Alexander (Ender) Wiggin is the illegal third child (due to the rapidly increasing population of earth, each family is only allowed two children) of the Wiggin family, with older brother Peter and sister Valentine. He is only six at the beginning of the book. The first part of the book takes place on Earth, where certain young people are selected to train as space fighters. These young people have "monitors" implanted in the back of their necks, where the recruiting officers can monitor them from. When they reach a certain age (it varies from student to student) these monitors are removed. Depending on what the recruiters thought of the student, they are then taken to Battle School, a military base-like spaceship. Ender Wiggen starts the book with the monitor, but very soon has it removed, and is taken to Battle School.
The reason for training so early is that humankind expects an attack from the "buggers", green bug-like aliens that attacked in years past. Ender is trained by Colonel Graff. He is placed into a training squadron as soon as he arrives at Battle School. The squadrons have a normal routine, which consists of wake up, eat, and battle one another, eat, battle some more, train on the simulators (only for older, more experienced squadrons), eat, battle even more, and sleep. The battles were one of my favorite bits of the book. Each student was required to get into a large suit that, if hit by enemy fire, would freeze up. Ender soon invents and masters many techniques to be used in the battle room, earning the respect and hatred of many students. Ender is soon promoted to the leader of a squadron with many of his former "superiors" in it. They dominate the battle room, and Ender is once again promoted to Command School. While this is going on, back on Earth, Peter has convinced Valentine that it is time for them to assert themselves. So they take on the guise of adults and, with the aid of the "net", start to assert their views. Soon, Peter attempts to take over the world. Back in Command School, Ender meets Mazer Rackham, whose heroic charge defeated the second wave of buggers. He begins to train on the simulators. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book - depressing/sad FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story Coming of age Yes Youngster becomes - great warrior Training/Apprent. Yes Working up the ranks of... If an invasion, from Earth/human POV: - fighting overt invasion (attacking aliens) War or Invasion Yes Major kinds of combat: - lasers Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Descript. of chases or violence - 30 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - a kid Really unusual traits? Main Adversary Identity: - an entire race Age: - long-lived adults How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount Setting Terrain Spaceship setting: - a space station - one or two man fighter/scoutship Takes place in spaceship? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog |