The Beginning of The Ender


Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

In the future, mankind faces threat of attack from a bug-like alien race. To prepare for war, the government has started recruiting children to train to become war tacticians. At age six, children take an aptitude test in which passing means a ten-year training program on a space station.

In a society that only strongly disapproves of parents having more than two children, Ender Wiggin is born as a Third child, which causes him and his family a good deal of discomfort. It just so happens that Ender, even from the age of six, is an extremely bad-ass strategist.

The illustration above portrays a very young Ender. Every aspect of his education has been a trial since the government is always closely monitoring his abilities. His final "test" to be accepted into the academy was to be confronted by several older children who taunt Ender for being a Third and for "failing" his aptitude test. An educated shrouded in violence and war.

To assure that these children are removed as threats, six-year old Ender effectively neutralizes the leader of this pack to ensure that he would not be confronted again. This act gains him a pass into the next stage of his training.

The book is sometimes surprisingly violent, which is heightened by the fact that most of the characters are children. The book shows us a society that forces war upon children and really takes away their childhood and replaces it with tactics and service to "a greater cause."

Ender is constantly tested, harassed, and isolated from his peers, in hopes of "making him the perfect weapon" against the alien threat. Personal conflict, moral issues, war on all fronts.

It's a great book. I love it.

7 comments:

raindog said...

oh gosh! love it. i have a beat up copy of ender's game on the bookshelf that i keep meaning to pick up. it's been a few years since the last time.

Burt said...

I want to re-read it as well!

Let's simul-read it! OR, I can just go ahead and read the second book in the series and let you know how amazing it is.

Denise Gallagher said...

simply beautiful illustration

d

Lianne said...

Ender's Game is one of my favorite books, and your illustration really captures Ender wonderfully. Great expression on his face, you can tell how burdened he is by everything.

This Booksketch blog is an excellent idea. :)

Christy said...

Great review, and I love the illustration! Thanks for your kind words on my bird, too :0)

panda said...

love it! and fyi for those who have not read speaker for the dead, it is an absolutely incredible piece of sf. you will not be able to put it down.

Trevor Shin said...

ONE OF MY FAVORITES!

I LOVE CAPS LOCKS.

great book, need to read it again.