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)

A Great Retelling

Would you listen to Ender's Game again? Why?

I had read the book when I was younger and enjoyed it. Now, after going through a military academy, pilot training, and combat I reread it. This time I loved it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Colonel Graff is the most relatable character. I thoroughly enjoyed the genius' thoughts but a merely brilliant man willing to sacrifice his soul for humanity is far more interesting.

Which character – as performed by Stefan Rudnicki and Harlan Ellison – was your favorite?

Again, it has to be Colonel Graff. The narrator did well with Ender and Peter but he really brought Graff to life.

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

No, this book must be listened to in chunks.

The Boy Who Saved Humanity?

Ender Wiggin is incredibly smart and resourceful. In fact, he might have what it takes to save humanity. The Buggers have attacked earth twice in an attempt to colonize our planet. Now the ultimate combat is at hand, and the only hope of winning is to have the right commander lead this war. Ender is six years old when he's recruited for training in battle school, and he and all the other children showing promise are trained by playing elaborate battle games that require more brains than brawn. Those in power have decided that Ender can become the ultimate commander if he's manipulated correctly. But Ender isn't just smart, he's also highly sensitive, and he's far from sure that he wants to take responsibility for maiming and killing his enemies; that would make him too much like his older brother Peter, his tormentor with sociopathic tendencies. This is a game with high stakes in more ways than one, and there's no knowing how Ender will play it next.

I'm no science fiction aficionado, but I'd say Ender's Game's got everything one might want from that genre. There's plenty of action, there's futuristic technology and space travel, and it's also a very smartly constructed story that even delves into existentialism, while delivering a great kicker in the end which makes you want to reach for the next in series immediately. I showed restraint, but just, and only because I have so many other books already in my library to listen to—but this is one kid with a unique journey ahead of him, and I want to follow along.

Great performances by an ensemble cast. There's an interesting commentary at the end of the recording by Orson Scott Card, who says he feels this series is best appreciated in the audio medium as it benefits most from being read aloud. Great news, because that's how I intend to take in the next book in the Ender saga.

thumbs up

fantastically read and writen. loved the characters and how they were played! can't say enough.

Very entertaining

As someone who didn't know the material outside of a surface level I was very pleased with the depth of personal story telling and the authors ability to keep you on your toes, even if you don't realize that's what he's done until after the fact.

POV Done Well

If you could sum up Ender's Game in three words, what would they be?

Classic? Military Sci-Fi

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ender's Game?

A memorable moment was when Ender finished learning from the simulations and was reunited with old friends.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The point of view of the different voices for the different characters is done especially well here, culminating in dialogue between Ender and Valentine at the end.

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

No, but close; I did finish it in just a handful of sittings.

Any additional comments?

The voice performances salvaged an award-winning book that I didn't care for as much as I thought I would; perhaps too high expectations that weren't met.

Brilliant

I don't know how I missed both Ender's Game and Scott Card for 25 years. I had thought nothing in Sci Fi could really thrill me since Heinlein's passing. This is a stunningly original idea and universe, skillfully told, and well performed. The rest of the series is worth listening to only because the characters in this story become part of you and a chance to visit with them again can't be passed up. It did not win Hugo and Nebula awards because it was just good. This is a great story.

Not just for young adults

I met a college sophomore on a bus in Krakow, Poland, who raved about this book. I wrote it off to youthful exuberance, but his excitement stuck in my head and I ordered Ender's Game as my first book from Audible.com. As soon as I began listening I realized this was not just a book for young adults - it's complex, dark and often wrenching as young Ender Wiggin is molded into a space warrior. The political subtext of the book also drags you in, as left and right battle for the world's minds on the Web, even as the young soldiers battle the world's enemies in space. The lengthy interview with Orson Scott Card is also an interesting coda to a fascinating story. I'm glad I met that young man who opened me to Ender's world.

Fantastic

My favorite Audible book so far! Great story, Great Narration!

A Must Read!

Books like this make it easy to enjoy science-fiction. Great characters, great plot, great storytelling. I'm not sure how he did it, but describing the tactics and 'game' of the battle school, Card made it come to life in my head.

Narration was excellent!

Author interview at the end is pretty good. Will have to read the Foundation series by Asimov next, based on Card's review of it. I like it when the author seems like a down-to-earth kind of guy.

The Book is Always Better Than the Movie

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

To anyone that loved the movie, the book is even better. It's nice to be able to hear Ender's thought process, and this is a good YA end of the world type of scenario. I just couldn't get into any of the other books in the series, but that doesn't make this book any less of a great listen.