I will freely admit that when I started reading this book the first time a few months ago, I struggled with it. Perhaps it was because I had come off of Card's Empire not too long before the library had this one ready for me - and I was less than thrilled at the prospect of reading more of Card's books after that experience. I set it aside for awhile when Teeball started, so when I picked it back up again I was in a much different frame of mind and started over at the beginning.
On the 2nd attempt, I found this book much more enjoyable. Andrew "Ender" Wiggins is the stuff heroes are made of. He wasn't seeking a bloodbath to destroy an alien race of giant Bees (from what I can tell that's what they are supposed to be, the Buggers), but he reacted and learned to defend himself and the things he loves with a fierceness that bordered psychotic at times.
Narrated primarily through Ender's mind, we watched a remarkable 6-year old kid grow up far too fast and succeed at things most adults die trying to achieve. There's smarts, intelligence, wisdom...and then there's Ender Wiggins.
I don't know that this was enough to inspire me to read more of Card's books on a regular basis, but I'll stick to his space fantasies far more than his military conspiracies.
A solid 3.5 stars, and a book I plan to read to my kids when they are old enough as the character development and suspense was just the right balance to keep things interesting.
Happy Reading!
--Jennifer
No comments:
Post a Comment