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)
