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. Back on Earth, Peter and Valentine forge an intellectual alliance and attempt to change the course of history.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Orson Scott Card‘s Ender’s Game, ever since I started getting into sci-fi many years back. Hailed as one of the must-read science fiction novels of all time, I had to know what the fuss was all about. But I haven’t been able to read as every time I go to the book store and browse the sci-fi/fantasy section it’s not there. So I end up buying something else. I chanced upon a copy of it earlier this month and decided to go finally get it, because I might not have a chance anymore.

And it didn’t disappoint. When I did pick it up two nights ago, I couldn’t put it down. I was dreading that it would be a hard read, since it was a sci-fi classic and all that, but I was surprised that it was easy to read but still very deep and engaging.

The only thing that bothered me was that the main characters are children, as young as six years old— Not little adults, but believable young children that are very intelligent for their ages. And this is a violent and dark future, which is also believable. If you keep on thinking that, it makes you wince a little. But since the story was very engaging, the circumstances that lead to it explain a lot. Otherwise, it is good! It goes beyond locker room bullying, questions child-labor ethics and still tackle a frightening possible future. No wonder it’s a sci-fi classic. Now if only I read this book years ago and didn’t wait too long, the supposedly twist ending could’ve been not so… familiar to me. On it’s own though, it works.

I’m still thinking if I’d buy the rest of the saga, as some reviews only point to this and ‘Speaker of the Dead’ as the must-read from the rest. But so far, am satisfied with this book— start, middle and end. And I highly recommend it to sci-fi lovers everywhere, also one of good introductory piece for non-sci-fi readers.

Rating: ★★★★★ 5 of 5 stars [?]

52 Books

books: 18 / 52 (35%)

Last night when my husband and I went out for a quick nightcap (of fries, onion rings and baked potatoes), we passed by the bookstore with just the thought of looking through books. Despite having such little budget, we came out with new books anyway.

When I saw Asimov’s Magic on the shelf, I distinctly remember an old friend recommending it so I knew I had to have it. Getting The End of Eternity and Nighfall followed suit, since they were also new on the shelf and I only see the Foundation and Robot series usually on these shelves. So despite my wallet’s cries I bought them without hesitation and I am a happy little sci-fi geek.

And will commence to read them once I find the time. For the meantime, I give you a blurb about the books.

Magic

Isaac Asimov and science fiction are one and the same to millions of readers.He was the field’s transcendent genius, its reigning prophet, its genial patriarch, and its most prolific author. But Asimov also wrote fantasy, and invariably of an enduring quality. Magic is his final original collection, containing all of his uncollected fantasy stories that have never before appeared in book form.
In addition, this farewell collection of Asimov’s writings also includes his thoughts on the genre of fantasy itself. Here are the fascinating musings of a wide ranging intelligence, discussing everything from Tolkien to Spielberg, from Unicorns to King Arthur, from the difference between maidens and damsels to the speed of Seven League Boots – scientifically calculated at last!

Nighfall

This collaboration by two masters of the genre expands on Asimov’s classic short story first published in 1941. Kalgash is a planet with six suns, a world where darkness is unnatural. Scientists realize that an eclipse–an event that occurs only every 2049 years–is imminent, and that a society completely unfamiliar with darkness will be plunged into madness and chaos. The novel traces events leading to this discovery, and the fates of the main characters immediately following the apocalypse. While the premise is convincing in the context of a short story, this longer version brings up too many unresolved questions. The original tale was tightly written, succinct and stunning, but the novelization seems flabby and drawn-out–the reader recognizes the significance and consequences of the impending events long before the characters do. An abrupt and simplistic ending further mars a hallowed SF tale. 100,000 first printing.

The End of Eternity

Andrew Harlan is an Eternal, a man whose job it is to range through past and present Centuries, monitoring and, where necessary, altering Time’s myriad cause-and-effect relationships. But when Harlan meets and falls for a non-Eternal woman, he seeks to use the awesome powers and techniques of the Eternals to twist time for his own purposes, so that he and his love can survive together.

Now, finding a good copy of Ender’s Game (at least) by Orson Scott Card will make my life complete.