Bugger this…
Hi, kids! For today’s Book Report I’m reviewing a novel that spawned a series popular worldwide. It’s the story of a group of special kids, and one in particular, who band together to save the world.
For those who felt their chest seize up because they thought I was going to review Harry Potter, you can relax. For the record: I promise never to review Harry Potter on The Book Report.
The book I’m talking about is Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
First published as a novelette in 1977, and then released as a full-length novel in 1985, the popular novel won both the Hugo and the Nebula Award, spawned two series, several supplemental short stories, there is a movie in the works, and Marvel is working on comic adaptations. The novel has been translated into 27 languages and is part of the leadership curriculum at West Point.
Ender’s Game has probably one of my favorite openers to a science fiction novel (though most favorite would be the first line in Gibson’s Neuromancer: “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”):
“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or at least as close as we’re going to get.“
“That’s what you said about the brother.“
“The brother tested out impossible. For other reasons. Nothing to do with his ability.“
“Same with the sister. And there are doubts about him. He’s too malleable. Too willing to submerge himself in someone else’s will.“
“Not if the other person is his enemy.“
“So what do we do? Surround him with enemies all the time?“
“If we have to.“
“I thought you said you liked this kid.“
“If the buggers get him, they’ll make me look like his favorite uncle.“
“All right. We’re saving the world, after all. Take him.”
The are so many reasons why I like this opening. Firstly, it takes a risk by beginning the book-and the first page-with only dialogue and no discription, no clue as to who is talking, but it sets up a series of questions that intrigue me enough to keep reading.
Who is talking? How can someone see through someone else’s eyes and hear through someone else’s ears? Who are they talking about? Why is he the one? What happened to the brother and sister? Who are the buggers? What are their intentions, saving the world by surrounding a kid with enemies? “Take him” where? For what?
As these questions get answered more arise as Ender, the kid in question, is taken to a Battle School where he government trains military geniuses through various games. To save the world.
What follows is a novel of incredible depth and an incredibly complex and interesting main character cought up in the literal games of the Battle School and the somewhat more obscure political games of the military, his fellow students, and the government.
In the end, the book is an interesting examination of what exactly it means to be human. The two ensuing series which came from the novel also explore what it means to be human, each novel attacking the issue from a different perspective.
My big criticism with the novel is Card’s unwillingness to let the novel be what it is. When it was first published in 1985, the Cold War was reaching its peak, and the politics of the novel take it further, not anticipating its collapse. The aliens are called “buggers”, reflecting mankind’s xenophobia and habit of attaching durogatory terms to species or races they do not understand and/or fear. In 1991 Card released a new version, updating some of the politics and changing some of the language. Card recently announced his plan to revisit the novel again, updating the political atmosphere to more accurately reflect the changes the world has undergone since its original inception.
The most valuable aspect of history is the opportunity to learn from it, and science fiction excels in commentating on the state of the world in a way unique to its genre (for example, check out Mythoi). I understand the idea that an artist’s work is never finished, but I can’t get behind Mr. Card’s decision to continually edit his most popular novel to more accurately reflect the present.
I’d rather he write a new novel. Let Ender’s Game become the classic it deserves to be.
Until next time,
Still paddlin the old knew…
_-Akatzen-_
Ender’s Game is one of the best books I’ve ever read — and I’ve read a decent amount… It should be illegal to rewrite a released property. Smells like greed coozery to me…
September 27th, 2009 at 7:15 pmHey blogger! You misspelled “description.” And “derogatory.” The word “firstly” is silly. And for someone who doesn’t want to, you sure use the word “spawn” a lot. Oh & make it sharper. Wittier. You can do better. Don’t you have an editor?
It’s ok. I’m here to help. And heckle.
September 28th, 2009 at 1:16 pmEnder’s Game was new. It was new in it’s form. It was new in its prescience. And it was new in its content. Card is a brilliant man and a good storyteller, but Ender’s Game was the only new word he had. Everything else he has written, although great stories, is either derived from the word spoken in Ender’s Game or is an allegory of the Mormon faith. He has always seemed to me to be grasping for the creative of genius that produced Ender’s game, but never quite making it.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:55 pmNot to pile on, but you also misspelled “caught” and there is a “the are” instead of “there are.”
Ender’s Game was one of the best books I’d read. The next few in the series were some of the worst I’d ever had to subject myself to plodding through(and yes, we disagree and I don’t want to argue about it.).
September 28th, 2009 at 5:56 pmYou need a comma after “Hey”.
“And ‘derogatory.” is not a sentence.
The fact that a word may be silly does not make it wrong.
I am not a fish, so of course I don’t want to spawn.
Ok is the abbreviation of a state. Let’s be clear on that, okay?
Thanks for the help in pointing out my grammatical errors; I’ll do better next time.
September 28th, 2009 at 5:58 pmYup. Anytime. OK is the word, okay is a variant. Oll korrect, facetious alteration of the phrase all correct. Despite your grammar, I’m fairly convinced I should read this book, so you succeeded there.
You’re feisty. Would it be OK if I took you out sometime?
September 28th, 2009 at 9:53 pmI would like to spawn. I don’t always read books, but when I do, I prefer dos equis.… I mean this book sounds interesting.
September 29th, 2009 at 2:14 pmgrammer an speleeng is dum.
September 29th, 2009 at 3:40 pmMormons have it right. All books should be allegories of our faith.
True mormons get as many wives as we want! Awesome!!
September 29th, 2009 at 3:43 pmActually, I meant to spell coughed.
I think for my next Report, I will review the grammatical errors in this Report.
September 30th, 2009 at 9:40 amThere’s nothing wrong with allegory. C.S. Lewis turned his allegory into literary classics. Card’s allegory of Joseph Smith in the Alvin Maker series was very well done. Of course, I think his retelling the Book of Mormon as sci-fi in the Call of Earth series was boring, so it doesn’t always work.
But, yeah, Card does pull a lot of his content from previous works or ideas. Enchantment retells the Sleeping Beauty story, The Treasure Box plays with the legend of the Succubus. His Women of Genesis series offer interesting stories of the wives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
But Pastwatch and The Lost Boys were both very creatively smart yarns, and while The Lost Boys pretty much followed the formula of its genre, Pastwatch was a pleasant surprise in a lot of ways.
September 30th, 2009 at 9:50 am