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)

Love this story

I was extremely reluctant to listen to this book. My dad tried so hard to make me listen to it and I gave in after 2 months. Now i love it. The story is compelling and i was not expecting the ending or various events in the story. I would recommend this book whole heartedly.

Brilliant Story and Excellent Narration!

What did you love best about Ender's Game?

The book is simple. Based in a world of war and alien invasion, the author takes you through the mind of a child genius, who is constantly struggling with reaching his potential, while retaining his integrity, sanity and his sense of self. Brilliantly crafted story with action, adventure, deception, morality and innocence. Rather loss of. A child's journey through an adults world.

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

Emotions and voices with which the story was narrated, truly transports you to this futuristic world and one gets lost in the story. Excellent narration!

Any additional comments?

I loved the book when I first read it 10 years ago, and love it even more as I read it now! A must read for everyone!

Impressive!!!!

Although I've listened to numerous Audible selections, I've never felt more compelled to write a positive review. All I can say is...well done...well done. A credit well spent!

All Time Classic!

Ender's Game is one of the all time great Science Fiction stories ever written. It's one of those stories you need to experience, no one can really tell you about it. The story continues as a series of books as is mentioned in other reviews. It's right up there with pure Science Fiction classics like Issac Asimov's Foundation Series and Frank Hurbert's Dune Series and also Science Fiction/Fantasy classics like J.R. Tolkein's Lord of The Rings and Robert Jordan?s Wheel of Time Series. There are 8 stories in Mr. Card's series, they are as follows. Enders Game, Speaker For The Dead, Xenocide, Children of The Mind, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of The Hegemon, Shadow Puppets and Shadow of The Giant.

A fantastic listen

The story is definitely worth your while, with an interesting plot and characters that feel real. I really appreciated how Ender is portrayed, a genius but still a human boy with real internal problems that actually affect him. He is not a perfect character, which is a compliment.

The narration is so good it's absurd. All narrators fit their roles and did an excellent job, but the main narrator really stole the show. His voices and characters are performed perfectly! He also often sounds tired and thoughtful, which fits the story very well.

This one is definitely worth your time.

The narration and performance can't be beat!

After the book was recommended to me by a friend, I was hesitant at first but experiencing this book in audio form is a must! The narration by Stefan Rudnicki is captivating and immersive beyond imagination. I found myself lost in the story from page one; not being able to stop, listening long into the night, hooked on every word. This book was what I expected and so much more! It is so much more than just a sci-fi novel, it a triumphant story of hardship and overcoming life’s gruelling obstacles.
Gender’s Game isn’t just for hard sci-fi nuts; it’s for everybody! Everybody who is looking for a captivating and exciting story is up for a fantastic journey.

it's just a game...

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

Number One! Easy.

What other book might you compare Ender's Game to and why?

I haven't read that many books, so for now I will have to say Hunger Games. The sad, heart-gripping stories of kids taken from their parents, forced to grow up early to survive the "game" that the adults built for them.

What about Stefan Rudnicki and Harlan Ellison ’s performance did you like?

All of them did great work. The emotions were palpable through the recording. Even the goofy future slang the kids used felt genuine. "Let's freeze these bugger-lovers."

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

I cried. Cried, cried, cried. Tried not to cry on the public bus. They put this kid through hell, and I'm right there with him.

Makings of a great movie

Would you consider the audio edition of Ender's Game to be better than the print version?

Have not read the print version, but this audible gave clear characterisationwith each boy easily recognisable with the narrators representation of their speech fitting their dialogue. Wouldn't bother with the printed version now.

What other book might you compare Ender's Game to and why?

Not one that I can recall.

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

Ender was a likeable hero, but each character was essential to Enders development - good or bad - I found them all interesting.

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

Both - but that 's the norm for me.

Any additional comments?

It's an ageless story that can be re-heard many times during a lifetime, with the listener's life experiences contributing to their understanding of the deeper messages within. It is only with this understanding that you truly appreciate the author's genius,

Enjoyed Story but narration was weak

Liked the story very much but the female narrator was annoying. She did not sound like an intelligent child. Her voice was monotone with no emotion.

So much action

I thought this was a GREAT audible performance! Even the author noted that the best way to get the most out of this book was the audible format. So much constant action. Those people who gave this a bad review are not accepting the book for what it is. Our decisions all have consequences in life and we have to live with them and learn from them.