It's that time again, time to spew my thoughts on another book that I've read. This is a book that had been on my "To-Read" list for over 20 years. I came across a free copy recently and decided now was as good of a time as any. I have to say that this is a book that I'm glad I didn't pick up as a teenager (the age when I think most people probably read it), because there is a complexity to it that might get lost. A teen reader would certainly be able to understand Ender's frustrations, but not sure they'd be able to fully appreciate the actions of the adults and the difficulty they had in making their choices.
(Tor, 1984)
Ender is a child, only in body and years. The truth is, Ender never had a childhood and was never destined to have one. He is a Third in a future where two children is the law. He was allowed to be born for one purpose only, to become the ultimate weapon in humanity's war against the "buggers", and alien race that had twice invaded our solar system, and twice failed.
Unable to conceive of an enemy that would abandon its desire to destroy, and unable to communicate with the enemy, humans have launched an invasion of their own to destroy the buggers before they return to destroy us. As the ships are own their way, armed with an ultimate weapon, the race is on to train the perfect commander. As time runs out, Ender Wiggin is the last hope.
Unlike many sci-fi novels that I've read, this is beautifully written and holds literary value. It is able to bring the action scenes to life, but also reveal Ender's inner turmoil. A very powerful story that stays with the reader, leaving him or her to contemplate the moral complexity and ambiguity that exists in this very plausible vision of a future that could come to be.
Unable to conceive of an enemy that would abandon its desire to destroy, and unable to communicate with the enemy, humans have launched an invasion of their own to destroy the buggers before they return to destroy us. As the ships are own their way, armed with an ultimate weapon, the race is on to train the perfect commander. As time runs out, Ender Wiggin is the last hope.
Unlike many sci-fi novels that I've read, this is beautifully written and holds literary value. It is able to bring the action scenes to life, but also reveal Ender's inner turmoil. A very powerful story that stays with the reader, leaving him or her to contemplate the moral complexity and ambiguity that exists in this very plausible vision of a future that could come to be.
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