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)

Great classsic

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

yes this book kept me listening and made me ignore a lot of calls while listening to it.

Any additional comments?

Tried something new and not disappointed at all.

So much more than the movie

Like a lot of books which have been made into movies, there is so much missing in the movie. The book is a wonderful tale for young and old. The story of Ender's growth into his destiny and his disillusionment with his responsibilities of his destiny a captured in this classic.

While, I read the book before I listened to the audio version, I really love the characters as they are presented.

There are a lot of deeper issues in they book than the surface story. They are presented subtly and leave you thinking as the story progresses. I think this is what the author intended and while this book will be a classic of modern literature.

not a fan of Gabrielle de Cuir

I loved the book. my only issue is that Gabrielle de Cuir sounds like the good witch from Wizard of Oz on Ambien.

Why didn't I read this sooner???

What made the experience of listening to Ender's Game the most enjoyable?

Stefan and Harlan do a great job with the narration of the book. You feel like you are there every step of the way with Ender but don't know what will happen next. I finished the book in three days, I couldn't put my phone down to stop listening.

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

Yes, I tried to, but this thing called my job got in the way. :)

Any additional comments?

I saw many of my friends in middle school read the book, but was not really into sci-fi at that time so I never paid much attention to it. I missed out. I'm sending a copy to my 13 year old nephew.

Wonderful!

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

Near the top.

What did you like best about this story?

Great sci-fi story.

Any additional comments?

I don't know where I was when this book came out (reading LOTR I guess!) but I'm sorry it took me so long to read it. It's an awesome story!

Amazing book

This book has been extremely well written and performed. You find yourself competed immersed in Ender and his thoughts. You connect with him and try to figure out the game with him.

One Word...

A must "listen," even if you aren't a sci-fi buff. Orson Scott Card really draws you in to feel every emotion of the main character, Ender, on his rollercoaster ride to save the planet. Filled with plenty of action and unknown plot twists dying to be revealed, this book made me not want to press the stop button on my i-paq until the story was over.

Surprisingly Fabulous

I was not expecting such a riveting book with so many levels. Listening to the afterward by the author really informed what felt so authentic: it was fascinating to learn about the heart of the story (Vietnam and boot camp.)

The performances are also wonderful and I think I listened to the whole book in less than 2 days. I'm not sure if I want to watch the feature film...

loved the book and this is an amazing telling

the voice actors in this book were phenomenal. the best I have heard so far.

awesome.

looking forward to the rest of the series and what is to come there in.