Book Club: Ender's Game

I've always heard Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card touted as a modern classic and a must-read for all youths and adults who love sci-fi or reading in general. Needless to say, I've always wanted to read it, but I've just never made the time. Since it was the book club selection for this month, however, I made the time to read it, and I'm so happy I did! The story is centered around a young, gifted boy (six-years-old at the beginning of the book), Andrew (or "Ender" as his brother nicknames him). It is set in the future, and there are many societal rules (laws against over-population or religious practice of any kind, for example) that do not exist in today's society. The primary goal of children in this altered world is to become great commanders in the war against the "buggers"--aliens who have attacked Earth and been beaten back twice before the book's storyline. Ender is one of the young geniuses chosen to attend Battle School, and as his prospects become more and more promising, his life and his goals become more and more difficult and indecipherable.

(taken from Photobucket;

uploaded by bandgk424)

First Impression: This book starts out strong. Card has a really good feel for how these children might think and feel. They understand a lot about what is going on and how the adults are lying to them, but they don't quite know why they are being manipulated. I'm enjoying this so far.

Conclusion: Ender's Game is fantastic! Card lays out the similarities and differences of his world through the experiences of his characters rather than blanket description, so the reader can understand what is happening and feels like part of that world. All of the characters are very complex and well-developed, especially Ender. I'm afraid of giving away any details in case I'll ruin part of the book for another reader, but suffice it to say that this book is thrilling and every step of the story is unexpected. It completely took my breath away. Card has apparently written some other storylines with some of the characters from this book, and I will definitely be reading those. Apparently a movie version of this is being made soon as well, so I'll be interested to see how that will turn out:

(taken from Photobucket; uploaded by kwamie42)

kwamie42

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I'm Back!

Okay, I know it's been about a month and a half since I updated, but let me make a couple of quick apologies and promises for the future, and then we'll act like this never happened. First, the apologies: my son turned 1 1/2 (not technically a birthday but significant all the same) and I got a promotion (finally full-time at my beloved book store)! I think you'll agree that these are celebratory events, but I still miss you all, and I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. Now for the promises: I have a couple of new ideas brewing for the blog, including some cosmetic and functional changes, my planned North and South Book Talks, something with tea and poetry, and...drumroll, please...giveaways! I've decided to wrap-up the year-long bicentenary celebration of Pride and Prejudice with some Austen and P&P-related giveaways in the next couple of months. This will be a first for Reading in the Dark, and it's very exciting! So stay posted for all of that! Don't forget to follow my blog for regular updates and make any suggestions in the comment field for improvements! Thanks for reading with me!