Ender is a Third. The third child in a family in a world where only two children are allowed. He lives on an earth which is populated beyond capacity and friction is stirring the planet and its countries into a state of unimaginable tension. Yet for now they are united, however tenatively, against a force which has captured all of humanity's fear. The Buggers are a insect-like race that once launched an attack on planet Earth, and were closely fended off. Everyone lives in terror of the day when they return to try again to take our home. Ender, being a brilliant young child, is sent to Earth's Battle School in outer space, to learn to one day take down the Buggers should they ever choose to launch a second attack.

Ender's Game is in many different ways, a very brutal novel. Ender is a genius and is discriminated against by his classmates. He is also a child and is treated as such by the adults in his life, in spite of his brilliance. His sympathetic sister, Valentine, is separated from him at the very beginning, leaving him feeling very alone. When Orson Scott Card needs to display something - emotion, pain, or violence - he pulls no punches. Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy also requires a different way of thinking - with unrealistic scenarios, you need to think of ways to make things work. In Ender's Game, you can see this talent in action. However, do not be misled by it's "Young Adult" categorization. I definately mean "Young Adult" with this one, the content is definately too heavy for anyone younger than at least 13. These are books that while the main character is a child, you need to be developed in mind to catch most of the material.

While each piece written in this series by genius Orson Scott Card is deeply fascinating, Ender's Game can be read alone. However if you choose to pick up the rest of the series, don't expect to stop. This is one of my favorite series of all time, in any section, and I have yet to find another that holds a candle to this one.