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Ender's game, common sense media reviewers.

Sci-fi classic has racist language, violence, adult themes.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Perfect discussion book, even for reluctant reader

Themes of friendship, trust, and loyalty are key.

Ender is bright, curious, hardworking, and has a s

While characters of different races appear in supp

Violence is frequent ​​and results in the death of

Boys and girls are naked in dorms, though there ar

Language includes "hell," "damn," "ass," "a--hole,

Parents need to know that Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is a gripping and emotional sci-fi novel that will appeal to older tweens and teens. Originally published in 1985, the dystopian story follows kids who are trained from age 6, mostly by playing simulated battle games, to find a way to wipe out an…

Educational Value

Perfect discussion book, even for reluctant readers. Families can talk about if the end always justifies the means, if games desensitize kids to violence, and much more.

Positive Messages

Themes of friendship, trust, and loyalty are key. Dedication and sacrifice are important, with limits. On the flip side, expressing emotions is childish and strength is shown by hiding them. Political and ethical questions can be complex and there are no simple answers.

Positive Role Models

Ender is bright, curious, hardworking, and has a strong sense of responsibility. He has a natural talent for tactics and combat and kills fellow characters, yet struggles with his conscience and doesn't take pleasure in hurting others. Ender's brother Peter is clever and resourceful but power-hungry, engaging in nasty bullying. Most adult characters are morally ambiguous and often show cruelty toward children, though many believe they're doing so for the greater good.

Diverse Representations

While characters of different races appear in supporting roles, main character is White and many racist incidents occur. One scene includes use of the "N" word, with main character joking that his grandfather would sell a Black character's grandfather. There's no rebuke; the two continue their training. A fictional slang called "giria" is condescendingly described as the "pidgin English of uneducated people." Offensive reference to an Asian character as "slanty eyed." Many examples of antisemitism including a character name-called "circumcised dog." Gender stereotypes are commonplace: Ender's sister is positioned as the empathetic one of the three siblings. Her older brother calls her "little woman" on one occasion. Few girls are in Battle School because "too many centuries of evolution are working against them." A female character is highly skilled, but her strength is described as having "more balls than anyone else in the room," which continues to value boys over girls. Negative language around body size, with a character referred to as "unpleasantly fat."

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Violence is frequent ​​and results in the death of several characters. It's vicious in places -- made more so considering it's mostly between children. Physical fights include kicking and punching, with torn ears, broken limbs, and blood from the nose, mouth, and eyes. Particularly grisly scenes take place within dreams and computer games, including deboning a character "like a fish," burrowing into an eye, description of a decaying corpse with maggots, and brains bursting inside a skull. Children threaten to kill each other, a character tortures squirrels. Passing mention of suicide. Detailed descriptions of virtual battles, as well as shooting, explosions, and mention of corpses in video footage of real battles. Kids are led to commit genocide, albeit unknowingly.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Boys and girls are naked in dorms, though there are no sexual implications. Computer pranks include the message, "I love your butt. Let me kiss it." A screen displays a large image of male genitals, which isn't described in detail. ​​Passing mention of penetration in the "mating room" when referring to the alien species.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "hell," "damn," "ass," "a--hole," "bastard," "pissing," "pisshead," and "s--t." Frequent potty talk and name-calling includes "butt," "turd," "fart," "balls," "moron," "snot," "pinhead," "scumbrains," and "slumbitch." The alien species are called "buggers." Racist language includes the "N" word, "Jewboy," "goy," and "kike."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is a gripping and emotional sci-fi novel that will appeal to older tweens and teens. Originally published in 1985, the dystopian story follows kids who are trained from age 6, mostly by playing simulated battle games, to find a way to wipe out an entire species of alien invaders. The violence is at times quite brutal, as kids kill other kids, and main character Ender is admired for his ruthlessly efficient violence, though he himself is disturbed by it. Some bullying by an older brother is intense and disturbing, and the conclusion to the story is shocking. Occasional strong language includes "s--t," "ass," and "bastard," and there's potty language throughout. Author Card is an outspoken proponent of racist and homophobic views, and racist language -- including the "N" word and antisemitic slurs -- is used in the book, though it's edited in some later versions. The release of the 2013 film adaptation of the novel was accompanied by controversy due to Card's expressed views and political writings. ​​While the book is a real page-turner and focuses on a pre-pubescent main character, adult themes and complex political and ethical topics may be too intense and confusing for younger readers.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (30)
• Kids say (108)

Based on 30 parent reviews

A spectacular book that cemented my love of reading

Great book to read for any age., what's the story.

In ENDER'S GAME, 6-year-old Ender is chosen to attend an elite military school that trains kids to become soldiers in the hope of finding the next great leader to save the planet from alien invasion. With everything at stake, the authorities push their recruits to the limit, showing little concern for casualties. Ender displays talents they've never seen before, but can they turn a compassionate young boy into the killing machine they need to save humankind?

Is It Any Good?

This popular sci-fi novel has a lot going for it: It's deeply emotional and character-driven, intellectual enough to make readers think without diverting from the story, and packed full of action. Ender's Game is a page-turner that will hold the attention of even reluctant readers and introduces complex themes that resonate today. However, the racist language and gender stereotypes in particular let the book down, and it needs to be both read and discussed with these in mind, particularly given Orson Scott Card's very public expression of his own prejudices.

The book's view of politics in the internet age is prescient, and its exploration of ruthless education practices and the sacrifice of individuals for the greater good will linger long after the last page is turned. Though it wasn't written for children -- the violence is certainly too intense for younger readers -- it has been embraced by preteens and older across the world and remains an influential addition to the sci-fi canon.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the Battle School in Ender's Game , where kids are trained using video games and simulations. How do you think this impacts their experience and understanding of consequences?

Ender's Game was originally published in 1985 and won the Nebula Award for best novel that year. Do you think that would be the case today? How has the book aged, both well and poorly?

Do you see a connection between Ender's Game and the Hunger Games trilogy ? How are they similar? How are they different?

The book features young children suffering in order to save the human race and asks whether the ends justify the means. How do you feel about that? Can you think of other stories that explore a similar question?

Book Details

• Author : Orson Scott Card
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Topics : Space and Aliens
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Tor Books
• Publication date : October 2, 2005
• Number of pages : 357
• Last updated : November 2, 2016

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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - review

As you come across this book in a bookstore, many of you will probably leave it alone just because of its thickness. Actually, time won't be a problem (I read it in two days.)

The novel tells the story of a young boy, Ender Wiggin, who is sent to a training academy named Battle School, located in orbit above the Earth, built to train people to become soldiers that will one day battle against a vast alien race known as "Buggers". Ender goes up there, trying his best to become promoted in the difficult training scheme; his brother and sister are trying to restore the world and to make it a better place. For Ender, the training is tough. He is granted a very special teacher, who will help him to become a commander to save humanity from the Third Invasion.

Ender's Game (written in 1985) is a science fiction novel written by the American author Orson Scott Card. The book came from the short story with the same name, published in 'Analog Science Fiction and Fact' in 1977.  Card later wrote more books to create the Ender's Game series. An updated version of Ender's Game was released in 1991, updating some political facts in the book to accurately reflect the era. Themes of the book are love, hate, prejudice (Ender is socially excluded for some time in Battle School), strength and courage. Card was born on 24 August, 1951. He is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He has written books in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel "Ender's Game" and its sequel "Speaker for the Dead" (1986) both won Hugo and Nebula Awards. Thanks to this Card is the only author to win both top US prizes of Science Fiction in consecutive years.

We meet many characters in the book. We see Ender's family (which includes Ender, his mean brother Peter and his sister Valentine). Ender also meets lots of friends (and enemies) at Battle School, some of them being Petra, Bonzo, Bean, Alai, Dink, Crazy Tom, Hot Soup and Carn Carby. We also have Colonel Graff and many other people of authority, and even The Queen, from the Buggers. All of these people have different personalities.

Ender is brave, determined, but whether he is kind or mean changes as he progresses through Battle School. He likes to find consolation together with Valentine. On the opposite side, Peter is less friendly. If he was assigned the mission to kill someone, he might as well have done it. He even horrifies Valentine.

All the boys (and girls) at Battle School behave differently. Some are friendly, some are unfriendly. Together, they create interesting relationships concerning Ender.

Ender's Game has an interesting narrative style. Card has placed descriptions where appropriate, and he always narrates in an exciting manner. One way he provokes tension in the book is by having an unidentified narrator at the beginning of every chapter. At the beginning, the reader has no clue about who is narrating; at one time I suspected it being the Buggers, which can be quite chilling, as the unknown narrator knows everything about Ender. Only gradually does the reader come to understand who the narrator is. Not only do we have an unknown narrator, but some chapters also switch between Ender's perspective and his family's situation.

To conclude, I would recommend this book to readers over 12 years old, who are mainly interested in Science Fiction, or who are interested in knowing more about how people behave. The language is moderately strong, but also somewhat complex for younger readers.

The reason why I liked this book is because it follows a busy, unpredictable, action-packed plot, but the end of the novel is still sad and strong enough to make us reflect on our behaviour and on the book's events. It is also gripping and exciting, and the reader never knows what will happen next. For example, at one point, another random day turns into a battle in a washroom.

The beginning instantly grips you, as the reader is thrust into a new and unknown situation. So much is unknown in the book; slowly everything is explained, as you constantly gather more information about the situation. If you were to start reading from the end (I actually tried it) you would have no idea of what was happening to whom.

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers because of its excitement, meaning and unpredictability.

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ENDER'S GAME

by Orson Scott Card ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1984

A rather one-dimensional but mostly satisfying child-soldier yarn which substantially extends and embellishes one of Card's better short stories (Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories, 1980). Following a barely-defeated invasion attempt by the insect-like alien "buggers," a desperate Earth command resorts to genetic experimentation in order to produce a tactical genius capable of defeating the buggers in round two. (A counterinvasion has already been launched, but will take years to reach the buggers' home planet.) So likable but determined "Ender" Wiggins, age six, becomes Earth's last hope—when his equally talented elder siblings Peter (too vicious and vindictive) and Valentine (too gentle and sympathetic) prove unsuitable. And, in a dramatic, brutally convincing series of war games and computer-fantasies, Ender is forced to realize his military genius, to rely on nothing and no-one but himself. . . and to disregard all rules in order to win. There are some minor, distracting side issues here: wrangles among Ender's adult trainers; an irrelevant subplot involving Peter's attempt to take over Earth. And there'll be no suspense for those familiar with the short story. Still, the long passages focusing on Ender are nearly always enthralling—the details are handled with flair and assurance—and this is altogether a much more solid, mature, and persuasive effort than Card's previous full-length appearances.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1984

ISBN: 0812550706

Page Count: 356

Publisher: Tor

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1984

SCIENCE FICTION

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by Orson Scott Card

by Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

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by Max Brooks

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BOOK TO SCREEN

THE DARK FOREST

From the remembrance of earth's past series , vol. 2.

by Cixin Liu ; translated by Joel Martinsen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 11, 2015

Once again, a highly impressive must-read.

Second part of an alien-contact trilogy ( The Three-Body Problem , 2014) from China’s most celebrated science-fiction author.

In the previous book, the inhabitants of Trisolaris, a planet with three suns, discovered that their planet was doomed and that Earth offered a suitable refuge. So, determined to capture Earth and exterminate humanity, the Trisolarans embarked on a 400-year-long interstellar voyage and also sent sophons (enormously sophisticated computers constructed inside the curled-up dimensions of fundamental particles) to spy on humanity and impose an unbreakable block on scientific advance. On Earth, the Earth-Trisolaris Organization formed to help the invaders, despite knowing the inevitable outcome. Humanity’s lone advantage is that Trisolarans are incapable of lying or dissimulation and so cannot understand deceit or subterfuge. This time, with the Trisolarans a few years into their voyage, physicist Ye Wenjie (whose reminiscences drove much of the action in the last book) visits astronomer-turned-sociologist Luo Ji, urging him to develop her ideas on cosmic sociology. The Planetary Defense Council, meanwhile, in order to combat the powerful escapist movement (they want to build starships and flee so that at least some humans will survive), announces the Wallfacer Project. Four selected individuals will be accorded the power to command any resource in order to develop plans to defend Earth, while the details will remain hidden in the thoughts of each Wallfacer, where even the sophons can't reach. To combat this, the ETO creates Wallbreakers, dedicated to deducing and thwarting the plans of the Wallfacers. The chosen Wallfacers are soldier Frederick Tyler, diplomat Manuel Rey Diaz, neuroscientist Bill Hines, and—Luo Ji. Luo has no idea why he was chosen, but, nonetheless, the Trisolarans seem determined to kill him. The plot’s development centers on Liu’s dark and rather gloomy but highly persuasive philosophy, with dazzling ideas and an unsettling, nonlinear, almost nonnarrative structure that demands patience but offers huge rewards.

Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7653-7708-1

Page Count: 480

Review Posted Online: June 2, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | SCIENCE FICTION | GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION

More In The Series

by Cixin Liu ; translated by Ken Liu

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by Cixin Liu ; translated by Various

by Cixin Liu ; translated by Joel Martinsen

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Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, ender's game.

Six-year-old Andrew "Ender" Wiggin sounds like a normal ordinary kid right? Wrong!  He is involved in a genetic experiment because he may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against the Buggers, an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human lives. His two older siblings Peter and Valentine were involved in the experiment too, but neither was found useful for the military's purpose because Peter was too violent, and Valentine didn't like violence altogether. Andrew gets into a fight with some kids at school who were making fun of him. The next day Graff, the director of the International Fleet Battle School hears about the fight and comes to his house. He asks Andrew if he wants to join the school. Andrew accepts the offer, and that's when his new life begins.

When "Ender" gets to the school, he quickly finds out that life there is very different. The school is up in outer space, you have no visitors, and you have no vacations or days off from school. Ender is placed in the Launch army. At first everybody dislikes him because Graff, his commander, treats him like he's the only smart one in the army. Ender doesn't like being at the school because he hasn't any friends, but he learns how to play the games and use the equipment. Just when he finally begins to make new friends and thinks that it's going to be enjoyable, Graff promotes him to the Salamander Army.

While in the Salamander Army, Bonzo Madrid, his new commander, is very mean to Ender. He won't let him play in the battles because he's afraid that he will mess up his team. Ender starts practicing with the Launchies in one of the battlerooms during their freetime. Bonzo finally allows Ender to play in the battles with the rest of the team. Ender starts to win all of the battles and earns a high position on the efficiency list. Then Bonzo promotes him to the Rat Army. 

Meanwhile, in another part of the story, Peter and Valentine are still in Florida where they live with their parents. They both want to take over the world. Stealing their father's citizen access pass and using the names Demosthenes and Locke, they begin to write really convincing essays on websites all over the world. Will Peter and Valentine be able to take over the world? Will Ender become a commander someday?

I liked this book because it made me think about what it would really be like to be in the military for a long time, and maybe the rest of my life. I couldn't have gone to the school as Ender did because I would have missed my family too much. What would you do? If you like reading fantasy books, pick up ENDER'S GAME and find out what happens to Ender and his family!

Reviewed by Ashley Hartlaub on July 15, 1994

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

• Publication Date: October 1, 2013
• Genres: Fiction , Science Fiction
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Teen
• ISBN-10: 0765338211
• ISBN-13: 9780765338211

• Mar 22, 2022

Ender's Game: Book Review

Ender’s game by orson scott card is one of the most popular science fiction books of all time, and when you pick it up, you’ll see why – you won’t be able to put it down.

Published in 1985; won both the Hugo and Nebula awards.

Brent: 5 stars . This is a book that deserves all the popularity it gets. Not only is it an incredible page turner, what other books do you know where the main character’s superpower is empathy?

Cody: 5 stars . A true classic of science fiction that lives up to its place on the pedestal with each reread.

Here's the setup:

Ender’s Game is the story of Ender Wiggin, a boy who is recruited into the elite orbital Battle School. There, young men and women are trained into the next generation of military leaders to command the forces of humanity against the buggers. The buggers are insect-like aliens who have attempted to invade the solar system twice, nearly wiping out humanity in the most recent invasion, and now humanity has sent fleets to attack the bugger worlds and try to avoid a 3rd invasion.

Ender is a brilliant, empathetic kid, but has felt mostly alone his entire life. His older brother Peter is a violent sociopath, and only Ender’s older sister Valentine prevented Peter from attacking Ender. Now, at battle school, Ender feels even more alone, surrounded by children older than himself and adults who are constantly pushing him to his limits and trying to force him to be violent in an attempt to either break him or mold him into the best military commander Earth has ever produced.

Hugonauts' Thoughts:

The core theme of Ender’s Game is the power of empathy and how, even if your only goal is to 'succeed' in life, you still should strive to put yourself in other people's shoes. Sure, you need intelligence and drive, but if you truly understand other people and how they think and feel, you'll both be the kind of person other people want to be around and be able to understand other people's motivations and values. Game theory empathy, as it were. By showing how empathy is invaluable even to people who only want to 'succeed', Card makes a truly unique argument for a habitually undervalued virtue that speaks perfectly to the people who most need to hear it.

The novel is also just an unbelievable page turner. It's the classic hero's journey - and Ender is a hero that you absolutely will want to root for. How can you not be on the side of the brilliant, sensitive six year old kid who is taken from his family and put through hell to try and save the whole human race? It's also got one of the best twists of all time, which in addition to blowing your mind on the first read, also brings home subthemes about the importance of communication to avoid conflict, and a general anti-war message as well.

With such a compelling central plot, it’s easy to forget the side goings-on with Ender’s brother and sister until a reread - we both definitely had! In their bid to control the politics of the world, they act under pseudonyms on what is essentially the modern internet, to spread their philosophies and create separate factions of followers. It was unbelievably prescient by Card to foresee the effectiveness of galvanizing the masses via a social media system, and using platforms to create power for oneself through false pretenses.

On a sadder note, Ender's Game is clouded by Card’s transition into active, outspoken homophobia. He donates to anti-gay causes, and has expressed a lot of violent language toward the LGBTQ+ population. This is extra surprising given the novel’s focus on the power of empathy and understanding of the other, and Card’s clear grasp of those ideas to write about them so brilliantly. This makes the novel feel like a poster child for 'support the art not the artist'. Maybe grab this one from your library!

Related Books

If you loved this one, you might also like:

The Forever War - Joe Haldeman

Like Dune, this is a series centered on a family who are part of the feudal leadership of a space-faring civilization. The main characters are also incredibly likeable and fun to spend time with.

Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card

The sequel to Ender's Game has a much different feel than the first novel, but is also incredible. Set later in Ender Wiggan's life, Speaker deeply explores the idea of how we might communicate with another alien race.

Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein

This Heinlein classic is about humanity fighting a desperate war against insect-like aliens. One of the greatest military scifi novels ever to be penned.

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Book Review

Ender’s game — “ender’s game” series.

• Orson Scott Card
• Coming-of-Age , Fantasy , Science Fiction

Readability Age Range

• Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers
• Hugo Award, 1986; Nebula Award, 1985; Margaret A. Edwards Award, 2008

Year Published

This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine . It is the first book in the “Ender’s Game” series.

Plot Summary

In a future where aliens have attacked Earth twice, the government recruits children and trains them to fight in what they believe will be the third and final war with the aliens. The aliens are called “Buggers,” due to their ant-like appearance and hive-like behavior.

Six-year-old Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is monitored by the government through a device attached to his neck, to see if he is a good candidate for Battle School. Other children do not like Ender because he is a prodigy, and he is also the third child in a society that has limited families to two children.

The government eventually removes the monitoring device but still watches Ender to see how he will handle not having their protection. Soon after the device is removed, Ender is bullied by the other children and attacked by a boy named Stilson. Ender believes that the only way to permanently stop Stilson and his friends from harassing him is to fight, win the fight and severely injure Stilson in the process, which Ender does. Because of this reasoning, Ender is approached by the Battle School director, Colonel Hyrum Graff, and asked to attend the school, which is located in a vessel that orbits Earth.

Even though he knows he will not see his family for several years, Ender accepts the mission out of a sense of duty. He also does not want to face the other children at his school and wants to get away from his sadistic older brother, Peter.

At Battle School, Colonel Graff publicly identifies Ender as the smartest and most promising student, causing the other boys to resent and alienate him. While Ender excels at his studies and training, he becomes depressed, and the leaders of the Battle School become concerned about his mental health. Graff returns to Earth and contacts Ender’s beloved older sister, Valentine, and asks her to write Ender an encouraging letter. This is the first and only letter that Ender has been allowed to receive.

Back on Earth, Valentine misses Ender terribly and is afraid of her brother Peter, who she knows has been torturing and killing small animals in the woods. Peter approaches her and asks her to help him write and publish political essays on the Net (the book’s version of the Internet). Valentine recognizes that he is manipulating her to help him gain political power, but she agrees. They use the pseudonyms of “Locke” for Peter and “Demosthenes” for Valentine.

After the Bugger War ends, the children post their writings that are both against and for a war with Russia on political forums. Like Ender, Peter and Valentine are prodigies. After a while, their essays receive worldwide attention. Colonel Graff eventually discovers the real identities of Locke and Demosthenes. Using this information against her, he gets Valentine to keep Ender under control.

Ender’s emotional state improves. At age 9, he is promoted to command the Dragon Army in the Battle School’s fighting league. Ender trains his young and inexperienced soldiers into formidable fighters; he implements innovative techniques and unique tactics. Dragon Army goes undefeated, much to the anger of the other student army leaders, especially Bonzo Madrid, one of Ender’s former commanders, who has a grudge against him.

Bonzo attacks Ender. Similar to the fight with Stilson, Ender beats Bonzo into unconsciousness. After the fight, Ender quickly graduates and is promoted to Command School, skipping Pre-Command School altogether. Unknown to Ender, he killed both Stilson and Bonzo in those fights.

Command School is located on the planet Eros, and Ender’s instructor turns out to be Mazer Rackham, the legendary commanding officer who led Earth to victory in the Bugger War.

Graff and Rackham explain to Ender that instead of waiting for the Buggers to attack, Earth has sent warships to the Bugger’s home world. They are training Ender to command the fleet. When Ender wants to know why Rackham does not command the fleet himself, Rackham tells Ender that he must be in command because he is faster, a better fighter and less cautious than Rackham.

Ender begins training on a new battle simulator where instead of commanding ships, he now commands an entire fleet. His squadron leaders turn out to be the best students from Battle School, most of them Ender’s friends. He works with them in the simulator and never sees them in person.

The isolation and grueling training takes its toll on Ender, who starts having dreams of Buggers cutting his body open and viewing his memories like holographs. Sleeping, waking, days, nights and battles start blending together for him, and he thinks he is going crazy. Ender stops eating. Even though he passes out in the training room, he gets no rest and is still forced to fight one simulated battle after another.

On his last day of Command School, Ender fights one last battle to determine whether he graduates. When the program starts, there is a planet in the simulation, and the enemy outnumbers Ender’s ships 1,000 to one. Frustrated that he is given an impossible scenario that will result in him failing the test and afraid that everything he has gone through has been for nothing, Ender decides to break the rules of combat.

After briefly battling the Bugger ships, Ender orders his fleet to get close to the planet’s atmosphere and aim their main weapon, the Molecular Detachment Device, at the planet. Ender does this knowing that destroying the planet is against the rules of engagement and hopes he will get kicked out of Command School so he can return home.

In the simulation, the device destroys the planet, most of the enemy ships protecting it and some of Ender’s fleet that were within range of the explosion. After the battle, Ender is confused because there is a celebration in the room, and no one is angry with him for his actions. Only then does Rackham tell Ender that the simulations in Command School were actual battles with the Buggers, and that he just led Earth’s fleet to victory against the Bugger army.

Realizing he caused the destruction of a planet, the genocide of an entire species and the death of numerous pilots in Earth’s fleet, Ender becomes despondent and falls into a deep, depressive sleep.

Now that the Buggers have been destroyed, a league war, instigated by years of political essays by Locke and Demosthenes, breaks out on Earth and at command headquarters on Eros. A treaty proposed by Peter under the alias of Locke quickly ends the war. Though he is still a teenager, Peter gains incredible political power, and his age ceases to become a concern. Many people, not knowing the real Peter, view him as a great architect of peace.

Ender comes out of his depressive sleep state only after his friends and the squadron leaders he commands visit him. They tell him about the league war. Ender views video recordings of Graff’s courtroom trial, where Graff is acquitted of war crimes against the Buggers. While watching the videos, Ender learns that Bonzo and Stilson both died from the injuries that Ender inflicted on them. Ender waits on Eros to see if he can return home to Earth. The deaths of Bonzo and Stilson weigh heavily on him.

Valentine travels to Eros and tells Ender that he can never return to Earth, as he would be under Peter’s control. She asks that he go with her to colonize an abandoned Bugger planet, instead. Ender agrees, becoming the governor of the first human colony in space.

While scouting the planet, Ender discovers an area, constructed by the Buggers, that replicates scenes from a key fantasy game he played during Battle School. Ender explores the area and finds a pupa of a Bugger queen, who communicates with him through a psychic connection. Ender realizes the dreams he had during Command School were from the Buggers trying to communicate with him.

With images, the queen tells Ender that the Buggers thought they were the only thinking beings in the universe, and when they understood that humans were sentient, they did not return to Earth. She asks Ender to help find her a place nearby to hatch, but he refuses, knowing that other humans would kill her. He vows to find a planet where she can hatch in safety and give birth to her children. He also tells her that he will tell her story so that humans can learn to forgive her species the same way Buggers forgave him for killing them.

Without revealing that there is still a living Bugger queen, Ender, under the pseudonym of “Speaker for the Dead,” writes the hive-queen’s story. It includes the history of the Buggers, and the fact that they did not mean to hurt humans. Peter, now Hegemon (a political leader of Earth), reads the story and recognizes Ender’s writing. He asks Ender to write a similar book for him, detailing his life. Together, the books are called Hive-Queen and Hegemon , and their popularity spurs a sort of religion—with fans wishing that when they die, someone would detail their own lives in the same way.

Ender and Valentine board a starship and go from world to world, looking for a place where the hive-queen can awaken and thrive in peace.

Christian Beliefs

Graff tells Ender that Ender’s father baptized his three children himself right after they were born. He also tells Ender that Mr. Wiggin was born into a Catholic family. Valentine talks about Daniel interpreting the king’s dream, a Bible story, to emphasize the fact that she is not a prophet. After Ender’s fleet destroys the Bugger’s home world, some of the adults in the room kneel down or lay prostrate in prayer.

Other Belief Systems

Graff tells Ender that his mother was born into a Mormon family, but both she and Ender’s father renounced their religions. Graff tells a teacher that if there is nobody to lead Earth’s fleet, then God is a Bugger. Graff attributes Mazer Rackham’s presence as a military commander during the second Bugger War to fate, God or luck. Ender sets up an identity in the school computer he calls ‘God,’ and he sends messages to other students from this identity. Rose the Nose assigns Ender to Dink Meeker’s platoon and tells Ender to think of Dink as God.

When Ender uses the cubit as a measurement, Alai asks him if God has been asking him to build a boat. Admiral Chamrajnagar compares the fleet to a god or a religion. Graff thinks that if Ender goes back to Earth, he will be treated as a child-god. The hive-queen asks Ender to remember the Buggers not as enemies but as tragic sisters who are different from humans because of fate, God or evolution. The books Hive-Queen and Hegemon are considered holy writ and spark a new religion where people speak for the dead.

Authority Roles

Graff tells Ender that even though the government instructed Ender’s parents to have a third child, his parents remain ambiguous about him because having a third makes it impossible for them to assimilate into normal society. Graff tells Ender that if he goes to Battle School, Ender’s parents will be relieved to see him go. Ender’s parents are upset when he decides to attend Battle School. They write him several letters, but he never receives them.

When Ender starts Battle School, he is placed in armies where his commanders are jealous of his strategy and brilliance. Bonzo Madrid is condescending to Ender, refuses to teach him anything and just before Ender transfers out of his army, Bonzo slaps him in the face. Later, Bonzo plots to kill Ender.

Leaders of the Battle School orchestrate several scenarios designed to isolate Ender so he remains creative. They force him to depend on himself for all solutions to his problems. When other students plot to kill him, the leaders of the school refuse to intervene, teaching him that adults will never help him survive.

Ender believes Valentine is the only person who loves him, and when she writes him the letter to encourage him, he feels betrayed that the government has used her to get to him. He later confides to Valentine that he’s always wanted Peter to love him.

Mazer Rackham lies to Ender about the battle simulations, telling him they are only playing games. In reality, Ender is using the computer to command Earth’s army in a war.

While Graff and Rackham are fond of Ender and concerned that they are pushing him too far, they never tell him this. As a result, Ender feels that no one loves him or feels pity for him.

Profanity & Violence

God’s name is taken in vain several times with knows, help you, help us, my, only knows and thank . Profanity used includes s—, a–, a–hole, h— and d–n . Other language used and name-calling include smarta–, half-a–, slumb–ch, b–ch, b–tard, crap, turd face, fart, farthead, pinpr–k, goy and p-sshead . Ender’s classmates bully him and call him ‘Third,’ a derogatory name for a third child born into any family. His brother calls him ‘Bugger lover.’ Rose the Nose calls himself ‘Jewboy.’

At the school on Earth, several boys bully Ender, and he severely beats the ringleader, Stilson. On the way to Battle School, he is repeatedly hit on the head by a boy. Ender he grabs the boy and throws him through the air, breaking his arm. Bonzo Madrid, the commander of Salamander Army, slaps Ender in the face. Bonzo becomes incensed after losing a battle to Ender and corners Ender in the bathroom while Ender is taking a shower. Ender fights Bonzo and renders him unconscious. Later in the book, it is revealed that both Stilson and Bonzo died from injuries they sustained in the fights with Ender.

After the government monitor is removed, Peter viscously hits Ender across the head, steps on him and tries to suffocate him. He threatens to kill both Ender and Valentine. Valentine stops Peter by reminding him that he can’t have a political career if both his siblings die under suspicious circumstances. Valentine finds the mutilated bodies of the small animals that Peter tortures and kills in the woods.

At Command School, Ender fights Mazer Rackham before he knows his identity. Thinking the games are a simulation, Ender, without knowing it, orders Earth pilots to go into battle and die.

Sexual Content

In his psychic connection with the Bugger queen, Ender sees male Buggers mating with the larval queen. They shudder in ecstasy and then die.

At Battle School, the boys regularly walk around the dorms and sleep naked. When Ender joins Salamander Army, another boy tells Ender that Bonzo allows Petra to walk around naked but does not want any of the other boys to be naked around her. Rose the Nose uses his desk to animate a large picture of a penis that moves around as Rose holds the desk on his naked lap.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Lying: A nurse tells Ender that it won’t hurt when they remove the monitor from his neck. Ender knows it is a lie and thinks that lies are more dependable than the truth. Adults continually lie to Ender about what he is doing in both Battle School and Command School.

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Banned Books Week: “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card Review

The YA Science Fiction Classic Leaves a Complicated Legacy

Duncan Sligh , Co-Editor-in-Chief | September 28, 2021

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“Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card is a science-fiction novel about Earth’s retaliation efforts in the wake of an alien invasion that was successfully fended off. Upon its release it was heralded as an important moment for science fiction, and brought the genre to a generation of adolescent and young-adult readers.

Many students at Armstrong may recognize the novel from one of their high school or middle school required-reading lists. It is a very popular book for teachers to assign their students due to the accessible nature of its prose while still highlighting difficult, mature themes.

As someone who loved this book dearly growing up, it’s an especially difficult one to revisit. Much has been made about Orson Scott Card’s views of and against homosexuality, and in today’s culture these views are impossible to ignore. One especially frustrating aspect of Card’s viewpoints are that they conflict with what makes “Ender’s Game” such a great read.

“Ender’s Game” deals with huge, existentialist themes that scale with its plot. The story follows a young boy, Ender, who is selected along with others as a potential military leader in the fight against an alien civilization, referred to colloquially as “Buggers.” Ender goes through a series of “games” that are intended to train him to defeat this existential threat.

As Ender and his friends progress through the games, they get more and more challenging, with consequences continuing to grow. Eventually, Ender learns that the games he played had massive, irreparable consequences on an unimaginable scale.

These consequences led to this book being commonly banned, especially since the book is intended for younger audiences. Many would argue that young readers should not be exposed to scenarios that fictionalize a massive loss of life.

The novel does not glorify acts of war, however, and instead focuses on how we measure life, especially when the life we are valuing is that of a perceived enemy or threat. It uses them brilliantly, and forces Ender, as well as the reader, to decide what actions could be considered moral or immoral when faced with potential danger.

This brings back the topic of Card’s personal views. It’s difficult to accept that a novel focused so narrowly on the value of life could be written by someone who is unable to accept the sexual identity of millions of humans. It does not seem to add up mathematically, but that is the reality of this situation.

Many fans of many different works of art are familiar with the fact that sometimes we have to enjoy the art without the context of the artist, but with the internet at our fingertips this can be a very difficult task to perform. It is eventually up to the reader to decide how they feel about the personal viewpoints of the authors they read. This example provides a particularly perplexing account of how that may happen.

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Rick M. • Jan 10, 2022 at 9:05 pm

My take is that anyone’s preoccupation with Card’s views on ANYTHING are completely beside the point. Enjoy the book. We all have our own shortcomings. This is akin to having a brilliant surgeon save you in the operating room, but then finding out later he’s a racist. Well, you didn’t go to him for political advice, you went to get an operation. His racism didn’t affect the work he did in the operating room. Judging others for how they judge others is a waste of time.

Annette • Nov 13, 2021 at 2:26 am

It is indeed difficult to accept that “Orson Scott Card” is unable to accept the sexual identity of millions of humans. It does not seem to add up mathematically.

Have you considered the possibility that Card actually is more than able to accept it (see what his friend Janis Ian has to say about him).

The media labeling Card as a “homophobe” is akin to Ender being labeled as a “Xenocide” or Alvin being labeled as a “pedophile” and “Renegado”?

Justin K. • Oct 25, 2021 at 3:28 pm

Isn’t it worrisome when one’s moral and ethical ideals match so closely with trans-national mega-corporations h.r. departments?

Dr. P. Peepoo poo Ph.D • Jul 15, 2022 at 12:51 pm

not at all.

Publisher:  Tor Books

Genre:  Science Fiction

There are books out there everyone has read, or at the very least, has some awareness of said book’s existence. Orson Scott Card’s sci-fi classic, Ender’s Game , is without a doubt one of those exceptional books. Ender’s Game started as a prequel to the book Card actually wanted to write, Speaker for the Dead , but ended up becoming his most successful novel by leaps and bounds. Its popularity has spawned a movie and massive franchise of books that stem from the events of Ender’s Game . The real question is: How do the story, writing, and questions Ender’s Game brings to the table stand up for today’s readers? Lets jump in and find out!

Violence : Violence is probably the most significant content related issue in this book. There is a fair amount of it and the consequences of those violent acts range in severity. There is one act of violence I’ll actually save for the “other negative content” section, but the rest is mostly simulation/virtual battles between different groups of students. The simulation battles are mostly non-lethal. However, there is a fair amount of lethal violence outside of the simulated battles. Ender is a kind kid, but strategic, so when he gets in a fight with a bully, he hurts the bully bad enough in hopes the bully will not want to ever fight Ender again. Unfortunately, some of these fights become lethal and children do die. Violence has a lot of meaning in this novel and always serves a purpose, but it’s still difficult to read. Additionally, Ender’s brother, Peter, is shown to be highly violent and, while not described in any real detail, tortures small animals.

Sexual content : Nothing explicitly intended as sexual, but please see my comments in “language/crude humor.”

Drug/alcohol use : None.

Spiritual content : Orson Scott Card is a practicing Mormon and tends to insert religion into all of his books, from my understanding; however, it is not a major component of Ender’s Game . Ender’s mother and father are Mormon and Catholic, respectively, and there are occasional mentions of religion, but its limited and not a major theme in the story.

Language/crude humor : Some language, such as a** and s***, and some lesser terms kids use to pick on each other. There’s some crude humor, with instances of kids say things, “you like X person’s butt!” However, it’s meant as a form of bullying and not meant to be sexual.

Other negative content : As you have probably seen a few times above, bullying is a major theme within the story. Ender is often bullied and ostracized by certain groups. A major bully in Ender’s life is his own brother, Peter. Ender and smaller children are often targeted by older kids on a regular basis.

The story tackles some pretty major themes, from global politics to xenophobia. One of those major themes can’t be removed from this content section, but I want to emphasize it is a major plot spoiler . Please tread carefully in the next paragraph if you do not want a major moment spoiled for you as a reader.

*Begin Major Spoiler* The book asks a lot of big questions, and one of the biggest is about genocide/xenocide: Is it justified to commit xenocide if it means xenocide is not committed against you? Do the means justify the ends? Xenocide does take place during the book, and Ender is manipulated and tricked into committing it. Ender becomes deeply disturbed by this, and decides genocide is wrong and not worth it. * End Major Spoiler*

Positive themes : There are a lot of positive themes to take away from this book. Ender is consistently ostracized, intentionally and unintentionally, but he always finds a friend or someone to care for him. There are many themes of bravery, overcoming the odds, and friendship throughout the narrative.

Most people I know have read Ender’s Game in some capacity. It’s quite incredible the different circumstances that have brought some readers to this book. I know students who have had to read this book for class, and I know some who work with/in the military and have had to read it. That proves that while this book is labeled as Young Adult, it very much covers serious themes.

As for me, I picked it up randomly. I read it for the first time a few years back when the movie was being released, and I have read it one more time since then. I was absorbed into Ender’s Game and had a really hard time putting it down. I then listened to the audiobook a month back and was equally absorbed. While I have a couple of nitpick issues with it, I can easily ignore them and enjoy a great story.

Ender’s Game follows the story of Andrew Wiggin, nicknamed Ender, and how he navigates Battle School: An international military training school that takes the best and brightest children and turns them into space fleet commanders. In a way, Ender was bred for this. His parents are geniuses and they produced two other genius children, Ender’s siblings Peter and Valentine. Unfortunately, Peter is too violent and dangerous, and Valentine is too soft and sweet. Ender is the perfect balance as the third child, strategic and driven, but also compassionate. The leaders at the Battle School know this and intend on developing him into a great admiral to take on the “buggers,” which are the enemies of Earth that attacked our planet twice before and is the whole reason for the existence of the international space fleet and Battle School. The constant fear of another bugger invasion is why Earth needs someone like Ender at the command of Earth’s fleets.

Ender is an extremely likable and relatable character. He isn’t perfect. He struggles with his own fears and limitations. He wants to do what is right and meet the expectations of others. Ender is an outcast, though; a “third,” which is a third child in a society with population controls. Families are only permitted to have two children, unless given special permission by the government, which Ender’s family received. Ender is treated poorly by his brother and others for being a “third.” He is also mistreated for his aptitude and gifted intelligence. Something we see all too well in today’s society. Ender must grapple under these pressures and Card does a fantastic job of making the reader feel for Ender and his struggles. I really came to care for Ender and wanted life to ease up on him a little, and thankfully I got that… sometimes.

I liked the other characters in the story well enough. I think only a few really got to be fleshed out. Most were there for Ender to advance his story, making them a little shallow. I didn’t mind this too much, but if you are a reader who wants all characters to be very fleshed out, you won’t get it with this book. Some were stronger though. The author had a side narrative with Peter and Valentine that was very interesting, and I will go into more detail later. While I cared about the other characters at the Battle School, they were fairly unremarkable. I credit Card’s engaging writing style with keeping me hooked on the story so I could overlook a set of shallow characters.

My one major nitpick with the characters, and the world for that matter, is that the kids at the battle school are young. As I’ve said in other reviews, believability is big for me. Ender was six years old when he entered battle school, but had the thoughts and intelligence of someone in their 30’s. I understand this was defended in the narrative by emphasizing these kids are geniuses. At times, they do actually act like kids, particularly with how they tease each other. Alas, I was never really convinced. Ender did age a little in the narrative, but he never really emotionally grew up in my mind. Honestly, he never needed to because he always thought like a man in his 30’s throughout the story. If Card made Ender a teenager rather than a young child, maybe I could believe it a little more. However, I was able overlook this and move on fairly easily.

Now, let’s talk about the Battle School. I love what Card did with it. It is the one element that made these kids feel like kids. It was truly a school in the sense that there were classes and education, but that’s not what mattered to them; the virtual battles and competition is what peaked their interest. This is just like how high school sports will often matter more to a student than actual classes. Card made the Battle School feel like its own culture, and I felt like I was there and knew how things operated. The Battle School, in my opinion, was world building well done.

The Battle School was also just fun to read. The virtual battles between the different groups of students was fun and competitive. Ender was also inventive on how to outwit his opponents in the virtual battles. It created fun and tense situations throughout the plot that kept me hooked. Well done, Orson Scott Card, well done!

That isn’t the only thing Card did well. As I said above, there is the side narrative of Peter and Valentine. They use the internet and fake online personas back on Earth while their brother is at Battle School to manipulate the global world order. It’s a slow progressing side story and fun to read. The two siblings of Ender take on this endeavor because they see the only unifying factor on Earth is the fear of the buggers and they need to insert their voice on the matter. Once again, the believability is a little suspect because they are young, but wow, was Card WAY ahead of his time with this plot line. The book was written in 1985, and we can absolutely relate to this story line in the modern day.

Ender’s Game asks some big questions about how we as humans should react to situations. Some massive, such as xenocide (genocide more in our case), and some at a more micro level, like bullying. Card raises these questions for a secular world, but I believe as Christians we will need to be prepared to have an answer for them. As someone who focuses on Africa studies, the book made me dwell on the Rwandan genocide in the mid-90’s and my heart grew heavy. Genocide is still relevant, and we know bullying is very relevant in every corner of society. Many times the world will say, “the ends justify the means,” but we as Christians will have to observe scripture and say “no, the ends do not justify means.” It’s a challenging place for us to be, but God has empowered us to step into that space. Ender’s Game is a thought provoking book that challenges us to think about these issues and be prepared to give an answer.

Whew, that was a lot to think about, but that was Card’s goal with Ender’s Game .  Despite all of these big themes, Ender’s Game is fun and exciting. The characters are truly enjoyable and it’s well worth the read. Do not be intimidated by the bigger themes. Enjoy the journey to Battle School and watch the rise of Ender Wiggin!

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Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, Summary

Introduction: ender’s game by orson scott card, preeminent science fiction and fantasy author, orson scott card won both the hugo and nebula awards for best novel for ender's game and ender's game: speaker for the dead , his best known novels. published in 1985, ender’s game by orson scott card is a military science fiction set in a future time. this book is part of a series ., a lot of military strategists study this book because it is so good., what is ender’s game by orson scott card about.

Humankind faces elimination by an alien race – buggers – from another planet. Humans have encountered buggers twice before, the last time 70 years ago, but earth’s hero, Mazer Rackham won the war for humans. Unfortunately, the buggers rose again and military officials are desperate to find the right person to lead.

In this future world, the military is recruiting children as young as six years old who are considered geniuses. They fix a computer to the children to monitor their behaviours. Orson Scott Card introduces the reader to the Wiggins family.

When the oldest child, 10 year old Peter is tested, he is deemed unsuitable because of his cruel tendencies, his eight year old sister, Valentine is at the opposite end of the spectrum, but their younger brother, Andrew Wiggin – who calls himself Ender – is just right and the kind of person that the military considers pliable.

Peter abuses Ender all the time, and takes pleasure in abusing animals, watching their slow death. Peter is capable of killing, so Ender and Valentine are afraid of him. The military takes six year old Ender from his family to train as a soldier. Going away with the military enables Ender to be far away from Peter. Because of his size and age, older kids often terrorize him, and Ender soon realizes that he has to make a statement so others will not think that he is scared and fearful.

He also knows that he cannot ask his superiors to intervene on his behalf, and in many instances, they create the situations by showing others how superior Ender is because of his skills, intellect and honesty. Ender is forced to engage in violence, otherwise he will be killed. In one instance, he kills Bonzo, an adversary, but his superiors hide that fact from him.

His parents did not protect him from his older brother Peter, and while at battle school, those running the school do not protect him from the other students being trained there, instead they turn a blind eye to see how Ender will respond when pushed. Ender’s superiors manipulate him, and through his abusive training, he becomes a trained military genius, and expert at wielding violence against his enemies. However, he feels remorse for his violence, and questions his own nature and tendencies. But in the end, readers are assured that Ender is good, a victim hero.

Have you read?

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, Book Review

While reading Ender’s Game, time and time again, the readers gets a glimpse into Ender’s genius. What makes Ender so brilliant is that he doesn’t follow the status quo, which frees him to try new things, therefore he is constantly doing the unexpected. For instance, while training for the End of the World, while other groups have four platoons of 10, Ender, has five platoons of eight, which gives him an advantage during practice. Additionally, while other leaders practice a formation that everyone knows, Ender trains his team freestyle so others never know what to expect, then when it is necessary, he teaches them formations when no one is expecting it from the soldiers he is leading.

He is also very curious, so whenever he is playing a game, he tries different scenarios and paths to determine where it will lead him. Furthermore, Ender has great powers of observation, looking closely at the way things work. He is a sympathetic and pliable character who is fooled into believing that he is playing a game as a way to train for the invasion of Earth by the buggers, when in fact, it is the real deal and he annihilates the buggers.

When he learns the truth, Ender is remorseful, and hates what he has done. But while playing the game, he wins the ultimate victory when he decides to give up the enterprise. This is a poignant moment for me in the story because in life to get what you ultimately want, you often have to give up something that is important to you.

Ender seeks redemption for annihilating the alien race, and gets it when he finds a Queen bugger, which he hides. He wants to find an ideal spot where he can take the Queen so that she and her offsprings can inhabit without interference from human beings. Throughout the book, Orson Scott Card forces readers not to look at what Ender does, but his motives for doing them. Do you agree with this?

Five Great Ideas from Ender’s Game

• Look at what people mean and not what they say.
• Learn from others, even those you perceive to be your enemies.
• Be flexible with your strategy.
• Use your brain to out-think and outsmart others.
• You become what you pretend to be, so be authentic.

Final Thoughts: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

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Ender's Game (The Ender Saga, 1) Mass Market Paperback – April 27, 2021

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Orson Scott Card's science fiction classic Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel. In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut―young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives. THE ENDER UNIVERSE Ender series Ender’s Game / Ender in Exile / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind Ender’s Shadow series Ender’s Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant / Shadows in Flight Children of the Fleet The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston) Earth Unaware / Earth Afire / Earth Awakens The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston) The Swarm / The Hive Ender novellas A War of Gifts / First Meetings

• Book 1 of 6 Ender Sextet
• Print length 352 pages
• Language English
• Dimensions 4.15 x 0.85 x 6.75 inches
• Publisher Tor Science Fiction
• Publication date April 27, 2021
• ISBN-10 1250773016
• ISBN-13 978-1250773012
• See all details

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About the author.

Orson Scott Card is best known for his science fiction novel Ender's Game and its many sequels that expand the Ender Universe into the far future and the near past. Those books are organized into the Ender Saga, which chronicles the life of Ender Wiggin; the Shadow Series, which follows on the novel Ender's Shadow and is set on Earth; and the Formic Wars series, written with co-author Aaron Johnston, which tells of the terrible first contact between humans and the alien "Buggers." Card has been a working writer since the 1970s. Beginning with dozens of plays and musical comedies produced in the 1960s and 70s, Card's first published fiction appeared in 1977--the short story "Gert Fram" in the July issue of The Ensign , and the novelette version of "Ender's Game" in the August issue of Analog . The novel-length version of Ender's Game , published in 1984 and continuously in print since then, became the basis of the 2013 film, starring Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin. Card was born in Washington state, and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he runs occasional writers' workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University. He is the author many science fiction and fantasy novels, including the American frontier fantasy series "The Tales of Alvin Maker" (beginning with Seventh Son ), and stand-alone novels like Pastwatch and Hart's Hope . He has collaborated with his daughter Emily Card on a manga series, Laddertop. He has also written contemporary thrillers like Empire and historical novels like the monumental Saints and the religious novels Sarah and Rachel and Leah . Card's work also includes the Mithermages books ( Lost Gate , Gate Thief ), contemporary magical fantasy for readers both young and old. Card lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card. He and Kristine are the parents of five children and several grandchildren.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Science Fiction; Reissue edition (April 27, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250773016
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250773012
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6+ years, from customers
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.15 x 0.85 x 6.75 inches
• #794 in Space Marine Science Fiction
• #1,401 in Space Operas
• #2,191 in Science Fiction Adventures

About the author

Orson scott card.

Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools. His most recent series, the young adult Pathfinder series (Pathfinder, Ruins, Visitors) and the fantasy Mithermages series (Lost Gate, Gate Thief, Gatefather) are taking readers in new directions.

Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts, including his "freshened" Shakespeare scripts for Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Merchant of Venice.

Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University.

Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, where his primary activities are writing a review column for the local Rhinoceros Times and feeding birds, squirrels, chipmunks, possums, and raccoons on the patio.

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Book Review: "Ender's Game" By Orson Scott Card

This book review will explore the themes and characters of this iconic work, discussing how it continues to fascinate readers today. Ender’s Game tells the story of Andrew ‘Ender’ Wiggin, a young boy who is recruited into the military academy at Battle School in order to fight off an alien invasion.

As he navigates through the complex system of rules and regulations, he discovers his own moral code that enables him to make difficult choices when faced with seemingly impossible decisions. Through Ender’s journey, Card explores ideas such as freedom versus captivity, justice versus injustice, and hope despite despair.

Themes And Characters

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card presents a unique take on conflict resolution and self sacrifice, pushing the boundaries of what society deems possible.

The story follows Ender Wiggin as he navigates his way through Battle School and Command School, where he learns to focus his aggression in order to combat an enemy that is far more powerful than any one individual.

Through these experiences, Ender discovers the power of self-sacrifice for the greater good. He must make difficult choices between preserving himself or sacrificing himself for the benefit of humanity.

As readers traverse this journey with him, they are left contemplating their own beliefs about morality and humanity.

Exploring Morality And Humanity

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, is a novel that dives deep into issues of morality and humanity.

Through complex characters and intricate themes, the book presents readers with a thought-provoking journey through social hierarchy and moral ambiguity.

It’s like taking a roller coaster ride; it starts off slow but quickly takes steep turns as the story progresses.

Readers are taken on an emotional journey as they explore how one individual can make a difference in society against oppressive forces.

The protagonist stands up to challenges while still considering the ethical implications of his actions.

Instead of shying away from difficult decisions, he embarks on a course towards freedom that blurs the line between right and wrong.

Throughout this process, Ender learns important lessons about life which challenge him both mentally and emotionally, ultimately leading to self-discovery and awareness.

At its core, Ender’s Game encourages readers to think critically about their own beliefs and convictions while questioning societal norms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What genre is ‘ender’s game’.

Ender’s Game is a military science fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card, which tells the story of an exceptionally talented child prodigy who is recruited to save humanity from an alien threat.

It follows the protagonist as he navigates through various levels of battle school utilizing his advanced tactical strategies and intellect.

The book combines elements of both fantasy and adventure in its exploration of themes such as war, morality, sacrifice, and loyalty.

While primarily focusing on strategy and tactics, there are also moments of personal growth for Ender that demonstrate how difficult it can be to make decisions when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.

Who Is The Intended Audience For This Book?

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is a science fiction novel that seeks to engage its audience with thought-provoking themes and moral dilemmas.

Like a thread woven through the reader’s imagination, this book leads them on an adventure of self-discovery and growth.

Though it has been beloved for generations, Ender’s Game is particularly geared towards young adults who have recently entered into their teenage years - those who may be struggling to find themselves amidst the chaos of life and society.

It provides readers with engaging stories that tackle complex topics such as morality, identity and belonging while still holding true to its underlying message: freedom of choice.

How Has ‘Ender’s Game’ Been Received By Critics?

Since its release in 1985, Orson Scott Card’s novel ‘Ender’s Game’ has been widely praised by critics for its social commentary and political themes.

Its engaging style appeals to an audience with a subconscious desire for freedom, while the plot explores complex moral issues.

The book has received multiple awards and was even adapted into a feature film in 2013.

Are There Any Film Or Television Adaptations Of ‘Ender’s Game’?

There have been several film and television adaptations of the novel ‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson Scott Card.

The first to be released was a movie in 2013, which followed many of the themes from the original book but had some subtle differences between it and its source material.

Subsequent versions were released as web series, with one in 2016 that focused on exploring deeper into the characters and their motivations than did the 2013 adaptation.

All three of these adaptations could be said to capture much of what made the novel so popular while still allowing viewers to make up their own minds about certain plot points or character actions.

Does The Book Have Any Sequels Or Spin-Offs?

The diverse themes and thematic elements explored in ‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson Scott Card have made it a timeless classic, spawning an array of sequels and spin-offs.

Captivating readers with its engaging style, ‘Ender’s Game’ has inspired a plethora of stories that delve deeper into the depths of our subconscious desires for freedom.

From the award winning Ender’s Shadow series to the parallel universe presented in A War Of Gifts, these spin offs bring new life to this beloved saga.

The science fiction novel ‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson Scott Card has been widely praised for its exploration of themes such as morality, war and loss in a unique and captivating way. Critics have lauded the book with awards such as the Nebula Award for Best Novel and Hugo Awards for both Best Novel and Best Dramatic Presentation.

It is clear that ‘Ender’s Game’ is an exceptional work of literature, one which resonates deeply with readers across all ages.

Through characters like Ender Wiggin, who must make difficult moral decisions to save his people from extinction, readers are left questioning their own understanding of right and wrong when faced with impossible choices.

One example of this can be seen through a hypothetical situation where a person might have to choose between sacrificing one life in order to save many more - a decision similar to those made by Ender throughout the story.

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A review of Ender’s Game (the book)

   Imagine you are in an outer space version of the Hunger Games known as the Battle School. You will be here for several years while constantly being monitored and evaluated. While there are classes, the main thing that matters is your performance in a zero gravity battle arena where you struggle to beat enemies who are older, who have more experience and respect and who have help from the teachers. You must beat every single opponent you ever face because if you lose, it means that you are not perfect, and nothing short of perfection will allow you to graduate. Only perfection will enable you to destroy a hostile alien race that is bent on colonizing the entire universe and destroying any other contenders.

   No pressure.

   It is under these circumstances that Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is brought into the Battle School a year earlier than anyone in the history of the  school to begin his training for defending Earth from the third invasion.

   In the book Ender’s Game, humanity is not alone in the universe. A surprise attack by an alien race began the Human-Formic War, which has lasted for decades. In response to the threat, Earth has united under the common goal of surviving by any means necessary. The resulting Battle School has produced some of the greatest military minds of the human race. But time until the third invasion is running out, and earth needs a new kind of leader. And so Ender is taken through the Battle School’s most grueling program ever created. All he has to do is graduate alive and then defeat an invasion from an unrelenting, always-growing, always-learning alien race. But that is easier said than done.

   Orson Scott Card, the author of Ender’s Game, uses the alien threat to explore the competing ideas of sacrifice and survival. Ender is perpetually faced with the decision to either preserve himself by staying out of harm’s way or to save the human race by sacrificing himself.

One of the main themes in the book is whether it is right for society to destroy some members for the survival of the rest. The students of the Battle School are six years old when they join. Contact between earth and the Battle School is basically impossible for students, and they do not see their families ever again. The entire program is designed to strip the students of any past allegiances or loves so that they may serve earth better. Ender eventually grows to understand that by committing everything to defeating the alien race commonly known as the buggers he will ultimately destroy himself. This idea is reinforced throughout the book as Ender takes on more and more responsibility and pressure. Another theme of the book is the struggle between those who want to push Ender to his limits and those who want to keep him safe. This struggle constantly places him in danger.

Other major characters in the book are Ender’s two older siblings, Peter and Valentine. Both were unfit for Battle School because of their emotional tendencies. Back on earth we see Card using the characters to personify the two things that not only keep Ender going but nearly all humans as well: fear and love.

Throughout the book, Ender is plagued by his inner conflict of loving his enemies but destroying them so that they can never come back to hurt him. Ender is also burdened with the understanding that he can never rely on anyone to take his place because he is the only way that humanity can defeat the buggers and thus continue to live.

Ender’s Game leaves the reader not only with an awesome adventure, but also with several profound ideas about the human race and what we are willing to do to not only survive–but live.

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Ender's Game: Limited-Edition 4K Steelbook Review

• Disc 1 : Ender’s Game Ultra HD Blu-ray
• Disc 2 : Ender’s Game Blu-ray • Audio Commentary • “Ender’s World: The Making of Ender’s Game” Featurette • “Inside the Mind Game” Featurette • Deleted/Extended Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by Writer-Director Gavin Hood
• Exclusive Collectible Steelbook Packaging
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KMFDMvsEnya

With the fixed gamma and nice HDR I can now upgrade my blu-ray and I hope the Atmos mix retains the excellent dynamic range of the original 7.1 mix.  

Well, given it's a best buy exclusive and they don't ship to Canada there is only one option to watch it...  

Did you have any issues with the black levels? Reviews on blu-ray.com say that a few scenes have milky-gray blacks.  

Picked up the steelbook as it features some of the most gorgeous artwork I have seen on any physical media presentation. The fact that they fixed the gamma is just gravy. The same excellent atmos track has been ported over from the previous 4k release, so no issues on that front either. I own both the releases and like Ralph alluded to in his review, the difference is quite conspicuous. This is the definitely the version to get.  

Worf said: Well, given it's a best buy exclusive and they don't ship to Canada there is only one option to watch it... Click to expand...

Kothoga said: Did you have any issues with the black levels? Reviews on blu-ray.com say that a few scenes have milky-gray blacks. Click to expand...

henrich3 said: Kauffman's "review" on blu-ray.com just commented on the new packaging and linked to his 2016 review for his thoughts about the video. Obviously he didn't expend any effort to see that the black level issues on the previous disc have now been fixed. Click to expand...

Ralph Potts

Dave Vaughn

Ralph Potts said: Greetings, I can't comment on his review but, as I said in my review, there are no issues with black levels, whatsoever. Regards, Click to expand...

I loved the audio on the BD release. Really enjoy the movie too. Seen it 4-5 times now. Excited to pick this up on UHD disc.  

I'm not seeing the new version on Amazon...  

brazensol said: I'm not seeing the new version on Amazon... Click to expand...

henrich3 said: It's a Best Buy exclusive. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/enders...y-only--best-buy-2013/6547477.p?skuId=6547477 Click to expand...

*atmos  

Just watched the new release all the way through. The previous UHD disc was unwatchable to me due to the cruddy washed-out black levels & somewhat desaturated colors. That's all fixed in this release. This movie doesn't have the razor sharp resolution / level of detail as more recent flicks like Top Gun: Maverick, but I was still very pleased with both the picture & audio. YMMV, but Ender's Game is grade "A" sci-fi in my book. I enjoyed watching this again.  

henrich3 said: Just watched the new release all the way through. The previous UHD disc was unwatchable to me due to the cruddy washed-out black levels & somewhat desaturated colors. That's all fixed in this release. This movie doesn't have the razor sharp resolution / level of detail as more recent flicks like Top Gun: Maverick, but I was still very pleased with both the picture & audio. YMMV, but Ender's Game is grade "A" sci-fi in my book. I enjoyed watching this again. Click to expand...

So this is a pretty worthwhile purchase, even for someone who already owns the UHD version on BluRay? For those who have seen both, are the image and audio improvements enough to purchase it again in the SB BB version? @Ralph Potts , have you seen the original UHD disc version you own, and compared that to the SB version? Your review seems to indicate a comparison from the HD version to the SB version, which 'm sure there is pretty substantial upgrades in audio/video between those two versions. I just don't want to spend $22 and feel like I ended up with the same quality I had already with the UHD disc I already own. I'm all about owning the best version of any movie I own, and have "re-purchased" quite a few movies to get the latest version due to increases in quality. But I'm not clear if that's the case here between the original 4K BD release and the SB version.  

luv2fly3 said: So this is a pretty worthwhile purchase, even for someone who already owns the UHD version on BluRay? For those who have seen both, are the image and audio improvements enough to purchase it again in the SB BB version? @Ralph Potts , have you seen the original UHD disc version you own, and compared that to the SB version? Your review seems to indicate a comparison from the HD version to the SB version, which 'm sure there is pretty substantial upgrades in audio/video between those two versions. I just don't want to spend $22 and feel like I ended up with the same quality I had already with the UHD disc I already own. I'm all about owning the best version of any movie I own, and have "re-purchased" quite a few movies to get the latest version due to increases in quality. But I'm not clear if that's the case here between the original 4K BD release and the SB version. Click to expand...

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