Ender's Game

Title: Ender's Game by Orsen Scott Card
Media: Paperback
Rating 4 out of 5 stars
Recommendation:  I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys war novels, battle scenes, military strategy, or simply a good sci fi story.  I am not normally into novels with military background of sorts, but I highly enjoyed this novel.

All Ender Wiggin wants is to be a normal child.  But he is no ordinary child.  In a society that breeds and cultivates children to be military geniuses, Ender has broken the mold.  Ender is taken into the government training program to be molded into the perfect military solider.  His skills and abilities quickly make him into one of the youngest leaders and highly respected within the Battle Room.  While other teams battle once a week or so, his team battles every day, sometimes twice a day.  While he battles other kids in the battle room, he also battles things within himself such as loneliness, fear, and intense pressure from those around him.

I was pleasantly surprised when I read this novel.  Normally I am not one for military-based novel, but this one came highly recommended by a friend of mine.  I devoured this novel in a few short days.  The development of the story and characters were done phenomenally.  The pain Ender endures and his fears, the readers feel it as well.  You find yourself wanting him to defeat those who oppose him and cringe when he get defeated.  Some of the strategies this young boy comes up with during the battles are incredible.  Card does an excellent job in creating a completely complex character in Ender.  While he is determined to make his mark and make a place for himself, he still looks for guidance from his elders.

The setting Card creates in rather interesting, a training facility in space.  While this may not be completely unique, but the way the students train and are separated into platoons is unique.  I found it interesting that the battle room has no gravity and moves around helping the children learn the unpredictability of fighting in space.  While the characters are children, Scott Card displays them as highly intelligent and capable of complex thought and logic.  In my opinion this is a novel that needs to be read more, it needs to be in the hands of young adults, and adults alike.  Hopefully the movie will spark more interest in the novel itself.