Ender’s Game is, quite simply, a masterpiece of
science fiction writing. Set in the not-too-distant future, the story centres
on a young boy (Ender) who is one of an elite group of children selected for training as tacticians to coordinate the counter-attack to an imminent alien invasion. This tiny, brilliant minority are taken at the age of five or six and sent to Battle School (a space station in orbit around Earth) while they are still young enough to be truly open-minded and their full potential can be harnessed. The training is rigorous and extensive, and none more so than Ender’s: as the smartest of the group, he is the best hope of success. Ender experiences pressure from both sides, as his competitors try to get the better of him and his teachers push him to breaking point.
What made Ender’s Game special for me was the author’s focus and style. Although Orson Scott Card is a
science fiction writer, in this book he concentrates on the psychology and interaction of the characters: it is more a study of human nature. The setting may be futuristic, but there are few of the fantastic descriptions or speculation normally found in the genre. For this reason, Ender’s Game is likely to be enjoyed by many who would not otherwise be interested in sci-fi. Those who are will be very pleasantly surprised; Card adds a whole new aspect to it.
Ender’s Game is an exciting, surprising, incisive and even inspiring book, and easily one of the best pieces of fiction I’ve ever seen. Both children and adults will love it. If you’ve never read any science fiction, this is the perfect place to start; if you’re an enthusiast, you’ve got no excuse and really should have read it long ago anyway.