Ender’s Game

Author’s Definitive Edition
Ender Quartet (Volume 1 of 4)
Orson Scott Card
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula AwardsIn order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child…
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Mass Market Paperbound Published: July 1994

Ender’s Game is an incredible book, it examines many important ideas in such a way that everyone can understand and have empathy for. The book for all its brilliance has been labeled as a children’s book, which I find moderately absurd. Like any truly good book it is written concisely and without out the use of ridiculously big words just to make the author feel good about themselves “oo, I’m so smart cause I used big words” kinda thing. So in that respect I can see why maybe it got thrown into the young adult area because it’s written so that anyone can understand it, and also because the protagonist is a child could be another reason I guess it’s so labeled.

But anyways, the book examines issues that anyone can relate to, the main one I like to examine are “deplorable acts done out of necessity”. The main deplorable acts examined are war and violence, but this book isn’t a pro-war book, in fact it more likely could be considered an anti-war book, but it examines some situations where war might be a necessity.

It also examines violence as a necessity for self defense but again doesn’t promote it, he (Orson Scott Card) shows you the situations and more or less leaves it up to you to decide if it was a good or bad thing. I would definitely say this book could one day be placed among works of great literature, and it surely ranks up there with the famous books of sci-fi’s hay day like Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, Asimov’s Foundation Series and Clarks’ Space Odysseys’ and Childhood’s End.

Now in the Ender’s series there are 10 books as far as I know, I’ve read 5 of them so far and enjoyed them, but not near as much as the first. And interestingly, by the 3rd and 4th book he’s seems to be questioning his ideals and beliefs expressed in Ender’s Game, almost like as he aged his views are becoming more, hmm…I want to say peaceful but that’s not quite right, less extreme maybe, it’s hard to describe. But if you’re a hardcore fan I’d still recommend reading them.

Orson Scott Card has also written a bunch of other books, many of which are alternative histories about our world, some about if we had failed in the Revolution to more modern themes. Very excellent stuff.

Kiln People

The Kiln Books (Volume 1 of 2)

David Brin

In a perilous future, disposable duplicate bodies fulfill every citizen’s legal and illicit whim. Life as a 24-hour “ditto” is cheap, as Albert Morris knows. A…

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Mass Market Paperbound Published: January 2003

This book is really fun, it’s a cool look at the future and raises some good ethical points. The use of the Kiln people is really ingenious too, especially about how they fight wars now that they have that technology. I’d even recommend this to people who aren’t really into sci-fi either, while it has some cool futuristic stuff, it feels very similar to modern day. Which is kinda the point of sci-fi ain’t it? To have a medium to express commentary about modern day issues without throwing your point in the face of people who can make life difficult for you. So yeah, I recommend it, oh, and I noticed it says Volume 1 of 2, guess I’ma have to go get the next one XD

He’s also written a ton of other stuff but I haven’t had a chance to read any yet, but he seems pretty popular, and judging from his writing in Kiln People it’s much deserved.

Tanya Huff is another favorite author of mine. She has a witty fun style that you can’t help but lol at. Seriously, I’ll be at the gym on a bike and reading a book of hers and I’ll burst out laughing and everyone just kinda gives me a sideways wth glance XD

The first book of hers I read was Summon the Keeper, and it’s freaking awesome! It’s what you’d call a “Contemporary Fantasy”, meaning that it’s in the modern everyday world, but magical stuff exists for those that believe. So you’re everyday Joe won’t notice it, but if you’re “attuned” to it you see all the extra-worldly stuff.

Well, Summon the Keeper is the first of a series called the “Keeper Chronicles”, all with the same main character, and her awesome cat. Actually, come to think of it I might have bought the book because it had a cat on the cover, then read the back and thought it looked interesting ^^

This is DAW’s blurb on Summon the Keeper:
“Being one of the Earth’s protectors is never easy, but when Claire the Keeper and Austin the cat find themselves in charge of the Elysian Fields Guesthouse Bed and Breakfast, all Hell breaks loose in the form of a gateway residing in the basement!”

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780886777845,00.html#

I’ve been working on her Valor Confederation series, which is a sci-fi series based around her main character Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr who leads a platoon of space marines through various situations including a diplomatic mission as envoys to a new species, as well as the exploration of a new alien spacecraft never encountered before. I’ve read the first 2 so far, Valor’s Choice and The Better Part of Valor, but I haven’t read the third one yet The Heart of Valor, but I’ve got it and hopefully will read it next ^^

Valor’s Choice is witty and has a interesting perspective on inter-species diplomacy which I really enjoyed and The Better Part of Valor is just as witty and takes a very in-depth look at what rank is and how its respected.

DAW’s blurb on Valor’s Choice:
“In the distant future, humans and several other races have been granted membership in the Confederation–at a price. They must act as soldier/protectors of the far more civilized races who have long since turned away from war…”

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780886778965,00.html#

I also liked her Wizard of the Grove series, it has two books in one, Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard. It’s a wonderful fantasy book, very vivid and cool world with great characters.

DAW’s blurb on Wizard of the Grove:
“Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard form a powerful fantasy duology about the last wizard ever to be born into the world. It is the saga of Crystal, a daughter of Power whose destiny is to put an end to the war between wizards and the mortal world.”

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780886778194,00.html#

Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors. There are currently 4 books in the new series she and James Mallorey have been co-authoring. The original trilogy ‘The Obsidian Trilogy” contains The Outstretched Shadow, To Light a Candle and When Darkness Falls. The Phoenix Unchained is the 4th from this series and looks like it’s gonna start up a new trilogy. It’s got great characters, a fun and creative magic system, and while the bad guys are a little predictable, it doesn’t even begin to dent an otherwise great read. The world they paint in your head is beautiful, and even the minor characters are well rounded. I highly recommend it.

The Outstretched Shadow

The Obsidian Trilogy: Book One

The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy (Volume 1 of 3)

Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

Kellen Tavadon, son of the Arch-Mage Lycaelon, thought he knew the way the world worked. His father, leading the wise and benevolent Council of Mages,…

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Mass Market Paperbound Published: September 2004

The Phoenix Unchained

Book One of The Enduring Flame

Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory first teamed up to write The Obsidian Trilogy, set in a wondrous world…

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Hardcover Published: October 2007

Some other books I recommend from Mercedes Lackey are:

Heralds of Valdemar:

Arrows of the Queen

Arrow’s Flight

Arrow’s Fall

Vows and Honor

The Last Herald Mage

I like the rest of the Valdemar stuff, but these are my favorite out of them.

So, I figured I would start a second blog so that my other one Kawaii_Ninja be for my Japan stuff and this one be for all things books.