On the advice of David Ulevitch, I read “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. I must admit I greatly enjoyed the novel, despite hearing from Cory Doctorow that Card is apparently homophobic. Perhaps sublimated homosexuality arises in the story of a gifted child who becomes the supreme commander of the human forces allied to defeat an alien enemy. The male bonding and even affection in the novel is quite striking as are the depictions of children in roles usually considered beyond their capabilities until they attain adulthood. Fred von Lohmann has recommended skipping the sequels, but reading “Ender’s Shadow,” which is basically the same story told from the point of view of another of the characters.