Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

(From Goodreads)

 In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.


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A story full of all the action due a science fiction novel, Ender's Game exceeded my expectations beyond what I had anticipated. Not only was the plot, story world, and action amazing, but the characters were absolutely extraordinary. I was mostly impressed by their development, which was executed smoothly and believably.  Characters like these are hard not to get attached to, and you know how I am when it comes to lovable characters...

Usually I have a hard time relating to male characters, but Ender was a surprising exception. The book starts out with him being six-years-old  (already smarter than I ever will be), then he continues to age throughout the book. I loved the parts where he aged. It was obvious that he was older and more mature each time, and that he had changed. Change is crucial in a novel; change is crucial in life. The change Ender goes through is astonishing, mostly because he's so young.

I'm pretty sure the average eight-year-old today can't understand physics and null gravity, just saying.

Overall, this book is so awesome that it's on my list of favorite books.

Plus, it's a movie that's airing in theaters AS WE SPEAK.

I'm probably going to go see it sometime in the next couple weeks. I'll do a review when I do. Judging from the trailer, I think it's going to be really good... Hopefully it won't be disappointing.