Ender’s Game (1985) is a brilliant novel that achieved legendary status when it was released in the 80s, and is still widely read and praised today. The book won both the Nebula award for best novel in 1985 and the Hugo award for best novel in 1986 – which are largely considered to be the two most prestigious awards in science fiction – while the sequel to Ender’s Game also won the same awards, making the author the first to ever receive both awards in consecutive years. The mastermind behind Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card, dropped this literary bomb simply so he could establish the main character Ender Wiggin and pave the way for the book he actually wanted to write: ‘Speaker for the Dead’ – the sequel to Ender’s Game. I haven’t read it yet, but I already have a copy and I’m ready to eat it up. Now before I jump into my review of this fine piece of fiction, I want to warmly encourage you to read this book, actually scratch that, I want to challenge you to get up to chapter 7 (titled Salamander), and not be completely hooked. Yeah, that’s right.
Onto the review: In a nut shell, Ender’s Game is about a very gifted young boy called Ender Wiggin who is sent into outer space to train in a military Battle School as preparation for a possible alien invasion on Earth. Most of the action takes place inside the Battle Room, which is a zero gravity arena located inside the school where other gifted kids like Ender play war games with each other. The kids belong to one of several armies and must learn how to work effectively within squads to complete objectives, while the brighter kids are made commanders and have to manage and coordinate a small army of soldiers. It may sound like a typical cheesy science fiction plot, and in a way it is, but Orson Scott Card manages to breathe life into every page, and builds likeable characters and unique situations that make it impossible to put the book down. Ender’s Game is also required reading for those in the US Military, which is not surprising considering it constructs a believable military world where leadership and strategy are keys to success, while also containing allegories that rationalise the military’s ‘end justifies the means’ mentality.
Orscon Scott Card begins the novel with an inspiring introduction that captures in a few sentences ‘the essence of the transaction between storyteller and audience’ and also the spirit of what makes Ender’s Game such a great book. He writes:
‘Why else do we read fiction, anyway? Not to be impressed by somebody’s dazzling language – or at least I hope that’s not our reason. I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not “true” because we’re hungry for another kind of truth: The mythic truth about human nature in general, the particular truth about those life communities that define our own identity, and the most specific truth of all: our own self-story. Fiction, because it is not about somebody who actually lived in the real world, always has the possibility of being about ourself. The story of Ender’s Game is not this book, though it has that title emblazoned on it. The story is one that you and I will construct together in your memory. If the story means anything to you at all, then when you remember it afterward, think of it, not as something I created, but rather as something that we made together’ – Orson Scott Card
These words resonate throughout the entire reading of Ender’s Game, as Card uses very little descriptive writing and instead encourages the reader to use their own imagination to create characters and construct settings, such as the Battle Room and the firefights that take place within its walls. The reader is injected into the pages of the book and will see events transpire through Ender’s eyes, and listen to conversations through his ears. You will develop empathy for this character’s story, and his story will become your own. All I can say is it’s a long and worthwhile journey that will leave you completely satisfied by its conclusion, and I can’t rate it highly enough. Read it!
★★★★★ 5 stars