Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a third child in a world where having more than two children is discouraged for reasons that are never explained. He was born for a reason: his siblings, Peter and Valentine, did not fit the destiny they were planned to have. Peter is too violent; Valentine too gentle. Ender is six at the beginning of the book. This is an important note to make. Because he is taken away to learn to be a solider, off the planet Earth to a small colony where boys are trained to fight in situations with no gravity, and assume command positions, all to fight an alien enemy known as the "buggers" by most people. Ender is brilliant. He thinks in ways no one else does, and begins to win. Along the way, he deals with bullies, most of whom bigger than he is. Meanwhile, his siblings take assumed names and proceed to conquer the internet; Peter wants to become a world dominator, and it seems likely that he will succeed. Ender is graduated early, and begins to assume what he thinks is a practice command position in simulators....
What struck me about this book was the children. There are several scenes where Ender is in charge, and he is thinking like a grown man, indeed, a grown man who is world-weary. But he is twelve. His siblings are more normal, but the artificial adulthood thrust on Ender was disturbing to me. That said, he's a character that one can emphasise with easily. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. But he needs to win. I liked the ending, though.
The only problem with this book is perhaps its strength, as well. Because you experience it with Ender, you are as bewildered as to the end as he is. It's impossible to see where it's all leading. And then at the end, you realise that it was there all along, right in front of you.
The status of this book is Recommended/Highly recommended for older readers who know enough psychology to "get" it.
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