Ender's Game

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TheCalvinator24
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Ender's Game

#1 Post by TheCalvinator24 » Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:44 pm

Anybody else here read the Ender and Shadow series?

I've now read the first 2 of each series, and so far, I have liked the Shadow series more. I actually care more about what happens to Bean and Petra than I do about what will happen with Ender and Valentine.
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. —Albus Dumbledore

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Re: Ender's Game

#2 Post by MarleysGh0st » Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:49 pm

TheCalvinator24 wrote:Anybody else here read the Ender and Shadow series?

I've now read the first 2 of each series, and so far, I have liked the Shadow series more. I actually care more about what happens to Bean and Petra than I do about what will happen with Ender and Valentine.
I have and I agree about which series is preferable.

A movie version of Ender's Game is supposed to be in pre-production, but I think it's been stuck there for years.

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Re: Ender's Game

#3 Post by TheCalvinator24 » Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:54 pm

MarleysGh0st wrote:
TheCalvinator24 wrote:Anybody else here read the Ender and Shadow series?

I've now read the first 2 of each series, and so far, I have liked the Shadow series more. I actually care more about what happens to Bean and Petra than I do about what will happen with Ender and Valentine.
I have and I agree about which series is preferable.

A movie version of Ender's Game is supposed to be in pre-production, but I think it's been stuck there for years.
I have to assume that they won't follow the book's device of having the kids spend significant time naked. This would become a re-writing issue if they ever tried to film Ender's Shadow.
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. —Albus Dumbledore

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#4 Post by andrewjackson » Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:55 pm

I've read all of those books.

I read Ender's Game a long time ago and it made a bigger impression on me at the time. The others might be better books but I'll probably always prefer the Ender books.
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#5 Post by TheCalvinator24 » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:04 pm

I really liked Ender's Game, but I have liked the first two Shadow books far more than Speaker for the Dead. I hope to pick up Xenocide from the library soon.
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. —Albus Dumbledore

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#6 Post by tlynn78 » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:05 pm

Another one in Ender's column


t.
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Re: Ender's Game

#7 Post by Bob Juch » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:09 pm

MarleysGh0st wrote:
TheCalvinator24 wrote:Anybody else here read the Ender and Shadow series?

I've now read the first 2 of each series, and so far, I have liked the Shadow series more. I actually care more about what happens to Bean and Petra than I do about what will happen with Ender and Valentine.
I have and I agree about which series is preferable.

A movie version of Ender's Game is supposed to be in pre-production, but I think it's been stuck there for years.
It's gone into turnaround twice. A new script is being written.
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#8 Post by MarleysGh0st » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:13 pm

TheCalvinator24 wrote:I really liked Ender's Game, but I have liked the first two Shadow books far more than Speaker for the Dead. I hope to pick up Xenocide from the library soon.
That's what I mean, too. The original Ender's Game is great, but I didn't particularly care for the sequels.

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#9 Post by gsabc » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:18 pm

Been a long time since I read either series. They're on my "reread" list, but there's a long line in the "read" list to go through first. I liked the Ender stuff.
I just ordered chicken and an egg from Amazon. I'll let you know.

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Re: Ender's Game

#10 Post by Bob78164 » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:21 pm

TheCalvinator24 wrote:Anybody else here read the Ender and Shadow series?

I've now read the first 2 of each series, and so far, I have liked the Shadow series more. I actually care more about what happens to Bean and Petra than I do about what will happen with Ender and Valentine.
I've read them all. The original novella "Ender's Game" richly deserved its Hugo Award, and the novel retained its quality. I wasn't thrilled by <I>Speaker for the Dead</I>, but I thought that <I>Xenocide</I> was quite good, though the ending fizzled a bit. The <I>Ender's Shadow</I> series is too preachy for my tastes and I found myself unable to suspend my disbelief when he addressed geopolitical issues, a problem I have increasingly had with Card's writing. --Bob
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." Thomas Jefferson

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#11 Post by 5LD » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:35 pm

I found Enders Game after reading the Seventh Son/Alvin Maker series.

Didn't read the other one mentioned. Got bored with Ender after awhile and didn't finish it all.
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#12 Post by mrkelley23 » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:59 pm

There're four books in the Ender series, or five if you count "First Meetings." They get progressively worse, IMNSHO, which is the case with many series.

The Shadow series, OTOH, gets better for the most part. The symbolism gets a little heavy-handed, and the preachiness is a bother.

Card is my favorite living SF author, though. I even like the Bible series he's written. Cal, if you haven't read his other stuff, I recommend it. Lost Boys is a neat, if dated, horror story, Pastwatch is readable and interesting, and the Alvin series is an interesting take on an alternate history. If you remember that he's writing from a devout LDS perspective, the stories become even more interesting.
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#13 Post by ladysoleil » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:23 am

MarleysGh0st wrote:
TheCalvinator24 wrote:I really liked Ender's Game, but I have liked the first two Shadow books far more than Speaker for the Dead. I hope to pick up Xenocide from the library soon.
That's what I mean, too. The original Ender's Game is great, but I didn't particularly care for the sequels.
Yep, same here. I've still got several on my shelves unread. I couldn't even plow through Speaker of the Dead.

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#14 Post by ladysoleil » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:26 am

mrkelley23 wrote:There're four books in the Ender series, or five if you count "First Meetings." They get progressively worse, IMNSHO, which is the case with many series.
"First Meetings" was actually kind of cute. I enjoyed it, and I appreciated that it was a quick read. I was lucky enough to get one of the ARC's for it and got through it on a plane. :) It's not the greatest, but it's kind of nice to read a more light-hearted take on the characters as the main books in the series are so heavy.

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#15 Post by DadofTwins » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:34 am

I've read the entire Ender and Shadow series. Ender's Game is far and away the best of the bunch. As a series, I agree that Shadow has fewer weak spots than Ender, but on the whole it's just OK, not great. Certainly not the home run the original is.

Pastwatch is one of my favorite Card novels, but only because I play so much Civilization.
We have enough youth. How about a fountain of smart?

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#16 Post by MarleysGh0st » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:41 am

DadofTwins wrote: Pastwatch is one of my favorite Card novels, but only because I play so much Civilization.
Civ I, II, III or IV? I still play Civ III, because I don't have the video card to support all the graphic bells and whistles in Civ IV.

I also enjoyed Pastwatch, however...
Spoiler
While I appreciated all the steps the time travelers made to transform the Native American civilization, I found it hard to accept that they could have had such a dramatic effect, i.e., that huge fleet that shows up so quickly off the coast of Spain.

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#17 Post by lilyvonschtupp26 » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:25 am

Orson Scott Card just won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his lifetime contribution to YA literature. He's getting the award in Anaheim, Ca at the American Library Conference.

http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases200 ... ards08.cfm

There was some heat about the award because of his extreme views against homosexuality. There's plans to protest the award at the ceremony.

i enjoyed the books and didn't see any anti-homosexual writings in his book. Many of the kids at school start the series but lose interest b/4 they reach the end. It doesn't seem to have the staying power.
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#18 Post by TheCalvinator24 » Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:01 pm

lilyvonschtupp26 wrote:Orson Scott Card just won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his lifetime contribution to YA literature. He's getting the award in Anaheim, Ca at the American Library Conference.

http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases200 ... ards08.cfm

There was some heat about the award because of his extreme views against homosexuality. There's plans to protest the award at the ceremony.

i enjoyed the books and didn't see any anti-homosexual writings in his book. Many of the kids at school start the series but lose interest b/4 they reach the end. It doesn't seem to have the staying power.
Extreme views? Isn't that a bit of an overstatement?
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. —Albus Dumbledore

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#19 Post by Bob78164 » Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:01 pm

lilyvonschtupp26 wrote:There was some heat about the award because of his extreme views against homosexuality. There's plans to protest the award at the ceremony.
I never knew he'd expressed any views on the topic. Please elaborate. If you can point me to something that will allow me to educate myself, I'd be very appreciative. --Bob
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." Thomas Jefferson

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#20 Post by TheCalvinator24 » Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:15 pm

Bob78164 wrote:
lilyvonschtupp26 wrote:There was some heat about the award because of his extreme views against homosexuality. There's plans to protest the award at the ceremony.
I never knew he'd expressed any views on the topic. Please elaborate. If you can point me to something that will allow me to educate myself, I'd be very appreciative. --Bob
There is some information on WikiPedia. Usual caveats apply.
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. —Albus Dumbledore

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#21 Post by andrewjackson » Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:51 pm

Bob78164 wrote:
lilyvonschtupp26 wrote:There was some heat about the award because of his extreme views against homosexuality. There's plans to protest the award at the ceremony.
I never knew he'd expressed any views on the topic. Please elaborate. If you can point me to something that will allow me to educate myself, I'd be very appreciative. --Bob

This is the source of much of the concern. It was originally published in Sunstone magazine, an LDS oriented arts publication, in 1990:

http://www.nauvoo.com/library/card-hypocrites.html
No matter where you go, there you are.

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