[HPFGU-OTChatter] SPOILER: Ender's Game

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

Do NOT read this post if you haven't yet read Ender's Game by Orson 
Scott Card.

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Consider yourself fairly warned.

I read Ender's Game last night (got it in the mail at mid-afternoon, 
but was unable to start it until the evening because of work *frowns*). 
  The first thing I have to say: I *loved* this book.  I've read a 
couple of books by Card before, and they were all engaging and 
entertaining, but Ender's Game is in an entirely different class, IMO.

Regrettably, I guessed the game quite early on, which was really, 
really unfortunate, because now I will never be able to experience it 
on the level of not-knowing.  However, I was happy to find that story 
was strong enough to be deeply satisfying even when one knows the 
"twist".  Kudos to Card for that -- too many writers who have a good 
twist rely on it too heavily to "make" their story (the Sixth Sense is 
a well-known example of this).

I really only have two major criticisms of the book, the first being 
the way in which the ending was written.  Just when I wanted to be 
inside Ender's head the most, to find out just how damaged he was and 
whether he could be healed and how he was going to cope -- at that very 
point, suddenly Card takes us completely *out* of his head, out of the 
human story, and sweeps up all his loose ends so fast and at such a 
*distance* it made my head spin.  NOT a satisfying ending.  I'm hoping 
that the sequels will remedy this problem.

My other criticism is something I almost feel too sheepish to bring up, 
but here goes anyway.  See, often much is made of the way girls 
gravitate towards fantasy, while boys supposedly prefer science 
fiction.  My theory on this is that both genres offer an appealing 
suspense of RL rules -- magic/technology/genetic 
manipulation/whathaveyou can make children as powerful and as dangerous 
as adults, can allow a hero to succeed where armies have failed, etc.  
Yet, in science fiction (and much less so in fantasy), these "special 
rules" almost never apply to girls.  Even though the author has created 
a world in which there is no reason why girls should still be 
second-class fighters and thinkers, they almost always are, sometimes 
to an even greater extent than in RL.

In Ender's Game, Card argues that females has "too many years of 
evolution working against them" (that's a paraphrase, I haven't got the 
book with me).  However, what do his kids really do that a girl would 
be naturally less equipped to handle?  The only training the "soldiers" 
undergo in which physical strength might be an advantage is the Battle 
Room, but they graduate onto strictly non-physical training before 
puberty begins -- before the boys develop any appreciable physical 
advantage.

So what is Card saying, exactly, when he says that evolution is working 
against girls to make them less capable soldiers?  The only thing he 
*can* be saying, given the framework of the story, is that girls are 
*mentally* inferior when it comes to strategizing, commanding, 
attacking, holding up under pressure, etc.  Indeed, Ender's only female 
"toon leader", despite the fact that she is one of the better fighters, 
is still the only one of his kids to "break" under the stress.  
Typical.  Girls aren't just lacking in physical strength -- they're 
also mentally weaker.  Right.

On some level this bothers me quite a lot, but on others I can see that 
as sexism goes (especially as sexism in science fiction goes), it's 
pretty inoffensive.  It's not even enough to cut into my enjoyment of 
the book in and of itself.  However, the fact is, I *notice* it, 
whether I want to or not, and the mere act of noticing jolts me 
momentarily out of the story, so that even the most banal, passive 
sexism is going to seem like a major flaw in the book to me.

*steps off soapbox*

My only other regret for this book is that I did not discover it when I 
was younger.  I think I could have "used" it a lot while I was in grade 
school and during the first two years of high school.  I wish I had it 
even more than I wish I had Harry -- I think I love Harry best, but I 
identify more with Ender (that is *not* to say that I don't love Ender 
or identify with Harry).

Laura

P.S. Obviously, I have not yet had a chance to get my paws on any of 
the Ender sequels.  If anyone feels like replying to this post, please 
remember this and give appropriate spoiler warnings.