Book 8/50: Ender's Game

Ender’s game is another of those books that I passed up on several occasions for no real reason. Ender’s Game was written by Orson Scott Card and it was adapted from an earlier novelette of the same name.

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives on a Earth that has become massively overcrowded. The people are kept in check by a balancing of three separate power structures. All working together in the face of a common enemy. That common enemy is the Buggers, insectile creatures that have invaded the solar system on two occasions. The Buggers massive superiority was only defeated by the presence of a tactical genius in the right place and the right time. If the human race are to survive the next buggers attack they will need the right person to lead the defence. Ender and his siblings Peter and Valentine are part of a program to find this special tactician. Peter and Valentine were promising but both failed the cut, but due to their promise Enders parents were given permission to have him, a “third” [child] a position that carries great stigma. After a final exam which involves removing Enders monitor and seeing how he deals with persecution at the hands of his class mates, Ender is chosen to attend Battle School. The school were the pilots, officers and soldiers that will fight the next bugger attack are trained. Ender however will receive slightly different training, as Commander Graff believes that Ender is the person they need to lead the whole fleet and they need him now.

I love this novel its hard to put down. Ender is a likable character even though he is often aloof. The sub plots of Peter and Valentines [mis]use of their genius after Ender is taken to battle school, comes to a delicious conclusion. The book deserves the awards it has received over the years and can easily stand toe to toe with other classics of the genre.