Author: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 324
Publication Date: July 15, 1994 (first published in 1985)
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1986), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1985)
Source
*WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card takes place over several years in a futuristic world and centers around a young boy name Andrew "Ender" Wiggin. 50 years before the events of Ender's Game, an alien species, referred to as "buggers", attacked Earth as an attempt to start a new colony. Now the International Fleet (I.F.) takes brilliant young boys to battle school to prepare them for another attack. Ender is one of these boys and plays a great role in stopping the buggers from invading Earth.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought there was awesome character development and an intriguing plot line. However, I found the story a little slow-moving but it picked later in the book. I enjoyed how Ender was able to outsmart and bother all of the other kids at the battle school. I was also utterly amazed at how these six-year-olds were able to command there own armies, set up their own living quarters, and suit up and battle each other early in the morning. Even though I was amazed by the actions of these six-year-olds, I felt it was unrealistic that children so young would be able function at such a mature level. I was entertained by the fast-paced events that occurred in the battle school. I thought it was well put together. I also appreciated the idea of having different armies fight against each other to be ranked the highest.
Ender was an amusing character. I found him to be funny, smart and not afraid to stand up for himself while others were picking on him. In the beginning, he was set up to a big shot on campus and the possible new commander of the fleet by Colonel Graff. Ender was very persistent to become a better soldier when others thought of him as a wimpy little kid. Later in the story, he was able to evolve into one of the highest ranked soldiers in the entire battle school. I overall thought that Ender was a strong and level-headed character who is willing to go through whatever people throw at him even when he's at his worst.
Other characters such as Petra, Alai, Valentine, Peter, Colonel Graff, and Bean were also well developed. Petra was very caring towards Ender and helped train him when no one else would. Alai was a loyal friend towards Ender and formed an internal bond with him. Colonel Graff had extreme faith in Ender and pushed him to his full extend in order to become a successful commander. He might have pushed him a bit too far but it was only for Ender's own good. I found Bean to be just like Ender when he first entered the Battle School which led Ender to pick on him. Bean was smart, an excellent soldier, and was not afraid to voice his opinions. Lastly, Valentine and Peter are Ender's two siblings who stand on completely opposite side of the spectrum. Valentine was very kind and warm-hearted and has trouble inflicting harm on others. On the contrary, Peter was cruel to Ender and loved to cause him pain and tries to persuade others to his point of view. Deeper into the story, these two very opposite minds manage to work together.
All in all, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card was an enjoyable sci-fi read filled with action and thought provoking concepts.
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