by Orson Scott Card
How can one little boy save the Earth, and what has made humanity turn to him in their hour of need?
Reviewed by: April Dawn Duncan
About April Dawn Duncan
How can one little boy save the Earth? Do notions such as nobility and valor spring to
mind? What has made humanity turn to him in their hour of need? What can a child do that
the adults cannot? The answers to these questions are terrifying.
"Ender's Game", by Orson Scott Card, does not take the traditional hero's path. Instead, it
treads through the metaphysical muck and mire of the human soul and shines a bright light
even into the deepest darkest corners. That light, in the form of story, reveals to us that
both noble and heinous things lurk inside of us. What we allow to surface is up to us.
Ender Wiggin has only started on his own journey of self-discovery and understanding.
However, he won't have the luxury of a childhood. No, the adults need him soon.
It is sometime in Earth's distant future. Mankind has barely survived two onslaughts by an
alien race known as the "Buggers". They have been unable to devise a means of communicating
with them, and they believe that the next time they attack it will be the end. There will
be nothing left of humanity. And so, mankind has devised a new and radical plan. They have
begun training soldiers from birth. How powerful an enemy these "Buggers" must be that all
of humanity has turned to their own children for deliverance. Can these children succeed
where the adults have failed?
This is another of my all time favorite books. Card shows us a possible future based on the
currents of modern day world politics. His story can be peeled like an onion, each layer
relevant and deeper than the last. And he dangles the core before us, an age-old question.
How do we react to the unknown and what are the consequences? Ender Wiggin knows. I love
that Card allows us to see through a child's eyes, not yet jaded with the adult mind-set.
Things that are important to adults fade away and things they may not even remember snap
into sharp focus. Card's story is so involving that I didn't even stop to think about his
language or his style until now. They are appropriate for the genre, appropriate for the
characters, and perfect for this story.
"Ender's Game" is a deeply thoughtful novel woven of philosophy and science. It is a tool
for asking questions and sometimes finding answers. Simply, it is awesome and will take
your breath away.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Ender's Game
Copyright © by April Dawn Duncan, 2003
Reviewed by April Dawn Duncan:
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--Ender's Game
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