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)

Must-listen for sci-fi fans

The book was captivating throughout with great reading. Wish I had read this book 20 years ago!

Power

A game about youth and war and so much more- well presented and it was captivating though masculine

I guess I’ll watch the movie now.

It’s an interesting story but the characters aren’t lovable. The characters are tools to observe and reflect on society and our potential future.

Riveting

If I could give 6 stars I would! Incredible story by and incredible author. The narrators are casted wonderfully. At first I thought “this narrators voice sounds way too manly to play a little kid” but they do such a good job of performing the story that it ends up being perfectly fitting for the tone, mood, and maturity level of the book.

A treat for the analytical, strategic mind

Ender's Game submerged me in childish thinking about war, about competition, about bullying. It's wonderful, through and through, if not a little traumatic. The characters are so intelligent, and the premise of genius children being treated like adults and the very keen sociological description of bullying adds an unsettling alienness to the otherwise familiar that makes Ender's Game very fittingly sci-fi. People will read it for the action or a couple twists, but the execution in the words and strategy... Ender's game is a masterpiece. Even still, Speaker for the Dead is much more well done, and Ender's Game was only created as an introduction to explain that magnum opus. Together, they're some of the most compassionate books I've ever read, and the employment of sociological imagination has not been done better by any writer I've ever seen. These books may shame you if you are an aspiring author, because I feel like I would need 10,000 more lifetimes to write with this level of mastery.

Absolute Ender

A fantastic narration for this sci-fi treasure. Fell in love with the book ages ago, and enjoyed the vivid imagery that came flooding back in the narration of this audible audio book version.

One of the best!

Ender's Game is one heck of a ride. Brilliantly told and very well narrated. There's not much more to say as to not spoil it. This is definitely an essential must have for any type of reader. You won't regret it!

Wonderful book, Masterful execution

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

Yes! Most decidedly. Very imaganitive, great dialogue, Great story. I have a few nit picky details that I have qualms with, but I would give it a 98 out of 100 save those few things. Having been in the military for 12 years, I am contstantly amazed at how people who have'nt been in the military confuse dicipline with abuse. Read Heinleins Star Ship Troopers, (a book thats shares a simular primise with Enders Game), if you want to know what the military is like.I also say a lot of bullying goes on in this book, and that does not happen in the military any more than in civilian life.That being said, I thourghly enjoyed listening to this book, and would definitly get the rest of the series. I give it 5 Stars and you should really get this one if you can.

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

That would be giving away the ending, but I was totally fooled, and I am a pretty smart guy.

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

Rudnicki's Ender is wonderful, and Rudnicki is a narrative God! Harlan's okey I really like the Bova Book, City on the edge of Darkness that Harlan did. Its one of my top favorites, in science fiction. I guess I think of Harlan as a writer, which is probebly unfair.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I love the battles in the Battle school, it was very creative, and I have always loved stories of Military school, having been in one myself.

Any additional comments?

No way can you go wrong getting this book to listen to.Great Story!

Good Book - but not one of the Greatest

I downloaded this book to listen to because my son was reading the book for school. Based on the very high ratings, I expected the book to be amongst the best sci-fi ever written. Possibly because of the ratings, I was a little bit disappointed, but not greatly so.

Not to say that it wasn't a good read. The first twist at the end was pretty unexpected, however the second twist was not as big of a surprise.

All in all it is a good solid read - I just wouldn't agree that it is one of the greatest science fiction books of all time - nowhere near something like "Jurassic Park", "Timeline", "THX 1138" or "Z for Zachariah".

The story of how this book started out as a short story (during the closing interview with Orson Scott Card) and eventually became a book was really interesting.

I will say that I am interested in reading the other books in the series, having finished this one.

Great premise with great narration

Stefan Rudnicki has become one of my favourite narrators after listening to Ender's Game. His delivery and voices really help to create an image in my mind that is exciting and dramatic, while still being my own.
He needs good material to work with though, and Ender's Game is fantastic. A brilliant premise that kept me up at night listening to just a little bit more, and a little bit more.
Highly recommended.