Question about "Ender's Game" book series(s)(?) (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

[Christopher]

Allyn Gibson wrote:

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Among people I know, opinion is pretty evenly split on whether Ender's Game or Speaker for the Dead is the best book in the series.

Personally, I prefer Speaker to Ender's Game.

Well, it's been a long time since I read them. Maybe I was going by my overall impression of the trilogy. But now that I think about it, maybe I do remember Speaker being pretty impressive, and stronger than the other two. I keep meaning to re-read them....

[Star Wolf]

I think it worked better as the short story published in Analog. In comparison the novel seemed bloated as the story was told without the extra bulk.

[spot_loves_data]

Steve Mollmann wrote:

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I liked Shadow a lot, but I found that each sequel was worse than the one before, and they got awful super-fast.

I thought the same. I liked Ender's Game enough to pick up a couple of his fantasy books, and they weren't worth reading. But then again, I'm not really a fan of fantasy.

[Steve Mollmann]

On the other hand, I remember Card's Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus as being amazing.

[Scout101]

Yeah, Pastwatch was great, IMO. People are just jumping to bash Card's work because of Card himself. Certainly not a pleasant person, based on his viewpoints he rants about, but as a writer, he's put out some good stuff...

[RoJoHen]

I've never really bothered to learn more about OSC as a person. From random things I've read on here, he seems like a dick. But I'm not reading his books for him; I'm reading them for the stories, so as long as he's not some evil Nazi monster, I have no problem buying his books.

[The Wormhole]

To be honest, up until this thread, I knew nothing about Card himself. In fact, I only read Ender's Game about a month ago primarily because I had time to kill and I noticed it laying around the house. And while it was an okay book and I do plan on checking out the movie, I'm not sure if I'll continue reading the series. The book was okay, but not enthralling.

[RoJoHen]

Well, Ender's Game is now often found in the "young adult" section of book stores. I read it when I was 14 and thought it was pretty much the best book I'd ever read. I have no idea how well it would stack up now. However, bizarrely enough, it is now a book they teach in high school English classes.

[Scout101]

It's a good one, but definitely more 'young adult' than the rest (although a tad violent for that grouping). Speaker is definitely a more 'adult' continuation

[RoJoHen]

Scout101 wrote:

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(although a tad violent for that grouping).

This was exactly why it surprised me the first time I saw it in the Young Adult section with new cartoony cover art. I read it when I was 14, and I wasn't scarred for life or anything, so I guess it works. It just seemed odd.

[The Wormhole]

Scout101 wrote:

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It's a good one, but definitely more 'young adult' than the rest (although a tad violent for that grouping). Speaker is definitely a more 'adult' continuation

Interestingly enough, my local book store claims Speaker for the Dead is appropriate for readers aged 13-17.

[RoJoHen]

Perhaps I've just gotten so used to kids being stupid these days that I forget that they actually have the capacity to handle more mature content.

[Sindatur]

RoJoHen wrote:

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Perhaps I've just gotten so used to kids being stupid these days that I forget that they actually have the capacity to handle more mature content.

Yea, when I started The Wicked Series, I went to Gregory MacGuire's official board, and was shocked to see how many kids were 8-12 when they started the series. 12 years old, I think is fine for a parent to allow their child, who they know can handle it, but, no matter how mature my child was for his/her age, I don't think I would allow reading the Series before age 12. For a more general age, I'd say not appropriate for under 14, without Parental permission

[Scout101]

Not that I don't think they can handle it, just seemed that Ender's Game was pretty adult for a teen book. At least at the time. Now that The Hunger Games is touching similar topics, I guess Ender beating kids to death isn't as stand-out. Then again, Lord of the Flies handled it just fine, so maybe not so new a thing...

Speaker, while perfectly capable as a teen book, just felt more adult. The characters are now adults, adultry is a big part of what went on to set it up, the whole book's struggle felt more grown up. I read the whole series for the first time in the 5th or 6th grade, so it works fine, just my impression I guess. Nothing that FORCES an adult reading level, just better understood as an adult (or just not teenager) level I feel.

[Allyn Gibson]

Sindatur wrote:

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When I started The Wicked Series, I went to Gregory MacGuire's official board, and was shocked to see how many kids were 8-12 when they started the series. 12 years old, I think is fine for a parent to allow their child, who they know can handle it, but, no matter how mature my child was for his/her age, I don't think I would allow reading the Series before age 12. For a more general age, I'd say not appropriate for under 14, without Parental permission

I read The Martian Chronicles and The Silmarillion before I was eight. I read Huck Finn when I was eight; I remember that my mom had to give permission for me to check out Huck Finn from the library. Kids can handle a lot more than people realize.