Wordie Wednesday – Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

I divide books that I’ve read into two categories.  There are the books that you read, but never return to again, for one reason or another– perhaps it didn’t excite you, or perhaps one reading was enough.  But then there are the books that you feel a magnetic pull toward.  After you’ve read it, you can’t get it out of your head.  It haunts you, in a way, and you know you’ll be back to experience the story all over again, maybe getting something new from the book, but there’s that small hope you’ll experience the glee of reading and finishing the book like you experienced the first time.

For me, Ender’s Game falls into the second category.  I’ve reread it at least four times and I know I’ll be coming back to it, even though I know the story by heart.

Here’s the premise– In the future, Earth has been attacked by the buggers, an alien race that resembles– you guessed it– bugs.  The government has developed a battle school to train children (yes, children!) to effectively defend Earth when the buggers return.  Our title character, Ender, is a six year old boy who the government believes will lead the troops to victory based on careful observation over the first few years of his life.  The novel begins with Ender being sent into space with other young children to train at the battle school.

It’s hard to put down Ender’s Game.  The novel is not only told through Ender’s perspective, but sometimes Card provides the perspective of the heads of the battle school (showing the reader the intense psychological games and manipulation that is being used to ensure that Ender will peak at the right time) and the perspectives of Ender’s older brother and sister, who are playing their own games on Earth.  Because of this, we always know more information than Ender, but the reader is still kept in suspense.

I don’t want to share any more pertinent details because the novel is too good to accidentally ruin it.  Let me know what you think, or if you’ve already read it share your thoughts in the comments!