Ender's Game (Ender's Game Saga #1) by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game (Ender's Saga #1)

Author: Orson Scott Card

Published: January 1985

 

Goodreads Summary: "In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.
Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel."

 

Concept/Ideas: 4/5
Storyline/Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5

 

Ender's Game enters you into the world of Ender Wiggin, boy genius. The world in which your thrown into is futuristic, sci-fi, and full of non-stop action. I must admit, this book was not something I would have picked up by myself. I read this book for my grade 12 english class, and I did not expect such a thrill ride from it. Ender's Game pulls you in right from the beginning of the novel. Ender in himself is different from your typical ya fiction character, as he is unique, and has extremely different circumstances.

 

The setting was so unique in itself, that it just pulled you into the different and interesting world of Earth in the near future. Life is different from today's world, and society has completely changed. It's a world where young kids are trained to be adults and fight 'aliens' and 'buggers'

 

The characters in this book were likable, and well developed. I felt as if there was a lot of great build up for the characters, especially Ender, as you see him grow, mature and change as the years go by in this novel. Ender's character development is heart-breaking, as he doesn't necessarily change for the better. You'll see once you read it. There definitely is a loss of innocence theme to this novel, and it really pulls you in.

 

Ah, the writing. The writing was marvelous, but slow at parts. I found myself pulled in during the first half of the book, but for some reason got somewhat bored by the end. The author does a great job of keeping the storyline going strong, but I felt that there were a few slow parts throughout the novel, at which point I just wanted to move onto the next scene. Some parts just felt too drawn out. The author does a great job of building up the suspense throughout the book, with a lot of foreshadowing and build up that definitely plays a part in keeping you hooked.

 

Not only was Ender's Game an exciting, futuristic and unique read, it was also full of meaning, themes and tons of deeper meanings that keep you interested and wondering by the end. The ending is not expected in a sense, and leaves the reader with somewhat of a cliffhanger. I will definitely be checking out the next few books in the series!

 

Not only is there a book, but the movies coming out at the end of this year! Check out the trailer here: