Ender's Game: Is OSC mentally ill, brilliantly cynical, a religious fanatic, or what?

Question

I just read the book and I'd love to hear what people have to say. Here are a few questions, in addition to the main one. Answer as many or as few as you like or just say whatever you want to about either the book or the author.

In light of the controversy about Card being homophoblic do you find it interesting that the enemy race is referred to as "buggers" throughout? What do you make of Ender trying to save them in the end? Messiah complex, or what?

What do you think of the two female characters? Valentine (!) as the little mama and Petra as the only tough girl who, naturally, washes out.

Am I the only person who sees a cultlike religious subtext in this book?

Am I nuts or is it terribly overrated in both writing and concept?

If you've read "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay which precocious six year old would you vote for? ( Peekay, Peekay, Peekay! Onoshobishobi Ingelosi! Or maybe that's just me ...)

Tell me anything you can about your experience with this book. Quick before Y!A goes down! Or ... slowly, once it's finally back up.

Thanks!

? · Accepted Answer

I'd really like to answer all of your questions in this question...but I can't. I haven't read Ender's Game because it just doesn't sound like my thing. Eh...even if it was my thing, or one of my things, I don't think I'll be taking a look at it. This brings me to what I wanted to say, and that is: I hate when authors write books and make their characters preach to us their views in a blatant way. I don't mind if an author uses a book to put across their opinions/views, but I don't want to *know* it's happening. 

*sigh* I tend to avoid reading books that have to do with people's political and/or religious views just because everyone has a strong opinion about those things--including myself, of course--and I don't want to feel as if someone's pushing their views down my throat, as I so often feel when reading books that have to do with those things. I also find that a lot of bashing goes on in them. When people write books like these, it seems as if their only mission is to prove the other side is wrong, and well...don't we know things can get pretty messy pretty quickly when that happens. It also detracts from what might otherwise be a good story. 

I hope I made sense. Great question, by the way.

oruboris · Answer

Card is a brilliant writer and a devout Mormon. He frequently uses his books to further his theological agenda, including homophobia.

While I enjoyed Ender [and liked Ender's Shadow even more], some of his work is so heavy handed in it's Mormonism that I found them nearly unreadable.

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Ender's Game: Is OSC mentally ill, brilliantly cynical, a religious fanatic, or what?

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