Outside A Dog

I’m a huge fan of science fiction.  I can’t say why, for certain.  I think it has a lot to do with escapism.  Fantasy and sci-fi are great when you need a break from real life and want to be absorbed into an alternate reality.

I fell in love with Ender’s Game around the time when I was about 12 or 13. It was my first exposure to the sci-fi genre and to this day remains a personal favorite.

Ender’s Game tells the story of a young ‘third’ who gets the fate of the human race put on his shoulders.  In a future Earth that is vastly overpopulated, only two children are allowed per couple.  Except in rare cases where a third is requisitioned by the government.  Ender is one such child who is bred because the unique combination of his parents’ genes produces exceptional talent.

His older brother Peter, who he fears and hates, is too cruel.  His sister Valentine, who he loves more than anything, is too mild.  So Ender was born with the hope that he will be the perfect blend of his two siblings.  He does not disappoint.  Since he is a third, he is ridiculed by others, and treated with contempt by his brother, who is jealous of him.

He joins the battle school, where future military leaders are trained to command the fleets.  At first treated with contempt and jealousy, he quickly earns the respect and admiration of his peers in his quest to become commander of the fleet which must face the ‘buggers’, a race of insectoids hell-bent on destryoing humanity.

I’ve read this book multiple times over the years, and it never fails to move me.  Yes, it may be sci-fi, but it also sheds some light on the human character under incredible pressure.  Give it a read!