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)

Amazing

An amazing, amazing book. I would say one of the best sci-fi books ever. A fascinating story that pulls you in and holds you tight. Also an interesting discussion of manipulating people and of gaining power. I would highly recomend this book to anyone who even mildly enjoys sci-fi, and maybe even those who do not. I would also recomend the books that come after this, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. These go in a different direction than Ender's Game, and many people do not enjoy them as much, but I found them to be just as interesting, if for diferent reasons.

Amazing!

Ender's Game is an amazing story of a boy that is given the job to protect humanity. The audio version of the story is performed very well making this an easy story to listen to and complete. Overall I would give this an excellent score for story and performance.

He isn't a killer. He just wins...thoroughly.

This is a book about perseverance. It is about winning even when you should have lost. It is about thinking outside the box; coming up with solutions to problems that cannot be solved. It is about finding a balance between being ruthless and being compassionate. It is about a boy who is selected to lead Earth in its final battle against the alien invaders.

But first "Ender" Wiggin must go through Battle School. Here he will train with other children, but these aren't normal children. They are all super geniuses and Ender is the best of the best. And this isn't a normal training program. Ender must face his fears and confront challenges on a daily basis. He must must play the "game" and win against insurmountable odds. He must not buckle under pressure because the fate of humanity is with him and him alone.

Ender's Game is one of those books that you don't want to end. You will find yourself rooting for Ender and waiting to see what Orson Scott Card could possibly throw at him next. You will see the world through Ender's eyes and you won't regret it.

ender game

Excellence book i really enjoyed the whole series.
Well written was trilled all the way though could
not stop listening. really takes you into the fantasy world and makes you care about the characters.

Good listen.

Good book. Worth the listen. Entertaining. Ending was very good. I will likely move on to the next book in the series.

Plays with your mind

The selling point of Ender's Game is that it combines solid science fiction, a plot whose parts tightly hook into each other, and a detailed view into the protagonist's mind that leaves you feeling what the protagonist feels and wondering what the protagonist wonders.

Stefan Rudnicki's performance is as good as ever, and in my mind Ender only really comes to life when narrated by him. The performance of Harlan Ellison and the other voice actors is rather decent. Not as overwhelming as Rudnicki's, but the variety still improves the experience instead of breaking the flow.


As for what defines the plot, I believe the very detailed descriptions of Ender's feelings, the problems he is faced with, and the various ideas to deal with those problems is what keeps you listening. It becomes very easy to associate with Ender, and very rarely does the protagonist do something so obviously stupid that this "bond" the author creates between the protagonist and the reader is shaken.


The really amazing part about this are the parts of the book that border on psycho-analysis. Ender during the book is faced with several dreams, or dream-like situations, which use heavy symbolism to reflect Ender's psyche, and by extension, that reflect the reader's emulation of Ender's psyche.

This combination of Ender's explicit feelings, Ender's subconsciousness, the reader's explicit feelings, and the reader's subconsciousness is truly mind-boggling, and if you do not take breaks between reading, you may find yourself shouting "I am not Peter!".

Unfortunately, the overall plot has some gaping plot holes which are not reconciled easily. A healthy dose of willing suspension of disbelief will certainly enable you to enjoy this book, but do not expect the book to end in any way that makes sense, or the mysteries to be resolved in a satisfying way.


The writing style is very enjoyable, Card has his own style which perfectly underlines the focus of the plot on Ender's thought and reasoning.

Thank you

I loved this book and it has become one of my very favorite books.

I didn't see that coming...

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several. I just felt so much for Ender. Here he is this 6 year old boy who gets thrown into a situation where he is alone and is persecuted and mentally abused. I just wanted to give him a hug.

Any additional comments?

The climax had me going "Whaaaaat??"

Perfect

Loved it. After reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series I was afraid I would not be entertained by Enders Game. Boy was I wrong! It's even better in many ways! Like the subject says.. Perfect!

Great story, amazing narration

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

I'm a huge sci-fi fan, but had never gotten around to reading this classic. It lived up to the hype, but what really made the story was the incredible, movie-like narration, in particular that done by Stefan Rudnicki

What did you like best about this story?

Very nostalgic feel to it, bringing me back to games I played in childhood. Much like Ready Player One, I love the use of video games as a way to involve a younger protagonist.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but after listening to several dozen books over the last few years, this has been the most terrifically narrated book I've listened by a large margin. Stefan Rudnicki absolutely made this a 10/10 book. I've started searching for others by this narrator

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Definitely the epic final battle, and the resulting twist that follows and changes everything

Any additional comments?

For sci-fi & non sci-fi fans alike, this book is worth a listen just to hear one of the best narrated stories available on Audible