Review of "Ender's Game"

"I thought you said you liked this kid."

     In Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, the end of humanity is at hand. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a Third. Legally speaking, he shouldn't exist, but the government saw potential in his older siblings and authorized his birth. Then, after six long years of work, his monitor is removed--and with it, the only thing that makes him special. Without the device planted in the back of his neck, he is nothing more than an embarrassment to his parents and a victim to his brother. That is, until a man in an International Fleet uniform sweeps him away to Battle School, an elite space station that turns kids into alien-blasting soldiers. The administration has high hopes for Ender, and through him, the world. But that doesn't make him the teacher's pet. Nothing is handed to him except trouble, and if he wants to survive, Ender will have to give as good as he gets--and risk losing who he is in the process.

     Ender is an extraordinary child. By the age of three, he had already mastered arithmetic; now, he hacks into the school's electronic desk to make messages march in front of the other students. When a bully tries to pick on him, he makes sure the boy never does so again. Even as a kid, he sees strategy everywhere, understands the fullest implications of zero gravity, and can hold his own in a fight. Battle School only amplifies this. As he ages, Ender learns to navigate the tricky society of child soldiers that represents the future guardians of the earth. He discovers new ways to win battles, both as a soldier and, eventually, as a commander. Yet his empathy, the very thing Battle School frowns on, transforms him from a cold-hearted soldier to a deep, complex human being who only wants to live in peace with his friends. That is, assuming they survive until graduation.

     Aside from Ender, though, the characters in Battle School are not exactly dynamic. Each possesses a specific set of traits that, though they might improve or degrade, remain more or less the same. Back home, though, the other Wiggin children are up to no good. While the misdeeds of Valentine and Peter Wiggin do not play an extraordinarily large role in the plot, they have a life of their own and serve to break up the tension at exactly the right moments, without losing the sense of life-or-death conflict that makes Ender's education so addictive a read. Because of their time in the spotlight, Valentine is greatly expanded upon and deepened to become quite the lovable heroine, even as she makes difficult choices that will affect the rest of her life. Even Peter, psychopath though he is, becomes a little sympathetic as he fights to change his future.

     Battle School is a brutal place. Within hours of enlistment, Ender is cut off from any hope of friendship with his fellows. When his team goes to the Battle Room or takes a class together, they make it their goal to ensure he is miserable. Add in hand-to-hand combat courses, viscous war simulations, and twisted fairy tale video games, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if Ender hated the place. Except he doesn't. Though the losses hurt, the victories lend his heart wings. Against all odds, he forms powerful alliances that could eventually lead to friends. And when the administration throws another variable his way, some part of him secretly relishes the challenge. No matter how discouraged he becomes, readers are sure to cheer him along every step of the way.

     That being said, the grown-ups at Battle School don't joke when they call themselves the bad guys. From the very start, when Ender is six, to the end of the novel, the administration does its best to set Ender up for failure. In their minds, this is the only way to shape him into the military leader they so desperately need. Their form of education leads to multiple bloody fights and a couple of deaths, each detailed just enough to turn the stomach without becoming pointless gore. Ender's video game also turns gruesome on occasion, though it plays a critical role in his internal development. While older students may make mildly suggestive comments and uniforms are optional in team dorms, romance itself is not present. Language is intelligent and generally mild, though humans have adopted a somewhat crude term for their enemies. Genocide is discussed and plays a big part in the plot.

     I would recommend this book to adults and older teens who want a strong, compelling read where the protagonist is wickedly smart and wise beyond his years. Young as he might be, Ender Wiggin is a brilliant boy with great potential, and the grown-ups at Battle School are only too willing to take advantage. While he goes off to become an officer in the International Fleet, his siblings are up to their own trouble, a subplot that is surprisingly consuming. In the end, the troubles plaguing our hero could make or break him, and the fact that either is equally likely is enthralling. Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is a breathtaking read that is not to be missed, and as such deserves five stars.