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Another fun novel that fits perfectly into the whole Enderverse. Makes you think a bit too about the whole full circle thing with someone being radical with their beliefs and the reasons behind it. Kind of interesting with the whole War on Christmas we seem to have here recently with stores debating on weather to even say Merry Christmas, all the nativity scenes issues, what can go on in our public schools in regards to Christmas, and on and on and on. I really liked to see a bit more into Dink while also getting to see another new character. It’ll be interesting to see if Zeck finds his way into some future Ender book.
Another great thing is how perfect of a Christmas book this will be. Especially since you can get it personalized too!
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War on Christmas, hell. This year we had a full-fledged War on Halloween, and I won't stand for it. They already ruined Armistice Day for everyone!
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You're behind the times Jay. They're no longer content with using inclusiveness and insisting on secularity in public institutions. This year's assualt plan includes wide-spread use of fulminating liquids and, as I understand it, crossbows.
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Geez, man, read up on Operation Coal in the Stocking. I'm supposed to get the Knights of the Red and the Green to trust me and take me into their confidence. Keep this up and the whole effort to learn the dark secret behind eggnog will fail before it really even began.
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I read it and really enjoyed it. Being a teacher in that place had to be rather high stress. They had to deal with all those kids who were smarter than them. Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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Okay, for the record, I never read "War of Gifts". But I don't understand why the students would be so much smarter than the teachers. From what I understand, the search for an "Ender-type" child had been going on for at least a generation. Couldn't some of the older hopefuls have grown up to teach at Battle School? (I'm thinking of the testing that Ender's father went through in "First Meetings".)
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Well Graff was certainly smarter than the average bear. He had to be to play the game as deep as he did. I think its fair to say that the IF teachers had to be smart. Why would the IF who could select from all of their gifted graduates employ them otherwise.
I haven't read Gifts yet, but it would be interesting to get more of Graff's story. I would be cool to have another parallel novel starting with Graff's career in First Meetings and taking us through Ender's game?
Some titles could be: Ender's Measure (my favorite) Ender's Paragon Ender's Paradigm Ender's Induction Ender's Inception
Just so long as Card finishes Shadows in Flight, Wives of Isreal, and Alvin Maker first Posts: 197 | Registered: Jan 2007
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Oh, this is a weird thing I noticed. In the book, there's a lot of talk about socks. However, in ender's game, I believe Ender told one character something about keeping farts in socks, and the response was something about not having socks. I know it's a minor inconsistency, but it is one nonetheless.
Oh, the story was great though.
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I just got War of Gifts today, and I'm quite far already. It's very refreshing to be able to pick up a fresh new Orson Scott Card work and immerse oneself in it. If you hadn't beaten me to it, Jay, I would have made a thread like this.
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Huh.... The personalized link is gone. And here I was going to get everyone on my Christmas list that. Dang.... now what am I going to do.
Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I think the adults are very smart as well...but I'd say at least the best of the kids are smarter than the adults.
And judging from the Polish boy, it seems that they have only been really looking for the "commander" since Ender's dad was a boy. The people running the school were already in service then.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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From what I got about the socks is there were very few of them which is why they had to be traded back and forth so much, so while I don't think they wore socks maybe they found some later.....maybe they stole some from the grown ups......ever try stealing from Marines before?.....
I noticed a few other inconsistencies but for the most part I like them as it makes me use my imagination more to try to work out how to make things fit.....for the most part charecter point of view can solve most of them.
Edit: On a side note I'm now intreasted in what happened to Zeck when he finnally goes home.....What will the condition of his family be and how will they respond to each other.
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"And judging from the Polish boy, it seems that they have only been really looking for the "commander" since Ender's dad was a boy. The people running the school were already in service then."
That's what I'm saying. In thirty years presumably most of the older teachers would have retired and new ones would have to have been brought in. It would make sense to hire them from among former hopefuls or at least intelligent people who had caught their eye (eyes?).
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I just started reading First Meetings and it seems like Graff's been around forever. If Rackam (sp?) could be kept around for Andrew to talk with, isn't it plausible that any teacher could age 'differently'? Also - what did spending years in the battle school do to how students age? What I mean is - does two years equal two years or...?
edit: oh - ps - War of Gifts IS fantastic! : )
Posts: 1355 | Registered: Jul 2006
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Time dilation is an effect of travelling at near light speeds, not just being in space. Kids and teachers in battleshool would age like anyone else.
Posts: 1569 | Registered: Dec 2004
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The effect being in space has on height, however, is much more noticeable. Astronauts grow an average of two inches after being in space after the spine pressure is relieved in the null gravity.
I'm not sure whether I remember correctly, but if the Staff's offices are on the higher, low-G levels...
Anyway, Graff must have been a very young man when John Paul was tested. But a couple hundred years in the future (can't be 2070 anymore; China hasn't been scoured) , who knows what the average human lifespan is? And on a second note, military generals sometimes serve a long time once they get in a position that doesn't require the physical fitness of a strapping fresh recruit.
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quote:Originally posted by C3PO the Dragon Slayer: (can't be 2070 anymore; China hasn't been scoured)
Actually 2070 never worked. In "Xenocide" Val mentioned living on Earth in the 22nd century, and in SotH Bean mentions that the American civil war (which was in the 1860s)happened 300 years ago. So I always figured that 2170 makes more sense.
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Picked this up at the airport last week for some flight time reading. Great little story, but then Card never disappoints.
Posts: 326 | Registered: Apr 2005
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So... If this book sells well and is generally well received, I wonder if it might prompt the faster release of "Shadows in Flight" and/or "Ender in Exile". I don't mean to sound impatient, but it's been nearly 3 years since SotG, and there's been no news since then.
Posts: 1569 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Well, let's not forget that Scott is extremely busy with all that he does. Not only with the books he writes but the plays, classes, two different articles, IGMS short stories, and who knows what else I'm missing. When you look under the works in progress under his bibliography you can see that "The Lost Gate" looks like next years project.
Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Jay, cheers buddy for starting the thread. I just finished War of Gifts a couple days ago, and I can't stop thinking about it.
Sadly I've only read Eg, SftD and Ender's Shadow. I was really young when I got introduced to the enderverse, 10 or 12, and I got around a quarter ways through xenocide, but I don't think I was old enough to fully appreciate it. You definitely need some comprehensive mental maturity to value OSC's imagination to the utmost.
But now after having read Gifts, which is awesome and lives up to all expectation, I'm re-reading Ender's Game for the billionth time and I'm going to go all the way to Shadow of the Giant. If you haven't read Gifts, you best be on your way out the door, right about...now
and...are the issues on IGMS worth it?
Posts: 10 | Registered: Nov 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Ender's Brother: You definitely need some comprehensive mental maturity to value OSC's imagination to the utmost.
I get the feeling that OSC's imagination is the source of my comprehensive mental maturity. It pointed me in the right direction of empathy and humility when I first read Ender's Game at an early age. I still tremble at the monster I fear I could have became if Card didn't slap me in the face and tell me to wake up and identify with someone other than myself.
Posts: 1029 | Registered: Apr 2007
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too true, too true. I like your take on the issue C3P0, though i don't know about your name...just joking
yeah ender's game had a pretty profound effect on me as well. I still think that it has something that all the rest don't have. The other books might be just as well-written or have deeper philosophical issues being discussed, but Ender's Game has some x-factor, that brings me back again and again...and again.
C3P0, I didn't mean that I needed a mental maturity to read or understand EG, i meant it for SftD and onwards. There are some fairly heavy ideas being looked at in those books and I just don't think that an average 12 year old, ie younger me, could have fully understood them.
Maybe it's the simplicity of ender's game that I like. Don't get me the wrong, I don't think that ender's game is simple, but OSC has the ability to take a complex idea and smooth it out so that it is easily understandable and can be read without so much as a hiccup. This is shown really well in 'a war of gifts'. Don't you think?
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As to IGMS, I've felt that each issue was well worth my $2.50. The OSC story would be worth that to me but in each issue there is at least one or two more stories that appealed to me. (not saying the others are not as good only that certain stories strike me more than others)
Give the first issue a read and I think you'll be hooked.
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I just received my copy from Amazon and it fell in the snow as I got out of the car. I want to cry....
Posts: 40 | Registered: Jun 2006
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I just read it and thoroughly enjoyed Zeck as a character.
As to the question of the teachers at Battle School: In ES, didn't Bean write an essay about how the Battle School teachers were chosen based on what makes a man stand out in the military--to him, a good salute and shiny buttons? He claimed they weren't there on nearly the same merits the children were.
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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I got it as a Sinterklaas gift, including poem (I'm dutch), on december 5th. Loved the book. My husband didn't realise how appropiate the gift was. He just saw that it was a new book by OSC and thought he would surprise me with it.
Posts: 7 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Catseye1979: Edit: On a side note I'm now intreasted in what happened to Zeck when he finnally goes home.....What will the condition of his family be and how will they respond to each other.
Same! I just got War of Gifts today for Christmas and I'm really interested in what happens to Zeck. Unfortunately, I think it will be a long time before OSC has time to write a new book about him (if he's even motivated to do so). Maybe Zeck could pop up in the next book in the Bean series but by then he would have already grown up.
Posts: 1327 | Registered: Aug 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Iarn Greiper: Oh, this is a weird thing I noticed. In the book, there's a lot of talk about socks. However, in ender's game, I believe Ender told one character something about keeping farts in socks, and the response was something about not having socks. I know it's a minor inconsistency, but it is one nonetheless.
Yep, good catch! I didn't remember that at all. The EG conversation does take place pre-WoG, too. Maybe launchies don't wear socks.
quote:Ender's Game, Starscape pb on pg. 60 "I want to see your fart collection," Alai said. "I stored it in your locker. Didn't you notice?" "I thought it was my socks." "We don't wear socks anymore." "Oh yeah." A reminder that they were both far from home. It took some of the fun out of having mastered a bit of navigation.
I really enjoyed this book. Zeck was a great new character, and reading his self-realization at the end was fascinating. Two thumbs up!
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Just finished. Great story. I wish I knew a real-life Ender. He'd be a great friend, and great to play games with.
Posts: 1314 | Registered: Jan 2006
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I was excited to read this book, but found myself a little disappointed after reading it. It was a fine story, but felt to me like a good piece of fan fiction. Funny think is, I don't know if I would have liked this story better or worse had it stood alone completely and didn't include any of the ENDER characters. On one hand It was fun to see them in a different context from the other books, but on the other, It seemed like they were only shadows (pardon the pun) of their well developed characters in the other books.
Posts: 104 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I too was a little disappointed after reading the book. It was a little too short for me to really get into it. I loved Zeck and I enjoyed having a new story with my two fav. EG characters , Ender and Dink, but it was only a small taste that didnt satisfy my hunger, but rather only reminded me of what i was missing.
I loved the story but was left wanting more. I hope that OSC will find time to write a full novel with Dink or Zeck or just another battle school book period.
With all that said it is a decent short story and is worth the hour it will take to read.
Posts: 86 | Registered: Jun 2005
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this is an awsome book, but I don't recomend reading it durring breaks at work, or any other place with a time limit, you just wont be on time
Posts: 2332 | Registered: Jul 2003
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If you went into reading it expecting it to BE a novel, you will be dissappointed. It wasn't a novel, it was a short story, and thus character development was somewhat limitted. I think that's why placing it in battleschool worked so well. He didn't have to develop Ender or Dink because we already know both of them. For a short story, it was very good... I've never seen a piece of FanFic that didn't seem quite corny to me.
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I think it has officially topped my "greatest gifts EVER" chart. 
