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All I'll say is that all aspects of this book, from the political intrigue and dialog to the combat and associated ethical dilemmas are executed absolutely flawlessly, what more could you ask of a novel. There are already plenty of accurate reviews of this book up so I won't elaborate too much.
As you learn more about ender and the other characters in the ender-verse you can more deeply appreciate the boys losses and wins and the emotions he goes through while getting there. It is a fun fast read, that I love to pick up and read again and again. Ender's Game is the one sci fi book I can hand to anyone and know they will love. The book combines many story elements and themes to develop a complicated young boy who faces the worlds challenges.
Second point is the age of the characters and the level of dialog they use. On the other hand the character rings so disturbingly true that those readers who cannot personally relate with their own life experiences are appalled by Ender and his compatriots and refuse to accept that any child could ever be like that, though they are unaware of the genuine presence of such people all around them (Boo).And that is where this novel works, because it fits its own niche so perfectly. "Ender's Game" is the type of book that incites profound passion in the readers; either they absolutely love it and think it is the greatest sci-fi novel ever written (actually Arthur C. There are no opinions in between supposedly.Wrong. I myself relate to my own fleeing from becoming Ender just as he flees from becoming his brother. Looking at it from a literary point of view I don't like the huge amount of uninterrupted prose, going several pages without dialog. Minor point, the author Card has already addressed that as his style.
As the Guru once said, Genius and Self Awareness seldom go hand-in-hand.What does work is the creation of characters that so many people can relate to. Also the brother/sister subplot just doesn't seem to work for me despite the superb prediction of the Internet and laptops.What many people also get wrong is that the main character of Ender Wiggin is not totally without empathy or remorse; on the contrary he is profoundly aware of the danger of descending into the "Dark Side", he wrestles with his decisions all the time, and Card gives great insight into Ender's inner torment.
First the faults. Card is less successful defending his view on this.While I do not agree that there exists an abundance of obscene man-boy erotica, someone does need to explain to Card what real barracks life is like.
Clarke's "Rendezvous With Rama" is the greatest sci-fi novel ever written) and that this book will save humanity with it's enlightenment, to the opposite feelings and that this book is the worst piece of trash that has ever existed and is more dangerous than "Mein Kampf". Another reviewer was right, simply add five to six years to everyone's ages and it all turns out right.
One hundred years from now our descendants will still be debating these very points ad nauseam. While I find much to fault in this book I also find much to praise.
I prefer an even dosage of prose and dialog and using the dialog to expand scene descriptions instead of overusing the prose to do that.
I also loved Ender's shadow. One of my all time favorite books. I was drawn Ender's vulnerability and strength.
I recommend this book for all "real" sci-fi fans. I gave this as a gift. My friend loved it.
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