Wow! One of the rare times I read a synopsis on GoodReads before reading a book and it contains the biggest spoiler imaginable. Big enough to actually ruin the story. Like what the actual fuck!? Who thought that was a good idea? If you have any interest in this classic go into it blind. For shame!

Kids of the 70's really were built different. My 8 year old cries if we're out of ketchup. These 6 to 12 year olds are in outer space playing war games virtually and physically with no mommy or daddy in sight. Ender Wiggin is tougher than nails. He has a big heart and a good sense of right and wrong, but that doesn't stop him from doing truly horrible things when life gives him no choice. Anyone with a rough upbringing can easily relate with him.

It's a bit difficult to accept that all 3 Wiggin children are superstars in their own way. What are the odds? Especially when you consider that they had average parents. If you can get over that, you too can fall in love with the Wiggins, their world, and this series.

¿Por qué deberías leerlo?
La humanidad enfrenta su mayor amenaza: los Insectores, una raza extraterrestre con una mente colmena, incomprensible para los humanos, que pretende destruirlos. Para enfrentarlos, el mundo necesita algo más que estrategias convencionales: un genio militar que piense de forma completamente nueva. Así nace Ender Wiggin, un niño excepcional cuyo destino está predeterminado incluso antes de su nacimiento. En un mundo donde las familias tienen prohibido tener más de dos hijos, Ender es una «anomalía», un tercer hijo que debe cargar con el peso de justificar su existencia. Y lo hace. Vaya si lo hace.

Desde el inicio, Ender es llevado a una academia espacial, un entorno donde los videojuegos, las simulaciones y las batallas tácticas no son solo ejercicios, sino la preparación para la guerra real. El nivel de presión al que está sometido, tanto física como psicológicamente, es descomunal. Y es aquí donde Orson Scott Card muestra su maestría, explorando las emociones humanas con una profundidad desgarradora. No es solo ciencia ficción; es un viaje a través del liderazgo, la moralidad y los sacrificios que la guerra exige.

Me he quedado absolutamente fascinada. No exagero cuando digo que este libro ha pasado directo a mi lista de favoritos. ¡El final! Madre mía, el final… fue un golpe maestro que no vi venir, tan impactante como épico. Es el tipo de historia que te mantiene en vilo, pero que también te deja pensando largo tiempo después de haberla terminado. ¿Cómo se puede hacer esto con un niño de apenas seis años? Card no solo lo logra, sino que lo hace de una forma tan realista y emotiva que te rompe y te reconstruye a partes iguales.

El uso de los videojuegos y simulaciones como herramienta para entrenar a Ender no solo es innovador, sino aterradoramente visionario. Cada batalla, cada decisión que Ender toma, te sumerge más en su mundo y te hace cuestionarte todo: ¿es justo el precio que paga por ser el salvador de la humanidad? ¿Dónde termina el entrenamiento y comienza la manipulación?

Aunque está recomendado para lectores a partir de 13 o 14 años, la historia tiene una profundidad y un mensaje que cualquier adulto podría disfrutar y admirar. Es autoconclusivo, sí, pero una vez que terminas, el universo que Card construyó te atrapa de tal manera que querrás seguir explorando sus otras novelas.

En definitiva, El juego de Ender no es solo un libro, es una experiencia: una obra maestra que combina estrategia, emociones y dilemas éticos en un relato absolutamente inolvidable. Lo recomiendo con toda el alma, porque estoy segura de que dejará en ti la misma huella que ha dejado en mí.

Más en mi web : https://fantasyliterature.es/

“Most of us read stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth: the mythic truth about human nature in general, the particular truth about those life-communities that define our own identity, and the most specific truth of all: our own self-story. Fiction, because it is not about someone who lived in the real world, always has the possibility of being about oneself."

I LOVE THIS BOOK. I read it as a teenager many years ago and recently re-read the prequel series. So naturally, it was time to begin the main series starring Ender. It's so good! The plot is perfectly paced, the dialog is phenomenal, and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book.

Five stars.

“Classic” sci-fi that deserves the title!

In some distant future earth, a global totalitarian government is faced with the necessity to select genetically altered children bred as geniuses and train them from a young age as military leaders. Winning the almost interminable war against an insect-like alien race known as the "buggers" depends on the proper selection and installation of a fleet admiral who can lead earth in a final invasion against the enemy with complete annihilation considered to be the only successful outcome. Ender Wiggin, the ruthlessly maligned third child in a family where strict population controls limit families to only two children, is thought to be that one-in-a-million potential leader with the perfect combination of ruthlessness, cruelty and strength blended with compassion, genius and the ability to withstand solitude and isolation.

From a purely time perspective, ENDER'S GAME was definitely published long enough ago to be deemed "classic" sci-fi but, like Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, Simak et al, Orson Scott Card has also earned the moniker in the purest literary sense. Focusing on the soft side of his genre's spectrum - ideas, personalities, issues and philosophies set in a futuristic, science oriented setting as opposed to harder space opera, equipment, technology and hardware - ENDER'S GAME is a thought-provoking head-scratcher from start to finish. Students of the human condition can (and certainly should) use ENDER'S GAME as a suitable starting point for heated discussions on a bewildering array of controversial topics - military leadership; the morality of war; the inherent violence in the genetic make-up of the human animal; the use of the Internet as a tool in the dissemination of political propaganda; the future of specialized education; the likely reaction of humanity to the discovery of alien intelligence; genetic manipulation and much, much more.

Whether you read it shallow or read it deep; whether you think about it after you're finished, discuss it with a reading group or use it as material for a more scholarly essay ... it doesn't really matter! Any advocate of sci-fi as a genre that deserves its place in the panoply of English literature will love Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

This is my vote for the single worst novel every written. It is to literature what Manos the Hands of Fate is to cinema. It is difficult to even describe how bad this book is, but I will try. Imagine a ripoff of Starship Troopers with the following: idiotic subplots that go nowhere, completely unlikeable characters, terrible dialogue, and plot points that make you want to bang your head against a wall. Combine this with heavy pro-Nazi symbolism and you have yourself one hell of a bad book. An evil, insectoid race called the "buggers" (rather than the bugs from Starship Troopers) have attacked the Earth and must be wiped out before they can attack it again. Earth sends its entire star fleet on a 120 year journey to the bugger homeplanet to defeat the buggers once and for all. It is decided that a great, child general must be created to govern the fleet from far away via transmission signal. This is despite the fact that several of the ships are Death Stars and can destroy a planet in a single shot and we know the buggers (like the bugs) are dependent on just a few brain bugs to function. We found this out when the hilariously named Maori general, Mazer Rackham, defeated the 1st bugger invasion fleet. Just to get this out of the way, "bugger" is English slang for gay and the author of this book belongs to a far right sect of Mormonism that hates gays. Ender Wiggam displays his strategic brilliance at a young age by beating his school bully to death. "If you fight brutal enough, they won't dare pick on me again." A real child genius would go into hiding due to fear of arrest. This is because strategic geniuses can see many "moves" into the future. Ender on the other hand believes that this action will have no consequence. In fact Ender doesn't realize that when his opponent has stopped moving and breathing following severe head trauma, that he is probably dead. Instead of putting Ender in Juvenile, the adults think he has the makings of a great general and send him to strategy school. Imagine if the US army put Seung Hui Cho in charge of Afghanistan following his brilliant solution to peer isolation. In Starship Troopers they have laser tag at the academy because they are INFANTRY and need to practice. In Ender's Game the generals play laser tag to improve thier strategy. Ender "brilliantly" covers his pads using arms and legs and cheats his way to victory. Apparently the other kids hadn't thought of this and everyone is amazed by Ender's brilliance. Everyone except the evil Bozo Madrid who challenges Ender to a fight. Ender simply kills him and continues casually with his day. A virtual reality simulator is another puzzle at the battle camp. The player is a mouse and a giant keeps killing you no matter what you do. Ender decides to run up the giant's arm and attack the eyes and face. Apparently being able to beat any boss in Shadow of the Collosus makes you the next Alexander the Great. A subplot develops where ender's evil brother Peter develops a scheme to take over the world via arguing on internet blogs. People always listen to what other posters say on a blog and don't stubbornly keep thier own opinions. The people elect this mysterious blogger to be leader of Earth. Peter never does anything significant as ruler of Earth and this subplot is simply never adressed again. Now that Ender has established himself as the world's greatest general, he is put in charge of the Earth's entire fleet. This despite the fact that any instructions he sends will travel at light speed without some kind of warp drive and will take over 100 years to arrive. In Ender's Game his instructions are fast enough to instruct a live battle. Ender's boss decides to make Ender think that this is simply another game. That way he won't be nervous. He also won't think his actions will have consequence and will be completely reckless with the lives of OUR ENTIRE STARFLEET. Ender "brilliantly" goes with the strategy of getting a death star close to the planet and blowing it up, which kills the brain bugs. Instead of Death Star they are called Mass Destruction device and because MD is also medical doctor, they call it Dr. device. (I fucking want to kill Card!) The people of the future have been brainwashed by liberal propaganda and think the Buggers didn't deserve to die. They don't realize that Ender is the great savior of Mankind. Ender is viewed as evil and calling someone Ender is the greatest of insults. Ender goes into hiding on planet Brazil (I'm not fucking kidding) and that is the end. Unless you are severely cognitively impaired you will realize that Ender is Card's representation of Hitler. In fact many of Ender's biographical details (even age he lost virginity) are lifted from Hitler's biography. The real Ender killed the "buggers"(faggots) along with Jews and other filth that deserve to die despite what libby propaganda tells you. This brilliant piece of art helps the reader understand the truth about our noble Fuhrer. HEIL ENDER! To be serious, I was very confused as to HOW IN THE NAME OF HOLY FUCK this piece of trash has fans. However, this is the same world where millions think Brittney Spears is good music, millions followed the real ender, and over 100,000 fucking morons worldwide STILL somehow follow the real ender. To be fair, most readers of course don't use thier reading comprehension and analysis and simply see this as a good yarn. The majority of the fanbase are normal people with questionable writing taste, not neo-nazis. Even still, GOD DAMN does this book suck!!!

De lo mejor en ciencia ficción que he leído en mi vida.

Acá conocemos a Ender qué es reclutado para luchar contra una poderosa raza extraterrestre insectoide que se comunica telepáticamente. A lo largo de la novela nuestro protagonista se verá en conflicto con sus compañeros de entrenamiento, será apadrinado por un antiguo héroe militar y deberá superar diferentes simulaciones similares a un videojuego que terminarán dándole más que una sorpresa acercandonos al final.

Para mí un indispensable en toda biblioteca de ciencia ficción. La pluma de Orson Scott es sencilla pero a la vez cargada de detalles filosóficos y científicos que le dan profundidad y mayor veracidad a la historia. Sin contar también el ritmo trepidante con que nos lo va narrando todo, la raza alienigena es muy interesante y así también el mundo creado, liderado por lo que el autor llama "La Hegemonía".

Hay intriga, mentiras, manipulaciones... y en medio de todo ello Ender que tendrá que aprender a lidiar con todo prematuramente en pos de derrotar a los insectoides que amenazan con destruirlo todo.

De los pocos libros que he disfrutado de principio a fin.
Sé que hay una película con no muy buena crítica, pero de ella nada tengo que decir pues nunca la he visto y tampoco pretendo verla, temo terminará arruinando la gran impresión que tengo de esta novela.

¡Hermosa novela!
¡Muy recomendada!

**** به‌روز رسانی ریویو در تاریخ ۲۲ تیرماه ۱۴۰۱ ****

داستانِ اندرو ویگین، داستانِ زیبائیست.
هر بار که این داستان را بازخوانی میکنم بیش از پیش بهش علاقه پیدا میکنم و زوایای بیشتری از لایه‌های نهفته در درون این داستان برایم آشکار میشه و مسائل بیشتری برای اندیشیدن در ذهنم جرقه میزنه! چیزهایی که ممکنه حتی خود اورسن اسکات‌کارد هم در زمان نوشتن این مجموعه به اون‌ها نیندیشیده باشه ولی با این حال اون‌ها رو در ژن این داستان وارد کرده باشه.

به زعم من داستان اندر یک درسنامه هست.
درسنامه‌ای در مورد انسان و انسان‌شناسی!
درسنامه‌ای در مورد جامعه‌شناسی، در مورد کل‌ و جز!
درسنامه‌ای در باب درست اندیشیدن!
درسنامه‌ای در باب رهبری!
کتابی است که در ظاهر پرونده‌ی زندگی انسانی را از خردسالی تا ابتدای نوجوانی، از ۶ سالگی تا ۱۲ سالگی جلوی چشم مخاطب باز میکنه، اما این کتابی نیست که برای کودکان یا نوجوانان نوشته شده باشه!
کتاب داستانی‌ست فیلسوف‌مآبانه که برای همه نوشته شده، یک داستان روانشناختی عمیق و چند لایه. این داستان برای همه کسانی نوشته شده که به دنبال یافتن جایگاه خودشون در زندگی هستن. کسایی که لازم هست تا با دردها و رنج‌ها مقابله کنند، کسانی که قرار هست همیشه در حال مبارزه برای اثبات خودشون باشن و کسانی که به یکباره و بدون خواست خود همه بار زندگی رو باید به دوش بکشن.

بطورکلی داستان این مجموعه در واقع یک اپرای فضایی سخت هست که به واقعه مقابله با تهاجم بیگانگان به سیاره زمین، زمانی در آینده، می‌پردازه. موجوداتی که در داستان به حشرات معروف هستن و ۲ بار تلاش ناموفق داشتن برای تهاجم و تصرف زمین.
ما جایی وارد داستان میشیم که سال‌هاست از آخرین تهاجم گذشته و حالا سیاره زمین خودش را تجهیز و آماده‌ی انتقام میکنه. جنگی با این هدف، یکبار برای همیشه احتمال بازگشت بیگانگان به زمین را از بین خواهیم برد و برای اینکار به آموزش نیروهای نخبه نظامی از سنین کودکی دست زده و همون‌طور که گفتم ما در این کتاب داستان یکی از بچه‌ها را پی میگیریم. داستان اندرو ویگین، امید آینده بشر، از ۶ سالگی تا ۱۲ سالگی.

چند تا نکته از روایت کتاب اول برام جالب بودن که دوست دارم در این ریویو حتما در موردشون صحبت کنم.

۱. ایده استفاده از کودکان برای جنگ‌های آینده
اینکه کودکان و نوحوانان با پتانسیل ذهنی که دارند بیشتر و بهتر میتونن با انواع تکنولوژی‌ها و ابزار ارتباط برقرار بکنن و ماهرانه‌تر از اون‌ها استفاده بکنن و با اموزش صحیح با سرعت انتقال بیشتر و راهبردی‌تر تحلیل، فکر و تصمیم بگیرند.
این موضوع برای مخاطب امروزی ایده‌ی نا آشنایی نیست و صف طولانی از انیمه یا مانگاهای معروفی با همین سبک الان وجود دارند اما وقتی فکر کنید که نویسنده این ایده را در دهه ۸۰ میلادی، یعنی بیشتر از ۴۰ سال پیش در داستانش استفاده کرده قضیه را جذاب میکنه.

۲. موضوع بعدی پیش‌گویی نویسنده در مورد آینده‌ی جنگ سرد هست که کاملا با وقایع امروزی در تقابل بین شرق و غرب منطبقه. پیش‌گویی که در اون نشان میده حتی دوره‌های صلح طولانی مانع از تقابل بین شرق و غرب نخواهد شد و جنگ سرد همیشه راه خودش را به آینده‌های محتمل پیدا خواهد کرد و در نهایت برخورد نمادین پیمان ورشو و ناتو در دنیا و در داستان به بهانه‌ای خودش را نمایان خواهد کرد. چیزی که براحتی نشان‌هاش را می‌توان در جنگ اخیر اوکراین مشاهده کرد.

۳. سومین چیزی که برام جالب بود بازنمایی نمادین جامعه نظامی‌پرور اسپارت و راه و روش و‌ مسلک اون ها در پرورش نیروهای زبده و نخبه نظامی از همون سنین کودکی تا بزرگسالی در قالب یک داستان علمی تخیلی نظامی و یک اپرای فضایی امروزی‌ست.

۴. مورد چهارم که از همه برای خودم شخصا جذاب‌تر و درخشان‌تر بود پیش‌بینی و استفاده زیبا و بجای نویسنده از مفهوم فضای سایبری یا فضای مجازی و رشد و استقرار شبکه های اجتماعی در آینده و تاثیر بسزا و عظیم‌شون در جهت‌دهی و شکل‌دهی اذهان عمومی جامعه در قالب مسائل اجتماعی و سیاسی بود.
واقعا که اورسن اسکات‌کارد در این بخش از پرداخت داستانش استادانه و درخشان عمل کرده و اگر این موضوع را بگذارید کنار اینکه این داستان بیش از ۴۰ سال قبل نوشته شده اون وقت به عمق کاری که انجام داده پی خواهید برد.

۵. و آخرین موردی که دوست دارم در موردش صحبت کنم در مورد موضوعی هست که در بعضی از نظرات مخاطبین دیدم. اینکه اورسن اسکات‌کارد را یه نویسنده ضد زن می‌دونن و به این دلیل که در داستانش زن‌ها تحقیر میشن و نقشی ندارن خوندن این داستان یا ادامه‌ش را ترک کردن.
به این دسته از خوانندگان حق میدم که با خوندن تنها کتاب اول یا نیمه ی نخست کتاب اول به چنین نتیجه‌ای برسن اما این نتیجه را منصفانه نمی‌دونم.
نویسنده در همین کتاب دو شخصیت زن بسیار کلیدی در داستان داره که نقش تعیین کننده یا به اصطلاح گیم‌چنجر در داستان دارن و علاوه بر اون اگر ادامه داستان‌های این مجموعه را مطالعه میکردن کاملا به نادرست بودن برداشتشون از اعتقادات ضدفمینیستی نویسنده پی میبردند.

خلاصه که خوندن حداقل کتاب اول از این مجموعه‌ی زیبا و لذتبخش را از دست ندید

7.5/10

Mixed emotions with this but overall I enjoyed it. This is a classic sci-fi story which has divided my Goodreads friends down the middle with some loathing it, some loving it, some being indifferent but still enjoying it for what it is. I guess I fall in the latter.

It was easy enough to read with plenty going on to keep the pages turning but never did you get a sense of character development and only a few extra characters were fleshed out to be recognised beyond standard back fill. There’s little empathy going on towards Ender, he’s not very likeable and elevated to Messiah like status from pretty early on but it was enjoyable at times to see him getting out of tricky battles (even if I wasn’t sure what was going on half the time) against the odds.

Whilst not being blown away I think I will give the follow up novel a try even though the reviews on that are even more polarizing than this.

Cuando leí por primera vez "El juego de Ender" el libro me engancho enseguida. Estaba completamente absorto en él. Pasaba las páginas con entusiasmo para saber qué pasaría a continuación y me sorprendió, incluso me llego a indignar, cuando comprendí el engaño y la traición a la que se ve sometido el joven protagonista.

Varios años después he vuelto a releerlo. Ha vuelto a ser un placer. Quizás porque sabía el final o quizás porque ya ha pasado un tiempo desde la primera vez, esta vez me llamó la atención la tristeza que se desprende del libro. Ender casi siempre está solo, casi siempre se ve empujado a situaciones en las que ninguna de sus opciones es buena, y siempre esta agobiado por el conocimiento de que las decisiones que toma son importante para él y para los que le rodean. También he simpatizado un poco con los adultos que hacen todas esas cosas terribles para dar forma al destino de Ender; sabiendo que son terribles e imperdonables pero necesarias. El ataque a la inocencia de Ender y la integridad comprometida de los adultos son una lección sobre lo que significa ser "adulto" y por qué los niños merecen tener tiempo para ser niños.

El libro se centra en la violencia que estamos dispuestos a cometer y en los pecados con los que estamos dispuestos a vivir para sobrevivir. Obviamente Orson Scott Card no glorifica estas cosas, pero tampoco disminuye su importancia. Aborda lo que significa ser diferente y como la incapacidad para comunicarse puede convertir la diferencia en conflicto.

En el fondo, "El juego de Ender" nos dice que todos los juegos son reales, todas las elecciones importan y crear un enemigo tiene sus consecuencias. Lo que hace que el libro sea notable es que aborda todo esto mientras hace un muy buen trabajo al ver el mundo a través de los ojos de un niño muy brillante pero vulnerable, solitario, que está igualmente dotado de empatía y crueldad.

Releer el libro años después agrega otros puntos de interés: la imaginación de Card sobre el papel de la web, las tablets en las que trabajan los niños y el concepto de guerra ejecutado a distancia son muy interesantes. Por cierto que hace una referencia al ansible termino acuñado por Ursula K. Le Guin en 1966 para su novela, El mundo de Rocannon. El ansible es un dispositivo que permite la comunicación adistancias interestelares. Le Guin derivó la palabra ansible del inglés answerable (que puede responderse).
También ahora me fije que el final del libro deja una puerta abierta a su secuela "Portavoz de los muertos" aunque el Juego de Ender es bastante autoconclusivo. Quizas también ahora encuentro la trama política de Card demasiado estadounidense para ser verdaderamente global, pero la forma en la que describe a la hermana de Ender me parece mucho más conmovedora que antes.

Orson Scott Card esta magnifico en esta novela. El juego de Ender es una novela brillante. Es brillante porque, como dice Card en su introducción, "esta es nuestra historia; esto somos nosotros."

Ender's Game is one of those canonical Science Fiction books that every fan ought to read. And I am one of those people who questions and sometimes scoffs at what I ought to do. This is likely the reason I put off reading it for so many years. My children, however, prevailed upon me to read it, claiming it was "the best book eeeevaaar," as only hyperbole-prone teenagers can do. I thought I'd give it a go so that I could at least understand all the inside jokes around the dinner table.

Sorry, kids, not the best book eeeevaaar. A great book, but not the best ever.

The simple prose of the book at the beginning is simply flat and somewhat boring. I read the first few pages and had to convince myself to push further. My reading tastes lean toward meaty: give me a few complex sentences, send me to the dictionary occasionally - I like the challenge. I felt that, despite the subject matter, the prose was altogether too thin. But I pushed on.

What I discovered as I went forward was that slowly, subtly, the prose progresses with the main character, Ender. The book seems to mature with the character, which made it more enjoyable as I went along. The step-by-step revelation of Ender's inner thoughts and motives started to pull me in. The plot itself was transparent - I could guess the ending with about a quarter of the book left. And I guessed correctly.

It's what happened after the obvious ending that blew me away. I won't give it away, but the last chapter of the book is an amazing piece of writing, tying together the seemingly disjointed pieces of the puzzle in a denouement that launched several sequels. You have to slog through the sparse parts and sometimes fake-like-you-care at the beginning of the book but when that last chapter hits - look out! It's an emotional bombshell. I'm not ashamed to admit that I almost cried at the end. It's that good.

And the writing ended up being that good, too. I found myself wishing that the whole book had been written in the style of the last chapter, but I understand, too, that the style itself builds up to a very satisfying conclusion.

There, I've fulfilled my obligation. And I see why some people like the book so much and why some people despise the book so much. If I would have quit the book halfway through or begun skimming, I would not have caught the brilliance at the end. And while I won't be reading all the remaining books in this universe, I think I will pick up Speaker for the Dead, because if it takes off the same way that Ender's Game (*ahem*) ended, it should be a fantastic read.

There was a time in my life when I wanted to grow up to be Ender Wiggin and I loved this book for that. Its about a kid that is chosen as the "only hope" for human kind and all he has to do is learn how to battle in space at space battle school. I have to admit that I did not realize this was a child sci-fi book until I started reading it and at that point I began to have the same complaints I had when reading The Giver or even Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. They were good books but I want some bad kids, and not the kind of bad kids that bully the main characters. I want truly unbiased and destructive kids. Ender's Game especially let me down when the love of Ender's life ended up being his sister who he runs away with.

A chilling world and story.