Home :: Books :: Audiocassettes  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes

Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Ender's Game (Fantastic Audio)

Ender's Game (Fantastic Audio)

List Price: $40.00
Your Price: $28.00
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 .. 199 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An excellent experience
Review: I'm not going to give a plot summary since about every other review serves to do that. All I can say is after about the third chapter I could not put this book down. This is saying a lot, considering that the chapters are short, as Card does an excellent job introducing his characters quickly and effectively. Kids will like this book because of the games that the children play in the book. However, the deeper meaning behind this book is what makes it so interesting. Card does not simply infuse his commentary on politics, war, emotion, and reason. Rather, he depicts a character that embodies much of the human struggle, and allows the reader to sympathize. Without giving too much away, Card makes us question if it is possible to acheive greatness while remaining innocent. On a side note, I must admit that my favorite part of the book had nothing to do with Ender or the games. I loved those parts too, but the most interesting thing to me was how his siblings gathered power as political writers on internet boards.

One thing a more perceptive reader of this book will pick up on is that there is no inherently evil character. All the so-called "bad" characters are antagonists merely because they overemphasize one aspect of human nature or because of misunderstandings. I wanted to keep this short and that I will do, only saying that this book raises many questions without too much emphasis on answering them. A good read with great questions, I definately recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's Amazing!
Review: Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, a boy genius, is Earth's last resort to save themselves from the Buggers. The Buggers are an alien lifeform that live light-years away. Through lack of communication, they start a war with the humans. It's destroy or be destroyed and lossing is not an option. The human race needs a leader; they need someone to get inside the bugger heads and defeat them, once and for all. It's full of twists and unexpected turns. It's a very exciting and well written book.I loved the twist. Read it and you'll see what it is. I was very shocked and that hardly ever happens because usually I can predict these types of things but not in this book. There's not much I didn't like about this book but if I had to mention anything, I didn't like the nudity. That's partly why I'd rate this book PG-13. It's not like adult nudity though. These are 6-12 year old children and their in the military so it's less shocking but it's still nudity. Also the language. There are a few fowl words but it just make the book seem more real. In my opinion anyway. This honestly is the best science fiction novel I have ever read. Read it for yourself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Science Fiction's Best: A Review of Ender's Game
Review: I have always enjoyed science fiction, but rarely do these books get placed on my favorites list. There are a few notable exceptions, and of these exceptions, Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card is my favorite. I have read it over and over again and explored all the sequels. Even if you are not a science fiction fan, the rich characterization, the action and the depth of this book will draw you in.
Set on Earth sometime in the future, the book's main character is or Andrew Wiggin, or Ender as he liked to be called. Ender is a "third," a child his parents were only allowed to have because the International Fleet, or IF, is looking for brilliant children with the right temperament to train as military leaders. Ender's older brother, Peter, was too violent and malicious. His older sister, Valentine, to whom he is very close, was too passive to be trained. That leaves Ender. Ender chooses to go to Battle School when he is just 6 years old. He leaves his family and begins life as a Launchie, the youngest of the ranks at Battle School. The Battle School orbits Earth, and the children are in armies. They fight in zero-gravity to learn strategy and command.
The IF needs soldiers for the time when the buggers will return. They have already tried to invade Earth twice, and exactly how they were beaten is a mystery. The IF is in search of a commander who will be able to defeat the buggers in a third invasion.
Ender's stay at battle school is fraught with challenges and loneliness. He is deliberately ostracized from the other students and is given challenges that break all the established rules. His fight to stay alive and to be the best is interesting and entertaining.
Meanwhile, his two equally brilliant siblings are down on Earth influencing political policies through the internet, when they are just 10 and 12 years old.
Card does not treat his characters like children, but instead gives them the autonomy and intelligence to act for themselves. He treats them as children would want to be treated, which is part of the appeal of the books. In fact, readers will forget that the characters are children. In the introduction to the book, Card quotes a young reader who wrote to tell him about the impact the book had on her group of very smart peers. She says, "...we are the enders of today. Almost everything written in Ender's Game...applied to each one of us on a very, very personal level."
Ender's Game is full of fast paced adventure. Each step in Ender's journey, the reader cannot help but root for him to win. The way he copes with playing the battles and with winning the respect of the other students is fascinating.
This is a book with many levels. It can be read merely as a fun science fiction book, but it is much deeper than that. There are themes like "manipulation is acceptable when the end justifies it" and "the qualities of a good leader are the ability to see the whole picture and earning the trust of his or her followers." It also addresses the issues of becoming what we fear we will become and if murder is ever an acceptable option. Military strategy is also a large part of this book, but it is never dry and unreadable.
Card's book, which was the winner of both the Hugo award and the Nebula award, is the best kind of science fiction. It combines adventure, well-developed characters, an interesting premise and many different themes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Even for non science-fiction fans
Review: Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a Third, which makes him very special. So special, in fact, that he is chosen to go off to military training school to learn how to fight Earth's enemies, the Buggers. Ender becomes a wunderkind, far surpassing anyone's hopes of his abilities. He is promoted quickly, years before most kids would be advanced.

But life is not happy for Ender. His only friends are his competitors, and he is losing those fast, due to the ministrations of his leaders, who want him to be under constant duress, thinking it will make him a better soldier. Whether their deceits and connivances will have the expected result is up to Ender. Or so he thinks.

Ender is someone anyone (child or adult) who has been ostracized for being too smart or too talented can identify with. Which is probably why it has caught on so well with the computer crowd. Plus, it is simply a well-told story done in a science-fiction setting. I was stunned by the quality of the writing. No wonder it won both the Hugo and Nebula awards when it was released.

My first result upon reading Ender's Game was that it was "Harry Potter in space." Continuing reading led me to realize that it is much more. Author Orson Scott Card has created entirely believable characters that you will care about. So much so that I couldn't wait to dig into the next entries in this fascinating series.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: awesome sci fi
Review: This book rocked. I don't feel like getting into an indepth review, but i'll put it this way. If you liked Dune, or Star Wars, or Lord of the Flies, or even Startship Troopers (the book),then you'll love this book. It's very well written, with engaging characters and great environlment, loads of battle scenes and quick pacing. So read it, okay.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: More Fantasy than Sci-fi
Review: It's not really science fiction, but it doesn't matter. The greatest thing about this book is that it appeals to so many different age groups. That is truly rare.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Painful and intense
Review: I have been reading science fiction since I was 12 years old. I've never encountered a novel like this before. The author, in the preface to the copy I have, wrote that people either loved the book or hated it. I understand why. Ender Wiggins is subjected to an unpleasant life that is not of his choosing, yet, considering the circumstances, there might be no alternative. Somehow, he finds some enjoyment in his life. The first part of the book is almost unbearable in its emotional intensity. There's no gore in the book, but a lot of psychological torture. Not recommended for the squeamish.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cards Best Work
Review: As a reader of Sci-fi and Fantasy sagas I've found this entire series to be engaging reading. Ender's Game, the first book in the series, is well written, show's a great amount of insight, and easy a pleasant read. The plot is viable, and the caracters are well developed. The only rival in the series to this work is "Ender's Shadow".

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sci Fi Fans Needed
Review: OK - I read this one on the recommendation of a sci-fi/fantasy fanatic, which I am not. I thought it was an OK read, but I found the violence really disturbing. Normally that is something I can get past, but not this time. I think sci-fi fans would love this novel for various reasons, but if that is not you, be careful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Must-Read for Almost Anyone
Review: There are certain books that seem as though they change your way of thinking, your opinions and reactions to the world around you. In many ways, Ender's Game does just that, and it does it without being obvious.

There are over a thousand reviews posted here, so I don't think I need to tell the storyline here, most of you already know it. What is important to note is how the storyline is nothing but a diversion. What is at the heart of this book is human nature; why we do what we do and think what we think. Many of us relate to Ender, to his isolation and his feeling that he just isn't the same as those around him.

Orson Scott Card offers several dichotomies here, and Ender himself is nothing but an exercise in duality. This works. I've read this book half a dozen times and have used in in my college English curriculum. It had that much of an effect on me.

Many of my students reject the sci-fi element of the book in the beginning but almost all of them come to a point where they appreciate what this book has to say.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is amazed at the workings of human nature. It doesn't portend to have all the answers, but it certainly will make you think, and you'll enjoy the process.

This is destined to be a classic, if it isn't one already.


<< 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 .. 199 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates