Ender's Game

[Mike]

I'm not a huge huge huge reader... but when I find stuff I like... I tear that shit up. I think I've read Ender's Game like 5 times in the last 3 years... and it still entertains me. I've heard it called the best Sci Fi book ever... and I'd agree if I had read any other sci fi.

It's about Ender Wiggin... who is like... humanities best hope to fuck this alien race up before they fuck the humans up. It follows his life and ties in his brother/sister and other kids that are in the military training program that he's in. The story hits on psychological and philosophical points but manages to never get boring. It fucking kicks ass.

There's a lot of books in the series now... but I'm gonna give the advice I got from a good buddy of mine. Skip book 2,3,4... They take place down the line and are more about politics and philosophy.

Book 5, Ender's Shadow, follows Bean... one of Ender's friends at the battle school. It's basically a parallel book to Ender's Game, just from another point of view.

After Ender's Shadow the series becomes more linear... following the events after Ender's Game.

If you have any minuscule interest in Sci-Fi... read this shit. So far I've handled Game and Shadow... Next on the list is Shadow of the Hegemon... if I can ever find the fucking thing at a bookstore.
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[Parsifal]

Apparently you did since you were cradling it while we were on the couch (ready to watch American Gladiators) last night.

I have read "Ender's Shadow" and found it to be an enjoyable book. According to Mike, compared to "Game" its far more a direct retelling/point of view book than "Game", not quite touching on the philosophy and whatnot, but it does kick a good deal of ass in its own way.
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<(@_@<), <(@_@)>, (>@_@)>, <(@_@)>, <(@_~)>, <(@_@)>, <(@_@<)

[Dan]

I love Ender's Game. It's one of my favorite books ever and I love it on so many levels. The second time that I read it, I cried. That's right. You heard me. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Not like out and out bawling or nothing, but at the end, when all the pressure is coming down and Ender is about ot fall apart... Yeah, I got a little misty.
Reiteration: I love this book.

Now, on the subject of it's sequels, I'm going to take the position contrary to Mike's. Speaker for the Dead(or "2" as Mkie called it) is also a great book, and Xenocide and Children of the mind("3" and "4") round out the tragic story of Ender's life,. While not as great as Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead they are still quite readable.

Ender's Shadow I will argue is not a sequel to Ender's Game. I would not call it "5" as mike does. It's the first book in the story of Bean, While I did enjoy it, at least on an intellectual level, it had none of the emotional or philosophical resonance that Ender's Game had. You don't end up caring about Bean. In fact. Bean's a dick and not even in that satanic hero kind of way. He's just a run of the mill dick. The rest of the "Shadow" books are fairly unreadable drivel and I wouldn't waste my time on them, I read "Hedgemon" and it left a bad taste in my mouth. After 30 pages of "Giant" I realized that the franchise was dead, and earlier this year Orson Scott Card release "War of Gifts" which is basally a "Christmas at Battle School" novella. That's the final nail.

Mike, if you want my copy of Hedgemon, PM me your address and I'll totally mail it to you.
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Mercy is the mark of a great man.
*stab*
I guess I'm just a good man.
*stab*
Well, I'm alright.
-Malcom Reynolds "Serenity"

[Parsifal]

[Mike]

I just called it 5 because it was the 5th book in the same series.

I'm with Arturo, I was totally emotionally invested in Bean. The book really didn't go into as deep of a psychological/philisophical/etc tone as Game did... but I think it still had some depth.

Card does portray Bean as a dick... he had to play his strengths to survive. Since he was a tiny smart motherfucker... he used bigger people. The whole relationship with Poke, Sister Carlotta, Nikolai, and Ender do show him as a dick at first, but you also see him struggling with it. He was trying to become more of a people person when his background was ENTIRELY based on survival.

I picked up Hegemon, Puppets, and Giant the other day, so we'll see. So far I like Hegemon... because I totally dig Bean... and Peter is a beast.

I do think Game is WAY more involving than Shadow... but I think Shadow is still a strong read.

I might give Speaker of the Dead and the other 2 another shot sometime after I finish the Bean series... and then Eldest (kick ASS).
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[trebuchet]

Ender's Game is my favorite sci-fi book.
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Conan! What is best in life?

To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!"