Product Description

When humanity is under threat from an alien race, Ender Wiggin, at the age of six, leaves his family on Earth to journey to the Belt. There he enters Battle School, where his life is strictly disciplined by mind games and computer mock-battles fought in deadly earnest. Instinct, compassion and genius make Ender unequalled. But while he trains, the invasion approaches fast. And Ender will be pushed to the limits of endurance, for he is a unique destiny...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8405 in Books
• Published on: 1987-02-19
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

NEW YORK TIMES
'Full of surprises...Intense is the word for Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME'

INTERZONE
'Every volume of the Ender saga...comprises some of the most hauntingly brilliant writing of the decade'

Synopsis
Ender Wiggin is Battle School's latest recruit. His teachers reckon he could become a great leader. And they need one. A vast alien force is headed for Earth, its mission: the annihilation of all human life. Ender could be our only hope. But first he must survive the most brutal military training program in the galaxy...With its explosive storyline, pump-action excitement and hugely engaging central characters, Ender's Game is 2002's absolute must-read for teenaged boys. Forget schools for wizards, this is where the *real* action is.

Customer Reviews

Ender's Game
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is quite simply a science fiction classic. Orson Scott Card's background in humanities rather than science provides an interesting take on the genre and coupled with some strong underlying themes, this leads to a surprisingly accessible novel even for those with no interest in science fiction.

Earth has survived two attacks by an alien insectal race called "Buggers". In order to ensure Earth's survival all the brightest and most gifted children are taken into service of the International Fleet and are trained to be officers and commanders in space, the youngest based at the Battle School - home of a war game where teams of children compete against each trying to disable the other team's "gate", all in zero gravity with laser quest like weapons. The story follows Ender Wiggin - an extraordinary talented 6 year old - from Earth to Battle School and his career in the game and his grooming to become command of Earth's fleets against the Buggers.

The plot is simple but the underlying themes complex, alienation and loneliness, the nature of games and rules; the capabilities of youth and their relationship with adults; compassion and ruthlessness; power and ethics; what it is to be human and of course war. In the sequels and later writing Card often falls for the common mistake of telling us rather than showing us these themes and lecturing at points however in Ender's Game he makes none of these mistakes leading to a surprisingly tight novel. In its brevity we see Card's writing at its best, well paced, well described - Ender's game is an emotional moral ride which never loses its sense of fun and wonder.

A major disappointment
Just finished the book, and was glad to see the back of it. I found it very repetitive and shallow. I just couldn't empathise with any of the characters.

A thought-provoking, exciting, and emotional novel
Ender's Game is a book that will speak directly to whoever reads it, for it is about loneliness and specialist expertise - two things that everyone is familiar with in their own lives, in one way or another.

Ender is a young prodigy space battle commander whose adventures through training school make up most of the book. Ender makes friends and enemies, and must deal with life in a world where no-one understands him, except his sister who he never sees because she is on Earth while he is training in space.

The book covers a lot of different topics, but principle among Card's many theses is that to beat an enemy one must understand them completely: one must - in a manner of speaking - love them. This is a powerful notion and one that is explored in detail, with a very emotionally resonant ending and surprise epilogue.

I particularly enjoyed the videogame which Ender returns to throughout the book, where he is exploring an alien planet and battling various nightmarish foes, solving puzzles, and put under extreme emotional strain. It reminded me of the kind of videogames we are beginning to see nowadays (such as Shadow of the Colossus) and I was amazed an author had come up with it so many years ago.

An emotional and intelligent book, for adults and children alike.