Gear Diary Book Club: Ender’s Game Book Discussion!

Did you enjoy reading Ender’s Game for this month’s book club choice? Now’s your chance to sound off on what you thought! Read some of our thoughts and then dive in with yours in the comments! Just remember, the discussion and comments will contain spoilers if you haven’t finished the series.

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It has been quite a while since I read Ender’s Game! The first time I read it I was in 6th grade, and I am reasonably sure the only reason my parents ok’d me reading it was that they had no idea what it was about! Whenever I reread it as an adult, I’m surprised by the number of mature themes in what is ostensibly a “young adult” novel: xenocide, death, racism, bullying, homophobia, and psychological issues are all on display, and that’s just what goes on in the Battle School! It’s hard to read some of what Ender encounters when you remember that he’s supposed to be a pre-teen. Overall, though, I think the book holds up quite well even today. It looks at how we expect more and more from children, turning them into little adults. Orson Scott Card managed to predict tablets in learning environments, and he even touches upon virtual reality-not bad for a book written 30 years ago!

On the other hand, while re-reading this time I really felt the book would have flowed better if Ender had been a touch older. It’s hard to imagine a seven year old kid beating another kid to death, let alone training a child to be a general at the age of 12. It took me out of the story a few times when I stopped to really think about his age. I do think the Buggers are a creative enemy, and I love the ending, with Ender finding peace with both the Buggers and his brother Peter. The further books in the series are great too, but the ending works quite well as a standalone.

What did you think of “Ender’s Game”? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned for our next book club pick!

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About the Author

Zek
Zek has been a gadget fiend for a long time, going back to their first PDA (a Palm M100). They quickly went from researching what PDA to buy to following tech news closely and keeping up with the latest and greatest stuff. They love writing about ebooks because they combine their two favorite activities; reading anything and everything, and talking about fun new tech toys. What could be better?

1 Comment on "Gear Diary Book Club: Ender’s Game Book Discussion!"

  1. Perry Brauner | September 10, 2015 at 11:40 am |

    This is one of my favorite books, ever.
    I consider Ender’s Game to be the best of the now popular “teenage dystopian future” novels.

    I got completely engulfed in the technology, the training, and the politics.

    I completely agree with Carly, regarding the issues that Card addresses in this book as well as his not-so-crazy imagining of what the future holds for tablet computers.

    If you loved this book, you’ll also love Ender’s Shadow, which follows Ender’s sidekick Bean, through the same time period as the one in which Ender’s Game takes place. It’s a great parallel story and you have no excuse ignoring it.

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