"AMAZING!"
I still have this book downloaded to my phone and have started listening to it again already. The story itself is great and I have read the book once before, but the narration made this work come to life in a way that I never thought possible.
Griff by far at his best in this book. Got to love his attitude toward the world.
Having read the paper back version of this book I found my self amazed by the ability of the narrators to bring the story to life in my mind. having the ability to sit back close my eyes and see the story in my mind made listen to this book an unbelievable experience.
Many of the books that I listen to brad my attention but the Ender Series for some reason do it more so then many others. I am always disappointed to look down and see the book is nearly half over, even though I know I still have about 6 hours of listening time left.
The narration and the work itself were great, together they rival with perfection!
"Without a doubt the best audio book"
The characters! I feel as if I have met Ender and the other characters in the book, especially Ender's sister, Valentine.
Speaker for the Dead - same author, characters and narration cast.
The audio book dramatisation brought to the story by Stefan Rudnicki and Harlan Ellison and team makes the audio book live, its like listening to a play rather than a simple narration of the book.
I loved this book and it left a deep, positive impression on me. based on this I sought out more books by the same author and the same audio team of Stefan Rudnicki et al.
Without a doubt the best audio book I have ever listened to and felt part of.
"Great story, didn't feel the reader got Ender tho."
Love this story, felt disappointed with the readers, both of them. I know this is probably impossible to match up but I didn't feel that Ender's voice especially, was understood. He sounded petty and irritated all the time.
"Plays with your mind"
The selling point of Ender's Game is that it combines solid science fiction, a plot whose parts tightly hook into each other, and a detailed view into the protagonist's mind that leaves you feeling what the protagonist feels and wondering what the protagonist wonders.
Stefan Rudnicki's performance is as good as ever, and in my mind Ender only really comes to life when narrated by him. The performance of Harlan Ellison and the other voice actors is rather decent. Not as overwhelming as Rudnicki's, but the variety still improves the experience instead of breaking the flow.
As for what defines the plot, I believe the very detailed descriptions of Ender's feelings, the problems he is faced with, and the various ideas to deal with those problems is what keeps you listening. It becomes very easy to associate with Ender, and very rarely does the protagonist do something so obviously stupid that this "bond" the author creates between the protagonist and the reader is shaken.
The really amazing part about this are the parts of the book that border on psycho-analysis. Ender during the book is faced with several dreams, or dream-like situations, which use heavy symbolism to reflect Ender's psyche, and by extension, that reflect the reader's emulation of Ender's psyche.
This combination of Ender's explicit feelings, Ender's subconsciousness, the reader's explicit feelings, and the reader's subconsciousness is truly mind-boggling, and if you do not take breaks between reading, you may find yourself shouting "I am not Peter!".
Unfortunately, the overall plot has some gaping plot holes which are not reconciled easily. A healthy dose of willing suspension of disbelief will certainly enable you to enjoy this book, but do not expect the book to end in any way that makes sense, or the mysteries to be resolved in a satisfying way.
The writing style is very enjoyable, Card has his own style which perfectly underlines the focus of the plot on Ender's thought and reasoning.
"A Great New Classic"
entertaining, gripping and great characters
This is a unique story like none other in its genre
They both made the characters come alive and made it fun to listen to the story, enhancing the listener experience.
"Amazing classic sci-fi "hero coming-of-age" tale!"
How did i miss this one!? I would've loved to hear this book when I was younger, but as a twentysomething in the age of post-Harry Potter and Wheel of Time fantasy 'boy-hero' epics, this was a breath of fresh air that was totally engrossing and enjoyable! My only complaint is that with the cast of readers, they tend to switch narrators at seemingly random moments. Other than that, I would still recommend this book 100%!
"Awful narrator"
This narrator sounded like he was new to reading out loud. I couldn't get into the story because he was so awful and gave up on the book a third of the way in. Too bad too, it seemed interesting. Guess I'll wait for the movie.
"Not sure why I waited so long..."
As the title says, I waited a long time before ever reading/listening to this book. I'm not sure why I waited though... I actually own several signed OSC books that I was able to obtain when I met him last year at a speaking arrangement. It wasn't until I returned a rather boring/poorly thought out book to Audible that I decide to make the trade for Ender's Game. I'm glad I did. The book's overall story, plus the performance were both excellent!
Ender Wiggin is a character that will stick with you. Long after the story has finished, Ender's emotional childhood will linger. He'll make you question what it means to be heroic- what it means to be the person to "save the world". Ender's Game is truly thought out book that I highly recommend.
"Great character driven Sci-fi"
I rarely re-read a book, but this may be an exception. The story arc is one that relies on the suspense of not knowing.
The ending was very well paced and tied everything up in a surprisingly open but satisfying way.
"Just wanted to hear the story before the movie"
No.
Probably not. It was a so-so book, although my other friends really liked it.
Nothing.
It is becoming a movie with Harrison Ford.
I will probably skipped the remainder of the books.