Framed's 2007 Book Reviews

Monday, July 02, 2007

Many years ago, I read a science fiction by Card and really didn't like it. So I avoided his books and science fiction thereafter. Luckily, during my A to Z Challenge, I came across "Enchantment" and loved it. If Orson Scott Card can write fantasy that well, maybe I should give his science fiction another shot; especially since so many raved about Ender's Game. I now understand why. This book held my attention immediately and kept it right to the end. Ender Wiggins is such an unforgettable character. My mind keeps going back to him, trying to think how things could have been different for him. The story begins seventy years after Earth is almost wiped out by an alien attack. Humans win the war by a fluke and spend the intervening time preparing for the next attack. Part of the strategy is birthing genetically superior military geniuses. In the Wiggins family, Peter, the eldest, is found to be too cruel and perverted, and Valentine, too passive. So the Wiggins are encouraged to have an almost unheard of third child, Andrew, called Ender by his sister. All three children are brilliant by only Ender passes the criteria to join the Battle School at the ripe age of six. Most of the book deals with his training and interaction with the other children at the school They talk like adults and think way beyond the range of most adults, but Card never lets you forget these geniuses are just kids ranging between the ages of six and twelve. They can be cruel and funny. And Ender's story is heartbreaking as he is manipulated and set apart from the rest of the children. What he learns, how he copes, and finally, what he accomplishes make for a totally engrossing story. I understand this book is the first in a series. Are the rest as good as this one??
Rating: 4.75
Posted by Framed at 10:55 PM

13 comments:
Melissa said...
Speaker for the Dead is excellent. In fact, I enjoy it more than Ender's Game. Ender's Shadow is interesting, because it's Ender's Game from Bean's perspective. The rest, IMHO, suck.
7/03/2007 2:32 PM
Dance Chica said...
I enjoyed this story too, though I'm surprised I did (I'm not usually into science fiction). I don't know if I'd read more in this series, but I definitely thought this one was good. And I had no idea Ender's Shadow was written from Bean's perspective. That sounds interesting.
7/04/2007 8:47 PM
3M said...
I MUST read this sometime soon. I'm glad you liked this.
7/05/2007 12:18 PM
Matt said...
This is one of those books that has been on my list forever. I really need to get to it, it should help that it's now on my Book Award Challenge list.
7/06/2007 8:17 AM
Nicola said...
I've read all the Ender books and I think they are all as good as this one. The other's are a bit different in that I would classify them as adult books while Ender's Shadow is much more a crossover into YA. The Bean series I've only read Ender's Shadow so far and it is very good. I'm a big Card fan, wondering which book you read first and didn't like. Another of my favs by him is Lost Boys which is actually kind of a horror story.
7/08/2007 2:15 PM
Nicola said...
P.S. - I meant to say Ender's Game is more YA than the others.
7/08/2007 2:17 PM
Nymeth said...
I loved Enchantment too, after avoiding Card for years. I need to give this one a try!
7/08/2007 3:24 PM
Bookfool said...
I think it's a matter of opinion; I loved Ender's Game but thought Speaker for the Dead was a little too bizarre. And, yet, I can't deny he's an awesome writer. I thought Ender's Game was brilliant. Card just didn't take the series where I expected it to go.
7/08/2007 5:10 PM
Framed said...
I've never read sci fi before so I was really happy that I enjoyed this book. All I remember about the book I hated was that the Salt Lake Valley was flooded during some nuclear attack and the main character rowed a boat to the Salt Lake Temple and entered through an upstairs window. Weird, huh? Any ideas on the name of that book?
7/08/2007 8:57 PM
Bellezza said...
I've only read one Hugo Award (besides Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire): The Moon is A Harsh Mistress. Normally, I'm not such a sci-fi fan, but your review sounds intriguing.
7/09/2007 9:16 AM
Anne Bradshaw said...
I'm slowly becoming a sci-fi fan. My latest book, which isn't yet published, is partly sci-fi--in a mild sort of way. Thanks for your comment on my blog, Framed. I'm looking forward to getting plenty of Youth Contest entries to read, also.
7/09/2007 11:06 AM
jenclair said...
I read Ender's Game YEARS ago and enjoyed it very much, but never pursued the rest of the series (there may not have been a "series" at the time). After reading your comment saying you'd read the first science fiction you liked, I had to come find out what it was. Good choice. You've aroused my interest in Orson Scott Card again, and I may have to reread Ender's Game, and then try the rest of the series.
7/13/2007 10:07 PM
Julie Wright said...
Ender's Game is a favorite of mine, and Speaker For the Dead is even better. It is such a raw and poignant look at humanity. I can't rave enough about it.