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A review by aj_humphreys
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
5.0
Foremost, I found this book somewhat terrifying, now as an adult. A six-year-old, born with a rare precondition outcasting him from society, grows up in the household of a sociopath, while the international space military spies on every conscious and subconscious moment of his life. His only chance at escape is if said space military deems his mind valuable to the upcoming third war against the alien “Buggers.”
If that isn’t an unsettling existence enough, the military shows up on his doorstep and whisks six-year-old Ender Wiggin into space with the newest batch of cadets joining the orbiting “Battle School” for future Commanders. There, he’s immediately ostracized, then psychologically and physically tormented for years on end at the hands of both his peers and administrators.
That said, I LOVED the pacing and story telling. It’s an absolutely wild narrative encircling a family of little Sherlock Holmeses. But now, as a thirty-something, I better understand the adults. However, I sympathize with Ender so much more than ever before. It almost feels unfair to sit idly by as this kid endures each ordeal, one after another.
All for a pay-off that I’d hear-out arguments against. But, I don’t believe I’d be agreeing with a single devaluation of the ending.
I found it too endearing and morally unsettling. Many of the political and ethical themes present throughout the story remain highly relevant to this day. And it’s all grounded in the internal workings of a six-year-old prodigy losing his innocence. It both humbles and endears the point of it all.
Was it worth it?
My only complaint is regarding the unbound narrator switches, exclusive to the audiobook. Otherwise, I can’t wait to go back and visit Bean in Ender’s Shadow with my next audible credit.
If that isn’t an unsettling existence enough, the military shows up on his doorstep and whisks six-year-old Ender Wiggin into space with the newest batch of cadets joining the orbiting “Battle School” for future Commanders. There, he’s immediately ostracized, then psychologically and physically tormented for years on end at the hands of both his peers and administrators.
That said, I LOVED the pacing and story telling. It’s an absolutely wild narrative encircling a family of little Sherlock Holmeses. But now, as a thirty-something, I better understand the adults. However, I sympathize with Ender so much more than ever before. It almost feels unfair to sit idly by as this kid endures each ordeal, one after another.
All for a pay-off that I’d hear-out arguments against. But, I don’t believe I’d be agreeing with a single devaluation of the ending.
I found it too endearing and morally unsettling. Many of the political and ethical themes present throughout the story remain highly relevant to this day. And it’s all grounded in the internal workings of a six-year-old prodigy losing his innocence. It both humbles and endears the point of it all.
Was it worth it?
My only complaint is regarding the unbound narrator switches, exclusive to the audiobook. Otherwise, I can’t wait to go back and visit Bean in Ender’s Shadow with my next audible credit.