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Title: Ender's Game (Fantastic Audio) by Orson Scott Card, Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle De Cuir, David Birney ISBN: 1-57453-514-5 Publisher: Audio Literature Pub. Date: March, 2003 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 8 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.68 (1945 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Intense, accelerating, but has troubled aspects
Comment: Ender's Game is so full of excitement, intelligence, realism, and with such an interesting cast of main characters and a conclusion that evokes such mixed feelings, nominally triumphant but really tragic, it's hard not to love it. The battle room scenes were especially gripping with their detailed explanations rather than just generalizations. For that, and excellent science fiction, 3 stars.
There were at least a couple parts that were disturbing (Card argues in his intro to this 1991 edition that some childran really DO think and talk like Ender and the others, and I'm willing to accept that).
Without spoiling things, the world is not democratic; evil forces are in control is almost justified with descriptions of "peace and prosperity". Don't get me wrong but I wouldn't like a book describing a future under communism or facism and putting hope into that, saying that humanity experiences "peace and prosperity". Would you? The ultimate "hegemon" has quite a bit of blood (partially) on his hands. There are other characters who do some reprehensible things and get away with it. In the end, a crushing look at politics (as with war).
A supposedly more sympathetic character, Ender's sister Val, allows herself to be used by evil and never seems to completely atone for her actions. She runs away, is still the smiling kid who asks why she shouldn't be allowed to have fun, and doesn't seem to be bothered by the fact that she was so easily, hopelessly repeatedly, controlled, and helped mislead millions of people. This should have been better developed. She even partially justifies it, claiming that we all "fill roles" given to us by others. While this may be true, they are not the right words to be coming out of this particular character's mouth.
Well the book is entertaining enough but that entertainment seems overshadowed by pain and tragedy, all well represented within the character Ender, and the ironies that result. It draws in the reader very personally. I think it has to, because we are enjoying the "games" which lead to the killing, by reading the book, in that sense we are like Ender who is the actual doer.
Add these elements together, sometimes I think the troubled consquences are simply suppressed or put aside one too many times; the last chapter didn't happen soon enough and wasn't long enough; things went on too long too complacently when evil ruled politics and while Ender followed violence so far (wittingly or not). This is very troubling, because it suggests, despite evidence to the contrary, that the war was after all the centerpiece of the book, and that the other factors were simply the decoration, the after-thought, the accompanying philosophy that cannot exist without first military priorities or military victory. Which would make it a glorification, intentional or not, of violence, and evil. If you think I am crazy judge for yourself. I suppose I am sensitive to such subtleties because I have read one too many biased writings, and know how subtle and troubling these biases can be, even unconscious ones, despite facades that are presented..
It was honestly that thought that kept me awake at night long after I had finished this book. Well, you can come to your conclusions, but while I am unwilling to certainly condemn, and can only express doubts, those doubts are enough to keep me from ever being completely comfortable with this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: Any gifted student's handbook
Comment: "Ender's Game" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest science fiction works ever written. This book contains not only a glimpse of the future, a world hanging by a shoestring as only Orson Scott Card could make it, but also a hero any kid who's ever been taunted for being smart can relate to. As a gifted student, I've seen firsthand the ridicule smart children are sometimes subject to simply because they're intelligent. When I first read this book, I identified with Ender in a way I've never identified with any other character in any other novel I've ever read. Card's rich descriptions of daily life at Battle School, the Battle Room, the Fantasy Game, and Peter and Valentine's plans weave an elaborate plot that's at the same time complex and simple. Without ever understanding the exact structure of the government of Ender's Earth, the reader can easily see it is doomed to failure. All in all, this book is a must-read for any child who tests above average! ! and for any person who has been the subject of ridicule because of their skill at something. The Hugo and Nebula selection committees certainly knew what they were doing.
Rating: 5
Summary: enders game was great
Comment: enders game had to be one of the best the tactics that he thought up for ender to think up were so realistic. The plot was great the action was not lacking the plot was intelegent and exciting instead of cofusing muddled and boring. Great story line what can i say? Its an overall great book
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Title: Speaker for the Dead : Author's Definitive Edition by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812550757 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 August, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812575717 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Xenocide : Volume Three of the Ender Quartet by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812509250 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 August, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812522397 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 15 June, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0812565959 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 09 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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