Ender's Game by
Orson Scott Card
My rating:
3 of 5 stars
Enjoyable and kind of sad. I do feel that Card cheapened Ender's successes by making him so extraordinary to begin with. From the onset this kid was more adaptable and quick thinking than his peers, except perhaps his Companion. It is not so much that I felt the obstacles were not hard enough but more of a "Of course he will succeed, he is that good". His biggest challenge was his own depression. Though I can see why this would appeal to many children and young adults. Almost all will at one time or another feel depressed, isolated, and so much better than their peers.
I also take issue with the Battleschool. It really didn't sound like it was set up to be effective. Only after did they suddenly decide, "Hey, we should teach our soldiers and commanders what battles are really like." Really, the games shouldn't have had much rules to begin with, they should gave been at odd hours, with different environments, different situations and different levels of equality. And some of those commanders should never have been given command. It is almost like those running the schools decided to finally teach, only after Ender arrived.
While and enjoyable and fun book, I'm not certain why it has gained so much of a following.
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