Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Today I have a super special treat for everybody. My good friend (he's so awesome that he's officiating my wedding) Mikey Marks is doing a guest review. I know this man to be a fantastic writer (I've been seriously lucky in getting to read some of his stuff), and an avid reader like myself. Enjoy!!

Ender's Game was the first book in a series called the Ender Quintet, by Orson Scott Card. The story starts off when Ender is a young child being monitored by the IF.  They are waiting until he is ready for Battle School.  Ender was raised as always being looked down upon by his older brother Peter, as Peter was not able to finish Battle School.  Ender was a third child (he had a sister Valentine who he was very close too) which was a very uncommon thing and only allowed by permission from the government.  This was only one of the many things that Ender felt he had going against him.  From the start Ender was always being watched and questioned if he was going to be the savior from the Buggers. Ender eventually does go to Battle School where he is monitored very closely by a man named Colonel Graff, whom Ender is not sure is a friend or a foe, even at the end. Ender spends years in Battle School being tested and pushed to his limits daily only causing Ender to exceed expectation and learn truly why he is there.  Ender goes on to get his own Army and the “punishment” continues. He is ready to break but knows that he cannot; from his understanding, he is the only hope for humanity. With Ender gone, Peter starts his plan of becoming a leader of the world known to everyone as Locke, and Valentine takes up the name Demosthenes.  The world’s two leaders in political philosophy.  They single handedly start to control the opinions of everyone in the world without revealing that they’re not even teenagers yet. Ender continues his studies, and trains and commands his own army while struggling to become close to people who are always pulled away from him.  He eventually goes on to be graduated out of Battle School and into Commander School four years early. This is where Ender goes on to continue what he thinks is training so he can save the world. (I will leave my summary at that to leave out any spoilers).

     After reading Ender's Game, I am eager to continue onto the next book in the Ender Quintet, to see where his story goes.  Overall I would give this book a 4 out of 5.  There are many believable aspects of this book that in even a modern world we see right around us.  It makes you think back to the mid 80's when it was written and wonder, did Mr. Card know what was going to happen to us as a race?  The description in the book left little to my imagination always giving me a great picture to watch as the story unfolded word by word.  You get great insight into Ender's life as he is going through the Battle School and in the beginning of the book, but after leaving his parents are rarely mentioned.  It left me wondering, why was Valentine the only member of his family that Ender really wanted to think about.  I wanted to know why he never thought about his parents.  Was it because he knew that he would never see them again?  Was it just too hard on them that they needed to forget that they were a rare couple to have a third? So, because of the couple pieces that I was left wondering about, I gave this book a 4.

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