/lit/ - Literature

Hey anons, what are your fave "easy read" novels? Fantasy or science fiction. You know books like Ender's Game, The Hobbit, or Jurassic Park. Not that they have to be bestsellers.

Do you like the battleroom? So much of the book is occupied with it that I think it hurts the pacing. It leaves almost no time for command school and the simulator, which lessens the impact of the ending somewhat - it all comes just too quick. Though I can appreciate that so much was done in the battleschool that there was no need to retread the same ground, I would have liked to spend more time with the simulator battles - see more of the strategy of particular battles and how Ender copes, instead of just the broad stroke of increasing levels of difficulty.
I do like the battleroom. There are no stakes to it apart from its effect on Ender's mental state, and despite the fact that Ender easily dominates, it is so satisfying to watch him do it, and watch everyone try to keep up with him. Though it does seem like until Ender hits the scene most armies have almost no real interest in innovation or tactics. Early on Dink mentions that Rose the Nose doesn't know why he wins, and that nobody really does, and that seems about right. I'm not sure if Card overdid it in trying to make Ender smarter than everybody, or maybe it really is natural for armies to just imitate each other and repeat the same games over and over if there is no outside pressure.
On a different point, I am really wondering what about Peter would be like. I just reread the book after many years, and I never read any of the sequels. Is there one about Peter? Are any of them worth reading? Peter is a particularly interesting character because while both Ender and Valentine are plainly explained to the reader - their desires, their fears, their view of others, their contradictions - we only see Peter from those two perspectives. Just as they are unsure if he's lying when he threatens to kill them, or if he's faking when he says he loves them, Peter is a giant question mark throughout the book. He wants power, and he's merciless, but I have no real idea how he sees himself or how he justifies his own actions. He's a really effective character and without him Ender's internal struggle would fall completely flat. In fact, without Peter I think this book would be cliche and tedious, but somehow he makes it work. Because of his effect on others, I'm guessing. One thing the book handles really well is the effect that people have on each other, and how people carry others with them as they grow up.
Anyway, any thoughts on Ender's Game? Did you like it? Did you like Valentine?

>no one posted this yet
I know that Orson is on record that he hates gays but only a fag would write a scene about two boys showering and sleeping together.

This has me gripped throughout the novel. The ending completely caught me off guard. How are the sequels?

I don't understand the hype over this crap at all.
Shitty teen drama parading as science fiction.
What did it contribute to the genre, besides making it more accessible to normies?

The guy who wrote this is gay af.

>>9419507
I genuinely think pic related is amazing and was way ahead of it's time

opinions on the series?

You're good... You're good... You're good... You're good... You're good... You're good... You're good... You're good...

getting the obvious out of the way

Is Ender's Game an enjoyable light read for grown-ups or is it just for kids and "young adults"?

It's basically an ode to angry aspergic teenage boys.

I've just finished Children of the Mind and I'm wondering: what do you pretentious fucks think about the Ender saga and Orson Scott Card in general ?

What was the most interesting part of Ender's Game? Which pages did you find were the best reads? Please discuss.

Now that there's all this fuss about the movie I read it again. I don't think I want to watch the movie.

Not really expecting this thread to blow up, I just want some interesting discussion.

The book should have ended when he destroyed the bugger's planet, but noo, he HAD to treat it like it was no big deal and avoided giving details and descriptions on how everyone was..y'know, happy that they wont face a future EXTERMINATION

And whats worse,he continues it with some 2deep4u philosophical bullshit

what did you think about the ending?

Was he Hitler?

On the last portion of the book and it's pretty great

I've heard all the sequels are mediocre though, which is very disappointing

I just got through reading Speaker for the Dead and thought it was a huge step down from Ender's Game. I didn't like most of the characters, I didn't like how religious it was, and I though the ending for Ender was quite shitty with him being forced to live with a frigid Portuguese bitch who already sired six kids on a planet with super AIDS.

Does the next book, Xenocide, get better or does it continue on this path?

I started this the other day. I'm 20 pages in and the writing style is God-awful. Is it worth finishing?

Wow, it's just like Starship Troopers, but worse and for kids!

What reading order would you recommend?

11/1/13

What does /lit/ think of this book?

I really enjoyed it and thought it conveyed some pretty profound insights into the human psyche.

It was engaging but dare I say 'cold', almost militaristic down to the style of writing. This served the narrative well but left me feeling a little numb towards Ender and his struggle.

The characters were strong despite this and I especially loved Peter and Valentine and wished the author had played more with their false political identities.

Overall, its one of the better sci-fi books I've read and I highly recommend it.

I really wish I had read this sooner, when I was a teenager. It would have been mindblowing. Now I'm 27 and can't help but feel slightly...underwhelmed. I had heard great things about it and perhaps my expectations were a bit too high.

I really think it was too nice and glossed over. It wasn't gritty enough on the surface, which contrasted with the darker psychological undertones. No swear words. The battle scenes read like Card was describing a squirt gun play in a kindergarten. Anyone who has gone through public elementary/high school would find the "bullying" of Ender very timid. This along with his invincibility really cut the edge out of the atmosphere, which particularily in the middle of the book seemed like a story meant for children a la Harry Potter rather than a serious science fiction novel. The physics of the book is quite inconsistent and improbable as well, hurting immersion.

While I think the novel on the aggregate was ahead of its time, some concepts proved to be badly aged. Particularily the "nets" concept behind Valentine's and Peter's storyline. The way they developed into major effectors in the novel world through writing in the nets is embarrassingly naive.

Characters other than Ender were left shallow and one-dimensional, with the possible exception of Valentine, and even she had very little time in the books.

To my embarrassment, I didn't see the big twist towards the end coming until right before it was revealed. I thought it was brilliant. I have to praise Card for being able to make silly games quite exciting, and Ender's maturation appear like an RPG character progression.

Overall I went expecting 9/10 and it was 7/10. Entertaining, some interesting concepts and interaction, but ultimately somewhat flawed.