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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this one was a bit of a rollercoaster. I had some issues with it, which I'll mention below, but I was happily surprised by the ending. gg, author.
first of all, why are these kids so damn young. I know it's the whole point, the author even mentions it in the foreword, but children shouldn't talk like that. it's weird and off-putting and hard to suspend your disbelief.
secondly, the pacing. what the hell is going on. we spent so much time on training, I was expecting to finish this book and say, "where is the second half?" I was convinced nothing was going to happen. time passes slowly and quickly at the same time, time jumps are mentioned briefly (blink and you miss it) and it doesn't really give us a grip on Ender's progression. I think the first 80% is too long, and the last 20% is too short.
related to that, because of how much training we experienced and time skips that were hard to keep track of (even Ender wasn't keeping up with his age), I did not expect that plot twist. a good thing, sure, but very unsatisfying. all this build-up, for that? I wasn't a fan, and I thought that was it.
and then suddenly a big time skip (I would have liked a slower pace for this, it was all wrapped up so fast), and we have this unfamiliar Ender, 10-ish years older, who finally reaches a beautiful conclusion and finds purpose, and gives the reader a satisfying end. didn't see that one coming.
all in all, a fun read with a nice set of characters (they are too young for this, get them out of there), it dragged a little and sped up too quickly in some parts, losing me at multiple points, with a good finish. might check out some of the others in the series, who knows.
first of all, why are these kids so damn young. I know it's the whole point, the author even mentions it in the foreword, but children shouldn't talk like that. it's weird and off-putting and hard to suspend your disbelief.
secondly, the pacing. what the hell is going on. we spent so much time on training, I was expecting to finish this book and say, "where is the second half?" I was convinced nothing was going to happen. time passes slowly and quickly at the same time, time jumps are mentioned briefly (blink and you miss it) and it doesn't really give us a grip on Ender's progression. I think the first 80% is too long, and the last 20% is too short.
related to that, because of how much training we experienced and time skips that were hard to keep track of (even Ender wasn't keeping up with his age), I did not expect that plot twist. a good thing, sure, but very unsatisfying. all this build-up, for that? I wasn't a fan, and I thought that was it.
and then suddenly a big time skip (I would have liked a slower pace for this, it was all wrapped up so fast), and we have this unfamiliar Ender, 10-ish years older, who finally reaches a beautiful conclusion and finds purpose, and gives the reader a satisfying end. didn't see that one coming.
all in all, a fun read with a nice set of characters (they are too young for this, get them out of there), it dragged a little and sped up too quickly in some parts, losing me at multiple points, with a good finish. might check out some of the others in the series, who knows.
I had watched the film adaptation years ago and it hadn’t really impressed much on me. As always the book is so much better.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So much more emotionally devastating upon re-read than it was when I read it in college. Especially once the story gets to Command School. It is a shame that Orson Scott Card has to be the way that he is, especially considering the queer undertones of Ender’s relationship with Alai. And that Ender himself can easily be viewed as a queer character.