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I enjoyed reading this book. It follows the life of Ender, a child who lives in a human society that has population controls. Even though having three children is an embarrassment, his parents were asked to conceive him because the government thought he might have the potential to benefit humanity. The world is under threat from an alien race: the buggers. The people around him use Ender, but he is aware of this, at least. I won’t go into details about the plot, as I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll move on to what I liked about the book.
Ender’s character was likeable and you wanted him to succeed. Some of the things he experienced were made more intense because of his age, and the author does a good job of reminding you at important times—he makes the reader vulnerable by showing us Ender’s vulnerability. The enclosed living arrangements throughout most of the story focus and magnify the intensity of many situations—Ender is working towards physical freedom as well as mental; the confines of his living arrangements work to parallel those other restraints.
The scenes didn’t transition smoothly for me but I wonder if the fragmented style is supposed to enhance the feeling of uncertainty and the feeling of disharmony between countries and people on Earth. The pace was generally fast, although there were a couple of spots I felt slowed unnecessarily. I liked the overall statement made about empathy and trying to create a world where people live in harmony, to the best of their capability, with others and nature. I liked how the author looked at the conflict from both the human and bugger (alien) point of view. This is a book that I highly recommend.
Dionne Lister
Dionne is an author and editor from Sydney who loves reading (obviously) and playing sport. She co-hosts a humorous podcast called Tweep Nation where she interviews authors and discusses all things Twitter. She loves writing and sharing her stories, but she wishes they wouldn’t keep her awake at night.
More information about Dionne Lister can be found here: www.dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.com
