Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. TOR, 1991. 226 pages.
Tr. $19.99, ISBN: 978-0-7653-1738-4
Plot: Ender Wiggin is only a child, but he’s a
brilliant kid, physically tough but mainly a master at strategy. After a
violent confrontation which ends with his attacker dead (though Ender is not
aware that the fight was fatal), he is plucked from his semi-normal life to
begin another at a space station battle school. His adult instructors are
watching all of the kids there, hoping to find the next great leader, a
military commander who can help them vanquish the Buggers. Seventy years ago,
the Buggers attacked Earth and a great war took place and the Buggers were
defeated. Now, they are regrouping for another stab at Earth. This time, the
Buggers will be different, stronger, smarter; a great Leader might be their
only chance. There is a subplot with Ender’s beloved sister, Valentine, and his
sinister brother, Peter. Angry about not being chosen for battle school, Peter
comes up with a plan to control the hearts and minds of people on Earth.
On the
battleship, Commander Hyrum Graff selected Ender, and he has high hopes for
him as he watches Ender confront strategic video games and battle simulations
using high technology. Others would like to come out on top, and Ender has a
serious rival in Bonzo de Madrid. As Bonzo gets angrier and Ender gets better
at strategy, they have a violent confrontation. Bonzo is no longer a problem,
but Ender is tormented by what happened. His teacher Mazer Rackham, creates
more complex challenges, but Ender is difficult to confound. Eventually, there
is a final simulated fight and Ender and his team must deal with a shock at the
end.
Critical Evaluation: The main character is
wonderfully complicated in this story: Sweet and sensitive, he’s a born
warrior. Even for those who don’t like war novels, Ender’s story is
brilliant and addictive. The high-tech games – either computer or live action –
are incredibly realistic. Ender battles the school’s bullies and tries to keep
his own inner demons in check. He knows that he’s a smart strategist, but is he
a killer? Can he control his own worst impulses, or is he just being controlled
by reacting? Although many criticize this book for glorifying war and violence,
it’s actually a philosophical meditation on the causes of war and violence.
Ender is forced to contemplate whether it’s possible to face one’s bullies
without becoming like them. He also has to figure out if, by playing his
commanders games and doing well, is he controlling the game, or is he just a
pawn? The story is full of suspense, as Ender’s challenges become more and more
intense and as his antagonists become angrier or more controlling.
Reader’s Annotation: Ender is only six, but he thinks like a
warrior. When he’s taken up to a space battle school, he must compete in
elaborate, high tech war games, but is winning worth it?
Author bio: The only writer to have been awarded both the
Hugo and the Nebula science-fiction/fantasy awards in consecutive years, Orson
Scott Card is considered one of the best science fiction writers alive today.
He grew up up in Washington, California, Utah, and Arizona. A member of the
Church of Latter Day Saints, he went to Brigham Young University and began a
PhD program before settling in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Card,
an all-purpose writer, pens reviews, plays, political commentary, and he has
co-authored a manga book. He is now working as co-producer on a film version of
Ender’s Game.
Genre: Science fiction.
Curriculum Ties: English
Booktalking Ideas: Focus on the contradiction of a
peace-loving kid who is a killer strategist.
Talk about the technology and game simulations for kids who
love computers.
Focus on the strategy element of the book, that the Buggers
will come back having cracked our strategies and that Ender is constantly
forced to rethink his own strategy. The mental games in the book are a lot of
fun.
Reading Level: 5th grade
Interest Age: 14+
Challenge Issues: Violence.
Challenge Response: Although there is violence in this book,
the purpose isn’t to glorify it. Because it is complex, the message can be
ambiguous. One way to defend it is to bring up that complexity, that it isn’t
violence for the sake of violence. The violence is terrifying to the people
committing it and the message is about the culpability of those involved. The
book is now considered a classic sci-fi novel, and its place in the cannon
should be brought up. Also, a good way to defend it might be to keep reviews in
a file so that those who read them will get a better sense of what the book’s
about. An article about his achievement award may help: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/08edwards
Why Included: Adults I know who have read it describe it as
one of the most memorable and complex books they read when they were young.
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