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Ender's Game ()


Amazon.com Top 100 Books of the Millenium (32)

Orson Scott Card established himself as one of the premier SciFi authors of his generation with Ender's Game, Winner of the 1986 Hugo & 1985 Nebula Awards.

Earth has twice faced attack by the Buggers, who were on the verge of victory in the Second Invasion, until the brilliant strategy of Mazer Rackham turned the tide in Earth's favor. Now the Hegemony that rules Earth is planning to launch a preemptive strike against the Bugger's home world, but needs to find and train a young military genius to lead the attack.

They thought they had the perfect candidate in Peter Wiggin, but he proved too violent. They encouraged the Wiggins to have a daughter, Valentine, hoping that her gentleness would balance the violent streak, but she proved too empathetic. So the Wiggins were allowed to have a Third, a very rare privilege in the population controlled future. This Third, Ender Wiggin, seems to be the genius they have been seeking. He is sent to Battle School at age six & soon begins to fulfill the promise they have foreseen.

The bulk of the book is taken up by his training and the continual challenges that are thrown at him to sculpt him into a warrior & commander capable of defeating the Buggers. Within this context, Card examines issues of warfare, leadership, morality, etc.. In so doing, he succeeds in creating a wonderful novel of ideas, while never losing his grip on the action that propels the story forward. A triumph.

(Reviewed:)

Grade: (A)


Websites:

Orson Card Links:
-ESSAY: The Campaign of Hate and Fear: Some of my fellow Democrats are unpatriotic. (ORSON SCOTT CARD, December 16, 2003, Wall Street Journal)

Book-related and General Links:
    -Fresco Pictures Ender's Game movie in the works
    -Hatrack River: The Official Website of Orson Scott Card
    -Hitchhiker's Guide to Science Fiction (defines concepts etc. from SF works)
    -Jason Ramboz's Orson Scott Card Page
    -Steampunk: Authors pages
    -ESSAY: My favorite author, my worst interview: I worshipped militaristic Mormon science-fiction writer Orson Scott Card -- until we met. (Donna Minkowitz, Salon)

If you liked Ender's Game, try:

Heinlein, Robert
    -Space Cadet
    -Starship Troopers

Pressfield, Steven
    -Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae   (Read Orrin's review, Grade: A+)

Simmons, Dan
    -Hyperion
    -The Fall of Hyperion

Wells, H.G.
    -The War of the Worlds

Comments:

my favorite fiction book. ever. seriously, this book is soo good, ive read it about six times, and never gets old.

- Peter Hafer

- May-25-2005, 07:59

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