Customer Reviews
One of the best books I have ever read - By: Mr. D. Mccarthy, 30 Dec 2008 
I will not waste your time repeating what so many have said before me. Simply put, this book is one of my favourite books ever. And I am a literary demon, so I do not say that lightly. It is incredibly simply written, yet conveys so much...
The Ender character is, I think, instantly identifiable to anyone, & how OSC conveys his story, theme & mood translates so well through his writing is simply utterly compelling.
And this, of course, leads onto the Ender trilogy which, I have to admit, have helped shaped my existence more than any other fiction I have read. I strive to be Ender. In the Ender series, Orson Scott Card has created a mini masterpiece. It is Sci Fi, yet is barely science orientated at all (which, despite being a devotee of hard science, I find doesn't affect the story one jot) & is something I wish everyonein the world would read.
Ender's Game is the start of something simply amazing.
Don't have any doubt.
Buy it now, for yourself or anyone else (preferably both!) :-)
Harry Potter in Space - By: Jeroen, 08 Aug 2008 
Perhaps I'm being a little unfair to this book. After all, Ender's Game was written well before Harry Potter.
In any case, this is the story of a clever little boy named Ender, who gets bullied at home & at school. But then, he receives an invitation to a prestigious school. At that school, he bullied again by some nasty boys. But he makes some friends & wins people's respect by being very good at a game. Eventually, the world is faced with an impending apocalypse, & the boy ends up saving us all.
Cute story. And Orson Scott Card's unpretentiously simple but effective writing style makes the book a very easy & at times even engrossing read. But it is mostly written as a children's book that adults can enjoy as well.
Having said that, where Harry Potter is ultimately a very likeable character, Ender is not. In fact, one could argue that he's a murdering psychopath. The author suggests that Ender is merely a victim of circumstances & essentially does what is right. The morale of the story seems to be that violence is often the best way out of a tricky situations, & one should "shoot first, ask questions later". If you're looking for a good, reasonably clean adventure story for your kids with a strong pro-military flavour that suggest they should be tough & stay clear of wooly liberal notions of peaceful solutions to problems, then this is an excellent purchase.
ender's game - By: L. Sireling, 28 Jul 2008 I must have read thousands of booksin my life. Ender's Game is the only book that I have read from cover to cover three times, & re-read the end over & over again. I read the sequels, & Ender's Shadow is excellent, but nothing compares to the original Ender's Game. It is an amazing book. Every time you read it you discover something new.
Ender's Game - By: DDS, 15 May 2008 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is quite simply a science fiction classic. Orson Scott Card's backgroundin humanities rather than science provides an interesting take on the genre & coupled with some strong underlying themes, this leads to a surprisingly accessible novel even for those with no interestin science fiction.
Earth has survived two attacks by an alien insectal race called "Buggers". In order to ensure Earth's survival all the brightest & most gifted children are taken into service of the International Fleet & are trained to be officers & commandersin space, the youngest based at the Battle School - home of a war game where teams of children compete against each trying to disable the other team's "gate", allin zero gravity with laser quest like weapons. The story follows Ender Wiggin - an extraordinary talented 6 year old - from Earth to Battle School & his careerin the game & his grooming to become command of Earth's fleets against the Buggers.
The plot is simple but the underlying themes complex, alienation & loneliness, the nature of games & rules; the capabilities of youth & their relationship with adults; compassion & ruthlessness; power & ethics; what it is to be human & of course war. In the sequels & later writing Card often falls for the common mistake of telling us rather than showing us these themes & lecturing at points howeverin Ender's Game he makes none of these mistakes leading to a surprisingly tight novel. In its brevity we see Card's writing at its best, well paced, well described - Ender's game is an emotional moral ride which never loses its sense of fun & wonder.
A major disappointment - By: Mr. P. F. Whistlecroft, 21 Mar 2008 Just finished the book, & was glad to see the back of it. I found it very repetitive & shallow. I just couldn't empathise with any of the characters.
