Ender's Game: 1 (The Ender Quintet) [Edición Kindle]

Whenever I talk about this book, it's hard not to make it sound like I am a science fiction junkie. I love and defend sci-fi, but I am not limited to the genre. Neither, I think, is this magnificent book. To label it simply a sci-fi classic would be like labeling "Moby Dick" a great book about boats. All great books, regardless of the genre, say something truly profound about the human condition.
"Ender's Game" not only manages to have a strong message, but it is also a joy to read. The plot is enthralling, the characters are complex and realistic, and the descriptions of the battleroom fill your head with fantastic images that make you wish your school had been like this, without the burden of saving humanity. The subplot involving Valentine and Peter is superb and cannot fail to inflame every reader's megalomaniacal side. Though the book is about children, it never condescends and gives kids the credit for the intelligent creatures they are (a big plus for teenage readers). The characters are exceptionally bright, but they are still identified as five- to twelve-year olds, not as mini-adults. It's no wonder that so many gifted young readers have made the statement, "I am Ender." I hope "Ender's Game" is able to make the rare crossover from lowly sci-fi to recognized, so-called "legitimate" literature.
Not only will you not be able to put the book down, you won't be able to read this book just once.

This was a book recommended to me by a friend who also happened to tell me the ending before I read it. Remind me to give him a nasty stare!
Anyway, this book starts off with a rather long introduction which the author wrote himself about his influences and motivation for writing Ender's Game. The author has had the idea of a Battle Room since he was sixteen. Only much later did he piece together the story of Ender and his mission to save the earth.
Ender Wiggin is a special boy. He is the youngest (6 yrs old when the story starts) of a family of child geniuses (Peter being the eldest, then Valentine). This story is set in the future where aliens (called Buggers because of their physical and mental traits) have tried to invade the earth twice. Twice the Earth defeated them, but at great cost. The government is scrambling to make sure this never happens again by training the next set of star fleet commanders from childhood.
In this futuristic world, only the government could sanction the birth of a third child (for population control reasons). In a way, Ender was born for a purpose. Peter and Valentine were both tested for giftedness and they both possessed it; however, he was ruthless and evil, and she was too soft and kind. Ender was a perfect balance of decisiveness and innocence, and so chosen from the beginning to go through Battle School. It is in Battle School that Ender learns military strategy and the history of wars between the Earth and the Buggers. It is also in Battle School that Ender makes friends and molds the perfect platoon leaders.
What's really unique about this story is that Ender is forced to grow up so quickly by the "adults." The teachers of the school and high government officials all have one thought in their minds. And that is to eliminate the alien threat at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing the health and sanity of a child. Ender is subjected to so much isolation and abuse throughout the story, that I felt really bad for him. He has to learn to think like an adult through the eyes of a child. His biggest fear is becoming like his brother Peter (who, in Ender's eyes, is a cold blooded killer -- keep in mind that we're talking about the thoughts of a child who hasn't even reached puberty) is slowly becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy as he matures. The ending of this story is just amazing. I will not give it away!
I recommended this book to a 13 year old boy before having finished the book. Now I'm thinking twice about my recommendation. Although this book's main characters are children and centers around the premise that child geniuses will save the world, there are a lot of adult themes and references to ancient history that probably only an adult would appreciate. I believe references to the Warsaw Pact, the League of Nations, Locke and Demosthenes will confuse the younger readers. Also the themes of murder, deception, isolation, rules of engagement in battle might be viewed as inappropriate by parents for their kids. With this in mind, I urge the reader to consider the maturity of the intended audience before recommending this book even though this is a terrific story.

I'm sure when it happened. Maybe it started as far back as when Jules Verne and H.G. Wells first began reflecting our society through the mirror of alien worlds, but at some point in the last century a surprising trend became evident: The most brilliant minds in the literary universe were writing science fiction. No book emphasizes this point more then Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game", one of the most chokingly powerful books I have ever read (and as a librarian, I've read quite a few).
"Ender" is comparatively underread, though, because its story of one boy's redemption in the face of unspeakable crimes is disguised as a rollicking space-story. So if you are one of those people who as a rule stick to just one genre (or as a buddy of mine told me the other day: "I'll read anything but science fiction") please, PLEASE don't let that stop you from reading this incredible book. And if you do give it a chance, please don't read anything further about the plot; the full impact of Scott's genius is best felt with no prior preperation (that's why I haven't given a plot summerary). When he finally pulls all the threads of the story together, you'll feel like you've just slammed into a brick wall.
This is a novel that stays with you forever, warning you of the ease of losing your soul , and filling you with hope if you're looking to regain it.
Absolutely not to be missed.

My name is Rachel and I am 16 years old. I am a junior in high school and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card was a reading requirement for my English class. I also love reading outside of school; I do it as much as I can when I have free time. I have read quite a few science-fiction books as well as many other novels from various genres. Although we were required to read Ender's Game, I enjoyed it thoroughly and found myself reading way ahead of the class and unable to put it down.

Although I liked Ender's Game overall as a novel, there were a few components I did not particularly care for. The plot was somewhat split in two, one half concentrating on Ender's story in space, and the other concentrating on the simultaneous happenings on earth and the story of Valentine and Peter Wiggin. The issues on Earth, in my opinion, were not explained clearly enough. It was difficult for me to grasp which parts of the world were plotting to attack which others. Valentine and Peter talk about these issues as if they are "old news" but I seemed to be lost during these conversations. What I did like about the novel was being able to know what was going through Ender's mind at all times. Reading about Ender's struggles from home, to those from battle school, to command school and beyond and how he overcame every obstacle put in his way was enjoyable for me. I also found myself very interested in how Ender was given no opportunity to become close with all other students, but he managed to make a few extremely close friends who learned to love Ender despite his uniqueness.

Card's writing style, in general, was actually one of the main things that made me like this book. At the start of each chapter, Card uses dialogue among the various adult characters, such as Graff and Anderson, to foreshadow the events that immediately follow. He also writes in a way that allows the reader to know Ender's thoughts and feelings; most of the novel is written from Ender's point of view. Card creates a few round characters that we are able to learn a lot about. But he also includes multiple flat characters that we know so little about, but are still critical to the plot.

I definitely recommend this book to any fan of science fiction, but I also recommend it to any dedicated reader also, even if sci-fi is not a particular interest. Young children should probably not read this book because of the complexity of the plot. It might be hard for them to fully comprehend the different themes and certain specific plot points of the novel at such a young age. I suggest this to readers that are 14 years of age or older.

Most reviewers seem to have really enjoyed Ender's Game. Others, such as myself, didn't care for the book at all. What's amusing is that when negative reviewers express bewilderment at all the rave reviews, the enthusiasts often respond by accusing those who didn't like the book of being narrow-minded, etc. But I really don't think narrow-mindedness is the problem. I've found that most of the complaints generally boil down to three factors: Plausibility, target audience, genre fidelity.

Star Wars was far-fetched. When you start out with Wookies, the Force, etc., you pretty much suspend rational rules and adopt an anything goes mentality. You know you're watching fantasy. However, Ender's Game doesn't position itself that way. The storyline, which you can read from the jacket, is that Earth is in the battle of its life against aliens. Desperate to survive, Earth has created a highly specialized training program to groom new military talent. This program searches for young children with a profile of aggression, high intellect and adaptability. Once identified, these kids are taken from their families and then loaded onto a floating battle lab where they're trained to fight aliens.

Now the idea that six year old kids, like Ender, would spend four years training and then get shipped to the front lines is a bit of a stretch. And when you factor in that Ender is not only supposed to fight when he arrives, that he's actually supposed to command an army, credulity reaches a snapping point. Would Earth really appoint a ten-year old to spearhead an invasion? Worse still, Ender Wiggins military training is essentially nothing more than laser tag in a zero-gravity chamber. And this training goes on and on, dominating nearly two thirds of the book. I, and other readers, just couldn't see how this was turning young Ender into the next George S. Patton.

And then there is the issue of the target audience for the book, which appears to be squarely aimed at 10-15 year olds. Many will stridently deny this but the juvenile banter between characters clearly seeks to emulate the thoughts and emotions of children. There is a lot of silly name calling, talk about pubic hairs, etc. And while this may be fine for a young preteen audience, many adult readers will be turned off.

Finally there is the issue of the genre, which seems muddled. Science fiction is more of a backdrop to Ender's Game than a foundation. It's true, they do fight aliens at the end, but that's a very minor part of the book. And, yes, they are on a spaceship. But the same scenes could have been played out practically anywhere. All you need is a zero gravity chamber, some dorm rooms and a cafeteria. The ship feels like a prop so that Card can tell a coming of age story (with a subtext on the innate violent nature of humankind tossed in). All of that is well and good but some will be confused how Ender's Game won science fiction awards when it barely seems to fit that genre.

Please note that I'm not discounting all those readers who liked this book. I'm just trying to articulate where some of the negative feedback is coming from.