Never underestimate the power of a product of acceptable (or even actively kinda bad) craft which happens to directly address someone's desperate literary nutritional deficiency. If Pedialyte doesn't taste good, you're probably just not dehydrated enough.
Thank you! Now I think I understand a little bit better why people celebrate Ender's Game. My hypothesis is that they have simply not read HPMOR first, before Ender's Game
I think what's being pointed at there is not literary excellence, but rather the specific idea of a highly creative, goal-focused, and adaptable character.
Apparently HPMOR was inspired by Ender's Game. It sometimes gets referenced by rationality people. So I read it, but don't get what's so good about it.
I can see how it's a solid novel and how it may resonate with gifted kids and those who grew up as such, but the way it is referenced gives me the impression that there's more to it that I could fathom.
For example in Consider Chilling Out 2028 by Valentine:
"I don't just mean there's cynicism about whether we can go forth and create the Art. I watched that particular vision decay as CFAR muddled along making great workshops but turning no one into Ender Wiggin. It turns out we knew how to gather impressive people but not how to create them.
But that's just one particular approach for creating a good and hopeful future.
What I mean is, nothing replaced that vision."
Could someone please open my eyes?