ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card, 1985

Once again, the Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who? Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child. Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. He excels in simulated war games. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game. Isn’t it? (Amazon)

Reviewed by Laina, writer, bookworm, and British television addict

I cannot believe no one has recommended this book yet! Especially with the film coming out later this year (November will be the death of me with all the stuff I want to see coming out) It’s been a few years now since a friend gave me a stack of books that they recommended I read (Note: BEST way to get people to read something- actually GIVE them the books to borrow) At the time I thought: oh Science Fiction, meh, not really my thing, but I’ll give it a try. Science Fiction still isn’t really my thing, I prefer Fantasy, but I completely adore Orson Scott Card. He ranks in my top five favorite authors.

ENDER'S GAME is brilliant with some rather mind bending (and at times disturbing) plot twists. Mr. Card is good at what he does. It follows the story of Ender Wiggins, a young genius of a boy sent to Battle School, a place where the best children go to be trained as soldiers. Oh, and Battle School happens to be in space. 

The basis would be the human races preparation for a second attack from an alien force (often called the Buggers) but Ender’s Game is so much more than an human vs. alien story. In fact, there’s barely any of that at all when it comes down to it. Instead it is a story about people and how far they go to achieve something. The characters are superb, the settings intense, and it truly is one of my all time favorite books. I’ve never liked trying to explain the whole plot of something, so just trust me and read it for yourself.

If you like it- there happen to be a lot more books in the series (something I didn’t realize until recently actually) Ender’s Shadow is the parallel novel told from a different character and it is INCREDIBLE. The series splits then with books following different characters and I haven’t read them all yet, so I can’t say much about them. I simply know that Ender’s Game is one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read.

Market: Not children, I’d say, but really anyone who loves a good read

Language: Some, but it’s mostly ‘made up’ and slang stuff

Sensuality: None

Violence: Moderate, but that also depends on your opinion.

Mature Themes: A lot of them- including death, despair, anger, hatred, and others, but they lend an incredible depth to the story