[Book Review] Ender's World : Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender's Game

Ender's World : Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender's Game /
"Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game is a classic of science fiction. Though it began its life as a short story, it was later expanded into a Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel, served as a springboard for a much larger universe of stories, and finally, in November 2013, will become a feature film.

Ender’s World conscripts almost two dozen writers of science fiction, fantasy, and young adult books to offer new perspectives on the 1985 novel, along with insights gleaned from other Ender stories that fit within the Ender’s Game chronology, including Ender in Exile and Ender’s Shadow. In addition, military strategists Colonel Tom Ruby and Captain John Schmitt offer insight into the human-Formic war. Contributions from Aaron Johnson, the coauthor of the Formic Wars prequel novels, and Jake Black, the coauthor of The Authorized Ender Companion, are also included.

The collection’s insightful analyses and moving personal essays are rounded out with short pieces answering more technically oriented questions about the Ender universe, including: Why is the Battle Room a cube? and Why did the military recruit their soldiers as children?

Edited by Orson Scott Card himself, who also provides an introduction to the anthology as well as to the individual essays, Ender’s World is aimed both at readers who have kept up with the many books that came after and at those who have not, but who loved and want to revisit the original novel."

This is a great read for anyone who's ever loved Ender's Game, for anyone who wonders why Ender's Game is often considered "such a big dead", and for anyone who needs proof that science-fiction can be more than just fluff entertainment. Fascinating range of insights and discussions are covered in the essays, plus questions answered by Orson Scott Card.

Personally, while I greatly enjoyed Ender's Game, it never was one of those Sci-Fi novels that made me go "WOW."  Maybe it was the age I was when I read it (though the authors of the essays first read Ender's Game at many different ages), maybe it was the access to some truly phenomenal novels I had read before discovering Ender.  Out of the series the first is my favorite, with my interest waning as the books digressed into pure philosophical discussions with snippets of story on either side.  Ender's World did pique my interest in re-reading Ender's Game, and maybe I'll read it with a more analytical mind this time.

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