Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

By Lonica Rowley

Before recently, I've only read Orson Scott Card's religious fiction, Sarah. I enjoyed this novel and thought it was well-researched and uplifiting. Well, I should mention that I also read Ender's Game at the behest of my mother back as a teenager (that's a story for another day). I will say though, that I hated Ender's Game the first time around. As part of my young adult literature class I was compelled to read it again. I've been dreading it for weeks now. Pleasantly, I was rather surprised when I began reading it again and was immediately drawn in an intrigued by the story. I don't remember any of the plot from when I was younger, so I'd like to think that this was my initial attempt at the novel. I remained interested and motivated by the story right up until the end.

Essentially, the novel opens with a six-year-old boy, Ender, who has had his "monitor" removed. The reader, while entirely unsure of what a "monitor" is exactly, fully understands the significance and danger in which this places Ender. Luckily, Ender doesn't have survive without his monitor for long. He is summoned to Battle School where he is going to learn how to commande future armies in the world's ward against the Buggers. Over the course of the next five years Ender begins to slowly realize what exactly is instore for him.

I know, I know, it all sounds a little implausible, but Card does a wonderful job narrating his story and creating a great deal of sympathy for the Ender. While the novel is science fiction, the issues invovled really make the reader start to think. How should people best handle power? Is it right to put so much pressure on one so young, even if that is the only option? Is it better to be agressive or should we wait patiently for what will come?

While I might not have recognized it as a teen, I can truly see now why Ender's Game won both the Hugo and Nebula award, making Card the only recipient to recieve both of science fiction's most prestigious awards consecutively. If you are a fan of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Giver, or The Host, Ender's Game could be right up your alley. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.