Ender's Game
1985
- nyt:mass_market_paperback=2011-07-30
- military education
- end of the world
- prize:nebula
- hegemony
- space warfare
- child soldiers
- the ender quintet
- science fiction
- automation
The story
Ender's Game is a 1985 military science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. Set at an unspecified date in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind after two conflicts with the Formics, an insectoid alien species they dub the "buggers". In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, children, including the novel's protagonist, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, are trained from a very young age by putting them through increasingly difficult games, including some in zero gravity, where Ender's tactical genius is revealed. The book originated as a short story of the same name, published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. The novel was published on January 15, 1985. Later, by elaborating on characters and plotlines depicted in the novel, Card was able to write additional books in the Ender's Game series. Card also released an updated version of Ender's Game in 1991, changing some political facts to reflect the times more accurately (e.g., to include the recent collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War). The novel has been translated into 34 languages. Reception of the book has been mostly positive. It has become suggested reading for many military organizations, including the United States Marine Corps. Ender's Game was recognized as "best novel" by the 1985 Nebula Award\[3\] and the 1986 Hugo Award\[4\] in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Its four sequels—Speaker for the Dead (1986), Xenocide (1991), Children of the Mind (1996), and Ender in Exile (2008)—follow Ender's subsequent travels to many different worlds in the galaxy. In addition, the later novella A War of Gifts (2007) and novel Ender's Shadow (1999), plus other novels in the Shadow saga, take place during the same time period as the original. --- Contained in: [Ender's War](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL49619W) See also: - [Ender's Game: 1/2](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19647657W/Ender's_Game._1_2)
What it’s like
Clean, procedural prose with a restless, interior edge: the book reads like a sequence of tightly staged tests, with long stretches of barracks-bound quiet giving way to sharp bursts of zero-gravity action rendered in crisp, kinetic detail. The sensory world is sparse and institutional: metal corridors, dim dormitories, the hush of a training battle room, the weightless tumble of bodies in a steel sphere. Vibe: lonely, austere, quietly propulsive, with a melancholy undertow that sits beneath the competition. Pacing is brisk and chapter-driven, with reflective pauses that let the protagonist's unease surface. Its central figure is a gifted, isolated child slowly confronting what his talents are being used for, and the emotional register stays earnest and heavy rather than cozy. Intensity is moderate: there is peer cruelty, bullying, and intermittent violence among the children, including some startling, sharp confrontations, but no gore and no sexual content. It suits a late-night reader, a long journey, or anyone who likes gripping strategy and moral unease. For readers drawn to coming-of-age stories shaped by pressure and sacrifice, and for those who want tense, idea-driven science fiction without graphic horror.
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