Ender's Game: A Review

For my assigned winter reading, I chose to read the book “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. In comparison to some of the other options on my list, I thought I’d chosen the lesser evil by reading about kids in space instead of clones and organ donations. However, I’m now forced to admit that “Ender’s Game” is much more than a simple sci-fi story.

The book follows Ender Wiggin, a child who's recruited to train as a military commander to lead Earth in its battle against an alien race. Ender is an absolute prodigy, possessing an intellect that sets him apart from his peers and even adults. Ender inherits his wicked intelligence and profound empathy from his older siblings, making him a perfect candidate to become Earth’s savior.  

Despite his extraordinary gifts, the expectations to save planet Earth puts Ender in constant turmoil. Ender struggles constantly with his own capacity to violence, able to both rationalize the harm he caused while feeling intense guilt. Especially as Ender was plucked away from his friends and family at a young age to train at the Battle School, Ender suffers from a sense of isolation, especially in his cutthroat environment. 

In said school, Ender faces a carefully orchestrated series of challenges designed to push him to his limits. He excels in the battle room, a zero-gravity combat simulator, quickly surpassing his peers and even senior students. However, his success only leads to further isolation as the school's administration, led by Colonel Graff, continually increases the pressure on Ender in the name of creating the ideal military leader.

The story takes a dramatic turn when Ender, still a child, is promoted to Command School on the asteroid Eros. Here, under the tutelage of war hero Mazer Rackham, Ender faces increasingly difficult battle simulations. While through toil and struggle Ender ultimately prevails, conquering each trial thrown at him, what Ender doesn’t know is that the “simulations” are actually real battles with real lives and consequences on the line. 

The climax of the novel comes with Ender's "final exam," which turns out to be the actual decisive battle against the Bugger homeworld. Ender, believing it to be a simulation, makes the choice to destroy the entire planet, unknowingly committing genocide of the alien race. When Ender learns the truth, he is absolutely devastated, forced to confront the full weight of his actions which he previously thought to only be digital. 

Ultimately, “Ender’s Game” was far more than what I expected, being more than a simple sci-fi adventure. Exploring themes of empathy, the ethics of warfare and genocide through Ender’s experiences, the book is definitely worth reading both for pleasure, and for a summer reading.