My friend Jessica recommended this after looking at the science fiction books already on my shelf and finding it hard to believe I didn’t already have it. She was right – this is definitely the kind of sci-fi I love to read: fast, classic and fascinating. It’s impossible to stop following Ender on his journey from public school to fleet commander – the raging river of the plot never lets you come to shore. Even when you aren’t really convinced that this is the story of a six year old, or when the Peter and Valentine subplot is set up but never pays off, or when the ending is rushed just to setup a sequel … even then, the ride is fantastic.
Summary:
Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses – and then training them in the arts of war. The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of “games”. Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games. He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?
Alnoor Allidina
October 14, 2011 at 1:43 pm
I remember the ending being a surprise twist. When you read it, was it obvious to you what was going on?
I though the third book (Xenocide) in this series was really beautiful, though the second one (Speaker for the Dead) was quite a slog.
Lisa
October 15, 2011 at 10:22 am
I didn’t figure it out until Ender started playing games with older model ships. The only other book in the series I’ve read is Ender’s Shadow. Do I need to read Speaker For The Dead before reading Xenocide?
Alnoor Allidina
October 17, 2011 at 8:47 am
I think so… things get pretty complicated 3000 years in the future. Maybe I’ll give it another chance sometime. As it turns out, I read most of Speaker while suffering from the effects of a lactose intolerance test. Not recommended.