Ender's Game (For Further Study)

For Further Study

• Orson Scott Card, "Rebuttal," Fantasy Review, Volume 10, No. 5, June, 1987, pp. 13-14, 49-52.

  In this response to Radford's negative assessment of Ender's Game, Card takes issue with the critic's comparison of Ender with Hitler. He suggests the critic has misinterpreted the novel by overlooking the complex way in which it addresses issues of empathy and violence.

• Orson Scott Card, Characters and Viewpoint, Writers Digest Books, 1988.

  Taking a general approach to writing instruction, Card details the creation, introduction, and development of characters in long and short fiction, and explains the various points of view available to the fiction writer.

• Orson Scott Card, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Writers Digest Books, 1990.

  Card provides the aspiring science-fiction writer with tips on creatively devising other worlds, peoples, and magical occurrences.

• Orson Scott Card, "Hatrack River: The Official Website of Orson Scott Card," http://www.hatrack.com.

  This website contains a wealth of material on Card and his work. It includes an area for student research as well as a question-and-answer section on writing with the author himself.

• Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 44, Gale, 1987.

  This entry collects criticism focusing on Ender's Game.

• Graceanne A. and Keith R. A. Decandido, "PW Interviews: Orson Scott Card," Publishers Weekly, November 30,1990, pp. 54-55.

  An interview with the author in which he discusses the belief system behind his work, his explorations of moral issues, and his use of violence.

• Janrae Frank, "War of the Worlds," Washington Post Book World, February 23, 1986, p. 10.

  This author questions the religious imagery at the climax of Ender's Game and its sequel, Speaker For the Dead, and she wonders whether this recurring motif might be a sign of some personal conflict.

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, Dutton, 1974.

  Originally published in 1762, this work is credited with being one of the first to explore how a child's mind differs from that of an adult. The author is one of the world's great social philosophers, whose ideas directly influenced the Declaration of Independence.