u/Adenidc

Has anyone read or listened to this book? I read it like a decade ago, remembered enjoying it but don't remember much from that long ago; but recently I read its sequel for the first time, Speaker for the Dead, thought it was incredible, and so I decided to relisten to Ender's Game.

I noticed it has lots of similarities to Eva; I think people that love this show and manga would enjoy this book, moreso the audio if you aren't a big reader: it's one of the few books where I would recommend the audiobook over the book; it has a large voice cast (which can actually be a bad thing, as there's more likely to be at least one shitty cast member), and all of them are phenomenal; even minor characters have incredible voice actors that fit their character really well.

There are parts that will instantly remind you of Seele: a secret, very high (basically the highest) organization interrogating an officer who is in charge of a kid who is the future of humankind. But Gendo isn't Graff, Seele isn't IF, and Ender is definitely not Shinji (thank god), but there are similarities between these things and a lot more in these works. Also they are both just really cool sci-fi stories; there are elements of psychology, technology, and philosophy layered into a story about humanity vs aliens, aliens that are so alien to us we can't even communicate. (Added to this, Ender's Game has the elements of battle, namely space battle - space travel and relativity - which is very interesting in itself.)

Definitely give this book a try if you like NGE

Side note:

I would recommend checking out this book (and Speaker, if you enjoy Ender's Game, which you will) through an app like Libby or Hoopla; if you do not have a library card, you can look up a library near you and apply for a card online or in person. I would not recommend supporting the author, if what I've read about him is true. Despite the author's character, these are phenomenal books; but this adds a layer of irony to the author himself: the books are about empathy and understanding, loving your enemy. So if you look up the books, don't let who the author is stop you from reading them; but if such a thing bothers you, let it change how you consume the books, hence the library card (plus they are great in general), or buy it second hand.

Cheers.

I should also add that even though I said Ender is not Shinji, another similarity between the book and NGE is how Ender/Shinji are treated by the adults, how they both have to be pushed to PTSD levels to accomplish goals they themselves don't understand.

I have no formal education in astronomy or physics, just read books and watch science videos for fun, and I'm curious about the technicalities of this theory, if it's a theory actual scientists entertain at all.

My thinking is that our observable universe is not the entire universe, that our big bang is not a singular event divided from other physical events (and big bangs could be part of a black holes' life cycle), and that contraction and expansion are relative terms and can seem different whilst still being the same thing(?)(ie, if the Earth was "falling" into a sun or a black hole or whatever, but if that sun or black hole was falling into something even bigger, wouldn't it seem like the sun or black is expanding from the earth's POV, even though it's being subjected to the same process?).

If our universe, or rather, all "observable universes," are eventual/former black holes, wouldn't that mean that we are subjected to the gravity of other unseen masses/energies that exist but are too many light years away from what's observable through any form of light? If Dark Energy is not constant, if it shows signs of acceleration and/or slowing down, wouldn't it make sense if it were because other processes not different from what we see in our "universe" - stars, black holes, planets, novas, dust, etc, everything that naturally forms in our universe - are going on and changing "outside" our universe?

I'm looking for more novels that explore the idea of spiritual and metaphysical counselors that are purely atheist, have no supernatural beliefs. The books can tackle religion and have it be a major theme, but I'm not looking for stuff where the central character grapples with his own beliefs; only if it's others'.

Thx for any recs!