Ender's Game

[Alluveal]

I just finished reading this. Awesome book! I can't wait to read the others.

I also read that Orson Scott Card is working with Wolfgang Peterson (director) has shown interest for a long time to direct. They're apparently shopping for a studio because Card is very adamant about how he wants the script to go. I imagine he doesn't want someone like Jerry Suckheimer or Michael Bay to taint it with their greedy, ass-clown hands.

[Harlowe]

Awesome, I'll have to pick this one up! I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy and it was a fucking kickass book. This is my favorite McCarthy book to date I think. I couldn't put it down and I loved every minute of it.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Ender's Game is a must-read for any person who likes sci-fi. It ranks (for me, as well as a lot of other sci-fi readers) in the top ten of all time sci-fi novels.

That being said, Orson got a little full of himself after that. All the novels that link back to Ender's Game are, in my opinion, sub-par.

[Bastards Last Stand]

Awesome, I'll have to pick this one up! I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy and it was a fucking kickass book. This is my favorite McCarthy book to date I think. I couldn't put it down and I loved every minute of it.

I wrote a few papers on The Road my last semester of school and am with you on being his best book so far. There's a movie in production right now that's based on the novel with Viggo Mortensen playing the father. As much as I'd love to see it happen, I doubt they'll do as well with it as the Coen brothers did with No Country For Old Men.

Looking forward to an eventual Ender's Game movie. I'd hate to see them screw it up.

[Alluveal]

I've heard that "Ender's Shadow" is a really good one (it's about Bean, right?)

I still plan to read the rest, Embar. I really enjoyed the first one. It was so tragic yet so well done. If I ever get my dream and teach a lit-class based entirely in sci-fi, that'll definitely be on the list. It brings up so many questions about war--without having it crammed down your throat.

And it's amazing that the story (written in 1977) really had some technology foresight that we are into today (i.e. "desks"/laptops, etc.)

I also have a feeling that this story influenced a lot of other sci-fi. For examples, the Buggers reminded me of The Borg from Star Trek in a sense (though w/o ruining the ending, less uh.. sinister.)

Ender, God, you just want to hug him, but man he kicks ass. That last battle, you just got chills.

I'd love to see this in movie form, but I have no idea how they'd pull it off considering the ending.

[Klast Brell]

I'm reading Shadow Of the Hegemon right now. I've been reading my way through the whole series. After Enders game the next 3 books (Speaker for the dead Xenoncide and Children of the Mind) form a single story. And it's not nearly as action oriented as enders game was. That's not to say that they are not as good. Just that they are sufficiently different from enders game that if you are looking for more of the same you will be disappointed. Enders shadow is a return to the more action oriented writing in Enders Game.
I made the mistake of reading the authors entry in wikipedia. For such a talented writer he is a total loon.

[Select]

If I ever get my dream and teach a lit-class based entirely in sci-fi, that'll definitely be on the list.

We have one here. Come to Savannah, Allu

[Klast Brell]

I read something Card wrote about the possibility of a movie. He says the main problem is the character is mostly defined by what he thinks instead of what he says. to put in that much voice overs in a movie with that many children in the main roles would make it in to a sci fi version of "the wonder years". Plus the movie studios want to change it to have broader appeal.

[Rsak]

The script has had a large number of rewrites and the last word is that it will be a brother/buddy movie between Ender and Bean. So far its still planned.

http://www.taleswapper.net/movies/ender ... pdate.html

A bit of history on Ender's Game.

Battle Room was originally a short story in Analog in 1977. It was expanded because he wanted to write the Speaker of the Dead series and without the background it just didn't work. So instead of releasing Speaker of the Dead first he released Ender's Game.

The next three novels are a single story about how he comes to peace with himself, his past, and his place in the galaxy.

He later release Ender's Shadow which was the story of Bean set at the time of Ender's Game. The novels came out after that followed Bean's actions on Earth and Peter Wiggin.

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Honestly Ender's Game is one of the best novels out there. The Speaker for the Dead novels are just as good, but for character reasons rather then just being a smart novel.

The Ender's Shadow was interesting, but not necesssary. The follow on books were more speculation of the near future and what kind of wars will be fought, where, and between whom.

The movie is still likely a long time off, but it has just recently been marked as in pre-production in Jan 08. Casting still hasn't been done.

[Rsak]

Well now Peterson is out for Director of the movie: http://io9.com/381714/wolfgang-peterson-off-enders-game

Who knows what will happen now whether it will speed things up or slow them down again.

[Harlowe]

Well I'm loving this series, I'm on Shadow Puppets now. I kind of wish I hadn't read various interviews and articles on Orson Scott Card, he's kind of a major dick and fucking loony.

[Alluveal]

Writers are an odd bunch in general. I haven't read any of his interviews, but I've read some of his "how to write" books and they're ok for craft-books.

[Harlowe]

I've only read a few of his interviews, my take was that he's definitely a homophobe and a general ass.

[Alluveal]

Haha, interesting about the homophobe part considering the bathroom scene near the end of Ender's with young, naked boys fighting.

I've met a few authors who are asses, but their work is undeniable. Not all can be cool like Stephen King (who I met once in person and who seems to be a really genuinely good person.) I talked to him for a good 15 minutes on the "death" of the American short story and was utterly amazed at how much he consumes (reading-wise) as a writer. I thought I read a lot, but this guy is a maniac.

I once heard that all writers have to be egotistical, that the thought of someone else actually wanting to read your work is a completely arrogant thought and sentiment. Maybe Card just got an extra helping of it.

[Rsak]

He is a mormon so take that how you want as either a nutjob or not (might be the cause of the homophobe part).

Past that I think he is pretty reasonable.. You can look at his "Review everything" articles on his website that range from American Idol talk, board games, Home town info, etc.. I don't agree with everything he thinks but he is not as loony as quite a few people out there. He is a democrat who dislikes the current crop and strong supporter of the War on Terror/Iraq. So basically his views means he can piss off anyone but the issue depends on their leanings.

I am not specifically defending him, since I can understand where some of the comments come from, but I do respect him on his success and on the issues I do agree with. The comments on fantastical writing (scifi/fantasy) and the disdain it receives in the "Ivory tower" style writing that is taught for the last 50-60 years I thought was very explained. How LoTR and Narnia were the last crop of good fantastical writing that came out until the revival with the D&D ages of the 70s and 80s.

[Ddrak]

And on the shower scene being homo-erotic (or whatever)... uh, no. Anyone familiar with any sort of military or even boarding school style male communal showers would know that they are about the least homo-erotic places you can get.

Dd

[Harlowe]

Hah that was awesome Ddrak. Speaking of OSC favorites in the Ender series - I think Ender's Game is still my favorite, but Speaker for the Dead is a close second, then onto the Shadow books, Xenocide was good but one of my least favorites.

I just started Shadow of the Giant yesterday. I'm sort of bummed I'm running out of Ender books.

[Rsak]

Its not enderverse.. but his Enchantment and Pastwatch:Redemption of Christopher Columbus are both good novels. The first being fantasy and the second more scifi. He has some other series, but they don't really compare to Ender in my opinion.