Review of “Ender’s Game” by Owen Barron
“Ender’s Game” is one of the saddest books I have ever read. It brings together childhood innocence and hardcore science fiction for a truly memorable read.
The premise is this: Earth has been attacked twice by an alien race known as The Buggers and both times humans have just barely fought them off. To prevent a third onslaught Earth’s fleet recruits and trains the brightest children in a space station called ‘Battle School.’
Ender is his parents’ third child, commissioned by the fleet after his siblings were shown to be extremely clever. Sent to Battle School at an extremely young age he is manipulated by the adults into becoming a weapon of war.
Orson Scott Card creates a truly wonderful but depressing story with a shocking end. This is one of the hallmarks of modern science fiction and I would truly recommend giving it a read. There are also sequels set in the future: “Speaker for the Dead,” “Xenocide,” and “Children of the Mind.”
Plot: 9
Characters:10
Writing:8
Concept:8
Total Score:35