Book Talk - "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

(I know the title of the book should be underlined.  Alas, I'm a limited techie-wannabe. )

Anyway, I've known about Ender's Game for quite some time, but never read it because it seemed just too Sci-fi for me.  I'm more of a fantasy buff and can be nitpicky about my genres, and always nervous to read new authors.  I LOVED THIS BOOK so much that I launched a new blog just to talk about it. 

The book took me prisoner for the entire day until I finished it, voraciously reading line by line, engulfed in the story so much that I forget to come up for air.  That is what sets Ender's Game  apart in the sci-fi genre for me, apart from every genre, really.  So many stories may have good ideas, but have very dry language, or focus too much on details and they are just BLAH.

I was so involved with the story that I really wanted to give Ender a hug, take him home and feed him cookies.  I want my own Ender.  I even liked Graff.  Likable characters with different motives who are not two dimensional puppets.  They seemed to breathe their own life.

I have to admire Orson Scott Card for his ability to show horrors and make one sympathize with the enemy.  Without ever really bringing the Formics in - except mentioning them as an urgent threat - he made me care about the outcome and feel the tragedy that took place. 

Card made a world with realistic enough rules that I wasn't pulled out of the story and was actually intrigued by the technology.


When I put the book down, it left a mark, a disturbing message about mass hysteria leading to a horrible mistake.  I'm sure there are a lot of meanings to it, but I see how blindly chasing an enemy can lead to disaster.

This one book has made Orson Scott Card my new favorite author.  Great story telling goes beyond genre, so if anyone is looking for a good read, then read this.