Only one problem with Ender to me....

[stillfocus]

I really liked the books in Enders Universe, the whole concept of a futuristic child leader is very interesting to me, and everything was pretty well put together so it made sense. The only problem that I have had with Ender's Universe in general is the Ansible. There should be a time delay when it was used and I believe that it was really never discussed in any of the books.... any one have any ideas?

[Thadlerian]

The Ansible belongs to Ursula Le Guin, she made it up for her Hainish novels (and Card has borrowed it), and I believe she discusses how it functions in The Disposessed.

[stillfocus]

ill look into it, thanks!

[Tel Janin]

Originally Posted by stillfocus

I really liked the books in Enders Universe, the whole concept of a futuristic child leader is very interesting to me, and everything was pretty well put together so it made sense. The only problem that I have had with Ender's Universe in general is the Ansible. There should be a time delay when it was used and I believe that it was really never discussed in any of the books.... any one have any ideas?

It was discussed in Ender's Shadow. Bean and Nickolai were talking about instant communication, and Nickolai was saying about how he doesn't like to rule things out because they are supposed to be impossible. Bean later realized that it was true when the programmer of the training simulators on Eros told him it wasn't worth programming the time delay in, and I think it was Graff who later explained to Bean that it was stolen from the Buggers when Earth took Eros from them.

[Marvolo]

Originally Posted by Tel Janin

It was discussed in Ender's Shadow. Bean and Nickolai were talking about instant communication, and Nickolai was saying about how he doesn't like to rule things out because they are supposed to be impossible. Bean later realized that it was true when the programmer of the training simulators on Eros told him it wasn't worth programming the time delay in, and I think it was Graff who later explained to Bean that it was stolen from the Buggers when Earth took Eros from them.

Ansible has sort of become a standard device in SF. Anyone can throw it in.

But it did say in Ender's Game that humans discovered how to make instantaneous communication work after finding out it was possible because the Buggers did it. I think the line was something like: Once mankind learned it was possible to communicate instantly no matter the distance, they created the ansible. Or something to that effect. They found out from the Buggers controlling everyone from their homeworld that it was possible to communicate across the vast stretches of space without concern for distance, and that led them to discover the ansible. I think in the later books it begins to describe the philotes that connect every thing and I think he alluded to the fact that ansible might function because of them.