What are you reading? [March 2017]

[Ralif Redhammer]

They’re quick reads. I’d also say there’s a strong influence from Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun series as well.

Thanks for reminding me of these. I picked up Sorcerer because some reviewer said it read like Samuel Delenay + hip-hop. Then, of course, it went on the (virtual) pile of books I didn't get around to reading.

 

[Kramodlog]

Through the eyes of the main character.

It doesn't outweight the rest. Especially with him presented as not responsable for the genocide.

(And his actions in the later books.)

Except if you only read Ender's Game, you do not get that info. As a self-contained novel it doesn't repudiate genocide. It presents the end justifying the means.

Say you were reading generic cliched fantasy, and at the end of book 1 the "evil empire" had gained a lot of power because of their genocidal killing of the humans. You wouldn't take that as an endorsement of genocide.

Don't think Ender is on the side of the military - he's been their unwitting and tricked pawn. The powers-that-be that have been lying to the people of Earth to keep themselves in power are the villains. Just because the "evil empire" puts on a trial and finds themselves not guilty of war crimes does not make it so.

Except humanity isn't an evil empire in Ender's Game. That is the biggest issue with Ender's Game. The road to genocide is presented with a lot of nuance. Plus the military is tried not by itself.

 

[Blue]

Except humanity isn't an evil empire in Ender's Game. That is the biggest issue with Ender's Game. The road to genocide is presented with a lot of nuance. Plus the military is tried not by itself.

Ah, there's an issue. Agreed that "humanity" is not the evil empire - humanity as a whole is just as much tricked as Ender. The powers that rule them were actively spreading the lie that the bugs were going to attack and that's how they kept their precarious authority. It's referenced multiple times in the book. Those leaders are the evil empire, presiding over a populous enslaved by lies instead of force.

That's part of what the whole sub-plot about his siblings is, their fight to educate and lead the masses. They didn't understand the lie either, but they could see things were not right.

 

[Mallus]

How is genocide repudiated in this novel?

Well, admittedly, the book doesn't end with a long epilogue chapter titled "Genocide is Really, Really, Bad, Mmmkay?" However...

The end of the novel is hardly celebratory. Ender is forced into exile, his sadistic Battle School washout brother becomes Hegemon of Earth (while also losing the only moderating influence, their sister Valentine who leaves Earth to travel with Ender), Ender does start a new secular religion, whose success destroys his war-hero status.

The best thing that happens is Ender discovers the Buggers aren't all dead. He finds a Hive Queen egg, learns to communicate with the Buggers, and they immediately realize the war was a tragic mistake borne of misunderstanding & the difficulties of inter-species communication.

Ender is literally forgiven by the species he killed.

Technically true, but a bit misleading. The Buggers *started* the conflict by quasi-invading our solar system. At that point they didn't think we were a self-conscious & intelligent species. And they didn't understand individual consciousness at all. On top of that, the Buggers were far more technically advanced - humanity reverse-engineers the key technologies that make the International Fleet, ansible, and (I believe?) the MD Device possible.

So yeah, Ender is forgiven, but the Buggers started it & regret their badly-handled (mandibled?) first contact.

Everyone says he isn't responsable for the genocide. That he was tricked into it.

He was tricked into it. That's objective true in the book.

Humans celebrate Ender.

Until "The Hive Queen" is published. After that, he becomes "Ender the Xenocide", a loathed historical figure.

Ender isn't scarred physically or psychologically.

Don't think this is supported by the text. Doesn't Ender go into shock for days after learning he used a real MD Device on the real Bugger home planet? He's clearly traumatized, and after he finds the Hive Queen egg, he devotes the rest of his life to helping bring back their species.

How is genocide repudiated in this novel?

How isn't it? The war & attempted xenocide are ultimately a tragedy and the values the books promotes most strongly are understanding and compassion, even among dramatically different forms of life (who were former enemies).

 

[Richards]

I just started up Laura Joh Rowland's The Snow Mistress, one of the Sano Ichiro series novels about a samurai in 1699 Japan. This one deals with the kidnapping of his 8-year-old son, Masahiro.

Johnathan

 

[Kramodlog]

Well, admittedly, the book doesn't end with a long epilogue chapter titled "Genocide is Really, Really, Bad, Mmmkay?" However...

It doesn't say "genocide is doubleplusgood" either. It is all in the subtext.

The end of the novel is hardly celebratory.

True, but I did say it was nuance.

Ender is forced into exile,

Exept he didn't really like anyone on Earth except his sister and she comes with him. He is celibrated by most of humanity. He was indirectly found not guilty of genocide. He becomes a governor and then a judge of the new colony.

his sadistic Battle School washout brother becomes Hegemon of Earth (while also losing the only moderating influence, their sister Valentine who leaves Earth to travel with Ender),

I'm not sure this as anything to do with genocide being poopie or doubleplusgood.

Ender does start a new secular religion, whose success destroys his war-hero status.

I do not remember that it did.

The best thing that happens is Ender discovers the Buggers aren't all dead. He finds a Hive Queen egg, learns to communicate with the Buggers,

That is the most problematic piece of the novel. It makes the genocide "less bad". Less of a genocide. They even forgive him. It is the washing of Ender's sins. It is a feel good ending (as much as it can be in that sort of novel).

It made me think of Ender's mom citing the Bible in the novel. She talks about Jesus and how he comes to save humanity of it's sins and how he also comes with a sword. That is Ender right there.

and they immediately realize the war was a tragic mistake borne of misunderstanding & the difficulties of inter-species communication.

He already knew that. When he goes to Eros and Rackham shows him the vids of the Formics killing people there Ender realize they didn't undertand that humans were intelligent beings. He continued on with his training to kill the Formics.

Technically true, but a bit misleading. The Buggers *started* the conflict by quasi-invading our solar system. At that point they didn't think we were a self-conscious & intelligent species. And they didn't understand individual consciousness at all. On top of that, the Buggers were far more technically advanced - humanity reverse-engineers the key technologies that make the International Fleet, ansible, and (I believe?) the MD Device possible.

So yeah, Ender is forgiven, but the Buggers started it & regret their badly-handled (mandibled?) first contact.

And boom. the end justidy the means. It is just all self-defense.

He was tricked into it. That's objective true in the book.

That makes his actions less bad? In the book, and you just said so above, that not knowing isn't a excuse. The Formics' ignorance is not an excuse, but Ender's is?

Until "The Hive Queen" is published. After that, he becomes "Ender the Xenocide", a loathed historical figure.

I'm talking about the message contained in Ender's Game.

Don't think this is supported by the text. Doesn't Ender go into shock for days after learning he used a real MD Device on the real Bugger home planet?

I think your thinking of the movie. It isn't clear what happens to him in the book. He goes to sleep and later gets medical attention. He was exhausted and stressed out, but it isn't explained clearly what happens to him.

He seems pretty well after that. Regretful, certainly. Suffering from PTSD? Not so sure. Ender is a portrayed as a ubermensch in the book. He seems super resilient. Graff says he'll get over it.

He's clearly traumatized, and after he finds the Hive Queen egg, he devotes the rest of his life to helping bring back their species.

Not in the novel.

How isn't it? The war & attempted xenocide are ultimately a tragedy and the values the books promotes most strongly are understanding and compassion, even among dramatically different forms of life (who were former enemies).

Is it a tragedy? It all seems to go great for humanity thanks to the genocide. And all the protagonists and antagonists of the novels. Even the Formics aren't really exterminated.