Book Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Series: Ender's Saga #1
Series: Ender's Saga #1
Date Started: August 2nd 2013
Date Completed: August 5th 2013
Genres: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Rating: Four stars
Review:
Ender's Game both impressed and disappointed me. I wasn't sure exactly what it was I was going to be reading when I first picked it out of my pile of summer reads, but I don't think it was this. I still can't decide if I actually liked it or not - but either way, it was definitely one of the best thought-through plots I've ever read.
Ender Wiggin is a third - the third child of a family, something very few families are allowed to have. And when his monitor is taken off early, he begins to think that actually there was nothing special about him after all. But then Colonel Graff appears at his door and he's taken away to Battle School. He quickly becomes one of the most prized students, but that doesn't mean anyone else likes him. But, as Ender starts to grow up in this new environment, he realises that maybe everyone is being turned against him for a reason - and maybe the adults are playing a more elaborate game with the children that it first seemed.
The one reason that Ender's Game got four stars - to be frank - is the writing. If I'm honest, I don't think it really suits a Young Adult age group, since it's a lot more analytical and detailed than what you would commonly expect, but it's still amazingly done.
The narrative is told from the 3rd person, yet sometimes we slip into Ender's thoughts (which could sometimes get confusing), and there's definitely the thought-through feel of Ender's brain in the description of everything happening. We see action sequences as steps like a choreographer going through a routine.
The deeper parts of the plot are very well communicated to the audience, because the reader actually has to pay attention in order to pick up on them. Ender's Game is hard reading, because it isn't just reading - it's thinking the whole time and working out how Ender is going to carry on; what strategy to use here; why are the adults doing this to him. I think this was masterfully done, if a little heavy at times.
It find it very hard to categorise Ender's Game into a genre: it's clearly Science Fiction, but more than that I struggle with. I suppose you could class it as an adventure, since Ender does indeed travel from A to B with experiences along the way - but I don't get that achievement feeling at the end - much as I suspect was intended. I might class it as action or thriller, but the story was so crowded with questions and ideas that this parts didn't exactly stand out or engage me very much. I think I'll go with adventure, but you can be the judge of it yourself.
I've always been reluctant to read school-based books because it's very predictable and you rarely get anything really different. Another part is that it can quickly get dominated by bullying (much like how a lot of Young Adult supernaturals become controlled by romance) and this just doesn't interest me and is very repetitive. In a way Ender's Game did exactly that; became a school book where the protagonist got picked on, and then eventually rose above it. The difference, however, is that there was a lot more to the plot.
There are two main parts of the story: battle strategy and politics. The battle-side was very descriptive, and to be honest I think I learnt a lot about commanding an army just by reading it. But it was also quite slow and I, personally, didn't find it particularly interesting (but that's more personal preference).
The other part, the politics, really interested me. I can understand why it wasn't gone into that much - since the main part of the story was incredibly detailed as it was - but I was little disappointed the main thing I enjoyed was sidelined. What was really great about the politics was there was the parts we learnt from Graff and Rackham, but there were also the Demothgenes (I don't think that's how you spell it, but oh well) and Locke from back on the surface. I liked linking the two together, and witnessing how they each affected each other as the story went on.
The most infuriating thing about this book, was in the last 10% I was literally glued to the screen of my kindle. It got SO good. I was actually really tense at the battle scene - and I didn't even know it's significance at that point! And then, when the biggest plot twist in history and the most brilliant idea in the world ever was revealed, I actually stopped and stared at the words for a couple of minutes. I didn't see it coming whatsoever, and it was so genius.
And the conclusion to the whole book warmed my heart, honestly. It was by no means a happy ending, but I thought it was drawn off so well (I don't know what is left to happen in the rest of the saga - unfortunately I don't think I have the will to find out).
My biggest issue with this book was the age of the characters - partly because I'm still arguing with myself over whether it was pulled off that the character were that age. I understand Card's philosophy that a child can still be ever more intelligent than adults, and that they are at the age where they aren't fully aware of what's going on - so they can be used. But the actual heights of cleverness that Ender and the other children were described as was just too much. For political purposes, it might be interesting to discuss the problems the characters are presented with because of their age. But I think it's a little too mature and complicated for a Young Adult fiction book.
Ender was a really great character, but most of the time he just didn't feel real to me. He starts off being six years old, and seems to have more intelligence than some adults I know. I understand that he's supposed to be a genius, but it was taken a little too far I think. Also, the way he reacted to other people's abuse wasn't very realistic for his age. I could see a teenager maybe reacting how he did - but even they would then crumble a little afterward. I'm reluctant to say all these things, because I really agree with Card's choice to present children as being resourceful and clever, because they are. But I just have the feeling that it was taken to the extremes too often.
Graff was a very good character, and I liked him when he was featured. I could never really picture him, and he was constantly changing in my mind which made it a little confusing at times. I thought the beginnings of chapters were very well set-out, with just him and another of the majors having a discussion (but I do wish it was arranged in some sort of way where I wasn't constantly losing track of who was speaking and who the other person was etc).
Mazer was cool. For once, I think a 'hero' was portrayed as you would expect; clever, proud, aware, sensible, responsible, harsh etc. I'm not sure if I like that, but to be honest we hardly ever get characters like that anymore, because so many people want to use the 'unknown'.
Petra was good. I really like her, but I expected her to be featured a great deal more. I was never really sure about her, and though her character was reasonably consistent, my feelings towards her were constantly changing. I still can't decide whether I like her or not.
Bean was my favourite character. What I really loved was the fact that he was definitely the underdog, and did have a lot working against him, yet he was still really bold. He was always there for Ender, even when he was demanding too much, or wasn't sure himself of what to do. Bean was the only character who's friendship with Ender (except maybe Dink) I could actually believe.
Valentine was very good. I think her parts with Peter were very, very, very good (but I like the politics). The problem I had was that I never really felt she did love Ender as much as she said she did. Siblings may not show affection like couples, but I didn't really get a feeling that she cared about him all that much - apart from when she was telling their older brother to leave him alone.
What seems to be happening to a lot of books I'm reading at the moment is that they just aren't making it clear enough where the climaxes are. Honestly, so much happens in Ender's Game, yet none of it - spare the very, very end - excited me in the least. On the contrary, it was quite hard to keep up with what was actually happening because the sophisticated prose was so detailed it slowed every element of the story down.
I can understand why this was done, because it made the writing quite interesting - but for pace, it made the whole book a bit of a drag. There were actions sequences, but it was described as if from a commander's point of view (again, a brilliant example of writing), so that every movement lost its magical quality, and just became blocked out steps.
You definitely need patience and a willing mind to read Ender's Game.
If you're into deep books, with a little bit of excitement (maybe) on the side, then Ender's Game would be really good. It's definitely Sci-Fi, and it does have elements of action and adventure in it. But you need patience and a clear mind. I read it in a couple of loud places or when I wasn't feeling great - and it was very hard to focus. So make sure you have the time and will to read it - but it's definitely very fascinating if you do.
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uploads/2012/10/Enders-Game1.jpeg
Ender's Game both impressed and disappointed me. I wasn't sure exactly what it was I was going to be reading when I first picked it out of my pile of summer reads, but I don't think it was this. I still can't decide if I actually liked it or not - but either way, it was definitely one of the best thought-through plots I've ever read.
Ender Wiggin is a third - the third child of a family, something very few families are allowed to have. And when his monitor is taken off early, he begins to think that actually there was nothing special about him after all. But then Colonel Graff appears at his door and he's taken away to Battle School. He quickly becomes one of the most prized students, but that doesn't mean anyone else likes him. But, as Ender starts to grow up in this new environment, he realises that maybe everyone is being turned against him for a reason - and maybe the adults are playing a more elaborate game with the children that it first seemed.
The one reason that Ender's Game got four stars - to be frank - is the writing. If I'm honest, I don't think it really suits a Young Adult age group, since it's a lot more analytical and detailed than what you would commonly expect, but it's still amazingly done.
The narrative is told from the 3rd person, yet sometimes we slip into Ender's thoughts (which could sometimes get confusing), and there's definitely the thought-through feel of Ender's brain in the description of everything happening. We see action sequences as steps like a choreographer going through a routine.
The deeper parts of the plot are very well communicated to the audience, because the reader actually has to pay attention in order to pick up on them. Ender's Game is hard reading, because it isn't just reading - it's thinking the whole time and working out how Ender is going to carry on; what strategy to use here; why are the adults doing this to him. I think this was masterfully done, if a little heavy at times.
It find it very hard to categorise Ender's Game into a genre: it's clearly Science Fiction, but more than that I struggle with. I suppose you could class it as an adventure, since Ender does indeed travel from A to B with experiences along the way - but I don't get that achievement feeling at the end - much as I suspect was intended. I might class it as action or thriller, but the story was so crowded with questions and ideas that this parts didn't exactly stand out or engage me very much. I think I'll go with adventure, but you can be the judge of it yourself.
I've always been reluctant to read school-based books because it's very predictable and you rarely get anything really different. Another part is that it can quickly get dominated by bullying (much like how a lot of Young Adult supernaturals become controlled by romance) and this just doesn't interest me and is very repetitive. In a way Ender's Game did exactly that; became a school book where the protagonist got picked on, and then eventually rose above it. The difference, however, is that there was a lot more to the plot.
There are two main parts of the story: battle strategy and politics. The battle-side was very descriptive, and to be honest I think I learnt a lot about commanding an army just by reading it. But it was also quite slow and I, personally, didn't find it particularly interesting (but that's more personal preference).
The other part, the politics, really interested me. I can understand why it wasn't gone into that much - since the main part of the story was incredibly detailed as it was - but I was little disappointed the main thing I enjoyed was sidelined. What was really great about the politics was there was the parts we learnt from Graff and Rackham, but there were also the Demothgenes (I don't think that's how you spell it, but oh well) and Locke from back on the surface. I liked linking the two together, and witnessing how they each affected each other as the story went on.
The most infuriating thing about this book, was in the last 10% I was literally glued to the screen of my kindle. It got SO good. I was actually really tense at the battle scene - and I didn't even know it's significance at that point! And then, when the biggest plot twist in history and the most brilliant idea in the world ever was revealed, I actually stopped and stared at the words for a couple of minutes. I didn't see it coming whatsoever, and it was so genius.
And the conclusion to the whole book warmed my heart, honestly. It was by no means a happy ending, but I thought it was drawn off so well (I don't know what is left to happen in the rest of the saga - unfortunately I don't think I have the will to find out).
My biggest issue with this book was the age of the characters - partly because I'm still arguing with myself over whether it was pulled off that the character were that age. I understand Card's philosophy that a child can still be ever more intelligent than adults, and that they are at the age where they aren't fully aware of what's going on - so they can be used. But the actual heights of cleverness that Ender and the other children were described as was just too much. For political purposes, it might be interesting to discuss the problems the characters are presented with because of their age. But I think it's a little too mature and complicated for a Young Adult fiction book.
Ender was a really great character, but most of the time he just didn't feel real to me. He starts off being six years old, and seems to have more intelligence than some adults I know. I understand that he's supposed to be a genius, but it was taken a little too far I think. Also, the way he reacted to other people's abuse wasn't very realistic for his age. I could see a teenager maybe reacting how he did - but even they would then crumble a little afterward. I'm reluctant to say all these things, because I really agree with Card's choice to present children as being resourceful and clever, because they are. But I just have the feeling that it was taken to the extremes too often.
Graff was a very good character, and I liked him when he was featured. I could never really picture him, and he was constantly changing in my mind which made it a little confusing at times. I thought the beginnings of chapters were very well set-out, with just him and another of the majors having a discussion (but I do wish it was arranged in some sort of way where I wasn't constantly losing track of who was speaking and who the other person was etc).
Mazer was cool. For once, I think a 'hero' was portrayed as you would expect; clever, proud, aware, sensible, responsible, harsh etc. I'm not sure if I like that, but to be honest we hardly ever get characters like that anymore, because so many people want to use the 'unknown'.
Petra was good. I really like her, but I expected her to be featured a great deal more. I was never really sure about her, and though her character was reasonably consistent, my feelings towards her were constantly changing. I still can't decide whether I like her or not.
Bean was my favourite character. What I really loved was the fact that he was definitely the underdog, and did have a lot working against him, yet he was still really bold. He was always there for Ender, even when he was demanding too much, or wasn't sure himself of what to do. Bean was the only character who's friendship with Ender (except maybe Dink) I could actually believe.
Valentine was very good. I think her parts with Peter were very, very, very good (but I like the politics). The problem I had was that I never really felt she did love Ender as much as she said she did. Siblings may not show affection like couples, but I didn't really get a feeling that she cared about him all that much - apart from when she was telling their older brother to leave him alone.
What seems to be happening to a lot of books I'm reading at the moment is that they just aren't making it clear enough where the climaxes are. Honestly, so much happens in Ender's Game, yet none of it - spare the very, very end - excited me in the least. On the contrary, it was quite hard to keep up with what was actually happening because the sophisticated prose was so detailed it slowed every element of the story down.
I can understand why this was done, because it made the writing quite interesting - but for pace, it made the whole book a bit of a drag. There were actions sequences, but it was described as if from a commander's point of view (again, a brilliant example of writing), so that every movement lost its magical quality, and just became blocked out steps.
You definitely need patience and a willing mind to read Ender's Game.
If you're into deep books, with a little bit of excitement (maybe) on the side, then Ender's Game would be really good. It's definitely Sci-Fi, and it does have elements of action and adventure in it. But you need patience and a clear mind. I read it in a couple of loud places or when I wasn't feeling great - and it was very hard to focus. So make sure you have the time and will to read it - but it's definitely very fascinating if you do.
Image Source: http://laurenthelibrarian.com/wp-content/
uploads/2012/10/Enders-Game1.jpeg
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