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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.
But Ender is not quite like the other cadets, and his siblings are not finished trying to change the world. When the three of them launch their own efforts to end the centuries-long war, nothing will ever be the same...
This is one of those stories where I saw the movie before reading the book. Now, despite some pretty major differences between book and film, I the storyline was pretty-much the same. What the movie misses, however, is the hugely important subplot that follows Ender's sister and brother--but more on that in the PROS and CONS sections.
PROS:
Ender's Game is a mysterious, exciting, and moving tale that delves into the psychology of the characters involved, which I very much appreciated. The author explains just enough of the world that you don't get lost, but he doesn't seem to feel the need to tell you everything you need to know either. There was a great deal that didn't quite make sense to me in the beginning of the book, and it wasn't until the middle and close to the end that I suddenly began to understand.
The technology in this future is really interesting, and is made even more so by the fact that this book was written long before the internet ever entered the public use (or knowledge). Yet the tech demonstrated throughout the narrative is oddly similar to what we have today!
The competitions and warring factions that Ender encounters during training, as well as the schemes of his brother and sister on Earth, make for some very compelling reading.
CONS:
There is some language throughout the book, as well as some nudity. This nudity is for the most part innocent (and even to be expected), given that the characters are very young, and in a barraks-like situation. However, it can be a bit crass at times, and I certainly could have done without it.
The characters in the books are very, very young. Ender is six throughout most of the story. Imagining six-year-olds doing what the book describes them doing is very difficult, both for practical reasons (they're so small!), and for psychological reasons (too young!). This is made a little more understandable when it's made clear that these are not natural children, but genetically different from most of humanity.
However, I also found it hard to read about the trials these kids faced on an emotional level. The kids receive very little love or guidance from adults, and are left to face the cruelty of the world, the war, and each other on their own.
This is one change I appreciated in the movie: that they aged the characters up a bit. It makes it a little easier to accept.
If you're a sensitive reader, be warned that this book is dark, and sad, in many ways. Ender is an innocent and tenderhearted person by nature, but his training and education has been designed to turn him into a ruthless general (and killer). He is in near-constant conflict with his heart and his mind, and if that kind of thing depresses you, there are other books you can read.
There is also some violence, though not terribly detailed or gory from what I remember.
**SPOILERS** At one point, it is revealed that Ender accidentally killed a fellow classmate, his own age, during a fight. The reader knows how and when it happened, but Ender doesn't learn until much later, after the fact. This is not so much a con because of the violence of the act, but rather because of its disturbing nature.
Ender's brother Peter is also revealed to be a sadist, which in a boy of his age is quite chilling to imagine.**END SPOILERS**
OVERALL:
I know that the CONS section is way longer than the PROS, and it may seem like I don't approve of this book, but that's not the case. I actually quite enjoyed Ender's game, and found that the positives outweighed the negatives as I read it.
I would not recommend this book to young or easily disturbed readers. There's a lot of dark content, and it can be upsetting. There isn't a whole lot of light to be found here-- but it does end on a good note. Love, Hope, and Forgiveness are not totally absent, and if you look close enough, as Ender learns to, you will find it.
So if you enjoy war stories, studies of character and human nature, or sci-fi, then this book is definitely worth a read.
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-Emmarayn Redding
