wyrms" are good stand alone novels.

[duke o' york]

I'm sorry, but I haven't read a "fantasy" novel since I was 16 or so. I remember David Eddings was great, and I particularly enjoyed the "Jerusalem" series by Michael Moorcock, although it is not particularly fantasy as such.
Iain Banks' The Player of Games is excellent though.

[Adrian Hon]

Ender's Game and Speaker are great; the rest are pretty useless. As for Ender's Shadow, one of my friends had read it before reading Ender's Game, and had pronounced it to be very good, so I gave it a try. I was deeply annoyed to find that it was an awful piece of retconning that made Bean some kind of uberkid and Ender to be a pointless puppet.

Sure, on its own, Ender's Shadow is not a bad book. However, it pales in comparison to Ender's Game and worse than that, it drags Ender's Game down with it. My recommendation - do not read Ender's Shadow if you have read, or intend to read, Ender's Game

[Jon Miller]

that is what I am afraid of

and why I ahve refused to watch that movie

JM

[duke o' york]

Which movie?

[Tassadar500]

Ender's Game is coming out on film.

[Lancer]

I too really enjoyed Ender's Game. Speaker is bought and coming with me to the Phils.

[Jon Miller]

err I meant read that book

JM

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Zevico
Ender's game is alright, but people have really overrated both it and his other works. They're passable, but I never saw them as anything more than 'aeroplane books'.

I thought it was pretty good, especially in the phychology of leadership stuff. Some nice surprises as well (the result of his battles with Stilson and Bonzo, the identity of the 'companion' and the BIG ONE).

Though, FWIW, I liked the book I read just before Ender's Game (American Gods by Neil Gamain) better .

[reismark]

Ender's Game & Speaker for the Dead are the only books in the original series that are worth your time. The Ender's Shadow series as a whole is much more solid (especially Shadow of the Hegemon & Shadow Puppets).

Spoiler:

Having not read Shadow of the Giant yet, though, I have my doubts as to whether Bean will live to see his children found - if, in fact, they're still alive.

[Dr Strangelove]

I thought the proposition that a six-year old kid could kick a bigger kid to death was a little over the top. I've examined a lot of six year olds. I've never seen one that muscular. The idea that removing kids that age from their families would enhance their trainig is also a bit looney. All they'd get would be a bunch of wet beds. Finally, what was the idea of having the kids sleep naked in their dorm rooms? What would that accomplish?

[Imran Siddiqui]

I found the age thing to be troublesome as well. When they make the movie, I think a lot of people will be snickering over KIDS doing this stuff (I believe Jake Lloyd, last of The Phantom Menace has been confirmed as Ender).

[reismark]

According to the IMDB, the film is scheduled for release in 2007, meaning that principal photography will likely take place sometime next year. Jake Lloyd turns 17 on March 5.

Translation: It's probably going to be teens, not kids.