Monday, November 18, 2013

Review - Ender's Game and Philosophy: Genocide Is Child's Play

Ender's Game and Philosophy: A Genocide Is Child's Play
Popular Culture and Philosophy (Book 80)
Edited By: D.E. Wittkower & Lucinda Rush
Publisher: Open Court
Pub. Date: September 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0812698343
Pages: 288

Review:

Ender's Game has been enchanting science fiction fans ever since it was first released in 1985, followed by several sequels, novellas and short stories. With this recent release of the big-budget feature film of Ender's Game starring Harrison Ford, there have been a few tie-ins books being released including Ender's Game and Philosophy: A Genocide Is Child's Play.

I'm not the biggest science fiction reader, but I do recall reading the original Ender's Game back in the late '90s. Despite some controversy over the author's beliefs, Ender's Game has been considered one of the greats works in science fiction ever published and is loved many fans worldwide.

Ender's Game and Philosophy: A Genocide Is Child's Play features twenty-five essays written by actual professors and PhD's, which each essay goes into the about the philosophy factors of warfare. If you have read the book or seen the movie, then you would know that Andrew "Enders" Wiggins isn't your typically solider with a gun on a battlefield, but instead he is a kid playing a video game in his mind, well the last battle isn't a video game, it's an actual battle.

Like I mentioned above, I read the first novel, which in the end I though the novel was overrated, therefore I have never read another novel by the author again. I was well aware of the upcoming feature film a month ago when I was asked to review this book, I hesitated at first, but then I thought I would give the book a try and maybe I would understand the original novel better. Ender's Game and Philosophy: A Genocide Is Child's Play compares Ender's mind games to the drones used in the military today and the emotional impact it would have made on Ender. Overall, the book is an interesting read and I may have to revisit Ender's Game and its sequels in the near future, but this time with an open mind.


*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

1 comment:

  1. I saw Ender's Game a few weeks ago, at a special showing for the friends of one of the actors. We enjoyed it. My husband who never watches/reads such movies/books was impressed by the half an hour talk the actor gave about how the movie was made! Meera

    ReplyDelete

I adore reading reader feedback! I will, however, remove all spam and pointless comments.

Please take note that I have the right to delete comments from this site. Please only post constructive and respectful feedback.