Five novels with flawed child prodigies

Jeff Macfee is a writer. The Contest, his latest crime novel, is about a former puzzle prodigy who returns to the contest of her youth.

He is also the author of the superhero noir Nine Tenths.

At CrimeReads Macfee tagged five favorite novels featuring flawed child prodigies "struggling with a talent that doesn’t always, or even often, make their lives easier." One title on the list:

Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

A science fiction classic, Ender’s Game follows Ender Wiggin in a future where humans battle alien invaders in a fight so desperate even children are drafted into the struggle. Ender’s genius is clear at an early age, but intelligence complicates rather than simplifies his life. He’s thrown into the hyper-competitive Battle School and groomed to lead Earth to victory, his genius a tool to be used and a weapon to be feared. Without spoiling the ending, Ender’s pursuit of excellence has tragic results, and he must ask himself how much he is to blame. An action-packed novel that also serves as a warning for those who apply their genius without thought to consequences.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Ender's Game is among Elisabeth Delp's seven classic science fiction space odysseys, Andrew Liptak's twelve novels that deserve better adaptations than Hollywood produced and top eleven sci-fi reads that might tempt video gamers to put down the controller and try reading, Chris Kluwe's six favorite books, and Jennifer Griffith Delgado's 11 most mind-blowing surprise endings in science fiction.

--Marshal Zeringue