Explain to me the interest behind Ender's Game.

[Nomanslander]

And no, I don't want to talk about Orson Scott Card and his controversial beliefs.

And no, this is not a "I don't get why other people like what I don't like thread" because I really do just want to get why so many people are fascinated with this series.

Now I know I should probably just read the book, but I need reason's to do that also. Plus I have other books to read that I'm a lot more fascinated with, and I'm a bit lazy.

I know the premise, I have an idea of how the story later goes. For anyone that's read the book and loved it, tell me what you think.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

No one needs to give you any reasons to read something. It's not our jobs to explain to you why something is good. If you're interested in finding out why people like the book then maybe you should just read it. If you aren't interested in reading it then you really shouldn't care why other people think it's good.

Go read the damn book, it's not very long.

 

[Jamieson 90]

For me Ender's Game is all about the morals involved in effectively abusing/isolating and torturing a 6 year old child to turn them into the ultimate killing machine in order to save humanity, and it's gripping, brutal, holds no punches and very emotional.

 

[Nomanslander]

No one needs to give you any reasons to read something.

Umm... where in my OP did I start off saying "I demand everyone explain to me why you like this..."

If you have nothing to say, then don't say anything at all. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of insight into what other people think to maybe spark your interests.

Sheesh...

>>

 

[Axolotl]

There are frankly very few sci-fi books more discussed, analysed and reviewed than Ender's Game. Even the realy big ones like Dune and Stranger in a Strange Land have nowhere near that level of analysis thrown at them. So if you really want to know just fucking google it and you'll get more info on the book and it's sequels than you could possibly need or even read.

 

[TehCookie]

I thought it was okay but I found it to be too predictable, which is why I didn't enjoy it more. My dad loved it, and according to him the ending idea was new at the time so he didn't guess it. My brother didn't predict it either and he liked it so I'm not sure if that as something to do with it or not.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

well, most books i've ever read i've fucking loathed with a passion.

name any book you are required to read for school, and i bet my bottom dollar that i hated it to the point i wanted to burn the pages to erase any knowledge of it existing.

ender's game though? I couldn't put the damn book down, i was enthralled in the pages to the point it was more immersive than the amazing summer break filled with video games when i read the book (got it for my birthday one year, finished it by the next day)

not much more to say, some shit is enjoyable for some people, for some others it isn't.

ender's game and ender's shadow are both highly enjoyable, after that though i didn't enjoy them as much (can't remember the next 2)

 

[Gatx]

I was in elementary school when I first read it and the initial appeal was obvious, as it is with Harry Potter and Spider-man - nerdy, bullied kid is secretly awesome and has to save the world.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I was given Ender's Game many years ago, and I remember my revulsion at seeing some twerp in a Mega Man suit with a dumb stare speeding across the cover. Never read it. They say don't judge a book by its cover but I made that one exception out of Ender's Game. Also I get the feeling the target audience was aimed a little below my age at the time. He's like 10 right?

 

[Dangit2019]

I was given Ender's Game many years ago, and I remember my revulsion at seeing some twerp in a Mega Man suit with a dumb stare speeding across the cover. Never read it. They say don't judge a book by its cover but I made that one exception out of Ender's Game. Also I get the feeling the target audience was aimed a little below my age at the time. He's like 10 right?

Yes, but he's a genius on par with the greatest military minds in history and he's being trained to try and wipe out an alien civilization. But I guess you wouldn't get that from just seeing the cover of the book...

 

[Terminate421]

I found it to be quite boring.

I love sci-fi and I know Enders Game is supposed to be the "big" one but I seriously just found it to be rather dumb. It really just felt pointless, the best word to describe it. Plus the ending was quite a shit twist:

Spoiler

His brother practically takes over the fucking world and makes ender look like an ass?!

Plus Ender was just a boring and hard to understand character, character can have alot of effect on what I enjoy.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I was given Ender's Game many years ago, and I remember my revulsion at seeing some twerp in a Mega Man suit with a dumb stare speeding across the cover. Never read it. They say don't judge a book by its cover but I made that one exception out of Ender's Game. Also I get the feeling the target audience was aimed a little below my age at the time. He's like 10 right?

Yes, but he's a genius on par with the greatest military minds in history and he's being trained to try and wipe out an alien civilization. But I guess you wouldn't get that from just seeing the cover of the book...

Twerpy kid getting groomed to save the universe? Now I wanna read it even more.

 

[staika]

Well it is one of the rare books that I read and actually finished since I have a terribly short attention span when reading. I read it ages ago though and I only remember a little of the plot but I do remember that it was good enough to hold my attention long enough to finish it. I do remember that my mom tried to get me to read Ender's shadow which was the story from the perspective of one of the other kids and I just couldn't get into it.

Now I would recommend it to others on the sole basis that even I was able to read the entire thing. But then again I did enjoy the scarlet letter and Huckleberry Finn when I read them in english class so my tastes in books are strange >.>

 

[Entraboard]

What's wrong with Huck Finn? Mark Twain ain't too shabby, LOL.

Ender's Game... I like it. Liked it so much I read all the direct sequels. Can't say the same about Dune, lost interest after the giant space-worm emperor.

Why read Ender's game?
It's damn good sci-fi.
What's so great about sci-fi? Besides getting to see another person's imagination on what the future holds, it's a great genre in creating a setting to deal with morals and values. In this case: how a sensitive boy deals with the bullies in his life. How our actions have consequences far beyond our immediate reach. How to learn and deal with the events, hopefully growing as a person

You know, kinda like maybe creating an idyllic version of Americana along the banks of the Mississippi to deal with race, identity and man's character and worth beyond the obvious.

Friend gave me his dog-eared copy when he went to college, didn't get around to reading it until I was twenty (and I don't think I would have enjoyed or understood it as well had I read it in middle school).

As for "Orson Scott Card and his controversial beliefs", what do you mean?
Is it the way he deals with/portrays genocide (or should I say, xenocide) and violence in his books?

NM... just googled it. You mean because he's homophobic?
Meh... ever been on Xbox Live, the internet or a high school? Seems that's pretty rampant.

No one discredits Einstein because he's an adulterous pervert who married his cousin.
Learn to separate the flawed human between any artist/great mind and their art/craft.
That's the beauty of art... it's bigger than us.

 

[bananafishtoday]

I was in elementary school when I first read it and the initial appeal was obvious, as it is with Harry Potter and Spider-man - nerdy, bullied kid is secretly awesome and has to save the world.

^ Basically this. The whole plot of Ender's Game is designed to appeal to nerdy (pre)adolescent boys. Everyone's mean to Ender but it's actually a conspiracy set up because he's the best person ever and the world needs him and then he becomes Space Alexander the Great and then Space Jesus the end.

Edit:

Spoiler

His brother practically takes over the fucking world and makes ender look like an ass?!

Spoiler

Ender makes himself look like an ass. Peter woulda been perfectly content with "Yo I'm related to that kid who totally saved the world," but the whole "How Ender Was a Horrible Murdering Bastard Omg Poor Bugs ;_; By: Totally Not Ender" book thing made everyone hate Ender.

Also the "two kids with blogs blog so hard that they take over the world" subplot is hilarious now that blogs exist.

 

[Entraboard]

he becomes Space Alexander the Great and then Space Jesus the end.

LOL.
I must learn to be more succinct. Teach me your ways, oh wise one.
That's one heck of a way of putting it.

(Note: No sarcasm. I really did laugh out loud in appreciation of your wit, and brevity is the soul of wit after all)

 

[Dangit2019]

I was given Ender's Game many years ago, and I remember my revulsion at seeing some twerp in a Mega Man suit with a dumb stare speeding across the cover. Never read it. They say don't judge a book by its cover but I made that one exception out of Ender's Game. Also I get the feeling the target audience was aimed a little below my age at the time. He's like 10 right?

Yes, but he's a genius on par with the greatest military minds in history and he's being trained to try and wipe out an alien civilization. But I guess you wouldn't get that from just seeing the cover of the book...

Twerpy kid getting groomed to save the universe? Now I wanna read it even more.

You're really going to judge the whole story without reading a single word from it, aren't you?

While we're oversimplifying books we haven't read, I haven't read the Lord of the Rings, but damn it looks awful. I mean, what? Some midget takes a "magical" ring and drops in a volcano? That seriously takes 3 books? I don't usually judge books by their cover, but I'll make an exception out of those.

 

[Axolotl]

I was in elementary school when I first read it and the initial appeal was obvious, as it is with Harry Potter and Spider-man - nerdy, bullied kid is secretly awesome and has to save the world.

Yeah but he doesn't save the world does he?

 

[Korolev]

From what I've heard, there are some surprising and (for the time) somewhat unique twists involved in the plot. Never read it. But enough people have liked it enough to garner my attention. I might watch the film when it comes out.

 

[Kolby Jack]

I read it once when I had little else I could do, and it was interesting I suppose. It's a pretty shitty world to live in and the science is weird, but I wasn't bored reading it, which I guess says something.