Review: Ender's World by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Word by Orson Scott Card, Essays, 2013, 304p, Rating=5
Source: NetGalley

Go deeper into the complexities of Orson Scott Card’s classic novel with science fiction and fantasy writers, YA authors, military strategists, including:
Ender prequel series coauthor Aaron Johnston on Ender and the evolution of the child hero
Burn Notice creator Matt Nix on Ender's Game as a guide to life
Hugo award�winning writer Mary Robinette Kowal on how Ender’s Game gets away with breaking all the (literary) rules
Retired US Air Force Colonel Tom Ruby on what the military could learn from Ender about leadership
Bestselling YA author Neal Shusterman on the ambivalence toward survival that lies at the heart of Ender’s story
Plus pieces by: Hilari Bell, John Brown, Mette Ivie Harrison, Janis Ian, Alethea Kontis, David Lubar and Alison S. Myers, John F. Schmitt, Ken Scholes, and Eric James Stone.
Also includes never-before-seen content from Orson Scott Card on the writing and evolution of the events in Ender's Game, from the design of Battle School to the mindset of the pilots who sacrificed themselves in humanity’s fight against the formics.

I've got to admit that I didn't bother reading the blurb when I saw this book at NetGalley.  I saw the word Ender and Orson Scott Card and my finger went straight to the request this book button (because I read Ender's Game and found it incredible!  It was the book that put sci-fi on my radar. my review).  So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I got approved!  Then I ran into problems downloading it to my Kindle.  After many times trying to download and getting help from NetGalley (I didn't realize you can click on the "Send to Kindle" button more than once ..I thought you just had one shot at it!), I eventually got it on my Kindle ..and even on my Nook!  Anyways, when I finally did start reading it ..was I in for a surprise!  It wasn't a novel but praising essays for the book Ender's Game from several top notch authors and authorities.  That was as far as my disappointment went because reading the essays took me back to the admiration I felt for Ender's Game.  The insights that these writers contributed were varied (funny, serious, inspirational, imaginative, thought provoking, etc) but all relayed a personal story of the affect that Ender's Game had on them.  Of course, insights from Mr. Card himself (especially his answers to questions from fans) were pretty rock star worthy.  I was all smiles and sprung in me a great desire to read Ender's Game again AND read the rest of the books in the series!

This book seemed to me to serve a dual purpose.  One, a plug for Ender's Game and Orson Scott Card; and two, a taste of the participating authors' writing styles, hence a plug for their books.  The formal was not necessary for me because anything from Card is an automatic want.  The latter didn't bother me because it was a treat to get to know a bit about the authors, many of which were new-to-me.  That said, you might say, "Jinky, then it's just about a bunch of writers wanting attention under the mask of praising a book.".  Maybe, but remember, they're expressing warm admiration for Ender's Game!  I'm an Ender fan so that's pretty exciting to me.  I think it was fascinating to get deep into Ender's nature and read fabulous writings from first rate authors to boot.

Because this does contain in depth look into Ender's Game, you will find spoilers so I recommend reading that book first.  Though if you're the type who doesn't mind spoilers and want to know if what you're getting into would be worth it, then read Ender's World.  However, I highly recommend reading Ender's Game first so that you will experience the epic feel of the book free from spoilers for I'm confident that you will come to the last page with the biggest bookworm smile.