Ender's Game

By Orson Scott Card

Book Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game is the classic Hugo and Nebula award-winning science fiction novel of a young boy's recruitment into the midst of an interstellar war.

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew Ender Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

THE ENDER UNIVERSE

Ender Quintet series
Ender's Game / Ender in Exile / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind

Ender's Shadow series
Ender's Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant / Shadows in Flight

Children of the Fleet

The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
Earth Unaware / Earth Afire / Earth Awakens

The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
The Swarm /The Hive

Ender novellas
A War of Gifts /First Meetings

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812550706
• ISBN13: 9780812550702
• Release Date: July 1994
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Do not overlook the introduction.

I bought the paperback. The paperback is not the easiest thing to wield. Do not overlook the hardcover, as it will look great in your library. The reason I mentioned the introduction is that it is as important as the book itself. It provides background on the author and a quick overview of how to write a novel course. Orson Scott Card said that the introduction can be skipped, but I would not do it. I know this isn't focused on the military; however, he accurately captures many situations. From the commander’s intent to training and target of opportunity, I felt like I was in the BNCOC and ANCOC while reading the story. The story takes place in the future. The enemy attacked humankind twice, and maybe the third time is on the horizon. We are looking for a great leader like the ones from the past to carry us to victory. The question is how to go about finding and preparing the person for the future. We are more interested in Andrew "Ender" Wiggin’s relationship to family and the people around him. The big picture is finding out who/what we are.

Science Fiction at its VERY BEST

I had previously read this years ago, it was a part of my library. However my entire library collection was ruined nearly two years ago due to water damage following Hurricane Milton in late 2024. So this was a MUST have and MUST RE-READ title as I began to rebuild my library from scratch. This book takes place in a futuristic time where earth has to take desperate steps to prevent total destruction by a powerful enemy force. The basic summary is that the VERY BEST of the gifted and talented children from around the world have been gathered to train as future soldiers and commanders. The main character is of course Ender, a childhood nickname of the main character. If you are a compassionate person at all, your heart will at times ache for Ender and perhaps other central characters. Essentially, for the training to most effective, these child geniuses MUST be “robbed” of the innocence of their childhood and be aggressively trained. Every part of me wanted to step inside the book as I re-read it when it arrived just to give Ender a much needed, much deserved hug. Tastes and opinions are obviously subjective but in my opinion, this IS my favorite Science Fiction book EVER. And the author, Orson Scott Card is ONE OF THE VERY BEST sci-fi creative minds.

One Of My All Time Favs

I remember the first time I read this book, I threw the book after the ending. Then I picked it up reread the last chapter and just sat there. Just wasn't expecting it.

Probably my favorite book!

Easy and really fun read with some heavy concepts, great book!

Great book for any scifi fan

The pacing, concepts, themes, and ideas of this book have stuck with me for over two decades now. While the movie adaptation was meh the source material is something worth your time. The characters, conflicts, struggles, and goals are all relatable and understandable. Highly recommend.

A story for all ages

Ended Wiggin is an extraordinary child placed in an impossible position. Years after an alien race wreaked havoc on earth, they have returned and if we are to survive ender must succeed while the fate of the world rests on his shoulders

Great book, sometimes predictable but still amazing story.

If you haven't read it and you like Sci fi it's def a must read, better than the movie

Very good

Arrived quickly and in good quality; fantastic story by great author.

Worth the read a thousand times over.

I've never read an entire book in a day. Until this book. Very immersive and intense.

Top ten favorite

Orson scott does a brilliant job developing characters and illustrating the surroundings. He makes you feel like you are inside Enders head

Oh wow!

Such a fantastic book by such a fantastic author! I've read all the Ender books and what a pleasure that was! His ability to create vivid images of outer space and places I'd never imagined is so amazing! And the images clung to me like the strange yet endearing and real characters he creates. I'd need a whole new vocabulary to say everything brimming over that wants saying! He's just absolutely spectacular! And this wonderful book is only the beginning! He's a wonderfully prolific author! Oh have spectacular time! I know you will!

I haven't got to read it yet because I'm reading Stephen king's werewolf novel but this is my next g

I'm excited to see how the character progresses and looking forward to hearing about the space and technology.

What? You havent read this yet?

How can you consider yourself a fan of Science Fiction if you've never read Ender's Game? Actually... I only just read it a month ago- but boy am I ashamed of myself for having waited so long! I had to read it again a week ago since I couldn't believe I'd loved it so much, and when phrases like, "The best book I've ever read!" come to your mind- you'd better be pretty certain. It goes high on my list with Dune and very few others. It will enrapture you. The story is simple. It is the future. The Earth has had a severe run-in with a race of hostile aliens we call the "Buggers". They have invaded our planet twice, nearly wiping us out if it weren't for some amazing luck. Now, decades later, the Earth prepares to retaliate against the Buggers- defeat them before a third invasion can be launched against us. We have a massive fleet, but need a leader. With that in mind, the military turns to children for salvation... filtering out the most brilliant strategic minds and molding them into commanders with what it takes to win the war. At age 6, Andrew Wiggen (ENDER) is their best hope. This is the story of his trials and training and SO much more. Card does everything right in Ender's Game. As a 24 year-old, I couldn't recommend any book higher. If you are new to sci-fi, this will get you addicted. ............

Enjoyable and Ingenious

Whenever I talk about this book, it's hard not to make it sound like I am a science fiction junkie. I love and defend sci-fi, but I am not limited to the genre. Neither, I think, is this magnificent book. To label it simply a sci-fi classic would be like labeling "Moby Dick" a great book about boats. All great books, regardless of the genre, say something truly profound about the human condition. "Ender's Game" not only manages to have a strong message, but it is also a joy to read. The plot is enthralling, the characters are complex and realistic, and the descriptions of the battleroom fill your head with fantastic images that make you wish your school had been like this, without the burden of saving humanity. The subplot involving Valentine and Peter is superb and cannot fail to inflame every reader's megalomaniacal side. Though the book is about children, it never condescends and gives kids the credit for the intelligent creatures they are (a big plus for teenage readers). The characters are exceptionally bright, but they are still identified as five- to twelve-year olds, not as mini-adults. It's no wonder that so many gifted young readers have made the statement, "I am Ender." I hope "Ender's Game" is able to make the rare crossover from lowly sci-fi to recognized, so-called "legitimate" literature.Not only will you not be able to put the book down, you won't be able to read this book just once.

The Author Says a Few Words About Style

First, I'm embarrassed, as the author, that I have to give a rating in "stars" in order to comment here. But since I do have to do so, I'm not about to bring down the average by rating my own book any less than five .For those who didn't believe the storyline, I can't offer much help. It IS fiction, but people have different levels of tolerance for extravagant variations from their experience in everyday life. As Johnny Carson used to say, "Buy the premise, buy the bit."For those who have commented that the reason the book is awful is because I don't describe, or my language is so very direct and plain, I must point out that there are several stylistic traditions available to a writer. I, for one, have little patience with writers who show off and try to dazzle readers with their language. The style I choose to use has been called "The American Plain Style," in which the author tries to become as invisible as possible, bringing the reader to see things as if experiencing them along with the character, instead of having a writer constantly commenting and interrupting the flow of the story. Moreover, ever since my days as a playwright I have preferred the bare stage to a realistic set: I found that the less I put on the stage, the more the audience would imagine a much more compelling set than I could ever build. Likewise, in my fiction I describe only as much as is asbsolutely necessary in order to understand what is going on; the rest, the readers create in their own imagination, if they're willing to use it. I try never to describe anything that the point-of-view character would not notice, because such extraneous descriptions take you out of the story. However, when I find it necessary I do describe, and when it is useful (especially at moments of denouement or release) I use more evocative language; some of my story endings (though not Ender's Game) are written as blank verse, though of course I run the lines together so as not to distract the reader. I am also constantly aware of the sound and rhythm of the language, so that it flows and remains pronounceable, since at an unconscious level readers all "read aloud" even if their lips don't move - the written word is inexorably tied to the spoken.In short, there are many aspects to style, and while those who complain about the style of Ender's Game are entitled to their preferences, it's rather parochial to condemn a book because the author is following a stylistic tradition with which they are unfamiliar. Of course, they are hardly to be blamed for this, since so many literature teachers in American colleges and universities teach as if there were only one way to write well, and one kind of story worth telling.Of course, those who approached Ender's Game skeptically or because they were "forced" to read it can hardly imagine their response is valid for those who read it as volunteers or with belief: No book, however good, can survive a hostil