The New Yorker article was written by Tim Wu, who's written another article about the whole thing in Slate (both made of fail, IMO) and is apparently one of the Stanford Fair Use people.

They weren't really prequels as the continuing stories of the other Battle School kids.

You're right, I just couldn't think of a better word. Parallelquels?

and Bean just rocks

Ah, and that's where you and I differ. Bean was fine as a secondary character in Ender's Game, but as a protagonist I found him to be a giant bore. I wanted more Peter and Valentine.

Ender's Game: Harry Potter as Harry Potter: Lexicon

Er...buh?

Look away now if you want to keep not reading OSC's non-fiction.

So as not to reinterpret or lose tone...it is possible I'm missing the point...

Rowling "feels like her words were stolen," said lawyer Dan Shallman.

Well, heck, I feel like the plot of my novel Ender's Game was stolen by J.K. Rowling.

A young kid growing up in an oppressive family situation suddenly learns that he is one of a special class of children with special abilities, who are to be educated in a remote training facility where student life is dominated by an intense game played by teams flying in midair, at which this kid turns out to be exceptionally talented and a natural leader. He trains other kids in unauthorized extra sessions, which enrages his enemies, who attack him with the intention of killing him; but he is protected by his loyal, brilliant friends and gains strength from the love of some of his family members. He is given special guidance by an older man of legendary accomplishments who previously kept the enemy at bay. He goes on to become the crucial figure in a struggle against an unseen enemy who threatens the whole world.

This paragraph lists only the most prominent similarities between Ender's Game and the Harry Potter series.

An intense game played by teams flying in midair. Well, will you look at that.

Other than the "intense game played in midair" part, isn't that the plot of like half the kids fantasy novels in existence?

Other than the "intense game played in midair" part, isn't that the plot of like half the kids fantasy novels in existence?

I was gonna say. JKR stole lots of notions, but OSC is not even in the top ten of her influences.

But those are a lot of standard tropes.

I really disliked Ender's Game, which seemed to me to be an elaborate Rube Goldberg-device designed to justify genocide. It didn't seem to me to be very well-written, and I didn't buy his ideas about innocence enough to even be entertained by the idea of an innocent committing acts of atrocity.

But I've heard some people who've read more OSC than I say that they see a lot of sublimated homosexual subtext in his writing. I don't really have an argument here, not being in the know, but just wanted to put that forward.

If there's gay subtext in his writing, it's not there in any manner to be lauded.

I really really liked Ender's Game. That having been said, the man is full of shit.

isn't that the plot of like half the kids fantasy novels in existence?

For pretty much all of them that don't involve a quest. Crazy person, he.

OK, it was not Wyrms. It was Hart's Hope. Still half wrong. Hart's hope was the one where the child victim was the evil one and the rapist was kinda sympathetic. Songmaster was the one where the walkon gay character was a pedophile. Card has had a weird viewpoint I find unsympathetic for a long time, not just post 911.

This paragraph lists only the most prominent similarities between Ender's Game and the Harry Potter series.

Or, you know, Star Wars.

A young kid growing up in an oppressive family situation suddenly learns that he is one of a special class of children with special abilities, who are to be educated in a remote training facility where student life is dominated by an intense game played by teams flying in midair, at which this kid turns out to be exceptionally talented and a natural leader. He trains other kids in unauthorized extra sessions, which enrages his enemies, who attack him with the intention of killing him; but he is protected by his loyal, brilliant friends and gains strength from the love of some of his family members. He is given special guidance by an older man of legendary accomplishments who previously kept the enemy at bay. He goes on to become the crucial figure in a struggle against an unseen enemy who threatens the whole world.

Aside from the flying game part, this is Star Wars. And any of a bazillion other stories. Just ask Joseph Campbell.

edit: x-post with Dana!