Ender’s Game
I’ve had Orson Scott Card‘s Ender’s Game in my TBR pile for a year and a half. Since I have the opportunity to have lunch with him next week, I dug down and read it. I was missing a darn good story–as is likely the case for numerous books in my TBR pile.
How many of you related strongly to Ender as you were reading? Did you find yourself thinking, “I know how he feels” or “This could be me”?
On a different note, I enjoyed thinking ahead of Ender. What I mean by that was telling him, this is happening to you for a reason. Life isn’t fair. Things like that. How about you? (But it doesn’t really seem right to gloat about thinking ahead of a pre-teen–even if he is a genius–and a fictional character. Aren’t I supposed to be able to out-think a fictional character?)
Then, I looked for how things might apply in my current profession. In no particular order, I noticed Ender demonstrated agility in tactics, an understanding that he needed to train his people for change and independent operation, and a keen understanding that he needed to know his enemy.
Then I took another tack. This book focuses on using child warriors. There’s a world-wide discussion going on about how horrible this practice is (I don’t disagree), but what about the ethical dilemma one could find oneself confronted with in a situation like this? Here, leadership has realized, for the survival of mankind, they need brilliant children who can think in the ways Ender demonstrated. Would this be a legitimate circumstance to do this given the stakes? Do people using child warriors today believe their stakes require it?
Along different lines, given Internet capabilities today, would pre-teen children be able to develop the influence that Peter and Valentine developed? There’s a lot of smart kids out there. What do you think?
I don’t want to give anything away, but this is a captivating story with issues relevant in today’s and tomorrow’s worlds. If you haven’t read it, it’s well worth your time.
I listened to Ender’s Game on audio book not long back and it was a fabulous story. I found that I related with Ender quite strongly. I imagine that had I read the book at a younger age that connection would have been even more powerful.
Reading it as an adult, I was able to see quite clearly the things that were being done to him and the lessons he was being forced to learn were meant to prepare him for his future role. I also empathized with the instructors who had to be so distant with him in order to achieve their goal of the greatest military commander of all time.
With regard to children warriors, I think it would be horrible to put a child in that role. But that said, Ive seen the skill with which kids, mine in particular but not exclusively, can master video games. In a world where robotic and remote controlled machines of war are just beginning to develop I can see where a child operator might have an advantage.
As to the influence of Peter and Valentine Seems unlikely, but they were brilliant children with incredible IQs and an unusual awareness of the world. I guess anything is possible. Although, I must confess, that was my least favorite arch in the story.
It’s a great book and I too would recommend it.
You’re having LUNCH with OSC???! Did I miss something? How did this come about? Details, please!
He’s coming to speak to the student body. Frequently, when people like him speak for us, we have an opportunity to have lunch with them.
I really liked Enders Game, but didn’t like the rest of the series. Eventually all the characters did was talk, talk, talk. I know it makes me shallow, but I like some action somewhere in there. I feel the same way about The Left Hand of Darkness by le Guin, which only goes to show how lowbrow my taste really is!
Pretty cool that you’re going to get to talk to him. I’ve listened to a few of his interviews. He’s very Mormon, intelligent and funny. The “very Mormon” can be a problem for some folks, but he’s upfront with it. I can take it like that.
Oh, it’s been a while since I read it and your post reminded me of so much.
I know what you mean about the “gloating.” I didn’t call it gloating but having a perspective of an adult vs. that of a child.
You and the book bring up excellent questions. It’s these kind of dilemmas that make books more interesting and having a certain edge over others.
You’re going to tell us, of course, about your lunch, right? 🙂
Oh, oh, and yes, I have known young young teenagers (12) that could express themselves in such a manner. Now with the internet, they can pose as adults should they wish. I do believe this to be possible.
I masqueraded as an adult for a while over the Net, as I didn’t want people to dismiss what I was saying because of my age. It’s definitely possible for minors to pretend to be adults over the Internet, and for them to gain respect and weild influence. I’ve decided, though, that I’d rather be upfront about my age, regardless of whether or not it will cause people to take me seriously.
Of course, I’m also faced with the question of when to reveal my age to agents. In the query letter? If the agent requests a partial or full MS? Or should I wait until the agent offers a contract? The farthest I’ve gone so far is a partial request, and I decided then to hold onto the information unless he asked for the full manuscript (which he didn’t, unfortunately), but it’s still a bit of a dilemna.
Anders, I’m not sure, but I don’t think revealing your age is required until you’d be ready to enter into a legal contract. Then, whatever legal provisions would have to be made for you to do that would require you to mention your age–and then only to ensure whatever measures need to be taken to ensure the contract is legal (parent or guardian may need to sign, for instance). That protects both parties in the agreement and makes sense.
Hafta agree with TECH. While I like a lot of OSC’s writing, for the most part I think he takes his series one or two books too far. I’m bored by the time he reaches the end. It all gets too philosophical for me. On the flip side, those are the parts my daughter likes best…
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