Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)

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Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card

*****
I don't know what can be said about Ender's Game that hasn't been said already. This novel was voted by the sci-fi community as the best science fiction book ever written, and it's certainly the best one I've read. Nevertheless, Ender's Game remains surrounded by controversy. Card's disturbing depiction of gifted children received scathing responses from many who claimed that children, no matter how bright, simply did not think like adults—much less capable of the violence displayed in the novel. Regardless of how much truth there may or may not be in these accusations, it is still refreshing read a novel that never looks down to children, or what the author terms "a misunderstood, self-renewing underclass" the way some other books do.

The story is simple. A race of mysterious aliens, known as the buggers, have attacked Earth twice. To prepare for another war against the buggers, humanity is recruiting genius children all over the world, training them to become merciless vehicles of destruction. Ender Wiggin, who is six years old at the time he is drafted, is the smartest of the lot. His older brother and sister were also tested, but they failed—Peter, his brother, was too cruel, and Valentine, his sister, too empathic. Ender is a direct cross between the two. He is able to use two key traits—his love for others combined with the intense will to survive—to defeat his enemies. However, the part of him he hates most—having enough will to kill other children—is also the part that the military most need, and they continually place him situations which force him to do violence against his own wishes.

Ender's increasing isolation, in spite of his outstanding successes at the Battle School, is the driving force behind the novel. Ender is forced to watch himself become a monster, knowing he must obey the Battle School teachers for the sake of humanity's survival.

With this material, Card set out to create possibly the most astonishing sci-fi epic ever conceived. Ender's Game is a triumph on every level. Every chapter is gripping; the story begins at a swift pace and never lets go, gathering momentum right to inexorable, shocking climax. The mock-battles, staged in massive, zero-gravity chambers between student teams known as ‘armies', are nothing short of exhilarating. Yet beneath these superficial thrills are layers of hidden commentary on power, social instability, and political corruption.

Also worth mentioning is the Fantasy Game, which is a cross between an RPG and a virtual reality simulation that Ender plays in his spare time. The game starts out innocently, with Ender solving puzzles and evading giant cats, but as it progresses it takes on a disturbing edge, revealing a palette of terrifying truths to our protagonist. At one point, Ender is attacked by wolves bearing the faces of his friends; at another, he looks into a mirror and sees instead the reflection of his brother Peter, with a bloody snake's tail protruding out the corner of his mouth. Such chilling imagery is sufficient to give any child nightmares, and even for the seasoned reader, the impact of Card's description and prose is unmistakable.

Finally, what can be said of Ender himself? He is the embodiment of a character so flawlessly constructed that his story becomes our story. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ender's Game is the most personal novel I have ever read. The dozen so-called classics that find their way into highschool curriculums should all be replaced by this one novel. Not only would it considerably improve the reading population among students, it would probably increase the literacy percentage of the english-speaking world.

Buy Ender's Game at Barnesandnoble.com.