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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
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Ender's Game (1985)

by Orson Scott Card

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Ender's Game (1), Ender's Game: Extended (1)

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23,88559143 (4.39)785
aliens (325) children (151) classic (110) coming of age (108) Ender (695) fantasy (224) favorite (86) favorites (82) fiction (1,603) future (91) Hugo (72) Hugo Award (100) hugo winner (87) military (183) Nebula Award (83) nebula winner (74) novel (188) Orson Scott Card (132) own (134) paperback (90) read (443) science fiction (4,561) series (241) sf (441) sff (196) space (228) to-read (124) war (474) wargaming (107) young adult (400)
  1. 406
    Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card (Patangel)
  2. 312
    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (ekissel)
  3. 202
    Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (sturlington)
    sturlington: I thought the second book in the series was actually better than the first.
  4. 191
    Old Man's War by John Scalzi (ohdio, jlynno84)
    ohdio: This book contains a lot of action, while still maintaining a nice human element.
  5. 183
    Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (5hrdrive)
  6. 82
    The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (Aquila, EatSleepChuck)
    EatSleepChuck: Both main characters are kids who make up for their meek physical stature with cleverness and perception to rise up the ranks of military. Ender's Game is noticeably darker, however.
  7. 61
    The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (kaledrina)
    kaledrina: testing a kid for the greater good of the world
  8. 127
    Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (mariah2)
  9. 51
    The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Livesinthestars)
    Livesinthestars: Both fantastic books about a future in which gifted children are used without their consent to attempt to save their world.
  10. 63
    Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke (Death_By_Papercut)
  11. 30
    Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks (BrynDahlquis)
    BrynDahlquis: Both books are about child geniuses, though the setting and stories are quite different.
  12. 30
    Psion by Joan D. Vinge (SockMonkeyGirl)
  13. 20
    The White Mountains by John Christopher (mcenroeucsb, mcenroeucsb)
  14. 20
    Chaos Walking: The Complete Trilogy by Patrick Ness (natzlovesyou)
    natzlovesyou: Both explore a "child"'s innocent yet perceptive take on a changing world in which so many things have gone wrong and no one can differentiate who to trust from who to blame. The worlds these authors have created send you both literally and metaphorically into outer space, to handle and ponder the implications of a world about to autodestruct and an alien species whose role in the future of humanity has or will be decisive.… (more)
  15. 10
    Ocean by Warren Ellis (Death_By_Papercut)
  16. 32
    Divergent by Veronica Roth (kaledrina)
  17. 32
    Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card (Scottneumann)
  18. 21
    Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon (jlynno84)
  19. 11
    Hot Sleep by Orson Scott Card (ostgut)
  20. 44
    Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde (KCLibrarian)
    KCLibrarian: Both books create believable societies unlike our own in some ways, but recognizably human in other ways. Both raise challenging societal questions and have some surprise twists and turns along the way. Both authors deftly ease their readers into the fantasy worlds they create, and by the time the story ends, leave readers wanting more.… (more)

(see all 35 recommendations)

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English (575)  French (4)  Italian (3)  Spanish (3)  Latin (1)  German (1)  Icelandic (1)  All languages (588)
Showing 1-5 of 575 (next | show all)
This was a very frustrating book for me, and not very easy to review because it depends on the way the reader would primarily view it. As a dystopia, it's frustrating because I kept wanting to know more about the strange setup of the society, but once the action moved to space, it became fairly impossible. As an anthem for gifted children, it's superb, showing in intimate detail the loneliness of growing up gifted and the way that adult's best intentions towards such children are so often misguided and harmful. As a sci-fi thriller it's entertaining, with some great action sequences and interesting twists. But the reason I can't give this book more that 3 stars is the main message of "if only we understood each other, we would not have to fight for which I reserve special disdain in my heart, mostly for personal reasons. If that doesn't bother you, there's a lot to recommend this book otherwise. ( )
  MashaK99 | Jun 11, 2013 |
Set in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind who have barely survived two conflicts with the Formics (an insectoid alien species; normally called "Buggers" by most of the population). These aliens show an ant-like group behavior, and are very protective of their leader, much like Earth ants protecting their queen. In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, an international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders. The world's most talented children, including the novel's protagonist, Ender Wiggin, are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School. There, teachers train them in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games including ones undertaken in zero gravity in the Battle Room, where Ender's tactical genius is revealed. This book is about children, but it's a fascinating read for adults as well!
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  tauruseducation | Jun 11, 2013 |
Last 100 pages: brilliant 5/5.
Pretty much everything before that: meh 3/5. ( )
  ispeaknerd | Jun 11, 2013 |
The best sci-fi of all time; great for young and old readers alike; it was recommended to me 21 years ago by one of my students and 3 of my 4 children have grown up loving his books now as well. If you only read one sci'fi book then this is the one. ( )
1 vote longhorndaniel | May 29, 2013 |
I loved this book...and actually the next 2 in the series. Still one of the more influential books I've read. It's too bad there is so much controversy about the author, because his writing is superb. I love the concept of the child geniuses and the whole idea of the school, as well as his characterizations. I'll need to reread before the movie comes out... ( )
  JCAndrijeski | May 29, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 575 (next | show all)
Dieses zeitlose und weit über die Science-Fiction hinausgehende Thema spannend und unaufdringlich zu realisieren und dabei noch eine Welt zu erschaffen, die auch nach 25 Jahren weitestgehend denkbar erscheint, ist der Verdienst von Orson Scott Card. "Ender's Game" ist auch im Jahre 2009 noch ausgesprochen lesenswert.
added by st.marx | editCorona Magazin, Steffen Marx (Dec 17, 2010)
 
I am aware that this sounds like the synopsis of a grade Z, made-for-television, science-fiction-rip-off movie. But Mr. Card has shaped this unpromising material into an affecting novel full of surprises that seem inevitable once they are explained. The key, of course, is Ender Wiggin himself. Mr. Card never makes the mistake of patronizing or sentimentalizing his hero.
 

» Add other authors (19 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Orson Scott Cardprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Brick, ScottNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ellison, HarlanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Harris, JohnCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lemoine, DanielTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rudnicki, StefanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Salwowski, MarkCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
"And in writing Ender's Game, I forced the audience to experience the lives of these children from that perspective- the perspective in which their feelings and decisions are just as real and important as any adult's." introduction xx
Dedication
For Geoffrey, who makes me remember how young and how old children can be
First words
"I've watched through his eyes, I've listened through his ears, and I tell you he's the one."
Quotations
And then a worse fear, that he was a killer, only better at it than Peter ever was; that it was this very trait that pleased the teachers.
Perhaps it's impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be. -- Valentine Wiggin
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Wikipedia in English (4)

Book description
Ender Wiggin is a very bright young boy with a powerful skill. One of a group of children bred to be military geniuses and save Earth from an inevitable attack by aliens, known here as "buggers," Ender becomes unbeatable in war games and seems poised to lead Earth to triumph over the buggers. Meanwhile, his brother and sister plot to wrest power from Ender. Twists, surprises and interesting characters elevate this novel into status as a bona fide page turner.
Haiku summary

Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0812550706, Mass Market Paperback)

Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?

(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:34:06 -0500)

(see all 9 descriptions)

Child hero Ender Wiggin must fight a desperate battle against a deadly alien race if mankind is to survive.

» see all 8 descriptions

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