Ender's Game Book review

 Pre-Opinion

Modern Cover

I love Sci-Fi. Ender's Game also was centered around Video games and the like. Right up my alley. It was suggested to me by someone I knew who read it for college (?!) Not an educational book FYI. (Has some political elements that can be considered educational. I guess.) The book revolves around 6–18-year-old... Soldiers!? yeah, the book is out there.

Plot

Note: Books plot sections are going to be very short. (It's a book. Why would I spoil it!?) I will go through the basic first part of the novel.

The story starts off with "Ender" Andrew Wiggin getting his IF monitoring device removed. Next it is pointed out to the reader that Ender is a "Third" an illegally born child against overpopulation laws placed by the IF. Yeah, it is messed up. The kids at school mess around with him and a bully named Stilson attacks him. Ender deals with it with... Finality. Ender arrives home and we meet his abusive brother Peter. We also meet his loving sister Valentine. Shortly Col. Graff arrives and invites Ender to Battle school. Upon arrival Ender is Isolated. He is the best in all of his Games and work. Shortly he is promoted to a soldier around his first year there. (Super early) His commander Bonzo Madrid tells him he cannot fire a single shot in the zero-g combat room known as the Battleroom. Ender meets Petra Arkainian who helps him learn to fight. Ender also starts his own practices with his "Launchie" friends.  Bonzo eventually transfers Ender to Rat army. on Rat Ender is taught by Toon leader Dink Meeker. Soon Ender is promoted to be commander of Dragon army. Ender is given for his army a bunch of newbies. However, Ender still destroys every army he battles. eventually the IF graduates him to Command School at age 10. He trains there for a few years. That's all I will say about the story.

Cast

One of my favorite things about Orson Scott Card is he can make a cast POP.  Card's story writing is a little crazy, but the characters make it the novel. In my opinion the cast can make or break a novel. Ender himself is a great piece of writing. my favorite characters are:

• Bean: A very short smug boy in Dragon Army who got his own novel. (Which is great!)
• Dink Meeker: A Toon leader who discovers the truth about the Battlroom
• Shen: One of Ender's earliest allies in his launch group after Ender helps him.
• Crazy Tom: One of Ender's toon leaders. the name says it all.
• Peter Wiggin: For spoiler reasons I don't want to place here he's a great character.

Card is really good at his characters. My other favorite casts by him are from Ender's Shadow (Bean's book) Shadow of the Hedgemon (Bean's 2nd book) and Ender in Exile (Direct Sequel to Game) Card... great job.

Post-Opinion

An earlier cover (This is the version I read.)

Ender's Game is one of my personal favorite reads. I remember reading it for HOURS at a time. this is an incredible piece of writing and some of Card's best work. it deserved every award it got. The story is pretty out there but plays unbelievably well. scores:

Plot: 98%

The story is crazy but is also an absolute masterpiece.

Cast: 91%

Some characters are amazingly written. others... not perfect. but most characters are great!

Overall: 99%🌟

Absolute MASTERPEICE. held back JUST barely by the fact that I have read slightly better novels. 

Next Novel reviews: HALO: Fall of Reach and And Then There Were NONE.