Read any Orson Scott Card lately? What IF?

Have you ever read a book or series of books and years later events happen that remind you of it?

I am a Sci-Fi/Fantasy fanatic.  If the author grabs me in the first book I read of theirs, I am out hunting for all I can find of theirs.  Sometimes I might finds some of their things I don't like and I can see when they have gotten tired of what they are writing.  Anyway I am getting off topic.

Have you ever seen or heard things that reminded you of something you read years earlier?  Sometimes MANY years later?

Well, it has happened to me.  Plenty of times.  Book facts stick in my mind.  Don't get me wrong, I don't remember everything about all the books I have read but the pertinent facts or generally what happened in a book even years later.

And if you haven't guessed by now,  Anything at Anytime is going there.

Around 1998 or 99 I was short on books and needed something to read and found myself in the Sci-Fi section at a bookstore.  Orson Scott Card's name stood out on a book.  I had never read anything of his before, but for some reason the title Ender's Game grabbed my attention.  So that is where this begins.

Now, I am not going to give you the whole story and by no means ruin the book.  I am just going to make some comments about the book and how certain things today fit the mold that Orson Scott Card used for this story/series.
Ender's Game concept revolves around a future where some "qualified" kids are removed from their families in order to educate the best in physical and mental abilities revolving about a military format.  Earth's military is "preparing" the Next Commanders for the World's defense.

The Education process takes place in Space in an orbiting space station.  Trials include things from being able to protect themselves (as it is a dog eat dog, top dog takes all), top in their classes and applying what has been taught to scenarios presented to them, and last but not least training on Video games.  Just a teaser here but it totally goes with this topic:  The catch is where the Video games take place, when you find out you will trip.

By now you are wondering where this is headed.  I haven't left you all hanging yet, so why would I now?

The other night I was laying in bed with my wife and watching TV and two commercials came on.  No, biggy there right?  Well, the oddity was that it was for two new computer games and they came on back to back.  One of them in a set probably wouldn't have made me think of anything.  Both of them, one after the other, for some reason triggered my mind to recall a few things:  One was Ender's Game, the other was something I read about New types of Training the US Army is expanding.

The US Army started training some specialty fields using Video game type set-ups years and years ago in order to save money.  Having games set up to be as close to the real thing as you can get in Videos and materials used to be interactive with them.  I was lucky enough to get the benefit of some of that kind of training.  Well, the Army is expanding that to all troops.  They even have their own Free online game that is a one man shooter type of game.


The games that were advertised on the TV were the new games Starcraft II and Halo Reach.  Games like
Halo Reach and Starcraft II are based on combat as a first person (as in Halo Reach) and as overall command (as in Starcraft II).  You can play both games in solo mode on your computer with no outside connections.  Then if you have Internet capabilities you can step beyond and go out and play on the Internet and become a part of a unit or group.

Now, I am not going to connect all of the dots.  I am going to leave you a puzzle to figure out for yourself.
I will leave you with this:
What if Orson Scott Card had it right in Ender's Game?  He just had the place it all took place wrong.  What if there is another reality that many of us around the world participate in and just don't know it?  If you haven't read it, check it out and see what you think.

It is worth the read and is the first in a series.

Don't blame me if you get hooked.