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Ender's Game (Ender Quintet Book 1) Kindle Edition
Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is the winner of the Nebula and Hugo Awards
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.
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 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
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- LanguageEnglish
- Lexile measure780L
- PublisherTor Books
- Publication dateApril 1, 2010
- ISBN-109781429963930
- ISBN-13978-1429963930
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Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Back Cover
Amazon.com Review
A Reading Guide for Ender's Game.
THE ENDER UNIVERSE
Ender's Series: Ender Wiggin: The finest general the world could hope to find or breed.
The following Ender's Series titles are listed in order: Ender's Game, Ender In Exile, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind.
Ender's Shadow Series: Parallel storylines to Ender’s Game from Bean: Ender’s right hand, his strategist, and his friend.
The following Ender's Shadow Series titles are listed in order: Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Shadows in Flight.
The First Formic War Series: One hundred years before Ender's Game, the aliens arrived on Earth with fire and death. These are the stories of the First Formic War.
A War of Gifts, First Meetings.
The Authorized Ender Companion: A complete and in-depth encyclopedia of all the persons, places, things, and events in Orson Scott Card’s Ender Universe.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
THIRD
"I've watched through his eyes, I've listened through his ears, and I tell you he's the one. Or at least as close as we're going to get."
"That's what you said about the brother."
"The brother tested out impossible. For other reasons. Nothing to do with his ability."
"Same with the sister. And there are doubts about him. He's too malleable. Too willing to submerge himself in someone else's will."
"Not if the other person is his enemy."
"So what do we do? Surround him with enemies all the time?"
"If we have to."
"I thought you said you liked this kid."
"If the buggers get him, they'll make me look like his favorite uncle."
"All right. We're saving the world, after all. Take him."
* * *
The monitor lady smiled very nicely and tousled his hair and said, "Andrew, I suppose by now you're just absolutely sick of having that horrid monitor. Well, I have good news for you. That monitor is going to come out today. We're going to take it right out, and it won't hurt a bit."
Ender nodded. It was a lie, of course, that it wouldn't hurt a bit. But since adults always said it when it was going to hurt, he could count on that statement as an accurate prediction of the future. Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.
"So if you'll just come over here, Andrew, just sit right up here on the examining table. The doctor will be in to see you in a moment."
The monitor gone. Ender tried to imagine the little device missing from the back of his neck. I'll roll over on my back in bed and it won't be pressing there. I won't feel it tingling and taking up the heat when I shower.
And Peter won't hate me anymore. I'll come home and show him that the monitor's gone, and he'll see that I didn't make it, either. That I'll just be a normal kid now, like him. That won't be so bad then. He'll forgive me that I had my monitor a whole year longer than he had his. We'll be--
Not friends, probably. No, Peter was too dangerous. Peter got so angry. Brothers, though. Not enemies, not friends, but brothers--able to live in the same house. He won't hate me, he'll just leave me alone. And when he wants to play buggers and astronauts, maybe I won't have to play, maybe I can just go read a book.
But Ender knew, even as he thought it, that Peter wouldn't leave him alone. There was something in Peter's eyes, when he was in his mad mood, and whenever Ender saw that look, that glint, he knew that the one thing Peter would not do was leave him alone. I'm practicing piano, Ender. Come turn the pages for me. Oh, is the monitor boy too busy to help his brother? Is he too smart? Got to go kill some buggers, astronaut? No, no, I don't want your help. I can do it on my own, you little bastard, you little Third.
"This won't take long, Andrew," said the doctor.
Ender nodded.
"It's designed to be removed. Without infection, without damage. But there'll be some tickling, and some people say they have a feeling of something missing. You'll keep looking around for something, something you were looking for, but you can't find it, and you can't remember what it was. So I'll tell you. It's the monitor you're looking for, and it isn't there. In a few days that feeling will pass."
The doctor was twisting something at the back of Ender's head. Suddenly a pain stabbed through him like a needle from his neck to his groin. Ender felt his back spasm, and his body arched violently backward; his head struck the bed. He could feel his legs thrashing, and his hands were clenching each other, wringing each other so tightly that they arched.
"Deedee!" shouted the doctor. "I need you!" The nurse ran in, gasped. "Got to relax these muscles. Get it to me, now! What are you waiting for!"
Something changed hands; Ender could not see. He lurched to one side and fell off the examining table. "Catch him!" cried the nurse.
"Just hold him steady--"
"You hold him, doctor, he's too strong for me--"
"Not the whole thing! You'll stop his heart--"
Ender felt a needle enter his back just above the neck of his shirt. It burned, but wherever in him the fire spread, his muscles gradually unclenched. Now he could cry for the fear and pain of it.
"Are you all right, Andrew?" the nurse asked.
Andrew could not remember how to speak. They lifted him onto the table. They checked his pulse, did other things; he did not understand it all.
The doctor was trembling; his voice shook as he spoke. "They leave these things in the kids for three years, what do they expect? We could have switched him off, do you realize that? We could have unplugged his brain for all time."
"When does the drug wear off?" asked the nurse.
"Keep him here for at least an hour. Watch him. If he doesn't start talking in fifteen minutes, call me. Could have unplugged him forever. I don't have the brains of a bugger."
* * *
He got back to Miss Pumphrey's class only fifteen minutes before the closing bell. He was still a little unsteady on his feet.
"Are you all right, Andrew?" asked Miss Pumphrey.
He nodded.
"Were you ill?"
He shook his head.
"You don't look well."
"I'm OK."
"You'd better sit down, Andrew."
He started toward his seat, but stopped. Now what was I looking for? I can't think what I was looking for.
"Your seat is over there," said Miss Pumphrey.
He sat down, but it was something else he needed, something he had lost. I'll find it later.
"Your monitor," whispered the girl behind him.
Andrew shrugged.
"His monitor," she whispered to the others.
Andrew reached up and felt his neck. There was a bandaid. It was gone. He was just like everybody else now.
"Washed out, Andy?" asked a boy who sat across the aisle and behind him. Couldn't think of his name. Peter. No, that was someone else.
"Quiet, Mr. Stilson," said Miss Pumphrey. Stilson smirked.
Miss Pumphrey talked about multiplication. Ender doodled on his desk, drawing contour maps of mountainous islands and then telling his desk to display them in three dimensions from every angle. The teacher would know, of course, that he wasn't paying attention, but she wouldn't bother him. He always knew the answer, even when she thought he wasn't paying attention.
In the corner of his desk a word appeared and began marching around the perimeter of the desk. It was upside down and backward at first, but Ender knew what it said long before it reached the bottom of the desk and turned right side up.
THIRD
Ender smiled. He was the one who had figured out how to send messages and make them march--even as his secret enemy called him names, the method of delivery praised him. It was not his fault he was a Third. It was the government's idea, they were the ones who authorized it--how else could a Third like Ender have got into school? And now the monitor was gone. The experiment entitled Andrew Wiggin hadn't worked out after all. If they could, he was sure they would like to rescind the waivers that had allowed him to be born at all. Didn't work, so erase the experiment.
The bell rang. Everyone signed off their desks or hurriedly typed in reminders to themselves. Some were dumping lessons or data into their computers at home. A few gathered at the printers while something they wanted to show was printed out. Ender spread his hands over the child-size keyboard near the edge of the desk and wondered what it would feel like to have hands as large as a grown-up's. They must feel so big and awkward, thick stubby fingers and beefy palms. Of course, they had bigger keyboards--but how could their thick fingers draw a fine line, the way Ender could, a thin line so precise that he could make it spiral seventy-nine times from the center to the edge of the desk without the lines ever touching or overlapping. It gave him something to do while the teacher droned on about arithmetic. Arithmetic! Valentine had taught him arithmetic when he was three.
"Are you all right, Andrew?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You'll miss the bus."
Ender nodded and got up. The other kids were gone. They would be waiting, though, the bad ones. His monitor wasn't perched on his neck, hearing what he heard and seeing what he saw. They could say what they liked. They might even hit him now--no one could see them anymore, and so no one would come to Ender's rescue. There were advantages to the monitor, and he would miss them.
It was Stilson, of course. He wasn't bigger than most other kids, but he was bigger than Ender. And he had some others with him. He always did.
"Hey Third."
Don't answer. Nothing to say.
"Hey, Third, we're talkin to you, Third, hey bugger-lover, we're talkin to you."
Can't think of anything to answer. Anything I say will make it worse. So will saying nothing.
"Hey, Third, hey, turd, you flunked out, huh? Thought you were better than us, but you lost your little birdie, Thirdie, got a bandaid on your neck."
"Are you going to let me through?" Ender asked.
"Are we going to let him through? Should we let him through?" They all laughed. "Sure we'll let you through. First we'll let your arm through, then your butt through, then maybe a piece of your knee."
The others chimed in now. "Lost your birdie, Thirdie. Lost your birdie, Thirdie."
Stilson began pushing him with one hand; someone behind him then pushed him toward Stilson.
"See-saw, marjorie daw," somebody said.
"Tennis!"
"Ping-pong!"
This would not have a happy ending. So Ender decided that he'd rather not be the unhappiest at the end. The next time Stilson's arm came out to push him, Ender grabbed at it. He missed.
"Oh, gonna fight me, huh? Gonna fight me, Thirdie?"
The people behind Ender grabbed at him, to hold him.
Ender did not feel like laughing, but he laughed. "You mean it takes this many of you to fight one Third?"
"We're people, not Thirds, turd face. You're about as strong as a fart!"
But they let go of him. And as soon as they did, Ender kicked out high and hard, catching Stilson square in the breastbone. He dropped. It to... --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Amazon.com Review
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. Back on Earth, Peter and Valentine forge an intellectual alliance and attempt to change the course of history.
This futuristic tale involves aliens, political discourse on the Internet, sophisticated computer games, and an orbiting battle station. Yet the reason it rings true for so many is that it is first and foremost a tale of humanity; a tale of a boy struggling to grow up into someone he can respect while living in an environment stripped of choices. Ender's Game is a must-read book for science fiction lovers, and a key conversion read for their friends who "don't read science fiction."
Ender's Game won both the Hugo and the Nebula the year it came out. Writer Orson Scott Card followed up this honor with the first-time feat of winning both awards again the next year for the sequel, Speaker for the Dead. --Bonnie Bouman
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.From School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From AudioFile
Review
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
“Card has taken the venerable sf concepts of a superman and interstellar war against aliens, and, with superb characterization, pacing and language, combined them into a seamless story of compelling power. This is Card at the height of his very considerable powers -- a major sf novel by any reasonable standards.” ―Booklist
“Card has done strong work before, but this could be the book to break him out of the pack.” ―New York Newsday
“Ender's Game is an affecting novel.” ―New York Times Book Review
“Card's latest novel is both a gripping tale of adventure in space and a scathing indictment of the militaristic mind.” ―Library Journal
“A prize-winning novella has been transformed into an even more powerful book about war, that ranges in topic from reflex-training video games to combat between our inner- and other-directed selves....This book provides a harrowing look at the price we pay for trying to mold our posterity in our own aggressive image of what we believe is right.” ―The Christian Science Monitor
“Ender's Game is a fast-paced action/adventure but it is also a book with deep and complex moral sensibilities. Card constructed the book so that layers fold with immaculate timing, transforming an almost juvenile adventure into a tragic tale of the destruction of the only other sentient species man had discovered in the universe.” ―Houston Post
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B003G4W49C
- Publisher : Tor Books; Revised, Author's Definitive edition (April 1, 2010)
- Publication date : April 1, 2010
- Language : English
- File size : 5.5 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 264 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #7,562 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools. His most recent series, the young adult Pathfinder series (Pathfinder, Ruins, Visitors) and the fantasy Mithermages series (Lost Gate, Gate Thief, Gatefather) are taking readers in new directions.
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts, including his "freshened" Shakespeare scripts for Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Merchant of Venice.
Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University.
Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, where his primary activities are writing a review column for the local Rhinoceros Times and feeding birds, squirrels, chipmunks, possums, and raccoons on the patio.
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Customers praise this science fiction epic for its well-written, smooth prose and masterful psychological study, with one review noting its fascinating lore grounded in a realm of reality. Moreover, the book features amazingly developed characters with true-to-character dialogue, and customers find it fast-paced and suitable for readers of all ages, particularly middle school kids. They appreciate its thought-provoking nature, with one review highlighting its exploration of human nature.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers praise the sci-fi content of the book, describing it as a great epic tale and an extraordinarily well-written thriller, with one customer noting its fascinating lore grounded in a realm of reality.
"...The character and world building is impeccable, and the plot is so tight and complete that there is an answer to everything in the end." Read more
"...It's a truly entertainment and thought-provoking science fiction story that makes you think and question our own humanity." Read more
"...Overall, this was an unforgettable novel that every fan of science fiction should read." Read more
"...them both with ease and enjoyment because they were fun, exciting, edgy, dark and sexy. Ender's Game's only downfall is its mild Cold War dating...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as smooth as water and incredibly well-crafted, with one customer noting it's a breezy read.
"...Orson Scott Card makes is very creative, well thought out, and easily believable. It simply feels real...." Read more
"...The author's voice is also very smooth and devoid of poor word choice...." Read more
"Ender's Game, a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card, is a grandly written and stylish story that asks if any is truly innocent and who is the..." Read more
"...about genius, the military space school and big brother in very intriguing light. Even his use of computers is brilliant...." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, describing it as a master piece of psychology that covers interesting concepts.
"...story promotes a lot of character analysis, and how it offers a great deal of political and military tactical reasoning...." Read more
"...To this very day it is considered one of the most intellectual and revered science fiction novels of all time...." Read more
"...to use each character's different knowledges, wisdoms, and ignorances to his advantage, weaving a story that is incomplete one moment, and then..." Read more
"...thoughts and dreams made me realize that he is a very caring and smart person who's biggest goal in life is to really just be left in peace and have..." Read more
Customers praise the character development in the book, noting that the story is rich with deep characters and that the dialogue is true to their personalities.
"...I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. The character and world building is impeccable, and the plot is so tight and complete that there is an answer to..." Read more
"...Orson Scott Card has been described as a very strong character driven author, focusing more on the individual's problems and how they solve them...." Read more
"...objective narrator and the subjective thoughts of the characters are executed with excellence...." Read more
"...Orson Scott Card Ender's Game pg 115 Ender is such a likable character...." Read more
Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, describing it as fast and flowing, though some note that it begins slowly.
"...evaluation of people's mannerisms, strengths, weaknesses, and overall state of mind...." Read more
"...of each of the viewpoint characters is seamless and flows like a river through a valley floor...." Read more
"...Orson Scott Card was able to write such a raw and powerful story that it needs to be bought, before the buggers get to it first!" Read more
"...These tidbits explain why the book feels drawn out in spots and why some critical thinking introduced into the story makes it holdup as well as a..." Read more
Customers find the book highly readable, particularly noting its focus on exceptional children in a school setting and its appeal to readers of all ages, including middle school students.
"...Highly recommended, mainly for adults and more...mature children, just like that other Game." Read more
"I thought this book was just a fun kids story and never picked it up until a page to screen book club decided to do it for this month...." Read more
"...Not only is worth your time, it is a book to share with your children." Read more
"...I may not like exposition, but I do love dialogue, character development, and politics; and while I felt there could have been more politics in the..." Read more
Customers appreciate the emotional content of the book, noting its good amount of feeling and sympathy, with one customer describing it as a wonderfully poetic psychological study.
"...But seeing his thoughts and dreams made me realize that he is a very caring and smart person who's biggest goal in life is to really just be left..." Read more
"...Man was I wrong! This story is so good and had me in tears toward the end. Now I’ve got to go and watch the movie." Read more
"...'s Game presents the simplest form of human will and determination under the pressure of fear." Read more
"...They struck deeper, they destroyed our sense of humanity...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's entertainment value, with some finding it engaging and never boring, while others describe it as uninteresting.
"...There are no jarring moments where one has to pause to figure out how one arrived from dealing with the politics on earth to a sudden battle that..." Read more
"...Secondly, the third act felt rushed. Card sets up so many interesting subplots that don’t ever feel resolved...." Read more
"...could read through them both with ease and enjoyment because they were fun, exciting, edgy, dark and sexy...." Read more
"...His actions paint him to be ruthless and uncaring...." Read more
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2014Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
(Now a Major Motion Picture)
By Alexander Casillas
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is an exhilarating fast paced steep into the future of tactical space combat and the troubled life of a young soon to be Admiral of Earth’s greatest defense weapon, the International Fleet.
Years prior to the story there was an invasion of Earth that sealed a bond between the countries of the world. After eighty years the bond that was once strong is starting to shred and the scraps it is becoming are being tested with every passing day.
In its prime the bond gave the humans of Earth a fighting chance in their defense against the alien foe known only as the Buggers. After the successful defense of the planet the International Fleet started taking measures to ensure that the Earth was safe from any future assaults. The Second Invasion came and went, but still the International Fleet is unsatisfied.
Ender Wiggin is a Third in a world where parents are only permitted two children, with few exceptions. Though he is a very lonely Third, Ender is an extremely intelligent six year old on his way to finishing his basic training on Earth when he is whisked away from his family and launched into orbit by Colonel Graff to train in the renowned Battle School.
Upon entering Battle School Ender is socially isolated from the members of his team and the members of all of the other teams. He doesn’t let his isolation stop him in the slightest as he proves his worth in class and in the competitive team based battle game of the Battle Room.
After years of battles and endless torment from his superiors and other soldiers alike Ender is assigned to command his own army, Dragon Army, comprised of a ragtag group of outcast veterans and inexperienced launchies. Though the infamous name holds an inevitable season losing streak Ender works his tactical mind and turns his downcast team into a superpower that works its way up to the top of the Battle Room roster.
After proving himself a worthy candidate for Admiral of the International Fleet he is promoted to Command School on a once bugger-infested asteroid called Eros where he becomes the apprentice of the greatest war hero from the Second Bugger War, Mazer Rackham. During his apprenticeship Ender conducts fleets of starships in simulation battles to prepare himself for the his greatest task: To make it impossible for the Buggers to ever attack Earth again.
Throughout the entire story Ender is continually pushed to his limits and his grasp on his mental and physical stability wears down until he is left questioning everything and everyone.
As Ender fights for peace in zero gravity his brother and sister, the First and Second children of his family, stay very much grounded on Earth fighting for the salvation of the peace between the nations through the use of a couple of pseudonyms and many articles and debates in political forums. This part of the story takes up a much smaller portion of the book, but it is a nice treat that strengthens that storyline and the world that Orson Scott Card creates.
This story pays a great deal of attention on the character and personality of Ender. It has a strong emphasis on why Ender makes the choices he does rather than the choices alone, and the why is often the more important factor in the story and in life in general.
I like how this story promotes a lot of character analysis, and how it offers a great deal of political and military tactical reasoning. The futuristic world Orson Scott Card makes is very creative, well thought out, and easily believable. It simply feels real.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. The character and world building is impeccable, and the plot is so tight and complete that there is an answer to everything in the end.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2011I had some very high expectations going into Ender's Game. The novel has been decorated with several awards including the Nebula in 1985, and the Hugo in 1986. To this very day it is considered one of the most intellectual and revered science fiction novels of all time. So needless to say, it has some very big shoes to fill. After reading Ender's Game I can safely say that it not only lives up to all its praise, but it's also one of my favorite books of all time.
The future depicted by Orson Scott Card is a frightening one. Humankind has been under siege by a mysterious breed of insect life-forms, crudely dubbed "Buggers" out of sheer terror. After barely surviving two catastrophic invasions by the Buggers, the world is under constant military martial law out of the fear of a third invasion.
The military's one and only trump card for surviving the second invasion was the strategic prowess of Mazer Rackham. Due to his example, the military has made it their top priority to find promising new tactical geniuses and train them at a very young age. This is done by monitoring their every action and progress via devices placed in their necks. The atmosphere in Orson's vision of the future is very reminiscent of a totalitarian government, exercising its power by monitoring and controlling the population. The difference here is that these measures have been taken out of fear and desperation for the very survival and preservation of the human race. Which brings up an over-arcing theme that I found in Ender's Game. When the Buggers attacked, they didn't break our spirit or morale. They struck deeper, they destroyed our sense of humanity. The leaders are more then happy to sacrifice the childhood and overall happiness of children for the sake of the human race. To steal a quote from Mr. Spock, "the needs of the many, outweigh the few." What's really disturbing about this is that we'd all most likely turn a blind eye towards their heinous acts if this was reality, it's horrible but it's unfortunately true. Yet the quote is really put to the test in this book.
This brings me to the focus of Ender's Game: Ender himself. Orson Scott Card has been described as a very strong character driven author, focusing more on the individual's problems and how they solve them. In this case, it's a little boy with the fate of the world resting on his shoulders, no pressure. The protagonist Ender Wiggin is easily one of the most well realized and unique characters that I've ever seen in literature. From the very beginning, the military recognizes Ender as the genius child who has the wisdom and tactical knowledge needed to defeat the Buggers and ultimately save humanity from annihilation. Because of this, he is given the option to leave his family and join Battle School, an orbital station in space. There he is to learn to become a soldier and if he plays his cards right, will eventually discover what it takes to become a leader. At the same time though, he must contend with the harassment of the other children and the administration constantly putting the odds against him.
One thing I quickly learned about Ender's Game is that this isn't some typical inspirational underdog story. From the very beginning to the very end, both the reader and the officers in charge know that Ender is the best there is. He showcases his superiority through his deep evaluation of people's mannerisms, strengths, weaknesses, and overall state of mind. Another large example is his tendencies early on to befriend people for the sake of forging alliances that he can call upon. Nearly every move Ender makes has some ulterior motive behind it. At times, it's quite disturbing to see these kinds of dark thoughts coming from a mere child. Which brings me to another point. As the story progresses and as he deals with more inhumane harassment from the senior officers and the other children; the child inside Ender slowly begins to die. His childhood slowly fades away, until there's nothing left but a cold leader of men. The exact leader that the military needs Ender to be. Yet you'll constantly be asking "was it worth it?"
The supporting characters are also very well realized thanks to Mr. Card's prowess. The most interesting ones were Ender's siblings Valentine and Peter. The relationship between these three characters was very unique; the two of them acting as personifications of Ender's personality. Both Valentine and Peter were turned down as Battle School candidates for differing reasons. Valentine was to compassionate and humane, while Peter was to cruel and heartless. Ender fits in the middle of the spectrum, possessing their strengths but neither of their shortcomings. He possesses the kindness of his sister, but not the hesitation and mercy. From Peter, he possesses the will to destroy his adversaries, but not for pleasure and sport, instead he does it for self-defense. This causes Ender to constantly fear that he may one day become like his brother if he continues down the wrong path.
Ender's Game is truly worthy of all of its acknowledgement and easily stands up today. It's a truly entertainment and thought-provoking science fiction story that makes you think and question our own humanity.
Top reviews from other countries
- Barb ElliottReviewed in Canada on March 31, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
loved this book
-
plopReviewed in France on July 23, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Hello !
Aillant vue le film déjà plusieurs fois avant de lire le livre, je voulais d'abord le lire en kindle, seulement n'apparaissant pas en format kindle et voulais vraiment le lire j'ai fais l'effort d'acheter en format poche.
Je ne suis vraiment pas déçu de mon achat, j'ai surkifé le film et j'adore encore plus le livre, l'avantage en lisant après avoir vue le film c'est qu'on apprend tellement de chose supplémentaire que sa donne de l'intérêt de lire.
J'ai juste une envie maintenant, terminer le livre et attendre qu'ils le deuxième film afin qu'il réédite également la suite du cycle d'Ender.
Cordialement,
Guilllaume.
- Anand Kumar GuptaReviewed in India on January 10, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful SiFi without jargon and without space-time warp
A wonderful SiFi without jargon and without space-time warp, easy to comprehend. It doesn't need reader's concentration on science and maths and yet is near reality. Thanks to the author.
- Kirsty FReviewed in Australia on May 28, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing read
Ender’s Game was one of the first sci fi books I’d ever read. It was given to me as a gift even though it wasn’t my genre of interest. I’m so glad I read it, it is an amazing read. It is more a Character driven story and I connected with Ender and his struggles. The plot is tightly woven and has a stunning ending.
-
Mario Pf.Reviewed in Germany on May 9, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Mit Recht ein Klassiker
Zwei Invasionen durch die Formics musste die Erde bereits ertragen und nur dank des militärischen Genies des Commanders Mazer Rackham konnte die Vernichtung der Menschheit im Zuge der zweiten Invasion verhindert werden. Doch Rackhams Heldentat liegt 80 Jahre zurück und die dritte Invasion könnte jederzeit über die Welt hereinbrechen.
Der Beinahe-Untergang der Menschheit hat die Menschheit zwar zur Gründung der International Fleet (IF) geführt, doch längst nicht alle Konflikte auf Erden vergessen gemacht. Um Überbevölkerung zu bekämpfen musste in fast allen Ländern eine Zwei-Kind-Politik durchgesetzt werden. Um Russland hat sich ein zweiter Warschauer Pakt formiert und Englisch wurde wieder zur internationalen Standardsprache. Trotz aller Zerwürfnisse werden Kinder aus allen Herren Länder auf ihr Potential untersucht der nächste Mazer Rackham zu werden. So auch der Third Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin, dessen hochbegabte Geschwister bereits von der IF abgelehnt wurden...
- Ein unerwarteter Erfolg -
Ähnlich wie sich die IF-Führung im Roman nicht sicher sein konnte, dass das dritte Kind von John Paul und Theresa Wiggin nach dem sadistischen Peter und der barmherzigen Valentine nicht nur deren Intellekt sondern auch die ideale Mischung aus den Charakterzügen beider Geschwister besitzen, so konnte auch Orson Scott Card nicht geahnt haben, welcher Erfolg 'Ender's Game' beschieden sein würde.
'Ender's Game' entstand mehr aus Zufall wie Autor Orson Scott Card im Vorwort gesteht und dem Vorwort zur Fortsetzung 'Speaker of the Dead' noch einmal untermauert hat. Das Buch bestand zunächst nur aus der Idee des Battleroom und dem Training der jungen Rekruten in einer schwerelosen Umgebung. Dass es überhaupt zustande kam ist der glücklichen Fügung zu verdanken, dass Card beim Abschluss des Vertrages zu 'Speaker of the Dead' bereits bezweifelte die Vorgeschichte des im Roman vorkommenden Ender Wiggin dort ausreichend beleuchten und abhandeln zu können. So erhielt er dann doch für das als wirklich zentrales Buch geplante Werk 'Speaker of the Dead' die Vorgeschichte 'Ender's Game' zu schreiben.
Doch Ender's Game brauch durch und entwickelte ein starkes Eigenleben. Mit Würdigungen wie dem Hugo UND Nebula Award gesegnet sorgte Ender's Game dafür, dass Card fortan gerade wegen dieses einen Buches in einer Reihe mit einem Autoren wie Robert Heinlein genannt wurde. Die an Heinleins Starship Troopers erinnernden Aspekte Ender's Games brachten dem Buch dann wohl auch seine 2013 veröffentlichte Verfilmung ein, in welcher der Plot um Valentine und Peter Wiggin erst gar nicht vorkommt.
- Auch ein Buch für Fans des Films? -
Wer vielleicht gerade durch den überraschend tiefgründigen Film auf 'Ender's Game' gestoßen ist und sich nun tiefer in die Hintergrundgeschichte und das 'Enderverse' vertiefen möchte ist bei der Romanvorlage schon richtig und sollte auch hier anstatt mit einer der Fortsetzungen beginnen.
Das Buch behandelt im Gegensatz zum Film weit mehr als nur die Manipulationen, welche Ender durchlaufen musste, um schlussendlich zum vermeintlichen Retter der Menschheit zu werden. Denn im Buch ist Ender nur der jüngste von drei brillanten Wiggins und seine beiden auf der Erde verbliebenen Geschwister beginnen im Verlauf der Geschichte ihre ganz eigenen Ambitionen in Hinsicht auf ein Ende des dritten Formic-Krieges zu entwickeln. Diese Nebenhandlung, die in einem Film unweigerlich das Fundament für ein cineastisches Ender-Franchise geschaffen hätte, wurde jedoch gänzlich aus der Filmhandlung gehalten. Auch wenn der Film äußerst gelungen sein mag, ob man die Nebenhandlung auch so gut getroffen hätte wäre nicht garantiert gewesen.
- Zwei Völker mit ähnlichen Problemen -
Überbevölkerung, zwischenstaatliche Konflikte und der Zug ins All als einziges Ventil. Zumindest in späteren Kapiteln erfährt man mehr über die Ähnlichkeiten zwischen Formics und Menschen, auch wenn wir und die Aliens uns biologisch nicht unähnlicher sein könnten.
Menschen wie Formics standen zum Beginn der Invasionen bereits an einem ähnlichen Scheideweg, der die menschlichen Verluste im Zuge des ersten Formic-Krieges wohl auch nur kurzfristig entgegen wirkten. Die Erde ist überbevölkert und selbst die externe Bedrohung durch eine globale Apokalypse macht die alten Konflikte nicht vergessen, nein sie sorgt nur für deren Vertagung auf einen späteren Zeitpunkt. Die Formics kamen, um sich neuen Lebensraum zu verschaffen und die Menschheit blieb erdgebunden weil man noch nicht über weit fortgeschrittene Technologien besaß selbst permanente Kolonien außerhalb unseres Sonnensystems zu errichten.
Der Erstkontakt geriet zum Erstschlag und wie zu erwarten war der weitere Konfliktverlauf damit bereits weitgehend vorgezeichnet. So sehr man sich als Mensch dadurch bestätigt fühlt, dass man auf der richtigen Seite steht, es hätte auch anders kommen können, wären die Menschen der Aggressor.
Dass die Formics allerdings zuerst zuschlugen ist ganz im Sinne von Autor Card, denn all das dient der Konstruktion des moralischen Dilemmas, in welches er Ender Wiggin für den Rest seines Lebens versetzen will.
- Tablets, intelligente Fasern und Blogs -
Schon 1985 schrieb Orson Scott Card wie auch ein Douglas Adams über Technologien, die erst über 20 Jahre später zum alltäglichen Anblick geworden sind. Wenn man den "desk" eines Ender Wiggin als Tablet-PC identifiziert, die erstarrenden Flashsuits der Rekruten die nächste Entwicklungsstufe intelligenter Fasern identifziert und in Valentines und Peters Online-Treiben nur noch den Alltag mancher Blogger erkennt weiß man wie weit sich die Gegenwart bereits wieder die Science Fiction eingeholt hat.
Das wirft natürlich auch die Frage auf, ob es die Wirkung der Geschichte schmälern wird, wenn diese heute noch modernen Technologien in 10-20 Jahren bereits veraltet sein werden, wenn man etwa an Schreibmaschinen mit Spracheingabe denkt, die unter anderem in Isaac Asimovs Foundation-Kurzgeschichte in vorkamen. Das mag zwar nicht die Bedeutung der Geschichte reduzieren, durchaus aber ihre Zugänglichkeit durch künftige Generationen beeinträchtigen.
- Eine Dystopie -
Ender's Game zeichnet eine Dystopie der Welt von morgen, wie man sie ähnlich auch aus Robert Heinleins Starship Troopers kennt. Doch Cards von Krieg gezeichnete Welt ist auf gewisse Weise dystopischer als Heinleins Konzept einer vereinten Menschheit. Cards Welt bewegt sich so etwa in einem immer noch schwelenden Ost-West-Konflikt und steht am Rande eines katastrophalen Bodenkrieges. Die Menschen sind nur soweit zusammengerückt, eine gemeinsame Internationale Flotte aufzustellen, um den bereits Jahrzehnte auf sich warten lassenden Raumkrieg mit den Formics zu schlagen. Intern ist die Menschheit weiterhin zerrissen und das mag auch von den Jahren des relativen Friedens seit der Zweiten Invasion liegen.
Cards Menschheit ist weniger perfekt und hat die irdischen Streitigkeiten nur vertagt, während Heinlein eine in dieser Hinsicht zumindest mehr utopische Variante gewählt hat. Cards Menschen sind schlicht und einfach nicht über sich hinausgewachsen und so ist die IF anders als das Militär in Heinleins Starship Troopers, wo es zur dominanten Macht geworden ist. Die IF ist eine Zweckgemeinschaft, eine die bisher nicht in der Lage zu sein schien ein wirkliches Eigenleben zu entwickeln. Wohl weil sie trotz aller ihr zur Verfügung gestellten Ressourcen fest im Griff der irdischen Politik ist. Ein Versuch der IF ihre Waffen gegen die irdischen Regierungen zu richten würde scheitern, allerdings aufgrund von Dingen, die wir erst gegen Ende des Buchs erfahren. Selbst nach dem dritten Formic-Krieg stünde die IF vor logistischen Problemen (Rückholung der Truppen von der Front). So erweist sich Cards Militär zwar als skrupelloser in manch anderer Hinsicht, aber zumindest zahmer und weniger glorifiziert.
- They are only kids? -
Der Erfolg des Romans Ender's Game mag auch daran liegen, dass das Buch eben im Young Adult-Genre platziert wurde. Eine Entscheidung die Orson Scott Card dem Vorwort nach nicht unbedingt bewusst traf. Als er zum ersten Mal mit Ideen für das spätere Werk aufkam war es Kindheit und Jugend die er einfach noch am besten zu verstehen glaubte. Es hat dem Werk jedoch keinesfalls geschadet. Neben der Öffnung für immer neue Generationen von Jugendlichen, denen hier eine Identifikationsfläche für ihre eigenen Probleme, Ängste und Nöte geboten wird, hat Card dem Werk eine Alterslosigkeit verliehen, weil das Alter der Charaktere an manchen Stellen doch nur eine kosmetische Rolle spielt.
Die Verwendung von Heranwachsenden macht Ender's Game auch um eine ganze Ecke glaubwürdiger, als die Verwendung von Erwachsenen, wo selten so reine Motive anzutreffen sind. Ender und seine Mitschüler werden hingegen von den Erwachsenen fortlaufend manipuliert und dass man überhaupt auf Kinder zurückgreift ist auch verständlich, wenn man bedenkt, dass Talente, Neigungen und Überzeugungen bei diesen noch offener liegen als in Erwachsenen. Ein Wunderkind kann in die Mittelmäßigkeit abdriften und als Erwachsener gänzlich übersehen werden, als Kind jedoch sticht es noch aus der Masse heraus. Und genau der Suche nach solchen Wunderkindern hat sich die IF verschrieben.
Werden Motive und Handlungen bei Erwachsenen oft genug verzerrt dargestellt, bei Kindern ist es meistens ziemlich klar, was der Auslöser ist, wenn sich zwei in die Haare geraten. Kinder sind unkomplizierter und deutlicher in ihren Absichten.
- Locke und Demosthenes -
Der Nebenplot um Peter und Valentine Wiggin spannt sich mittlerweile über einige Romane im Enderverse. Doch das überraschende an ihm ist, wie faszinierend er doch ist, auch wenn sich die primäre Erzählung um Ender zu drehen scheint. Peter und Valentine stehen ihrem kleinen Bruder in nichts nach, doch sie sind auf der moralischen Skala an zwei völlig verschiedenen Punkten angesetzt.
Peter ist ein aggressiv handelnder Soziopath, Valentine die mitfühlende passive und doch besitzt jeder der beiden Aspekte des anderen. Genauso wie Ender Charakterzüge seiner beiden Geschwister aufweist, weist auch Valentine Züge Peters auf, der umgekehrt auch wie Valentine handeln kann.
Enders Erfolg und Auserwählten-Status hat seiner Familie allerdings nichts eingebracht, auch weil die IF ihre Pläne mit Ender ohnehin geheim halten zu pflegt. So ist es für die beiden verbliebenen Wiggins völlig egal, wozu ihr Bruder auserkoren ist und sie müssen sich viel mehr miteinander auseinandersetzen. Ohne ihren Dritten sind die beiden gegensätzlichen Geschwister nur ein Paar und überraschenderweise mindert gerade das die Spannungen zwischen beiden.
So wie Ender auserwählt ist schon als Teenager zum größten militärischen Kommandanten der Menschheit zu werden, strebt Peter auch nach seinem rechten Platz in der Menschheitsgeschichte. Doch anders als der kleine Bruder genießt er keine staatliche Förderung seiner Ziele und Ambitionen. Während der kleine Bruder noch Valentine gleich die Dinge lieber über sich ergehen lässt, kämpft Peter auf eigene Faust sogar noch bedeutender zu werden als Ender.
Zu diesem Zweck schließt Peter dann auch seinen Pakt mit Valentine. Als politische Kommentatoren (und Blogger) wollen die beiden als Locke und Demosthenes zu Macht und Einfluss in der politischen Landschaft der westlichen Hemisphäre gelangen. Doch dabei ist Peter ganz klar, dass der gemäßigtere Locke potentiell der mächtigere von beiden werden könnte. Eine Rolle die wie auf Valentine zugeschnitten wäre. Doch Peter überredet sie zum Rollentausch, während er als gemäßigter Locke dabei auf ihren Rat angewiesen ist (und sich insgeheim selbst lehrt öffentlich eine Valentine-eske Fassade zu errichten), sieht sich Valentine genötigt sich Inspiration für den paranoiden Demosthenes von Peter zu holen.
Peters Rollentausch ist einerseits eine brillante Idee, die einmal mehr sein Genie unterstreicht, andererseits aber auch etwas, das umso harmloser erscheint, wenn man das Alter der Charaktere bedenkt. Peters Wunsch am Ende als der bessere Mensch und umjubelte Politiker aus der Affäre hervorzugehen führt dazu, dass er auch bereit ist sich selbst zu verleugnen und von Valentine zu lernen. Zugleich ist er noch ein Kind, dass um mehr Anerkennung zu erhalten praktisch sein Lieblingsspielzeug mit dem der kleinen Schwester tauscht, weil er sich davon die Erfüllung seines Wunsches verspricht. Da steckt womöglich auch ein gewisser Neid auf den auserwählten Ender und die mit ihrem Wesen weit besser positionierte Valentine dahinter. Doch beiden fehlt der Wille zur Macht.
- Lessons from the Battleroom -
Orson Scott Card war und ist kein Wissenschaftler und gibt das im Vorwort auch zu. Er hat sich als Autor sogar selbst die Frage gestellt, wie er Science Fiction schreiben kann, ohne vom Science Aspekt wirklich viel verstanden zu haben. Doch wie Ender's Game beweist muss man nicht Wissenschafts- oder Technologie-affin sein, um eine legendäre Science Fiction Geschichte zu Papier zu bringen.
Aber ausgerechnet Cards zentrale Idee, mit der alles seinen Anfang nahm, ist etwas womit viele spätere Science Fiction-Autoren und Schöpfer von Science Fiction-Medien so ihre liebe Not haben. Der Battleroom ist der Beweis dafür, wie faszinierend und schwer verständlich Schwerelosigkeit sein kann. Schwerelosigkeit verweigert sich unserer irdischen Lebenserfahrung und führt dazu, dass wir uns Raumschiffe auch immer noch als Schiffe vorstellen. Doch genau diese Vorstellung von der Notwendigkeit eines obens und untens ist eines der wichtigsten Paradigmen, welches Ender Wiggin gebrochen hat. Mit oscar-premierten Filmen wie Gravity gibt es bereits so manche Ansätze unser Denken in Zukunft mehr auf Enders Erkenntnis zu lenken.
Was Orson Scott Card seinen Ender Wiggin schnell erkennen lässt, in der Schwerelosigkeit ist unser altes Bezugssystem mit oben und unten völlig überflüssig. Sich daran zu halten ist für Ender ein Witz und die Anpassungsschwierigkeiten ein Thema bei den ersten Battleroom-Exkursionen der Launchies. Die wichtige Lektion die wir daraus lernen sollten, wenn es keine Schwerkraft gibt, gibt es auch keinen Zwang sich an sie zu halten. Doch genau diese Anpassungsschwierigkeit im Verständnis des schwerelosen Raums bereitet nicht nur den Launchies Kopfzerbrechen, sondern hat auch bereits Generationen von Science Fiction-Designern in Kino, TV und Videospielen dazu verleitet Raumschiffe und Schwerelosigkeit an irdische Gegebenheiten anzupassen. Ein RaumSCHIFF ähnelt immer noch mehr einem Schiff als es für seine Umgebung angemessen sein sollte. Schwerelose Umgebungen werden immer noch mit Upside-Downside-Elementen versehen, wohl um das Publikum nicht schwindelig zu machen.
Eine weniger technische Lektion aus dem Battleroom ist auch der Erfolg von Enders Strategien gegenüber dem Scheitern so vieler seiner Mitschüler. Wer sich für Team- oder Strategiespielen und dergleichen interessiert findet in Enders Erlebnissen vieles was einem selbst vertraut sein dürfte.
So treffen wir auf den autoritären Perfektionisten Bonzo Madrid, der es liebt allerlei fein orchestrierte Manöver zu proben, die ihn allerdings anfällig für Unvorhergesehenes machen und individuellen Einsatz oder Improvisation ausschließen. Bonzos Manöver sind hochkomplex und aus seiner Sicht zu schwierig einfach jemand neuen darin zu integrieren. Diese Inflexibilität kommt ihn teuer zu stehen, wie auch sein autoritäres Gehabe.
An späterer Stelle trifft man schließlich auf den Laissez-faire Commander Rose de Nose, der das exakte Gegenteil zum Perfektionisten Bonzo darstellt. Nose ist völlig desinteressiert daran seinen "Mitspielern" Vorschriften zu machen und delegiert die Verantwortung für die Manöver und Koordination an seine Platoon Leader. Sein Glück und Erfolg hingen dabei von talentierteren Offizieren ab, wie Toon Leader Dink Meeker, der sich selbst bereits mehrfach einer Beförderung zum Commander verweigert hat. Meeker ist es dann auch, der Ender wirklich in die Battleroom-Manöver einführt und Wege findet, den ehemaligen Launchie erfolgreich einzusetzen. Doch Meekers Paranoia gegenüber den Spielemachern und den Lehrern der Battleschool generell trüben auch seine Erfolge.
Dass sich Ender schlussendlich als der erfolgreichste Commander erweist ist zum Teil auch dem Einfluss Meekers zu verdanken, der ihn über die Sinnlosigkeit des Spieles aufgeklärt hat. Das Spiel selbst mag sinnlos sein und nur eine Show für die Lehrer sein, doch der Sieg ist irgendwie anders. Enders Spielweise verweigert sich der Konventionen und sorgt dann sogar dafür, dass die Regeln immer weiter verschärft werden, um ihm und seiner Truppe eine Niederlage zuzufügen. Doch Ender spielt das Spiel nicht mehr mit und gewinnt trotzdem oder genau deshalb. Ender verweigert sich des sogenannten Zergs. Anstatt zu versuchen die Armee des Gegners zu besiegen (was eben auch nach Sun-Tzus Kunst des Krieges eine grober Fehler ist) setzt Ender auf den Sieg. Gelingt es ihm einen Spieler durch das gegnerische Tor zu befördern hat er gewonnen und so unternimmt Ender alles was notwendig ist, um diese Siegesbedingung zu erfüllen.
Ender verweigert sich eine glanzvolle Schlacht (ein gutes Match) zu liefern, wählt oft verlustreiche, doch schlussendlich erfolgreiche Strategien und treibt Konkurrenten wie Lehrer damit zur Verzweiflung. Man hat ihm die schlechtesten Spieler und eine unterlegene Streitmacht gegeben, doch anstatt diese in einen Zweikampf zu schicken, den er verlieren müsste. In einem Mannschaftssport würde man ihn bestenfalls des Betrugsvorwurfs aussetzen, doch wie im Fußball zählen die Tore und nicht welche Mannschaft auf dem Platz die bessere Figur macht. Wenn der Underdog mit der richtigen Strategie gewinnen kann und die besten Spieler leer ausgehen ist das schnell mal etwas, das unfair genannt wird. Aber auch glanzlose, schmutzige Siege führen zum Erfolg.
- Resümee -
Ein Meisterwerk der Science Fiction das viel Diskussionsstoff und Anregungen zum Nachdenken bietet. Ein Werk das gerade so erfolgreich ist, weil es im Young Adult-Bereich beheimatet ist und genau wegen der Jugend seiner Protagonisten auch derart beeindruckende Charakterzeichnungen bietet.