Ender's Game
(The Ender Quintet #1)
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin
thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact,
engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic
experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately
needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life.
The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training,
to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender
Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He will grow up fast.But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.
~from author's web site
My Review:10/10
Oh this book was so good. It hooked me right away and didn't let up, even after the last page. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
I could have done without the crudeness/language, but when you're dealing with so many adolescent boys, what can you expect? And then throw in battle/competition... I guess it was accurate if nothing else.
Ender is human to the core and so relatable. I made his choices with him. I grieved his losses and loneliness and regrets. And I was put back together with redemption right along side him. His thought processes and strategies are intelligent and fascinating to live vicariously through. And the story itself in all its sci-fi glory is limitless. It's brilliance, yet easy to absorb.
i've heard that this is a story that only gets better with time and can be appreciated anew at any age, so I can't wait to experience this story all over again. The best of the best.
*SPOILER*
[ the only thing I didn't understand was Peter's character. I feel like I missed something there. He seemed so ruthless and twisted. He manipulated and played his sister, I'm sure of it. I was sure of it all along, that he was setting her up to take the fall for him as Demosthenes, then he would swoop in as Locke and take over. I thought for sure that his childhood threats made right before Ender left would come true (that Peter would convince Valentine that he had changed, she'd let her guard down and Peter would kill Ender, and only then would Valentine remember what he said and realize that she'd been fooled). And then Valentine threatens to expose Peter for the psycho that he is right before she leaves.... and then nothing happens. Apparently he lives another 60 some years, ruling in peace and prosperity on Earth? What? So... he really did change? Or he changed after they left? Was he really messing with them all along and never actually meant his threats as he always claimed? This didn't sit quite right with me. His character had me anxious the ENTIRE book and then didn't seem resolved.]
