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Ender's World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender's Game

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Experience the thrill of reading Ender's Game all over again

Go deeper into the complexities of Orson Scott Card’s classic novel with science fiction and fantasy writers, YA authors, military strategists, including:

Ender prequel series coauthor Aaron Johnston on Ender and the evolution of the child hero
Burn Notice creator Matt Nix on Ender's Game as a guide to life
Hugo award–winning writer Mary Robinette Kowal on how Ender’s Game gets away with breaking all the (literary) rules
Retired US Air Force Colonel Tom Ruby on what the military could learn from Ender about leadership
Bestselling YA author Neal Shusterman on the ambivalence toward survival that lies at the heart of Ender’s story

Plus pieces by:

Hilari Bell
John Brown
Mette Ivie Harrison
Janis Ian
Alethea Kontis
David Lubar and Alison S. Myers
John F. Schmitt
Ken Scholes
Eric James Stone

Also includes never-before-seen content from Orson Scott Card on the writing and evolution of the events in Ender's Game, from the design of Battle School to the mindset of the pilots who sacrificed themselves in humanity’s fight against the formics

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

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About the author

Orson Scott Card

856 books19.6k followers
Orson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.

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5 stars
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290 (39%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
Profile Image for Gwynn White.
Author 20 books247 followers
May 27, 2013
Have you ever heard the rather disparaging English (as in UK) phrase 'to be an Anorak'? No. I didn't think so, so let me explain:

An anorak is a person - usually male - who, while dressed in an anorak to protect him from the foul English weather, spends all his spare time sitting at the end of the runway at his local airport watching and noting - in painstaking detail - the comings and goings of all the airplanes. He then tells his friends (those who still have friends) about his finds, quoting registration numbers, engine types and each flight's punctuality. A thoroughly anal activity.

I share this with you because I'm an Ender's Game Anorak.

I have to be. I mean who else would have squealed with delight on seeing a book with the word Ender in the title on Netgalley? And then, without bothering to read what it was about pounced on the mouse, clicked the request button, said a quick prayer that I'd be approved, all in less time than it takes most people to sneeze. At that point I started reaching for my Anorak.

But the final confirmation of my Anorak status came when I downloaded the ARC of Ender's World (Amazon) onto my Kindle. It was only then that I discovered to my absolute delight that it's actually a book of essays about Ender and his world written by . . . yes, you guessed it! Other Ender Anoraks!

How fantastic is that! A whole book devoted to reading about how amazing Ender Wiggin is, what a natural born leader he is, how he fits into the Jungian hero mold, all the while being the classic Hero With A Thousand Faces. There is even a chapter extolling the value of him being short! Did you know most successful people are below average height? I didn't either.

Finally, if that wasn't enough magic, there are also pages and pages devoted to genuine Q&A with Orson Scott Card. For an Anorka, what could be more amazing than getting into OSC's mind, seeing his motivations and the depth of his knowledge of his Enderverse?

Enderverse - I love that word!

And you know what else, if that had been all this book was about, I would have been a very satisfied reader.

But there was more. A lot more. As a writer, I learned so much as the contributing authors - bestsellers in their own rights like Neal Shusterman, Janis Ian and Aaron Johnston - dissected Ender's Game, exposing the nuances of OSC writing. For me, this was a real bonus. If you're a writer - even if you don't write Sci-Fi - it will be well worthwhile reading this book, because you will come away with a new set of insights into our art.

So how many stars?

Definitely four! I loved it and am grateful to the publisher for giving me the ARC to review. So to my fellow Anoraks out there, Ender's World is not to be missed.
Profile Image for Neil Hepworth.
238 reviews56 followers
July 25, 2013
First of all, Barnes and Noble, uh, the Young Adult section? Really? I would understand if you placed it on both the YA shelves and the normal SFF shelves, but just the YA shelves? Um, yeah, no. Unless you have new statistical data that a new crop of seventeen-year olds are going to be jumping up and down to read more essays about literature. I’d like to meet these students. And steal them for my own classes. Anyway. I clearly digress...

Ender’s World is a wonderful collection of essays (solicited solely for this book - not that it’s a bad thing) and Q&As with Orson Scott Card. Both items had their low points, but the good and great essays and questions are well worth it. In case you couldn’t tell from my opening paragraph, I think those best served by the book would be English teachers who teach the book (me) and those who really want to analyze Ender's Game through as many lenses as possible. Let me hit some highlights:

“How It Should Have Ended” by Eric James Stone: The first essay in the book was just great. Mr. Stone talks about how most authors would have ended with Ender as the victor, reveling in new found fame and glory. But no, Ender’s Game ends in emotional butchery and resurrection (hm, that actually describes it really well. Go me.). Great essay.

“Rethinking the Child Hero” by Aaron Johnston: This essay starts by showing how well the character of Ender meets the definition of the hero as outlined by The Hero with a Thousand Faces. But, even better, Mr. Johnston then shows how Ender, as a child hero, breaks with the traditional passive child hero and instead brings about the mover and shaker child hero that is the standard today (Harry Potter, Katniss, etc.) Also a great essay.

“Ender Wiggin, USMC” by John F. Schmitt: I’d always known that somewhere in the military Ender’s Game was required reading. And while I kinda understood why, Mr. Schmitt (who apparently is responsible for this required reading) explains exactly why. It’s so cool. Not to take anything away from OSC, but this required reading is even more impressive given OSC’s relative inexperience with the military. OSC is an avid study of history, and, I guess, it shows. Also a great essay. (I desperately need to find a new adjective.)

Ender’s Game: A Guide to Life” by Matt Nix: Mr. Nix is the creator of the TV show Burn Notice. I’m not a close follower of the show (seeing as how I don’t have cable), but every time the show pops up on syndication, I watch it. It’s a great (darn it, there’s that adjective again!), highly entertaining show. One of my favorite parts is the slightly snarky voice over of Michael Westen that glues the scenes together. Imagine Michael Westen writing about the life lessons he learned from reading Ender’s Game and you’ve got this essay. Okay, maybe not exactly, but that’s what it made me think of. I loved it.

Finally, in case the essays weren’t enough, you get some straight answers from OSC about a wide variety of topics. Wanna know more about where IF or the Battle School came from? He tells ya. Wanna know what OSC was thinking when he created some of the characters? He tells you that, too. My personal favorite Q&A was the one where OSC discuss whether or not Ender’s Game glorifies war. Very thoughtful answer.

If this all sounds interesting to you, then this is a good (great!) book for you to spend time with. Highly recommended.
213 reviews3 followers
February 20, 2023
I should have known better than to mindlessly buy a book simply because it had "Ender" in the title, without finding out what sort of book it was. Mea culpa. In fact the major pleasure in reading this book has been in the writing of this review. This was the most gratuitous, self-indulgent, orgiastic, lovefest of a compilation of perspectives from people who had read and loved "Ender's Game". I loved that book (and its sequels) too, though not to the extent of remembering where I was when I read it, nor can I say that the book has been my life guide, nor can I state that it has profoundly influenced my whole raison d'être. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but much as I'm pleased for the contributors that Ender, and Orson Scott Card by extension, has had such a profound, deep, moving and lasting impact on their lives for the good of humanity and world peace, I wish that they hadn't written about it, or rather, given that they did, that the title hadn't included the word "Ender" in it (given my lack of due diligence), or more precisely that I didn't have a fixation on finishing every book that I start...
Profile Image for Eoghann Irving.
Author 1 book16 followers
May 13, 2013
Ender's Game was published in 1985 and it is unquestionably a science fiction classic. One of a relatively small list of genre defining works. It was followed fairly quickly by Speaker For The Dead and Xenocide which appeared to be a conclusion to Ender's story.

Orson Scott Card has written a lot of other stories, but about 15 years ago it seems he recognized a commercial reality and began a series of expansions of the Ender universe. It's certainly valid to wonder at whether there is any real literary value to that. This book is a little different however. Instead of additional fiction it presents a series of essays by various individuals about Ender's Game.

The result is an interesting mixture of topics. For me personally some of the most interesting were the writing related ones and the military ones. I was not previously aware that Ender's Game was recommended reading in some military circles.

Also interesting on a more abstract level were the essays by people who saw Ender's Game as presenting a world view they agreed with. Some of these didn't really match each others which does say something about the way that Ender's Game speaks to many people in different ways.

The other element of the book is a series of Question and Answer session with Scott Card himself. These questions range from wondering about the motivations of certain characters to asking about the reasons Card made certain decisions in the writing of the book.

I certainly wouldn't classify this as essential reading. And I'm not sure I could even say that it throws new light on the book, which has always stood perfectly well on it's own and certain didn't require anything more than the trilogy to flesh it out.

However, I did find the result very interesting and it does give you an understanding of why Ender's Game is as significant as it is.
Profile Image for Teri.
53 reviews
August 1, 2014
This book is full of spoilers, so don't read it if you haven't already read Ender's Game.

In fact, I would suggest re-reading Ender's Game just before reading Ender's World. (Read it in print, rather than audio. See my reasons below.) If you do, the characters, dialog, and plot will be fresh in your mind.

I have the book four, rather than five, stars for two reasons that apply to the audiobook only:
1) There is only one narrator for the father/daughter essay. Unless the text included a clue, I found it hard to determine which author was "speaking" at any given moment.
2) One narrator -- I believe his name was Arthur Moray -- continuously pronounced Bonzo incorrectly. Achilles was only mentioned one time, but he also pronounced that incorrectly. I found this distracting. Any Enderverse aficionado knows the pronunciations of these particular names are included within the text of the novel. My mind wandered away from the audiobook. I pondered whether this particular narrator isn't an OSC fan and hasn't actually read Ender's Game. I also became curious whether anybody on the production team had read the novel.
Profile Image for Octavio Aragao.
64 reviews4 followers
September 26, 2018
Esperava um livro teórico. Encontrei uma coleção de textos laudatórios. O artigo Creating The Innocent Killer (http://johnjosephkessel.wixsite.com/k... ) ainda é o grande ensaio sobre Ender’s Game, mas confesso que esse livro me deu vontade de arriscar algumas palavras analíticas.
Profile Image for Soquel.
581 reviews10 followers
December 17, 2018
This should be a must-read for any writer who has read the series and wants to learn from the feet of the master storyteller how and when to break the rules. Great examples of head hopping, telling vs. showing, and much more.
Profile Image for Chad.
16 reviews
September 3, 2023
Ender's Game is my favorite science fiction book and I read it every year. I just saw the cover and finding out that it was a collection of essays of my favorite book I had to read it. I really enjoyed a few of the essays and the Q&As with the author Card, which were between each essay. Due to it being a collection of essays, not everyone is a hitter. Overall, what I liked most is reading stories of kindred spirits that loved Ender's Game as much as I.
Profile Image for Sharon Elletson.
242 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2022
Now, I'll go back and re-read Ender's Game with fresh eyes and new perspective.
Profile Image for Wendy.
611 reviews140 followers
July 8, 2013
Ender’s World is a collection of essays on Orson Scott Card’s classic, Ender's Game , which also features Q&As with fans, answered by Card himself. The introduction is written by Card and over those pages, he carefully analyzes and explains what the story of Ender’s Game and the character of Ender Wiggins mean and mean to him. He notes that none of this was in his head when he first wrote the short story decades ago. He just wrote what felt right, but as time passed and the book rose to its well-earned critical acclaim, his introduction shows just how much he cares for the character and the world he created. The collected works in this book identify people who have come to care for Ender and his Game as well, but for differing reasons. The variance in authors, from military strategist to TV show creator and more, indicates that Ender’s Game is a book that transcends the realm of science fiction and speaks to people of all walks of life.

My favourite essay was the first, “How It Should Have Ended,” where Eric James Stone laments that Ender’s story went on beyond his victory against the buggers to reveal a deeply depressed Ender who sought atonement in the sequels. In Stone’s first reading, he determined, like many, that the hero’s story should end with the victory parade. But when he read the book the second time and attempted to stop where he felt it should have ended, he realized he couldn’t. Because he realized that this story wasn’t just about a kid beating the odds stacked against him to create an elite team of soldiers, tricked into defeating a deadly enemy by willingly, but unwittingly sacrificing human lives – it’s a story about Ender Wiggins. A hero. A soldier. A child.

This is a theme that played strongly for me with Ender’s Game and its sequel, Speaker for the Dead because of my appreciation for Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces . I’m the person who forces herself to sit through the "Return to the Shire" at the end of Return of the King and loves Peter Jackson for including it even though, yes, it was pretty boring. But I will argue tooth and nail that it was necessary to show the path of the hero. There is no true victory celebration for a hero because the battle for him or her is always a Pyrrhic one. They might save their home and the people they love, but they sacrifice their souls to do so, leaving them no home to return to.

This is even more tragic for Ender because he is a child. He not only loses his home, but his childhood.

"The greatest horror of war is the fateful transformation of our children into heroes."
The Outer Limits


Before I turn this into my own essay about what Ender’s Game means to me, let me simply recommend this book to any fan of the Ender saga. You may not enjoy or agree with all the points expressed, but hopefully you'll appreciate just how deeply this story has reached for some and why.

With the movie coming out soon, it becomes that much more relevant and gives me high hopes for how true to the book the film will be. It is clear from his introduction that Ender is Card’s baby and he wouldn’t allow his beloved on to the big screen without his supervision and the utmost care and dedication from those to whom he hands Ender over to.

With thanks to NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read and review this book.

See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
Profile Image for Nic Don.
40 reviews5 followers
February 4, 2017
Fans of Ender's Game are almost guaranteed to find something interesting and something educational in this collection of essays, compiled and edited by Card himself. Some of the essays are decidedly more interesting than others, though I am sure which will vary from reader to reader. I have three main criticisms of the collection as a whole, however.

1) The collection is overwhelmingly full of glowing praise for Ender's Game. This is understandable, given that Card was in charge of the project and that Ender's Game is a classic piece if SFF lit. Still, the inclusion of even one critical essay would have enhanced the value of the collection greatly.

2) The literary essays are extremely basic, defining and overviewing Jungian archetypes and Campbellian mythmaking more than once. Some of the essays also show too much reaching into "general information" on a subject and too little focus on the text.

3) The Q+A following each chapter isn't to my taste. Card answers questions about the universe in a retcon way (much the way Rowling continues to re-interpret and build the Harry Potter canon via twitter) that is very off-putting. It is one thing to say, "Here is how I originally conceived of this or that," and another to go completely outside the text and say definitively "The reason this character did this is because off-screen this other thing had happened."

As a sidenote (though this doesn't influence my rating), the audiobook producers really have to get the various readers on the same page regarding pronunciation of common names (Achilles, Bonzo). It's agonizing to hear readers who have been working with the series for multiple volumes continue to make simple errors over and over, particularly when they are inconsistent from one reader to another.
Profile Image for C.O. Bonham.
Author 12 books29 followers
October 9, 2014
In spite of the fact that I gave this book five stars I feel a little lied to. My library had this shelved in the science fiction section with all of Card's other novels. I should have looked at it instead of impulsively grabbing it, but there are so many Enderverse novels, I thought it was a new one.

Instead of a novel about Ender what I got was a collection of essays about the novel Ender's Game. All of the essays are written by amazing writers who all have something original to say about the thoughts and ideas that are the foundation of Ender's Game.

It might not be the same as a new Ender novel but if you loved the novel Ender's Game then you will not find this book a waste of time. Instead it shines new light on the beloved novel and will make you want to go back and read it all over again. The best part is the Q&A with Orson Scott Card. Anything you ever wondered about Ender's Game is answered here.
Profile Image for Adam Shields.
1,729 reviews108 followers
June 19, 2015
Short Review: This is a series of 13 essays about Ender's Game. There are three types of essays here, essays on the book as literature, essays on the book as leadership development (especially military) and essays on cultural impact. I am a superfan of Ender's Game. I have read every version of the book, many of them multiple times. So there are not a lot of books that I would feel as comfortable reading about as this one. And I don't think this is a book for everyone. But I enjoyed it.

There were also questions from fans to Orson Scott Card as interludes between the chapters. I listened to this as an audiobook that is included in Scribd subscription and the audiobook was well done.

My full review is on my blog http://bookwi.se/enders-world-fresh-p...
Profile Image for Keith.
882 reviews15 followers
February 3, 2014
An excellent collection of essays on one of my all time favorite books, Ender's Game! The essays cover a wide variety of topics allowing the reader to not only revisit the book and gain fresh insight on favorite scenes and characters, but also to explore the far reaching impact of Ender's Game in the real world. Card did a great job of gathering together a group of authors who love and appreciate the novel on the same level that I myself do, and their deep passion for the story and love of the characters really translates into more than just bland literary criticism. You can never perfectly analyze why somebody likes something, but this collection does an amazing job of coming close with countless examples that really hit it on the nose every time. A must read for fans of Ender!
Profile Image for Aleap.
226 reviews
January 4, 2013
A longtime fan of Ender's Game, I wondered what it was I would learn from a book of essays that I hadn't already learned or picked up from over a decade of conversations with some of the biggest fans out there. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, although this book is not filled with particularly advanced or fresh material, it is an interesting read and surprisingly enlightening. I can honestly say I've walked away from it with a renewed sense of awe at just how well OSC has layered Ender's Game with meaning.

Fast and fun, I definitely recommend this to fans of the Enderverse.
Profile Image for Vivian.
537 reviews42 followers
August 13, 2014
For "Ender's Game" fans, this is a wonderful ride into analyzing the impact "Ender's Game," and some of the sequels, have had on readers, writers and the science fiction genre in general. Since I can never get enough Ender trivia, I was in hog heaven. I gave this book four stars since only really committed fans will get the full impact; would be overkill for the general public. That being said, I stick to my mantra that everyone should read "Ender's Game" at least once. It might not resonate with you as it did with me, but you just might get what the fuss is all about.
Profile Image for David Teachout.
Author 2 books17 followers
March 18, 2015
The universal devotion and worship for the book is understandable given its what this is about, though I'd have appreciated a couple criticisms. Still, for a book of so many awards and usage in so many walks of life, perhaps a little abject worship makes sense. I've read "Ender's Game" at least three times and have gotten something new each time. What this collection of perspectives gives is an even more profound experience. Reading this I realize I have to go back again and read the inspiration once more.
8 reviews
May 14, 2015
This book is about different authors telling what happened in Ender's Game. My favorite one that I read was in the begging about when he go the IV pole out of him and got into a fight.

I really liked this book and I recommend it to anybody that likes violence and a lot of detail. If you like violence this book is the one for you.
Profile Image for Daniel.
2,533 reviews38 followers
May 8, 2017
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5

You know a work of literature has achieved 'classic' status when there are books of essays about the work being published. Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game qualified as a 'classic' a long time ago, but this collection of essays on various subjects within and about the work, cements the status.

Card himself edits this collection (which strikes me as just a little bit odd and likely doesn't get quite the diversity one might wish for in such a collection) and provides a series of Q&A's between essays. It can certainly be argued that no one knows the work better than the author and I probably enjoyed Card's responses to frequently asked and insightful questions as much as some of the essays.

While I have read Ender's Game and really enjoyed the recent film, I have not read any of the other books in the series. That seems to work just fine within the context of this book as most of the essays deal most specifically with Ender's Game, though some do reference some of the later books in the series.

I can not say that I have a favorite essay from this collection. Most offered some interesting insight into the book or the characters. But at the same time, none of the insight is earth-shattering or of such significance that it makes me want to dive in and re-read the book. I was especially pleased with Mary Robinette Kowal's "The Cost of Breaking the Rules" and Aaron Johnston's "Rethinking the Child Hero."

Most of the essays are quite typical and pretty much what you would expect from a writer's perspective of another's work. The interesting surprise comes from the military side, with Colonel Tom Ruby looking at the work from a very unique perspective. And John F. Schmitt's essay "Ender Wiggin, USMC" told of how the author used the book to change the way Marines fight. These were easily the most interesting essays in the collection and perhaps some of the most interesting essays on a work of literature that I have read.

Whether you're a fan of the book or not, if you enjoy reading others' insight into books, this should appeal to you.

This book contains the following:

Introduction - Orson Scott Card
"How It Should Have Ended" - Eric James Stone
"The Monster's Heart" - John Brown
"The Cost of Breaking the Rules" - Mary Robinette Kowal
"Winning and Losing in Ender's Game" - Hilari Bell
"Parallax Regained" - David Lubar and Alison S. Myers
"Mirror, Mirror" - Alethea Kontis
"Size Matters" - Janis Ian
"Rethinking the Child Hero" - Aaron Johnston
"A Teenless World" - Mette Ivie Harrison
"Ender on Leadership" - Colonel Tom Ruby
"Ender Wiggin, USMC" - John F. Schmitt
"The Price of Our Inheritance" - Neal Shusterman
"If the Formics Love Their Children Too" - Ken Scholes
"Ender's Game: A Guide to Life" - Matt Nix
About the Editor

Looking for a good book? Ender's World is a collection of essays (edited by Orson Scott Card) that explore some of the characters and themes in the classic sci-fi work, Ender's Game.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
1,079 reviews24 followers
August 28, 2019
This was by turns a fun and serious look at the many ways to interpret Ender's Game, particularly the central character of Ender himself. The included Q&A with Card was a bonus I was unaware of before opening the book, so that was insightful to read. Of the essays on the form of Ender's Game, Mary Robinette Kowal's stood out as the most informative and attention-grabbing, describing how Card breaks the "rules" of writing and how the story and reader gain and lose from those choices. The latter half of the book is more serious, delving into the leadership and military lessons that can be gleaned from Ender's experience. The wide variety of essays in this short collection represent many of the numerous ways that Ender's Game can be interpreted, showing off the tremendous versatility of the original story.

The collection could have been improved by essays focused on Peter (bad guy? sociopath? trickster hero?), multiculturalism in the face of extinction, and Card's treatment of women in the Enderverse. Alas, this mostly focused on Ender himself. The book also needed better overall editing to avoid the various authors mixing up their facts. For instance, two authors quote the same passage in back-to-back essays and yet the quote is missing a meaning-altering word in one instance. There was also some question as to whether Ender was 10 or 12 in the final battle of the book (12 is my recollection). These should have been easy to check and it's disappointing that this collection wasn't treated seriously enough to correct these issues.

This is a quick read that definitely worth your time if you're a fan of the Enderverse OR if you've been assigned Ender's Game as required reading.
829 reviews92 followers
March 23, 2022
This collection of essays was mostly terrible. Terrible, terrible, terrible. But two essays by former military people made me glad I suffered through the rest. Full of insight and truth, I very much appreciated Tom Ruby and John F. Schmitt, and went to look up more of their work.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

These two things, Ender’s desire for betterment and his ability to accurately assess his performance (witness his self-reflection after his first command practice session), are his greatest leadership skills. Leading journals and researchers today cite the inability to assess one’s own performance as the top flaw among senior leaders in all professions.

The similarities between Warfighting and Ender’s Game are manifold and uncanny: tempo, surprise, formlessness, ruthlessly attacking the enemy’s critical vulnerabilities, exploiting fleeting opportunities, trust and implicit understanding between senior and subordinates, acceptance of risk, decisiveness, boldness, seizing the initiative, decentralization of authority, understanding the enemy and learning from him, knowing and inspiring your people—they are all there in spades

Bad leaders in Ender’s Game and throughout history are consistently threatened by other people’s competence. They luck into victory. They intimidate rather than motivate. Ender, on the other hand, seeks out intelligent subordinates and is confident enough not to have to be the best or smartest. He knows his abilities and the strengths and weaknesses of his team and seeks victory over adulation. In this sense, Ender is like one of the best bosses I ever had. This colonel knew his strengths and weaknesses. He sought out and hired the best officers to work for him instead of being threatened by them. He once told me that in every leadership position he’s been in, he tried to hire people who were smarter than he was, and in every case it made his organization stand out from the rest.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
1,848 reviews118 followers
March 24, 2013
Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like many people, I discovered Ender's Game as a child and have returned to it time and time again, always finding something new. I am tentatively anticipating the film version this year (Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff...for some reason I thought he'd be Mazer Rackham.)

As The Girl Who Was on Fire made me want to reread the Hunger Games trilogy, this book made me want to reread Ender's Game as well as explore the other books set in that universe, which I have never read. There are some brief references to the other stories but the main focus is on Ender's Game. Per usual, I will briefly look at each essay, which has made for a long review. Basically if you love Ender's Game, you'll find things to enjoy in this book.

How It Should Have Ended by Eric James Stone: The premise of this essay is one I identified very strongly with. To wit, that Ender's Game should have ended with Ender's victory. Upon my first reading that is what stuck me with the most and the scenes that came after seemed unnecessary and even confusing to me. Like Stone though, further readings gave greater understanding about those moments, adding to the richness of my experience. A great essay to start off the book!

The Monster's Heart by John Brown: Brown brings in some science to accompany his look at some of the most poignant parts of the novel, analyzing how fiction can still inspire very real responses in us humans. He looks at how Card evoked such strong responses and helped us visualize certain moments so vividly without necessarily even describing a lot. I especially appreciated his look at the bugger queen as I'm still wrestling with my response to the buggers.

The Cost of Breaking the Rules by Mary Robinette Kowal: Kowal attended a Literary Boot Camp from Card and learned all some writing rules there. She then proceeded to go through Ender's Game and find the multiple instances where Card broke those same rules. BUT that was as a writer recognizing that there was a cost to those decisions-a worthwhile cost but a cost nonetheless. I was pleased to see Kowal's essay here as I have enjoyed her fiction immensely.

Winning and Losing in Ender's Game by Hilari Bell: Bell looks at the cost of winning and losing in the book, specifically where winning costs more than losing and the toll this takes on Ender especially as he compares himself to Peter.

Parallax Regained: Two Views of Ender's Game by David Lubar and Alison S. Myers: This essay is a father and daughter writing about their experiences with the novel: he as a writer and she as a teacher and how it has impacted their professional and personal lives. It is written as a conversation/debate between the two of them. I especially enjoyed Myers' confession that she probably wouldn't have read it when she was young had her father been the one to suggest it.

Mirror, Mirror by Alethea Kontis: Kontis wrote the fairy-tale retelling Enchanted and looks at a prevalent theme in fairy tales as well as other stories: mirrors (as if you couldn't have guessed that from the title of the essay ;) Not only does the mirror reflect Ender to himself, the book itself reflects each reader to a degree, influencing what we get out of it.

Size Matters by Janis Ian: (sidenote: this woman inspired the name of the character in Mean Girls!) My favorite part of this essay was the observation that perhaps shorter people live longer. I'm 5'4" which is average for an American woman, I believe, but I've always wanted to be 5'10"-this note is helping me reconcile myself to my height. The thrust of the essay though focuses on Ender's size and its importance throughout the story because he really is so small, starting at Battle School younger than most of the other kids and pretty much always being the smallest.

Rethinking the Child Hero by Aaron Johnston: This book compares Ender to a Clint Eastwood character, which didn't really resonate with me as I think I've only seen one or two of his films and haven't had much interest in watching more (I don't care for westerns and that's what I mainly associate him with).

A Teenless World by Mette Ivie Harrison: Harrison looks at children acting in an adult world and speaking in an adult manner. Card makes this utterly believable-although Ender is but six at the start, I never found myself pulled out of the story thinking that no one that age would talk like that. This book offers kids a chance to imagine themselves in positions of incredible power and responsibility and it's intoxicating.

Ender on Leadership by Colonel Tom Ruby (USAF, Retired): This military man discusses how Ender's Game impacted him and other soldiers with their conceptions of leadership, striving to add that element of extraordinary compassion and feeling that Ender has.

Ender Wiggin, USMC by John F. Schmitt: Schmitt discusses the history of the Marine Corps and its reorganization and philosophy in comparison to the tactics used by Ender in the Battle Room. This chapter also includes a look at Tactical Decision Games, which I immediately wanted to try out as soon as I can gather a group of people to explore it with.

The Price of Our Inheritance by Neal Shusterman: Shusterman looks at the war being fought and how it hinges on the question "How many people would you kill to protect the lives of your children?" The answer: As many as necessary, which is displayed in the book but how does that impact Ender? At the end of the war, he is condemned by the very people he saved. A very thought-provoking read.

If the Formics Love Their Children by Ken Scholes: Scholes only very recently came to Ender's Game, in fact not reading the book until he was contacted to write an essay for this book. As such, he entered with an adult's mind and prepared to study the book against the background when it was originally published and how that has changed (and what has remained the same) over the years.

Ender's Game: A Guide to Life by Matt Nix: I mostly have to mention this one as the author is the creator of "Burn Notice," one of my mom's favorite shows and beloved by my whole family really. Throughout his life, he has connected with people because of this book and it has served as a guide as he figured out what he wanted to do with his life (eventually settling on creating an excellent action/mystery/thriller/comedic/romantic/all-around awesome show).

As I wrote this review, I realized just how many essays were in this book-there are so many perspectives! I also should mention that interspersed between the essays are some questions and answers from OSC, giving further (fascinating) insight into the writing of Ender's Game.
Profile Image for Theresa.
7,812 reviews124 followers
May 24, 2013
I'm on page 304 of 304 of Ender's World: Orson Scott Cards intro is all the arguments a teacher would need to include the book in her/his library, or school library. Card did not know the impact of his book while he was writing it. Now after years of acclaim and questions about the meaning of his writing he clearly states his amazement at the varied ideas and appreciation he has for his first exploit into SF. Great intro. He answers every question a reader could possibly have given him inbetween the essays. From the names, natures, and descriptions of characters and situations. To the whys, hows, and what nots of the books. Giving the reader so much insight into the creation and reasoning behind the books. An invaluable resource on its own for fans, and teachers.

How is should have ended By Eric James Stone
An essay of biblical proportions debating the merits and ideals of Ender's game, describing how and why things could change and bowing to the master on how he wrote a perfect ending, even if he added it on after the fact.

The monster's Heart by John Brown,
An inspiring address to the characters and plot tuns of Ender's game, something to use as inspiration for teachers to teach the book as a unit in high school and college.


The cost of breaking the rules by mary Robinette Kowal
After taking Card's writing course this author looked back at Ender's game to find that Card broke the majority of his "rules". "These are principles or guidelines, not rules"

Wining and losing in ender's game Hilari Bell
A philosophical analyst of the events in the story Ender's game, stating who was the true enemy and how Ender used his knowledge,intuition, and love to solve the conflicts with in his training, schools, and life. A great idea for a debate.

Parallax regained David Lumbar and Alison s Myers
Two view points essay Father and daughter have a "discussion" about the book and its use in teaching science fiction literacy.

Mirror, Mirror Anthea Kontis
how the book predicted and anticipated technology and the individual spirit. How the use of mirrors in literature can create connections with the characters and how the strong point of the story is that you see the characters reflected at different times in a persons life.

Size matters by Janis Ian
Mrs Ian is encouraged by the books story line in relation to intelligence vs size. How Ender's game shows that with intelligence it does not mater the size of the enemy, but how you use your intelligence to out maneuver them.

rethinking the child hero by aaron johnston
Orson scott card gave a description of Ender Wiggin as a short Clint Eastwood, to this author, his essay postulates the similarities and differences between the two characters, and shows how Ender's game has changed YA books and society.
"That soul of course is the soul of Ender Wiggin, the short Clint Eastwood, the modern child hero, the boy who showed us how significant a child's contribution can be."

a teenless world by Mette Ivie Harrison
Essay centers on the idea that books have changed in the last few years, allowing content to adapt to societies interpretation of teen world, and responsibility. The changing roles of teens, their perceptions and driving force in the literacy, and society. The YA section of the bookstore is the fastest growing section, and has the most dynamic influence on how teens, and young adults are viewed.
"The label and the shelf placement in bookstores and libraries hasn't stopped kids of different ages from picking up and loving Ender's Game, though. Nor from feelings as though this is the book that fist spoke to them, that first invited them into the adult world. it is the book that they remembered as one of the finest novels of science fiction ever."

Ender on leadership by Colonel Tom Ruby (USAF, Retired)
This is a great essay looking that the military and their views on the nature of training soldiers. How Ender's capabilities, and empathy play such a large role in the book and how it would dynamically change how we view leadership in the military, and the public.
on science fiction" those things are only vehicles for exploring social situations and human nature for thought games in which they could ask, how would people interact if this happened? or, Would the societal structure stand up to this stress?"


Ender wiggin, USMC By John F. Schmitt
Wow!! loved this essay, Schmitt had written the Marine Corps war fighting book for the marine corps, and the new movement in the Quantico Renaissance of the Marine Corps. His essay deals with the political and social changes that happened within the military, that made it a higher functioning and smarter military. Using ideas that are within Ender's game, that have co-in-sided with the renaissance movement. This is so cool to see the military embracing the book and its content, even understanding that Card was not a military man. This is my favorite essay of the group. The idea that Sun Tzu, THE ART OF WAR were not only changing the modern military but were embraced in the pages of Ender's game. He looks into the character and the portrayal of the situation is such a unique form. ""Ender" is not merely a name; it is a fundamental description of Wiggin as a tactician. He is very much an ender: exploiting that gift for utterly ruthless, empathy, he goes decisively for the heart of each situation to finish it quickly. "ender" is a fundamentally both who and what he is."

the price of our inheritance By Neal Shusterman
This essay denotes the popularity and the word of mouth ability of the book to pass on and transform the reader. Each person is drawn into the story that it is a book that is a "fourth hour" read a book that is so compelling that you continue to read it through the night.

if the formics love their children too Ken Scholes
a first time readers immediate response to the book.How the time period that the book was written influenced the book, and the reader, even though the events have passed. An interesting perspective of the changing ideology and ability of the world to change and adapt.

Ender's game: a guide to life by Matt Nix
You believe you are Ender, how the book changed the life of the writer as he grew up, his want and his desire to learn from the book and apply it to his life. How he changed his interpretation of the book as he grew, and the ten things he learned from the book.
Profile Image for Jay French.
2,122 reviews83 followers
November 29, 2017
I’ve been a fan of Card’s Ender stories since I read the first short story back when I was in high school. I have listened to many of them on audio, and on the audio versions I had, Card has made an appearance, talking about the stories, how he came up with them, how he rewrote sections, how he worked out the script for the movie, and more. I really enjoyed those “inside baseball” parts of the books, and I was pleased to find this much more of the same. There are essays about “Ender’s Game” and the Enderverse from multiple authors. These were mostly quite interesting perspectives, like teaching high schoolers based on Ender, reading Ender for an Air Force leadership academy, comparing Ender characters to mythological representations of heroes, rules of fiction writing that Card suggests but also broke, and more. And in between these essays were questions and answers by Card himself. On audio, this book uses the same narrators as many of the Ender books. These are like familiar friends to the listener who is a fan, and they put me into the Ender frame of mind. Enjoyable for the fan.
Profile Image for Leon Baxter.
Author 3 books5 followers
September 14, 2019
I listened to this as an audioobook. I guess I didn't read the summary very well. I thought it was a bunch of different authors who had written small stories within Ender's Universe, maybe alternate endings and branches from the stories. I was surprised to hear that it was a bunch of different authors' perspectives of the book, the series and of Card's writing.

It was good for what it was, but I was looking for a narrative. So, I was going to give it 3 stars...until the stories started to mesh with my life, with my view of our government, pieces about children coming of age, as I dropped my eldest off at college.

It was the right time for me to read this even though it wasn't what I wanted to read. If this is what you WANT to read, you'll probably end up giving in 5 stars.
Profile Image for Chris Friend.
399 reviews22 followers
February 20, 2021
Consider this book a fun chat with your smart friends about the neat ways of looking at a book you love in ways you might not have thought about yet. It’s a good balance of insight and nostalgia, humor and analysis, assertion and appreciation.

Oh, and there’s just enough opportunity for Card himself to remind us that, in addition to being a skilled writer, he’s also an arrogant ass with no qualms over dismissing the positions of folks he doesn’t share a worldview with. Interesting, coming from the guy who wrote that story about seeing into the mind of an alien only to understand and love.
Profile Image for CC.
197 reviews56 followers
May 22, 2019
A very thoughtful collection of essays on my favorite Sci-Fi, Ender's Game. Highly recommended. Deep psychological and other discussions on the classic SciFi work from Card. I learned to expand my thinking on the characters and themes by reading what other authors and readers (including some military strategists) have analyzed. This book won't just tell you HOW MUCH Ender's Game is great, but WHY.

Everything an Ender-fan can ever hope for. :) Time to pick up the original story again!
Profile Image for Ryk Stanton.
1,431 reviews13 followers
July 17, 2022
I was actually surprised to enjoy this as much as I did. I am a big Ender fan but thought this would be either glaringly obvious things or over analytical things. It was not! Very interesting perspective pieces from a wide variety of other people who were invited to write for this compendium, and a rather effortless listen. Highly recommended to Ender fans!
Profile Image for HITWM.
54 reviews
December 17, 2016
Should be a 2.5, because of me, not the book. I enjoy discussing Ender's Game with people but to read polished essays dissecting the novel and people's reading experiences.. it felt a little sacrilegious. So I read Ender's World quickly, not wanting to give myself time to digest the details.
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