Ender's Game

Special 20th Anniversary Edition

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula 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.

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.

Browse more titles in the Ender Wiggin series.

©1977, 1985, 1991 Orson Scott Card (P)2002 Fantastic Audio, an imprint of Audio Literature

Critic reviews

• Nebula Award Winner, Best Novel, 1985

• Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 1986

"'Intense' is the word for Ender's Game." (The New York Times)

Ranks up there with Asimov

I had debated to purchase this book at the bookstore, as I did not believe a writer as good as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, or Authur C. Clarke could ever be matched. I am so happy I was wrong.

Awesome!

Where does Ender's Game rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved this story and this audiobook. The narration was great and the story was fantastic. I did not want to stop listening. Ender's voyage from small, frightened boy to potential savior of humanity is absolutely addictive and fascinating. This is one of the best audiobooks I have listened to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Absolute must read!

This is the book I recommend to anyone I know who enjoys fiction of any sort. Do yourself a favor and pick up this fast paced, creative, and surprising read even if you didn't like the movie. AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Great Book

This is a great read. Orson Scott Card created an excellent story and a wonderful cast of characters. You don't want it to end. I am looking forward to listening to the other books in this series

Excellent Listen for All Ages

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend "Ender's Game" to anyone who is a fan of Science Fiction, and especially the Audio book. Listening to this book is by far the best way to experience it.

What did you like best about this story?

While the story focuses on a child the subject matter is much deeper than that. It is the perfect setup book for the rest of the series.

What does Stefan Rudnicki and Harlan Ellison bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Both of the voice actors bring the characters alive, they are consistent in their inflections and tone for each character portrayed. I read the book several years ago, and I believe that I understood more of the story and related better with the characters from the performance, than I ever did from the reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was very hard for me to 'put it down'. I found myself finding excuses to listen to the book instead of reading something else, or listening to music like I normally do.

One of my favorite books, audio, just okay

This book is wonderful but I sometimes found myself distracted by the female narrator. Don’t let it stop you though, read/listen to this book!

Bear the narrator

I really enjoyed the overall story. However, I almost did not make it past the narrators way of speaking. His flat tone with barely a distinguishing manner of switching between characters and narrators made it very difficult to listen to for me. The constant whimsy way of speaking by others did get a little annoying as well.
Overall, great story!

One of the best stories ever written

I listened to it in one day. I've bought this book dozens of times over the years as gifts.

Ender is a great character.

A great book, A great listen

You truly are transformed into Enders life. You can't wait for more. The descriptions of every detail makes you feel like you are in the story. Dont miss this book.

One of the best

This is not a review of the story (which is excellent and deserves its place as one of the most iconic works in contemporary science fiction).

I will only focus on the delivery here, which us one of the best i have encountered. The primary narrator, Stefan Rudnicki is terrific. He keeps the different characters distinct, adding accents in some cases, but its never distracting.

This book also features additional narrators, which which im not always a fan of. But they handle it very well and it ads an enjoyable dimension to the story. The ‘interludes’ between chapters which take the form of a conversation between Graff and some undisclosed other party are read like a play. A female narrator occasionally takes over in sections that happen primarily from Victoria’s point of view, and Bean has yet another performer for a few short sections.

Even if you have read this story many times (as i had) the audio book makes it new again. Highly recommend.