Take a photo of a barcode or cover
The prose is sparse and utilitarian, the plot straightforward and fast-moving, but all in service of the themes: why are human beings so vicious towards the other? Why is empathy so hard to exercise? What is the point of war, and what does it do to us? And what does redemption look like? Intense cruelty towards the characters only sharpens the point on which these examinations take place. (During one pivotal reveal towards the end of the novel, I pictured Ender's face as none other than Aleksei Kravchenko's in Come and See, the greatest and most tragic war movie ever made.)
The young-adult nature of the book does mean that themes, while mentioned, are not fully explored. Exploration of the themes rests in the realm of allusion; there's an impressionistic character, the way so much is communicated through Ender's dreams, through the fantasy game he plays on the computer, and the all-too-brief conclusion which I still find thrilling and evocative. I look forward to seeing if these themes are expounded on in Speaker for the Dead.
As a 30-something, this remains a striking, sad, and unique work.
(Caveats: There is some casual sexism in the book, and Card fumbles the ball on racial sensitivity with some of his characterizations - see for example the slang language used by the kids.)
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Colonisation
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death
The author is a piece of shit which takes away some enjoyment from the book. I probably would have rated it a slightly higher star (3 or 3.5?) than what I did if it wasn't for the author of the series wasn't a homophobic mormon asshole.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, War
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Colonisation
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, War
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Violence
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death