Ender's Game Book vs. Movie

This week I was able to see Ender's Game in the theatres. Overall, I was very impressed with the movie. However, as anyone who's read the books knows, there's quite a few differences:

• The battle of the belt is in earth's atmosphere
• The battle of the belt actually happens in the outer solar system
• John Paul Wiggin has animosity towards Ender
• JP actually loves Ender; there's no issue here
• Teresa Wiggin isn't smart
• In the movie, she is literally just 'Ender's caring mother'. She's just as smart as her children, though
• Peter isn't compassionate at all
• Peter actually comes to Ender when he thinks Ender's sleeping and says he loves Ender and that he's sorry for him. In the movie, Peter is cruel for no apparent reason
• Valentine isn't mild or timid in the beginning
• You know Valentine? The mild, timid one? Well, in the movie, she's banging on doors and yelling at Peter. Sure, she is the echo that says everything Ender wants to hear, but she's not really afraid of Peter.
• Ender doesn't break Bernard's arm in the shuttle
• Ender just gets teased for his name in the shuttle. By Bean. Talk about a double standard.
• Bean is on Ender's shuttle
• Bean comes on a much later shuttle
• Where's Shen?
• Poof. If you were hoping to see Shen, aka 'Worm' don't look in the movie. The boy Bernard teases and Ender befriends is completely missing from the movie.
• Ender mouths off to his superiors
• That's Bean's job. Ender doesn't really get mad at his superiors or hold what they've said against them. In the book, he gets mad at the games they make him play.
• Bernard bullies Alai
• In the book, Alai and Bernard are friends
• Ender directly attacks Bernard through the desks
• The book makes a point that Ender doesn't use direct confrontation with Bernard. Rather, he sends messages as 'God' or 'Bernard_'
• There are windows in Battle School
• There shouldn't be. The kids are supposed to be isolated from Earth. In the rest of the series we are told that there weren't any windows in Battle School. In the movie there are a lot of windows
• Bonzo is short
• The book tells us that Ender is much shorter than Bernard
• Dink is in Salamander
• Not really. In the book, Dink is Ender's toon leader in Rat Army, which is completely omitted from the movie. Dink is the one who teaches Ender how to move in the battle room
• Dink and Petra aren't friends
• In the movie, they're just fellow soldiers. In the book, they're good friends.
• Anderson is a black woman
• Anderson is a middle-aged Caucasian man.
• Less than forty people in an army
• Armies should have forty soldiers plus the commander
• The mind game doesn't take Ender to 'The End of the World' or show Peter in the mirror
• Ender only goes through the Giant's Drink and the castle in the movie. Also in the movie, it is not a bat that leads him to fairyland, but a bugger-bat thing. In the book he finds Peter in the mirror of the castle and ends up discovering that Valentine is the snake.
• Bernard is in both Dragon army and the final 'jeesh' who fights with Ender
• First off, everyone in Dragon was chosen by Bean because they were misfits who can do well. He also makes sure no one was ever a part of his launch group and practice sessions. Thirdly, they have to be younger than Ender. This clearly means that Bernard shouldn't be in Dragon, as he is in the movie. The final jeesh is chosen as those who are most inclined to fight under Ender or Bean. Bernard doesn't belong here either.
• All of the events that occur from Ender being assigned Dragon army to the final battle with the buggers takes 28 days according to Graff's countdown
• That's impossible
• Ender isn't a leader in Dragon Army
• The movie doesn't show how he trains his soldiers, how he organizes the toons, how he singles out Bean, and his commission of Bean's special toon.
• Graff doesn't seem to care about Ender
• In the movie, Graff compares Ender to a horse. In the book he really cares about Ender. He loves Ender, but realizes he must be compromised for the greater good.
• The hallway scene doesn't even happen
• Petra never tries to stop Ender in the hallway full of Salamanders in the movie. This is a pivotal scene in the book.
• When Ender's Dragon army fights Griffin and Tiger, Salamander is in the battle room 
• I can't even imagine why.
• Petra is a sub in the final battle
• First, Battle School doesn't do substitutes. Secondly, they wouldn't take the substitute from the army Ender is battling. (Salamander, see above) Ender even asks Petra when she comes if Bonzo is okay with it. So Petra definitely is still in Bonzo's army when she subs. (In the book, she actually commands Phoenix army at this point)
• Why does Dragon get to use the rope in the final battle?
• First, the movie doesn't portray the deadline correctly, it's really a thin metallic-looking line, not a rope. Then it doesn't tell us about Bean's toon or explain why Dragon army is allowed to cheat by using the deadline.
• Ender doesn't fight Bonzo until after the final battle
• Ender's fight with Bonzo happens right before the battle. (Which means even more that Bonzo shouldn't have been in the battle room for the final battle. he'd be dead at that point.)
• Ender sprays Bonzo with hot water
• Really? In the book, Bonzo even tells Ender that he's not afraid of hot water. Ender doesn't spray him with hot water. he uses it for the steam.
• Ender doesn't kill Bonzo
• This is arguably Ender's major inner emotional conflict. In the bathroom scene in the book, Bonzo dies. Ender kicks him in the nose, jamming it into his skull. In the book, he kicks him lightly in the chest and Bonzo falls on the edge of something and gets injured.
• Ender waits by Bonzo's bed watching over him
• At the lake, in the movie, Ender tells Val he's been waiting by Bonzo's bedside. Bonzo should be dead. Ender still hates Bonzo. Bonzo should be in Cartagena, Spain.  
• The entire Wiggin family knows that Val goes to see Ender
• Val is actually pulled out of school by Graff
• The Locke and Demosthenes subplot is omitted
• The political subplot from the book is absent from the movie.
• It takes almost no time to get to Command School
• It takes months to get to Command School, which is in our solar system
• Command School is near the Bugger's home planet
• It's in our solar system in the book, on Eros, an asteroid about 6km in diameter at its narrowest point. (This would take years to get to traveling at relativistic speeds.)
• Ender isn't isolated
• In the books, he isn't allowed to see his friends. While watching the movie, when he is taking to Petra's hologram, she says, "We shouldn't be having this conversation at 1AM." Immediately, my mind replied, "You shouldn't be having this conversation at all. You aren't allowed to speak to each other outside of battle."
• Ender writes letters to Valentine filled with classified information
• This isn't allowed in the books. Also, wouldn't this be especially dangerous if Val is Demosthenes?
• Why isn't Mazer dead?
• The movie doesn't tell us why Mazer is still alive. It makes up how he survived his battle, but never says how he lived to be hundreds of years old.
• Ender finds the Hive Queen right after his almost-xenocide
• He is actually leading the first colony for some time before he finds her.
• Ender goes to find the Hive Queen's new home all by himself
• Valentine goes with him. This is vital to the rest of the series.

The Moon and More

This year, as my birthday present to myself, I bought The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen. It just came out yesterday, and it was too good not to finish, which is why I'm up so late. So here's my review:


The Moon and More
This book was like seeing an old friend again. It's full of great references from Sarah Dessen's other books. Benji's comment about how he is 'along for the ride', is definitely my favorite. One of the best things about this book, is that it's different from the her other stories, and from most books themselves. Emaline isn't 'any other girl' from a normal family. And, her life isn't the life of 'any other girl'. A mix of family, friends and romance in the familiar town of Colby, and what could possibly make for a better book?

The Moon and More is about possibilities. Some, we grab onto, but others we let go. That's what this cast of characters does throughout the book, and that's the beauty of this story. Emaline, and the people around her, want the moon and more. But when Emaline finds that she may not be able to get the moon and more, she learns to love her landing among the stars.

My favorite line from the book is the very last. You'll have to read it to see, but you'll know what I mean. The last sentence finishes that amazing last paragraph- pure Sarah Dessen. :)

It's pretty rare when you find a book that matches your life in a lot of ways. In each of Sarah Dessen's books, you pick up pieces of yourself, so that once you've read them, you're a little closer to having your whole self.

The Moon and More gets 5 of 5 moons, and more.

Snowing Butterflies

I remember, as a small child, looking into the backyard one day and seeing it filled with hundreds of white butterflies. It was an absolutely magical moment. And, I learned something: Sometimes the most spectacular things are right in your own backyard.

Years later, and staying home to study stoichiometry (that's chemistry) they came again. Yesterday we had a string of nasty storms, losing power and having part of our fence blown down. I don't know what made me go look outside, but when I did it was like being transported all those years ago. It was once again snowing butterflies.

Here's a picture I took of one of the butterflies.

Remember, every single day is magical. Sometimes it comes to us in pristine beauty or fairy dust, but other days we have to find our own magic. We have to spread our wings and look for everything this beautiful world can offer us.

With warm regards,

Erica N

Nail Art, Rereading, and Summer on the Way

First of all, here is my latest nail art.

I painted on a blue base coat and then dipped the tip of each nail into some glitter.


Do you have a book you can read over and over again? What makes it such a good read? Over the years, I've found many books I can reread including The Mysterious Benedict Society, any of Sarah Dessen's books, and the Enderverse series.


Summer is on the way! The days are getting longer and warmer and school's almost finished. You might think that summer is a time to laze around, but every summer I try to work on a project. Whether it's dollhouse miniatures or geology videos, a project keeps the summer interesting. Sending warm thoughts your way!

Dreams, Wishes, and Time: The Night Circus

A truly magical story, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern has earned a place on my favorites shelf for books. There is so much symbolism, the vividness and attention to detail absolutely stunning. Another aspect of this novel which is unique is its nonlinear organization. In other words, the events are not told in chronological order. Normally this might be confusing or misleading, but Erin Morgenstern wields this technique with literary expertise that shines through this story. Dynamic characters, an enchanting setting, and a little sprinkle of magic bring this story to life.

As a reveur, I prefer to read this book in the hours after midnight. I also drew this with my inspiration being Celia's wishing tree. Enjoy!

Nail Art and the Truth About Trendy

First off, I wanted to share the nail art I did last night.

It's a silver base with glitter on top. The designs were done in black with a toothpick.


I have been called many things, but, yesterday, I was labeled as trendy for the first time. Although it had been meant as a simple compliment, it made me wonder what trendy is. Many people would say that to be trendy is to keep up with the latest styles. But, styles change from place to place, from time to time. Also, what is trendy to one person may not be to another. So, the truth about trendy is that being trendy on the outside is when we let our inside shine. It's what inside that counts and, when people see 'you' reflected in your appearance, you are trendy.

What are your thoughts about trendiness? Feel free to comment below! :)

Books, Projects, and More

First of all, my apologies for taking so long to write.

Yesterday, April 2, Kingdom Keepers VI by Ridley Pearson came out! It's a great series that I recommend you take a look at.

My more recent projects include these:

This is just one of the trees I've made. Agate base, wire, gemstones, and glue.



 

 

More projects coming soon! :)