Ender's Game (Fantastic Audio)

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely PERFECT
Review: I finished this book in one sitting. It's THAT good. Ender's Game is by far one my favorite sci-fi novels of ever. If you haven't read it yet, you haven't seen how great sci-fi can be. I highly recommend this title.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This book is incredible, I've read and re-read this book several times and still I can't stop. The book show sides of humans very few of us realize. I know that sounds boring, but think of the skill Mr. Card must have to bring that to us. I find that you don't read about Ender as much as learn him, in the novel. This book is without doubt my favorite, even over those of Sir Arthur Clarke. There is little I can say but to read it. If you're human you'll be moved, I was. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is one of the best science-fiction novels available. All throughout, it is beautiful, interesting, stirring, and thought-provoking.

This edition opens with a new authors' introduction which is nearly as readable as the novel itself (though not as much fun). After this important but non-essential preface, we are launched into Ender's story. As the author explains in the opening, this book is very straightforward; there aren't any huge plot twists or hidden themes, and therein lies it's genius and beauty. Although most of us can't really be compared to Ender, most anyone can probably relate to him, to his problems. This is one of those classic Bug-War novels, but this one isn't about the war, it's about the boy.

This is one of those books that I was able to read twice within a couple of months. Orson Scott Card is such a compellingly gifted writer that it is near impossible to put this book down. This is one of those essential, must-read books. Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This book is amazing! Even if youj really dont have a particular intrest in SciFi this book is great. It gives a great look into Enders mind and read Enders game also but the rest of the books are horrible. 10 out of 10 amazing!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, but not great
Review: I've had a paperback copy of Ender's Game on my bookshelf for years, but for whatever reason, I never got around to reading it. When I found out there was going to be a movie of it coming out, I decided to look the book up on Amazon.com and read some reviews. Wow! I've never seen so many five-star reviews for anything. Not Citizen Kane, Star Wars, Animal House, Shakespeare, not even the Bible. I figured it was time I give the book a shot. Now that I've read it, I can add my opinion to this ever-expanding forum.

I think I should premise my remarks with a couple of preliminary statements. First, I'm 27 years old and I've been a huge fan of science fiction since I saw Star Wars when I was four. I've read one previous book by Orson Scott Card: the novelization of James Cameron's The Abyss, which I thought was pretty good. I know Ender's Game is a very well-loved book, and in expressing my opinion, I'm not trying to anger anyone, but am just trying to say what I feel. Here goes...

I really wanted to like Ender's Game, but I just didn't think it was all that great. It wasn't bad, but it just never really involved me the way that a great book does. What bothered me first off was the quality of the writing. I thought it was extremely poor in places, and at best mediocre. Card doesn't even seem to follow the basic conventions of fiction writing. He'll be in a third-person descriptive paragraph and then throw in a first-person thought mid-stream without any set-up. I found this kind of thing distracting. It's not that the rules and conventions of writing shouldn't be challenged and bent (good writers are always doing this) it's just that I felt in this case, it wasn't Card using artistic license, but rather just writing poorly.

Other aspects of the writing itself bothered me. The lack of vivid description was one of them. Except for in the case of some of the better action sequences, I generally felt that I was reading about something that had happened to somebody else instead of feeling like I was there experiencing it myself. That's the first job of any great writer, to be able to paint with words in a nuanced way that makes the reader feel he or she is uniquely experiencing the world of the story in the first person. I never felt that in Ender's Game. Also I felt the language was overly simplistic and at times unceasingly idiotic. What's with all the fart talk? Surely by having them use a certain amount of slang, Card is reminding us that his characters are children. But I really got tired of reading the word "farteater" after a couple dozen times. That one in particular became very grating. Even the adults say it to one another. Coupled with the weak writing, the language choice and crude dialogue just seemed to undermine the integrity of the story-telling.

Now on to character. I just felt these characters weren't very deeply drawn. I wanted to sympathize with Ender, but from the beginning, didn't feel very close to him. He's supposed to be superhuman (either a Christ-like figure or a second coming of Hitler, or maybe a mixture of the two, depending on how you read the character) and I felt this just made me feel extremely distant from him. I could never see myself making any of the choices he makes. There's too much cold calculation in Ender, and not enough genuine human feeling. I felt that Card's attempt to humanize the character through his relationship with his sister Valentine was forced. There's a lot of telling in this book. Card tells us that Ender loves his sister, that Ender is a genius, that Ender is afraid of becoming the killer that his brother Peter is, but there is precious little showing. There was never a quality scene between Ender and his sister that made me feel what they felt for each other. I have a sister that I love very much and I know what that love feels like, but I never felt those kinds of feelings while reading about these characters.

I don't want to be overly critical. There were some good things in this book, too. It was definitely a page-turner. Despite my earlier criticisms about the writing, the story itself is well put-together. Once you get involved, you're compelled to finish it. If you're a somewhat fast reader, you probably won't need to bother with a bookmark for this one. Also, I would say overall it was a pretty fun read. I'll give this book three stars, because I think there's some great potential here that, in my opinion, is just not fulfilled.

I don't mean to slam this book if it's your favorite. I don't like it when some one says this or that is a "bad book" or a "bad movie" period. I don't believe in those kinds of absolute labels. Every reader brings something unique to a work of fiction and experiences it on a special plane that no one else can ever quite know, even if that other person is your twin brother and has read all of the same books you've ever read and seen all the same movies and known all of the same friends. The experience of reading a book is a magic one, a sacred one even. If you loved Ender's Game, I have nothing bad to say about that. In fact, I think books are a great thing to be passionate about. This one just didn't do it for me. My favorite science fiction book is hands-down Hyperion by Dan Simmons. That whole series, in my opinion, is some of the best written, most thought-provoking, emotionally-involving storytelling out there. Thanks for your time. Here's to good reading....

Rating:
Summary: I could not put this down
Review: I havn't read a real novel in a long time. I think this book got me interested in reading again. I don't need to describe the book. Others have already done that. I couldn't put it down, for if I did, I'd be up all night thinking about it.

Rating:
Summary: Blown away!
Review: Okay folks, this book has been reviewed to death but bear with me for a few seconds.... This is one of those classic Sci-Fi books that everyone has read....except for you (and me until a few weeks ago). All my friends have read it, all your friends have read it, even my wife who generally favors fantasy over Sci-Fi has read it, and almost everyone has enjoyed it (including my wife). So I decided to read it.... And I was blown away. Good main characters, a fantastic supporting cast, and an excellent plot which is not tarnished by the fact that it has been used over and over again by other writers. Then I got to the ending. To me, this is one of the most satisfying endings to any book I have ever read. Believe me, if you enjoy the first 5/6 of Ender's Game, you'll love the ending. Now I've got to get my hands on the sequels....

Rating:
Summary: Sci-Fi at its Best
Review: Card really put it all together in this masterpiece of ScienceFiction. This one is a "must read" for any and all fictionreaders. Card's prose is lively, his dialogue interesting, and hisdescription pared down in order to quickly bring the reader to a truly remarkable denoument. The vulnerability and tenacity of the main protagonist, Ender, is truly heart wrenching. His agonies and triumphs pull the reader through amazing emotional terrain. Card's political commentary and futuristic ideas are also fascinating. This book is recommended to intelligent readers everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: The start of Ender
Review: Strangely, I read Ender's Game out of sequence in it's series. For some reason I started with "Speaker for the Dead", which is the sequel, and then went back to read the first novel. Speaker for the Dead is a great book but does not stand alone. Its story is only completed by the remaining books in the series. Ender's Game however, is just as good and is also self contained.

Originally, the novel started out as a short story, (or novella), called Ender's War. Card re-wrote much of it, fleshing out the story, and in so doing created one of the finest works of science fiction in existance. I haven't met anyone who has read it without being impressed. Like all of Card's books, it is difficult to put down, teaches us something about ourselves, makes us cry and it makes us cheer. Card is always good but with Ender's Game, he is perfect.

The title character, Ender Wiggin, is a young boy who's whole life has been lived under the stigma of being a third child. In a world where population control is the only means of racial survival, he is the exception that proves the rule. His very existance was only granted because the government felt his genes and upbringing might produce the perfect strategist against an implacable enemy.

The "Buggers" almost wiped out the entire human race, last time they visited. The government is certain these insect like creatures will not stop when they next decide to come. And so, it is necessary to create a military genius, trained in every way possible, hardened to fear and remorse, and knowing that there will be no second chance at success. The fact that this person is a small boy, must not keep them from performing their duty.

Ender's Game tells the story of what that boy's life is like. It is not a light tale and no punches are pulled. Even so, I would recommend it to anyone over ten years old. Simply because it does not shy away from the consequences of even brutal acts and so, it has the power to open our eyes to the meaning of responsibility. Please read this book... we all should.

For those that are up on their reading of Card's work, you may want to buy his latest; Ender's Shadow. It revisits the War school from the point of view of Ender's most worthy student, Bean. We get to see all those dramatic moments again but not as we remember them.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping Plot, Odd Ending
Review: I first read the short story that "Ender's Game" the novel is based on a-way back when in college when my roommate foolishly left out an omnibus of Card's short stories while I was attempting to finish writing a paper. The result was inevitable: I read the story - and fell in love.

Needless to say, I was *thrilled* when the World Fantasy Convention felt the need to distribute free copies of the novel, complete with a terribly interesting introduction from the author himself. However, there were things to do and places to be, and ultimately I was required to wait until my father had finished pouring over it to read the thing myself.

The wait was worth it. Card has beautifully transferred and expanded his short story to novel form - a difficult feat at best. He uses the length well: delving into Ender's home-life, detailing his first games, playing with threads of philosophy, and keeping the reader absolutely glued to his seat - even if he already knows the story from reading the original.

Oh, sure, there are a few objections: Mazur's role is humanised, softened, resulting in a slight loosening of the ending tensions. And it would have been nice if Card had lingered just a smidgen longer on the brother' and sister's plot. And - the largest objection of all - the last chapter's introduction of the odd quasi-religion Ender adopts as the newfound "Speaker of the Dead" is poorly realised, tacked on, and reeks of its sequel. (And a word of warning to parents: the book does deal with some adult issues, and includes a fair amount of violence.)

But even these objections cannot completely override a hearty recommendation of Card's classic "Ender's Game." Whether you're a lover of science fiction, fantasy (yes, fantasy - he world-builds like nothing else), mystery, adventure, or just a fan of good plot in general -you could do no better than to make "Ender's Game" the next novel on your bedtable.