I’m thinking that this is one of those books which has been reviewed too much and it’s a little off my DARK charter, but it certainly is dystopian and dystopian is dark enough for me. Besides I just read it so hey! Here goes.
I had a rocky relationship with this book from the very start. For example, I started reading it a year or two ago and put it down. Childhood and memories of childhood are depressing enough without reading a book about a kid who is being groomed to destroy an alien civilization by a bunch of well-meaning but desperate adults (and incidentally that is about all I can tell you about the plot without spoiling it.)
Ender is a genius who is not exactly 100% likable and this is what a genius looks like in a cultural vacuum. You’ve got soulful kids, bullies, antagonistic siblings, friends who turn into enemies, enemies who turn into friends, and manipulative adults. I do have to say there is something about the book that makes it a real page-turner, but if you’re like me you’ll get about nine tenths of the way through this book and wonder to yourself. “Why am I reading this?” Then the ending will come and you will either think it is enough or not enough. I thought it was enough but remained annoyed.
My scoring system isn’t going to work well on this book but I don’t care!
Creepy Factor: 0 out of 5
Suspense Factor: 4 out of 5
Weird Erotic Tension Factor: 0 out of 5
Final result: Ender’s Game was not good enough to make my “must read” list, and I doubt I will pick up any more books by the same author. At the same time, this book won both the Hugo and a Nebula awards the year it was released, so if you like Science Fiction, you’ll probably dig it.
Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card – TOR Books – 1977
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