Pretty Boy (short story)

Infobox short story |
name = Pretty Boy
title_orig =
translator =
author = Orson Scott Card
country = United States
language = English
series = Ender's Game series
genre = Science fiction
published_in = "Intergalactic Medicine Show"
publication_type =
publisher = Hatrack River Enterprises
media_type = Electronic (HTML)
pub_date = 2006
english_pub_date =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Pretty Boy" is a story by Orson Scott Card set in his Ender's Game universe. It tells the story of how "Bonzo" Madrid got into Battle School. It appears in Card's Webzine "InterGalactic Medicine Show".

Plot summary

"Pretty Boy" is the story of Bonito "Bonzo" Madrid as a child. Bonito was born in Toledo, Spain and given a name that means "pretty boy". His father Amaro was a lawyer and Spanish patriot who adored his son. Because Bonito was very smart the International Fleet came to test him when he was less than two years old. After that Amaro took Bonito everywhere and gave him anything he wanted. As he grew older Bonito started to observe his family and discovered that they needed him to be happy so he decided not to go to Battle School. However while studying his parents to find out how to make them happier he discovered that his father kept a second apartment in the city and told his mother. When he and his mother went to see his grandmother Bonito learned that his father was having an affair with another woman and had broken his mother's heart. Because Bonito didn't want to be like his father he changed his mind and went to Battle School.

Characters

*Tomas Benedito Bonito de Madrid y Valencia
*Amaro de Madrid - Bonito's father
*Tester from the International Fleet - unnamed
*Bonito's mother - unnamed
*Visitor who liked mother's flatbread - unnamed
*Amaro's secretary - unnamed
*Grandma - mother's mother

Publication

"Pretty Boy" was published in the March 2006 issue of "Intergalactic Medicine Show". [http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=issue&vol=i2&article=_pretty-boy Orson Scott Card, "Pretty Boy"] "Intergalactic Medicine Show", March 2006.] It also appears in the anthology "Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show".

References