"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Orbit

Blurb:

The human race faces annihilation.

An alien threat is on the horizon, ready to strike. And if humanity is to be defended, the government must create the greatest military commander in history.

The brilliant young Ender Wiggin is their last hope. But first he must survive the rigours of a brutal military training program - to prove that he can be the leader of all leaders.

A saviour for mankind must be produced, through whatever means possible. But are they creating a hero or a monster?

This is the multiple award-winning classic ENDER'S GAME - a groundbreaking tale of war, strategy and survival.

Synopsis:

Ender Wiggin, "third" child in a world where the population is controlled by only having two children, is a six year old genius. He has been allowed to exist only by the governments will in wanting a new military leader to combat the threat of an alien presence which nearly wiped humanity out over 50 years previous.

The book starts with Ender in school, fitted with a monitor device that records everything he sees and hears. After a while the monitor is removed to see how he copes and a fight ensues with a bully. Ender wins and the military want to know why he fought as he did. Satisfied with his answer they package him off to battle school in space. 

Over the next three years he forms friends and enemies commanding an army of boys till the military ship him off to command school. He learns how to fight with space craft until he is eleven when the military start him fighting simulated battles...

Verdict:

I first read this book when I was a teenager, it was great then and still stands the test of time now. An absolute pleasure to read at any age. The book makes you feel the highs and lows of Ender's childhood even tho it seems as tho his childhood has been stolen by the military. If you have seen the film, then read the book, there is so much missed in the film that the book fills in and I mean lots missed. 115 mins of film does not do the book justice.

Rating: 6/5

"The Affair" by Lee Child

Title: The Affair

Author: Lee Child
Publisher: Bantam

Book Zero of the Jack Recher saga

Blurb:

March 1997. A woman has her throat cut behind a bar in Mississippi. Just down the road is a big army base. Is the murderer a local guy - or is he a soldier?

Jack Reacher, still a major in the military police, is sent in undercover. The county sheriff is a former U.S. Marine - and a stunningly beautiful woman. Her investigation is going nowhere. Is the Pentagon stonewalling her? Or doesn't she really want to find the killer?

Set just six months before the opening of Killing Floor, The Affair marks a turning point in Reacher's career. If he does what the army wants, will he be able to live with himself? And if he doesn't, will the army be able to live with him?

Synopsis:

This is the 16th book involving Jack Reacher. The clock is turned back to 1997 where Jack Reacher is a Major in the American Military Police. The book begins with Reacher's arrival at the Pentagon in his Army major's uniform, unshaven and in need of a haircut.

Reacher is sent on a mission to investigate a murder in the small town of Carter Crossing at the edge of an isolated Army Ranger base in Mississippi. What follows is a great Reacher book: a murder investigation mixed with politics and a rising body count.

We find Reacher involved with the town's attractive female sheriff and the freight train that roars through tiny Carter Crossing at 60 mph every day at midnight. This plays a leading role in the action, delivering death and destruction as well as the background for Reacher's adult activities....

Verdict:

I really enjoyed this book and at 544 pages it took me about 12 hours to finish. The writing flows easy, giving great description and really sets the scene. The adult content is kept clean with enough to let you know what is happening, but keeping the graphics to a minimum (Tom Cruise might like this one if the leading lady is right). The action kicks when you expect it to, but lets the story lead you into the investigation where the real drama is.

Rating: 5/5