Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is one of the most popular science fiction books of all time, and when you pick it up, you’ll see why – you won’t be able to put it down!
Published in 1985; won both the Hugo and Nebula awards.
Brent: 5 stars. This is a book that deserves all the popularity it gets. Not only is it an incredible page turner, what other books do you know where the main character’s superpower is empathy?
Cody: 5 stars. A true classic of science fiction that lives up to its place on the pedestal with each reread.
Here's the setup:
Ender’s Game is the story of Ender Wiggin, a boy who is recruited into the elite orbital Battle School. There, young men and women are trained into the next generation of military leaders to command the forces of humanity against the buggers. The buggers are insect-like aliens who have attempted to invade the solar system twice, nearly wiping out humanity in the most recent invasion, and now humanity has sent fleets to attack the bugger worlds and try to avoid a 3rd invasion.
Ender is a brilliant, empathetic kid, but has felt mostly alone his entire life. His older brother Peter is a violent sociopath, and only Ender’s older sister Valentine prevented Peter from attacking Ender. Now, at battle school, Ender feels even more alone, surrounded by children older than himself and adults who are constantly pushing him to his limits and trying to force him to be violent in an attempt to either break him or mold him into the best military commander Earth has ever produced.
Hugonauts' Thoughts:
The core theme of Ender’s Game is the power of empathy and how, even if your only goal is to 'succeed' in life, you still should strive to put yourself in other people's shoes. Sure, you need intelligence and drive, but if you truly understand other people and how they think and feel, you'll both be the kind of person other people want to be around and be able to understand other people's motivations and values. Game theory empathy, as it were. By showing how empathy is invaluable even to people who only want to 'succeed', Card makes a truly unique argument for a habitually undervalued virtue that speaks perfectly to the people who most need to hear it.
The novel is also just an unbelievable page turner. It's the classic hero's journey - and Ender is a hero that you absolutely will want to root for. How can you not be on the side of the brilliant, sensitive six year old kid who is taken from his family and put through hell to try and save the whole human race? It's also got one of the best twists of all time, which in addition to blowing your mind on the first read, also brings home subthemes about the importance of communication to avoid conflict, and a general anti-war message as well.
With such a compelling central plot, it’s easy to forget the side goings-on with Ender’s brother and sister until a reread - we both definitely had! In their bid to control the politics of the world, they act under pseudonyms on what is essentially the modern internet, to spread their philosophies and create separate factions of followers. It was unbelievably prescient by Card to foresee the effectiveness of galvanizing the masses via a social media system, and using platforms to create power for oneself through false pretenses.
On a sadder note, Ender's Game is clouded by Card’s transition into active, outspoken homophobia. He donates to anti-gay causes, and has expressed a lot of violent language toward the LGBTQ+ population. This is extra surprising given the novel’s focus on the power of empathy and understanding of the other, and Card’s clear grasp of those ideas to write about them so brilliantly. This makes the novel feel like a poster child for 'support the art not the artist'. Maybe grab this one from your library!
Related Books
If you loved this one, you might also like:
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Like Dune, this is a series centered on a family who are part of the feudal leadership of a space-faring civilization. The main characters are also incredibly likeable and fun to spend time with.
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
The sequel to Ender's Game has a much different feel than the first novel, but is also incredible. Set later in Ender Wiggan's life, Speaker deeply explores the idea of how we might communicate with another alien race.
Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein
This Heinlein classic is about humanity fighting a desperate war against insect-like aliens. One of the greatest military scifi novels ever to be penned.
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