I gave "Ender's Game" to one of my lecturers to read recently, and he told me at our last class that he was about 2/3 of the way through it, but it "wasn't his thing".
I was wondering whether it makes a great difference how old you are when you first read Ender's Game, and how it affects your opinion of the novel. I read it when I was about 12, and very readily identified with Ender. My lecturer is probably around 60, and otherwise seems to like science fiction.
So how old were you all? Does age matter?
Posted by Talison (Member # 7935) on :
Hmm... I was eight the first time I read it (and prone to raiding parents bookshelves ) My father however had to have been at least mid-thirties and he loves the books probably just about as much as I do. Honestly cannot say if my age at the time had anything to do with it, I identified with much older characters in other stories too.
Posted by delusional1 (Member # 7896) on :
well considering i was about ender's age in EG when it came out, i was much older. i just read all of books in both series within the past 2 months. i'm 24. i don't think age has anything to do with enjoyment of the book beyond being able to comprehend the action. actually, i think i enjoyed it more now than i would have had i read it when i was half the age i am now.
Posted by Evo (Member # 7940) on :
i first read it at 16, because my friend would not stop screaming about how good it was. I kept scoffing at the idea of a book about a 9 year old saving the world.
Needless to say, i loved every second of the book and all its sequels.
I then gave it to my mum who at 50+ (she'll kill me if i gave the real age) Loved it as well.
I don't think its a quest of age, but a question of personal taste.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
10 or so.
Posted by 1135813 (Member # 7816) on :
Maybe it has something to do with how into the Traditional View of Childhood the reader is? My mother (whose sole duty in life is to make sure her children turn out happy, intelligent, sensitive beings) hated the whole book, and kept insisting that children /just/ /don't/ act like that.
Posted by CRash (Member # 7754) on :
Around 9 or thereabouts. I was excited to find good scifi whose main characters were kids.
Posted by AB (Member # 7458) on :
I first read EG in college, around 18 or 19 yo, and I liked it. But I liked SftD much better. That might have been an age thing.
Posted by Portabello (Member # 7710) on :
I was 17.
Posted by no. 6 (Member # 7753) on :
Short story: 16 Novel: 28
Posted by Frangy. (Member # 6794) on :
I was eleven.
Posted by EyeRock (Member # 7929) on :
I was in graduate school and loved every word - but I had read it as a short story first. I was just thrilled to see the story fleshed out.
I was very invested in the story and then ES gave me a twilight zone type moment making me re-think EG and Ender himself.
As a parent now I see my children in those roles instead of myself - another interesting turn.
Posted by seespot (Member # 7388) on :
I was probably 14 or 15. My parents read it for the first time around then too, putting them around 40. Funny, I actually met OSC at my house and had no idea who he was, listened to a spirited discussion, then read the my mom's autographed copy of the book a couple of weeks later. Needless to say, I loved it. Now I'm trying to get my husband to read it. . .
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
I was around 23 when I read enders game. I read far more fantasy the scifi. Other than OSC and Crichton, I doubt there is a scifi author who I have read more than 2 books from. I did read Xenocide when I was a teen though (my parents had it)
[ May 05, 2005, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: Lupus ]
Posted by DavidR (Member # 7473) on :
I think I was 23 or 24 when I first read it. I have reread it several times since then and I am currently trying to find my copy to loan to a coworker.
[Edited for spelling: s/load/loan/]
[ May 05, 2005, 04:23 PM: Message edited by: DavidR ]
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
I was fourteen. I had my mom read it, she was 45, and she really didn't like it.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I don't remember how old I was... in high school, I think.
Me and my two brothers all loved the book and would talk about how great it was constantly.
So finally, my mother read it just to see what the big deal was. She enjoyed it, but I don't think she saw what the fuss was about...
-Katarain
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
I was 12--14 (6th--8th grade) when I read it for the first time because my science teacher said in class that it was good. I remember thinking that the ending was a good surprise, but that the rest of the book was awfully slow and talky. (Of course, I also remember liking the Dragonlance Chronicles better ...)
I read it "for real" for the first (and so far only) time at 22 (just after graduating college), after having read a few other OSC books, in particular How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy, which first convinced me that this author knew what he was talking about.
Posted by Jasmine (Member # 7370) on :
i was 12.
Posted by Audeo (Member # 5130) on :
I was 14 or 15 and I really liked it. When I convinced my mom to read it though she found it very disturbing the way children were portrayed. I think it might have more to do with what kind of child you were. Precocious children would be more likely to read the book and identify with Ender, whereas if you read it at the urging of someone else, when you were an adult, it is possible that you don't recall kids like Ender and are unable to believe that such a story could happen.
Posted by Jonathan G (Member # 7964) on :
I was 14 or 15 I believe. It was my senior year and it showed up in two places for me: Real Life Comics, the character's reading it and gets all confused about the philosophy and stuff, and then I think some one else mentioned it on a forum about that time so I thought "Hey, I might as well read this".
So I read it.
And then the rest of the series.
Then on to Bean's series.
Then waited impatiently for the next novel.
And now I'm here. I've read all of them several times, and without a doubt Ender's Game (and the series) is my all time favorite series. I especially enjoy the way the old novels and the new novels intertwine with each other, or will eventually I suspect by the way that Card talks and the way you could easily interpret many of the happenings at the end of SotG occurring together in hand with Ender's novels. Good stuff.
Posted by Lanfear (Member # 7776) on :
I was 7-8 age.. I was in Fourth grade and i skipped recess for a week to read it. Mind you im not a nerd and that wasnt a normal thing. Im currently 15 and im on my 17th readthrough of EG. ES i read about a year later. I tried to struggle through The rest of the Ender series when i was about 8 and it was just surface reading.
Posted by Ayren (Member # 7317) on :
10 was the first time I read it.
Posted by Soara (Member # 6729) on :
12.
lots of adults think it's weird and full of lies, whereas very few kids do. however, most adults love it just as much as kids.
i like it's best for ages 9-13, but i doubt anyone agrees with me. Posted by The Reader (Member # 3636) on :
I was 12 when I first read Ender's Game. It was Birthday Gift from my Aunt, who I assume had read it herself and would only give it to me if she had liked it.
At my first reading, I saw it solely as child dealing with a confusing world where he had only other's expectations to fulfill, and not his own. Of course it deepened after every reading.
I haven't recommended it to others yet, but I know I should.
I disagree with you, Soara. I'll be reading and enjoying EG well into old age.
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
9 or 10... Can't remember for sure. It was during fifth or fourth grade and my father and I were going into the mountains to do a ham-radio contest. So, he tossed that at me to keep me entertained for the ride up.
I loved it. ^_^
Posted by Ramdac99 (Member # 7264) on :
I was 22 when I read EG.
Posted by Rooter (Member # 7950) on :
I was 8(4th grade) i bought it through a book fair at my school, because my mom gave me money for a book and i didnt want to have to give the money back so i bought it randomly.
I read it straight through and loved it. I attempted to read the sequels and got all the way through to CotM and finally put it down because i couldnt really understand and grasp what was going on in those books.
Ender's Game(20x Read) Ender's Shadow(10x Read)
i cant put them down I have gotten at least 10-20 friends hooked on the book now.
Rooter
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
I first read it at age 9 and it has stayed with me every since ...
No, wait ...
Sorry, confused there.
Posted by Evo (Member # 7940) on :
HAHA sorry i almost fell off my chair with that had to post a reply. (i'm easily ammused (more importantly anything to delay my studies))
Posted by wiggin105 (Member # 7897) on :
11. still read it often. i think i have read it 8 times now.
Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
12, on the recomandation of a librarian.
Posted by Ckaosblue (Member # 7966) on :
I was almost 19. My classmate was in a drug-induced stupor when his memory was jogged by something we were discussing in class -- I believe it was a 'what if' scenario about space aliens attacking the earth. (what that has to do with poly sci I have no idea...) So my classmate leans over and puts his copy of Ender's Game into my hand and says "Speaking of aliens..." He was weird. But I took the book anyway and I read it.
All thanks to the space alien discussions in class. I guess George Wythe College was good for something. Posted by TheGreatMrChibi (Member # 7862) on :
Fifteen. My uncle, a pastor, had been working his way through a list of the best science fiction and fantasy novels. I asked him if I could get in on the action, and he gave me Ender's Game, A Fire Upon The Deep, and Shadow and Claw for Christmas. A couple months later, I picked up EG and read through it in a week. The proceeding month saw the finishing of the rest of the series. (And now a few months after that I'm writing a report on it!)
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
A pastor, a librarian, and a stoned college student - thus my tentacles reach into each of the major sources of cultural influence to seduce new readers into allowing my ersatz memories into their brains.
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
I was 16... I read it over spring break...
Posted by Mojoric (Member # 7551) on :
14
Posted by Mark (Member # 6393) on :
I think I was 18, but I still had a lot of kid in me. I also identified with Ender. I was never Mr. popular in school.
However it was the following series that really made me into the fan that I am.
My brother was 20, and he absolutely loved it as well. Very glad he recommended it to me.
Posted by socal_chic (Member # 7803) on :
I was 10 when I first read it and I loved it! I have since (I'm 17) read it through twice more and was able to understand more of the human emotion that I think is the most powerful element.
Posted by Dogedog (Member # 8018) on :
Im 15; started with Enders Game when I was about 12, and I have read nothing but OSC books every since. I read all three series of books and about 6 of his single books; I can read them in about 3 to 4 days each if I really get into them. Finished them all in under and year. Currently im reading Saints( which has another title; got both and relized they were the same book.. lol). This is 700 pg. book, and the longest one I have read of his. After I am done with a set I go to the bookstore and get every book on sale that they have of his;I think all of his books are great, and they will contiune to be great for now and eternity.
ps. I have not quality; I have not read Ender's Game more then once, or any of his books; I go for quanity; many many books of imagination and wonder are waiting for me, and I personaly cant read the same book over and over again.
ENDER ENDER ENDER ENDER... GREAT BOOK... BUT..MOVE ON.... READ HIS OTHER BOOKS.. EXPAND YOUR MIND AND YOUR IMAGINATION
Posted by Swede (Member # 7560) on :
I read it first time when I was 16 I think. I have know (about 1 1/2 year later) read it at least.. uhm.. four times I think.
Posted by AB (Member # 7458) on :
I forgot to mention that my brother and I read the book together when I was home for summer-break from college and he was around 8 or 9. I would read one page then he would read the next. He would get frustrated because I could read so fast so I think we eventualy had me reading more. When read Speaker for the Dead the following summer. What a wonderful memory. I can hardly wait to start reading them with my two boys (who are now 3 & 1).
My husband loves to hear books read aloud so I have read many of the newer books to him, like the recent Alvin books, the Women of Genesis books, and Enchantment. We loved reading Lost Boys but my poor husband really lost it at the end. So did I and I had already read it about 3 times at that point!! We also cried at several points in Folk of the Fringe.
I think Mr. Card's theater background helps his books be so conducive to being read aloud. I highly recommend it!!
Posted by Obi-Zahn Kenobi (Member # 8036) on :
I was 14 when I first read it. Some people I knew on the internet had reccomended it to me. So, I picked it up at the library and I immediately fell in love with it. I must have reread it twice in the first three days I had it. I immediately picked up Speaker and loved that.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I was 12 when I first read it. My teacher was reading Ender's Shadow out loud to us so I checked out Ender's Game to read.
Posted by Makerofthings (Member # 3979) on :
I was 40!
I don't think it is an age thing that causes some folk to not relate to it. This being said, I don't find the fact that the principals are children to be especially compelling part of the story. A younger person might.
Posted by trance (Member # 6623) on :
I was fifteen and I didn't like it too much...even though I understand that for story purposes Ender couldn't lose at anything, I hoped that he would. And in a way, Ender's Shadow fulfilled that thirst because Bean had bested Ender at everything except being a leader (which he did once Ender was gone and after he grew). So in short, I've always liked Shadow and Speaker the most.
Posted by Lock and key (Member # 8073) on :
I was about 13, I think. My mentor from church gave it to me for my birth day. i have sence then read EG(again) ES, SOTH(x2) SP(x2) and SOTG polished the last one off in less thsn a week(actually finished yesterday)
Posted by Just another Dharma bum (Member # 6879) on :
My friend introduced me to the book. We've always played computer games or console games, and in middle school he began usuing 'Ender' as his online alias. After a while I got cuirous and asked how he got that name. He said it was from his favorite book, and he gave me the plot. I wanted to read it right away, and I borrowed it from him and read it in one day. I fell in love with Bean, and since then (9th grade) I've used it as my alias.
My friend only read the rest of the Ender books, while I only read the rest of the Bean books, it's very odd!
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
I was 19 when I first read the book. I needed a book to read on my trip to visit the college I would be attending the next year, and a friend had recommended it to me. I read it, loved it, and ended up using it in an admissions essay for the school's honors program (the question was something along the lines of "What book has had a large influence on your and why?"). It wasn't until I finished my first year of college this spring that I finally got back to the series and read Speaker for the Dead (and now I'm currently reading Xenocide). It's very good stuff, and I wish I had found it sooner.
Posted by Exploding Monkey (Member # 7612) on :
Probably 27 or 28. I'm still a wee chick in Card's realm of books since that was four or five years ago. A friend of mine told me about Ender's Game and I made a sort of mental note to check it out. I must have kept that note because two or three years later I picked it up and tore through it really fast. I loved it, but you know what? I loved Speaker for the Dead much, much more!
However, my first exposure to OSC was the novelization for The Abyss. I'm a big Camron fan and read the book before the film. I didn't figure out it was Card's work though until a few years ago when I'll pulled that paperback out of a box in my garage.
Posted by adamsfrood42 (Member # 7464) on :
I was 14...my English teacher was kind of a mentor of mine and she told me I'd relate to it.
Good Lord, was she right. I was practically crying when it came time to deliver my report on it.
Tragically enough, I didn't know there were sequels to it until I was 15. That's when I stumbled upon Bean...and the rest is history.
Eagerly awaiting Shadows in Flight...and, by "eagerly awaiting," I do mean almost chewing my legs off...
Posted by alluvion (Member # 7462) on :
Tragic, indeed.
Posted by Starsnuffer (Member # 8116) on :
I was 12, in 6th grade (3 years ago). I wasn't very popular at that point in my school career and frequently I found myself saying OMG that is exactly what I'm like. I have read the entire enders series once, the entire bean series once. That is the extent of my OSC readings, I plan to read more soon but yeah, my bro keeps reccomending other things to read. and I have to finish the Dispossessed (by LeGuin) that I got like halfway through then stopped.
Posted by teoivan (Member # 8049) on :
About 14. I was (and still am) mad about sci-fi. I took EG with another 5 or 6 books from the library and read it so fast that I even forgot ot see who was the writer. Several months later i try to get it again but it was vanish and from the catalog too. 3 years ago in the bus I saw a girl who carry EG I wrote down the holy name OSC. Now I have all his books which are translated here. There is God in heaven. Thank you.
Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
I was in the 8th grade so... what? 14 years old. I had heard about it somewhere and remembered the name for some reason when I was looking for a cool book. Found it at my library and took it home and read it in a matter of days. I now own 30 copies of teh book and use it ini my classroom as well as give it to anyone that asks.
Posted by Inspired (Member # 8130) on :
I was 10 when I read Ender's Shadow, then when I was 12 I read Ender's Game. I liked Bean's story better though, because he was the ultimate underdog, and Ender seemed to be the golden boy.
Posted by DoctorDevice (Member # 8137) on :
Age 15
when i bought speaker for the dead the guy at Borders said that its a good series...and it is!!
wow...that was irrelevant
Posted by johnsonweed (Member # 8114) on :
My wife and I read it in our late 30's. Loved it.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I think I was 10 or so... It's been a while.
Posted by genius00345 (Member # 8206) on :
I was about 11 or 12 when I first read it and back then I was just like "Hey, this is cool that this kid is saving the world!" I also got all the rest of the books for Christmas and read them all when I was about 13.
Now I'm 15 and I just re-read ALL of the books in both the Ender and Shadow Series in this order:
The Polish Boy (in FM) Teacher's Pest (in FM) Ender's Game Investment Counselor (in FM) Speaker for the Dead Xenocide Children of the Mind Ender's Shadow Shadow of the Hegemon Shadow Puppets Shadow of the Giant
...and all of a sudden I really understood the impact and all of the themes in the books. The characters weren't just heroes saving the world, they were real kids who had a life.
I lent EG to a friend in 7th grade and he read about 2/3 of it but he didn't like it much. I also knew another kid who was in 6th grade while I was in 8th, and one day we were walking through the elementary building on our way to a bus for a Gifted class field trip, and there was one of those "Reading" posters of a kid reading EG. Matt (the 6th grader) said "Hey I read that." and immediately I said "Really? That's like my favorite book." We got into a discussion on the bus and I ended up loaning him the whole Ender series one at a time...he eventually bought them or got them from the library, though.
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I have gotten at least 10-20 friends hooked on the book now.