Reviews tagging 'War'

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

58 reviews

kryskross's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and War

mattyvreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

One of the finest science fiction books I have ever read. I devoured every word.

A timeless and yet surprisingly current exposé of human nature, the internal battle of good and evil, and the decisions we make that affect our life’s course.

The writing itself is beautiful. Not flowery, not pretentious. Straightforward and unassuming. The dialogue is reflective of how people really talk to each other. 

The book brilliantly discusses childhood, loss of innocence, colonization, exploitation, and how man justifies war. It is a work of art.

One of my favorite quotes, though there were many: “He could see Bonzo’s anger growing hot. Hot anger was bad. Ender’s anger was cold, so he could use it. Bonzo’s anger was hot, so it used him.”

The book is rich with plot twists and intrigue. I cannot recommend it enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Colonisation, War, Misogyny, Animal death, Violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Bullying and Forced institutionalization

rknolan0's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

I couldn’t put this book down. I read it in three day, I needed to know what would happen. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, War, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment

ncq's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

one of the best sci-fi books i’ve ever read

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Content Warnings

Minor: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and War

exekias's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Genocide, and Violence

kwichris's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

It took me too many years to finally read this wonderfully written science-fiction epic. For anyone who has seen the movie, please read this book, as it contains so much missing content that really demonstrates the breadth of this world Card has envisioned. The way in which he weaves topics of religion, abuse, isolation, and grief together in a futuristic world where humanity 'cannot' afford to deal with these concepts in fear of an alien 'threat' is nothing short of masterful. I do wish some concepts were given a little more time, like the subplot with Valentine/Peter Wiggin influencing public opinion on Earth while Ender trains for the fight of his life or the subtle importance of religion on how the society currently functions and how it resurfaces at the end of the novel so suddenly. Overall, a must-read for fans of this genre, and a good choice for young readers wishing to engage with material than will challenge them, make them think, and help them develop mental imagery skills thanks to the clear pictures Card has written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Child death, Genocide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Xenophobia

Minor: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Blood

mika_the_librarian's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, War, Death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

paguroidea's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I get the hype behind this one, finally. Kind of surprised that there are so many sequels, I could see two or three making sense with where things ended but there’s around 16 in the whole series? Can’t see myself reading them all but who knows. Definitely interested in at least the ones that will round out that last arc in the ending…unless that takes all 16 or so in the series to get to…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse

Moderate: War and Violence

luis_vieira's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: War, Violence, Confinement, and Murder

Minor: Child death and Suicide

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Sexism, Torture, Bullying, War, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail