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)

Fantastic story

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

Tremendous story, with perfect pace and good humor.

What did you like best about this story?

Tremendous story, with perfect pace and good humor.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Ender of course :)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Million times better than the movie!

Just an amazing story.

It is dark and very enjoyable. The performance is very great as well. This is a must read.

Good book

This book was really good. It sparked my interest as soon as I started listening it to. the narration was Fantastic.

Awesome narrator v. horrendous narrator

Any additional comments?

I am not halfway through yet, but someone please tell me this is just a nightmare. The story is fascinating and I was thrilled with Stephan Rudnicki's narration... And then all of a sudden there's a part about Valentine and the narrator changes to this constipated sounding, overwrought singer-songwriter type. It is unlistenable. I will keep listening because I have just done some research and discovered that there aren't too many more chapters about Valentine but... I might just buy the book on Kindle and read the parts with this insufferable narrator to myself.

So nicely done

I know this review is short however this book is so nicely done. I normally do not go out of my way to write reviews.
Very well created story line with just enough secondary story lines to keep things interesting. I can't wait for the movie although I do not think it will capture enders thoughts and feelings as good as the book. I'll definitely go see it.

Top Notch

Narration is great and the book is captivating.

Classic scifi

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

Yes - as Card notes in his special edition interview, his writing is very theatrical and is meant to be read aloud. The narrators are particularly good so the sum total is quite spectacular.

What did you like best about this story?

Twists and turns, turns and twists. The book essentially revolves around the utilitarian dilemma: the moral ambiguity of defiling another's innocence for the greater good.

Have you listened to any of Stefan Rudnicki and Harlan Ellison ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A.

classic

good phenom story with nice twist at the end. enoyed most of the book and fighting scenes but did think the "speaking to the dead" ending was a little out there. If you can accept some wierdness its a cool read.

Very good read!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. This was an amazing book, and listening to it made it easier to lose myself in the story. I think, by far, this was my favorite book.

What did you like best about this story?

The entire story was amazing. Even for a sic-fi/fantasy book, it was still easy to relate and identify with the main character.

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

The fact that the book is read to you makes it easier to lose yourself in the story. The voices of the narraters went with the story quite well.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

There is already a film of this book (which wasn't anywhere near as good as the book, by the way. Good movie, but not as good as the book.).

This is a must have

I am not terribly into science fiction, although I like it. This book except for just a couple slow spots was positively riveting. The flow of the book and the plot were superb. The ending is worth the wait. I wish more books had the kind of endings this one did. This is one of those books that young or old, republican or democrat, or rich or poor you are going to love. You just can't wait to hear was ender wiggins is going to do next.