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!

Those FUCKERS, all of them, stealing from OSC! (I know, I know, but the ones that came out *before* Ender's Game, well, they were....stealing straight out of his BRAIN!)

Those FUCKERS, all of them, stealing from OSC! (I know, I know, but the ones that came out *before* Ender's Game, well, they were....stealing straight out of his BRAIN!)

Teppy, Teppy, Teppy...you poor naive fool...

Obviously there was an extensive plot using time-travel! They even took the basic premises behind Ender's Game and enjoined Homer and Virgil to write epics based on them! The New Testament? Handed to the authors by time-travelling scumfuckers who only wanted to discredit and rip off OSC.

You'd have to be blind to not see it.

You'd have to be blind to not see it.

::weeps:: You're right! You're so right! OSC, forgive me!!!

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

Which is why I actually agree (in a general sense) with a lot of what he is saying in that piece.

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

That just about sums it up, doesn't it?

I don't know. If the guy had written a book with very similar themes and tropes and JKR was having a fit over it, then sure. That's not really what's going here though - apples and oranges, from where I sit.

That just about sums it up, doesn't it?

Sums up a lot of writers and artists. In fact, finding the ones who aren't full of shit is probably the rarer trait.

Writers Who Aren't Full of Shit:
Neil Gaiman (very sensible and charming)
Uhm...Richard Russo seems like a good guy.
Flannery O'Conner (thoroughly impatient with bullshit)
Hmmm, Philip Roth is not full of shit, but has been frequently pretty shitty.

Which is why I actually agree (in a general sense) with a lot of what he is saying in that piece.

I can't take his point seriously because of all the parallels he's trying to draw. There are only so many stories to be told is way different from how transformative a lexicon may or may not be. The degree and honesty of Dumbledore's homosexuality? Compared to OSC's treatment of same? How is it relevant and anything other than distracting?

Writers Who Aren't Full of Shit:

That list was soooo full of shit. (To quote a great imaginary American, I kid! I kid because I loooooove.)