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Comment by smhinsey | Hacker News Reader

This might be a minority opinion, but even as a huge sci-fi fan, I'm not sure the story holds up once you know the ending. I'm sure I'll end up seeing it anyway though.

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I don't think it'll detract much at all. The war with the buggers is essentially a MacGuffin. (Spoilers ahead for anyone who's managed to miss this for the past few decades.) The real heart of the story is in the stuff that happens to Ender at Battle School, his evolution from innocent child to military genius to embittered pacifist and his relationships with the other characters. The twist ending is great because of the way it reflects everything that's happened to Ender so far, not because the surprise is just so surprising.

Maybe edit your comment so it doesn't give away the ending?

You could be right. It's been a long time since I read it but I recall thinking, when I finished it, that I was glad for the twist ending because it gave much needed weight to the rest of the story. This might just be due to the fact that I've read many other hawk-turns-dove stories in other contexts, so my bar for them is high (e.g. If I Die in a Combat Zone).

I re-read it over christmas. I'd note that firstly, I don't believe Ender was ever truly a hawk, and secondly, on a re^n-read (I don't remember how many times now) I find that the weight is in Ender's progression through Battle School, and that the part of the book set after that felt to me like obvious consequences playing out.

To be frank, I'd be quite comfortable with a version that ended on the shuttle out except for the fact that the remainder of the book is necessary to set up the preconditions for Speaker.

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