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Ender's Saga #0.5
First Meetings: In the Enderverse
Welcome to the Enderverse.
When " Ender's Game " was first published as a novella twenty-five years ago few would have predicted that it would become one of the most successful ventures in publishing history. Expanded into a novel in 1985, Ender's Game won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Never out of print and translated into dozens of languages, it is the rare work of fiction that can truly be said to have transcended a genre. Ender's Game and its sequels have won dozens of prestigious awards and are as popular today among teens and young readers as adults.
First Meetings is a collection of three novellas-plus the original " Ender's Game "-that journey into the origins and the destiny of one Ender Wiggin.
" The Polish Boy " begins in the wake between the first two Bugger Wars when the Hegemony is desperate to recruit brilliant military commanders to repel the alien invasion. In John Paul Wiggin-the future father of Ender -they believe they may have found their man. Or boy.
In " Teacher's Pest "-a novella written especially for this collection-a brilliant but insufferably arrogant John Paul Wiggin, now an American university student, matches wits with an equally brilliant graduate student named Theresa Brown.
It is many years since the end of the Bugger Wars in " The Investment Counselor ." Ender's reputation as a hero and savior has suffered a horrible reversal. Banished from Earth and slandered as a mass murderer, twenty-year-old Andrew Wiggin wanders incognito from planet to planet as a fugitive. Until a blackmailing tax inspector compromises his identity and threatens to expose Ender the Xenocide.
Also reprinted here is the original landmark novella, " Ender's Game, " which first appeared in 1977.
Fully illustrated, First Meetings f0is Orson Scott Card writing at the height of his considerable power about his most compelling character.
When " Ender's Game " was first published as a novella twenty-five years ago few would have predicted that it would become one of the most successful ventures in publishing history. Expanded into a novel in 1985, Ender's Game won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Never out of print and translated into dozens of languages, it is the rare work of fiction that can truly be said to have transcended a genre. Ender's Game and its sequels have won dozens of prestigious awards and are as popular today among teens and young readers as adults.
First Meetings is a collection of three novellas-plus the original " Ender's Game "-that journey into the origins and the destiny of one Ender Wiggin.
" The Polish Boy " begins in the wake between the first two Bugger Wars when the Hegemony is desperate to recruit brilliant military commanders to repel the alien invasion. In John Paul Wiggin-the future father of Ender -they believe they may have found their man. Or boy.
In " Teacher's Pest "-a novella written especially for this collection-a brilliant but insufferably arrogant John Paul Wiggin, now an American university student, matches wits with an equally brilliant graduate student named Theresa Brown.
It is many years since the end of the Bugger Wars in " The Investment Counselor ." Ender's reputation as a hero and savior has suffered a horrible reversal. Banished from Earth and slandered as a mass murderer, twenty-year-old Andrew Wiggin wanders incognito from planet to planet as a fugitive. Until a blackmailing tax inspector compromises his identity and threatens to expose Ender the Xenocide.
Also reprinted here is the original landmark novella, " Ender's Game, " which first appeared in 1977.
Fully illustrated, First Meetings f0is Orson Scott Card writing at the height of his considerable power about his most compelling character.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
207 people are currently reading
13847 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
891 books20.7k followersOrson 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.
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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 763 reviews
November 21, 2022
This is a collection of different short stories that cover different time periods and and different characters from this universe. We get to see Ender's dad in a couple of these stories and it ends with the original short story of Ender's Game that was eventually made into the famous novel.
I am a fan of background information and world building in the many different universes that I read. Unfortunately this one was not that great. The first story was the best one as this cover Ender's grandparents and their time back in their home country. They do not conform to the child limitation decree and I liked this look into that as it has ties to the real world. I thought all the other stories fell short. The second story was the meeting of Ender's mom and dad. I was actually liking this story but it just ended out of nowhere. It was such an abrupt ending I actually thought I fast forwarded on the audiobook. Then we spend time on the story that started it all. The problem with this is that chances are that you most likely already read the novel that came from this short story. So basically this was a retread of stuff I already knew and it is the definition of not adding anything to the lore. It was a waste of time.
I wasn't really expecting much from this side piece. That being said I was expecting a little more than it offered. The term cash grab is used often when describing side pieces and this is a good example of a cash grab. It really doesn't add much to the universe. With its terrible decision to stop stories when they should not be ending or a retread of stories that have been most likely read I would say pass on this side piece and concentrate on the novels of this universe.
I am a fan of background information and world building in the many different universes that I read. Unfortunately this one was not that great. The first story was the best one as this cover Ender's grandparents and their time back in their home country. They do not conform to the child limitation decree and I liked this look into that as it has ties to the real world. I thought all the other stories fell short. The second story was the meeting of Ender's mom and dad. I was actually liking this story but it just ended out of nowhere. It was such an abrupt ending I actually thought I fast forwarded on the audiobook. Then we spend time on the story that started it all. The problem with this is that chances are that you most likely already read the novel that came from this short story. So basically this was a retread of stuff I already knew and it is the definition of not adding anything to the lore. It was a waste of time.
I wasn't really expecting much from this side piece. That being said I was expecting a little more than it offered. The term cash grab is used often when describing side pieces and this is a good example of a cash grab. It really doesn't add much to the universe. With its terrible decision to stop stories when they should not be ending or a retread of stories that have been most likely read I would say pass on this side piece and concentrate on the novels of this universe.
March 24, 2009
I loved reading the background stories to Ender's Parents, but was sad when their story stopped so abruptly. They barely have one good day together, and it's like Paul Harvey steps in with his famous tag line, "and now you know the rest of the story". I wanted more, and felt robbed. Then the story quickly jumps (no transition) to a portion that seemed to have come straight out of Ender's Game, only there were discrepancies. There's a discrepancy with Graff's character and his age(within this book, not even considering the other stories), and also with who was in his "jeesh" for the final battle. The next story that's told is of Jane's existence. I enjoyed readying the background story for her and Ender, but when finished I simply wanted more.
The stories were well written, but had I not been familiar with the Ender Universe, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea what was going on at the start of the short story Ender's Game in the book. I expected First Meetings to be a fun stand alone story about Ender's parents, somehow fitting in an introduction to Jane. Instead, I read about 70 really fun pages of the parents, then was jumped into Ender's Game for a bit, and then brought into Jane's world for the last part. This book should've been focused on Ender's brilliant parents and their journey to love and parenthood. I would've loved reading about them as young parents of overly bright kids. Jane's story should've been another seperate tale. There's so much depth to that character, 70 or so pages couldn't do her justice.
The stories were well written, but had I not been familiar with the Ender Universe, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea what was going on at the start of the short story Ender's Game in the book. I expected First Meetings to be a fun stand alone story about Ender's parents, somehow fitting in an introduction to Jane. Instead, I read about 70 really fun pages of the parents, then was jumped into Ender's Game for a bit, and then brought into Jane's world for the last part. This book should've been focused on Ender's brilliant parents and their journey to love and parenthood. I would've loved reading about them as young parents of overly bright kids. Jane's story should've been another seperate tale. There's so much depth to that character, 70 or so pages couldn't do her justice.
May 19, 2009
When this first came out, I was a little miffed at old Orson for dragging out the highly successful and (to me) hallowed Ender saga for one more flogging, so I refused to read it. However, somehow it wound up in my possession (as book-shaped things are wont to do), and I'm glad I gave in.
I've always felt that Card had at least two very interesting and valuable talents: one is creating fleshy, breathy characters (in a good way), and another is having interesting ideas about all sorts of things, usually about politics, history, economics... big-picture stuff about the way things work, the way the pieces of the puzzle fit together and move. Sometimes the two disconnect, as in the more recent books of the Ender series, where I felt that he was much more excited about the ideas than the characters, and just wanted to use my childhood friends as propagandists. The ideas were interesting nonetheless, but I didn't care as much about the people participating in the overarching story.
Anyway, the two were woven together well in this case, and I really enjoyed it. Especially in "Teacher's Pest," which is an account of Ender's parents' first meeting, I thought the views they espoused fit very nicely with the genius parents of my favorite genius. It's a good read. It made me think, sometimes angrily, and I love that.
This book also contains the first version of Ender's Game ever published, in Analog, 1977. It's a fascinating study of the evolution of a story and a writer, coming from this good-but-not-great beginning. The story is virtually the same, but it's so much more heavy-handed... direct references to crucifixion and all that. It gave me a greater appreciation for subtlety, and all of that thick characterization bubbling under the surface.
Not a bad way to spend a sick day. :)
I've always felt that Card had at least two very interesting and valuable talents: one is creating fleshy, breathy characters (in a good way), and another is having interesting ideas about all sorts of things, usually about politics, history, economics... big-picture stuff about the way things work, the way the pieces of the puzzle fit together and move. Sometimes the two disconnect, as in the more recent books of the Ender series, where I felt that he was much more excited about the ideas than the characters, and just wanted to use my childhood friends as propagandists. The ideas were interesting nonetheless, but I didn't care as much about the people participating in the overarching story.
Anyway, the two were woven together well in this case, and I really enjoyed it. Especially in "Teacher's Pest," which is an account of Ender's parents' first meeting, I thought the views they espoused fit very nicely with the genius parents of my favorite genius. It's a good read. It made me think, sometimes angrily, and I love that.
This book also contains the first version of Ender's Game ever published, in Analog, 1977. It's a fascinating study of the evolution of a story and a writer, coming from this good-but-not-great beginning. The story is virtually the same, but it's so much more heavy-handed... direct references to crucifixion and all that. It gave me a greater appreciation for subtlety, and all of that thick characterization bubbling under the surface.
Not a bad way to spend a sick day. :)
October 20, 2009
Let me preface this review by saying that Ender's Game is my favorite book and has been for almost 20 years. As such Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors, First Meetings, a collection of meetings of primary charters in the Enderverse is a good example of just how good of a writer Card is. Oddly I had thought I had read the book already but when I picked it up I realized it was made up of several short stories, some of which I had yet to read. The book is made up of "The Polish Boy", the story of Ender's Father, great story about a character I often felt wasn't flushed out enough before. "Teacher's Pest" - by far my favorite in the series, is the story of how Ender's parents met. "Ender's Game" the original novella that the landmark book is based on. The Final installment is "The Investment Counslor" - the story of how Ender met Jane. Since I read all 208 pages in one sitting I guess I have to rate this book very highly. Its always nice to get to revisit with your favorite worlds and then to find out new things really made for an enjoyable experience
April 26, 2012
Quick and dirty reading notes and (i)relevant thoughts
(For my first "review" under this logo, there are going to be fewer reading notes and more thoughts, since I found something very vexing about this collection of short stories.)
✐ Although this is listed as the first book in the series, I'm glad I read it only after Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. The stories range from 40 years before to 300 after the events from Ender's Game and they would be utterly confusing to a new reader.
✐ The first two stories bring into focus Ender's father and relate his first encounter with the military authorities, then his first meeting with his future wife. Both of them have a very pervasive religious flavor (I'll come back to this issue). The third story depicts the first meeting between Ender and the AI entity Jane and it is very light and amusing.
✐ First Meetings in Ender's Universe is neither a young-adult reading nor a very serious, philosophical/psychological-loaded one.
✐ I said before that two of the stories are over-the-top religious and here it is the message that I found disturbing: in today's world, it is OK/normal/religiously desirable to have 9 children (12, if we think that in Speaker for the Dead, by the time she is 34-35, Novinha has already 6 children and she plans to have 6 more with Ender! ☹.) I can't even count on how many levels I disagree with this message!
......◊ I'm not even going to mention that at just under 7 billion people we are at the very least 10 times more numerous than what a healthy ecosystem can support.
......◊ Yet, this novel seems to advocate that a quadruple increase in population every 20 years (9 children to 2 parents means in fact a 4.5 increase) is fine and should not be avoided. So assuming that a person leaves 80 years, during her life, she will see an increase of 410 times in the number of people (4.5 to the 4). That means that given today's population, in 80 years there will be roughly 2870 billion people. Who is going to feed all those people and where are they going to live?
......◊ Of course, Mr. Card would say that it's people's right to have as many kids as they want, and I agree with that as a general principle. But you can't ask 4 non-christian couples to forgo their choice of having children only that a christian couple could have 9 of them.
......◊ Further it is implied that the folks who don't want children are in denial. Having known over the time a large number of folks who found no innate need to procreate, I can testify that their motivations range from socioeconomic & ecologic responsibility to simple lack of any putative joy coming from "creating life" -- with all shades of gray in between. To allude that they don't know what they want is a bit... presumptuous in my opinion.
(For my first "review" under this logo, there are going to be fewer reading notes and more thoughts, since I found something very vexing about this collection of short stories.)
✐ Although this is listed as the first book in the series, I'm glad I read it only after Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. The stories range from 40 years before to 300 after the events from Ender's Game and they would be utterly confusing to a new reader.
✐ The first two stories bring into focus Ender's father and relate his first encounter with the military authorities, then his first meeting with his future wife. Both of them have a very pervasive religious flavor (I'll come back to this issue). The third story depicts the first meeting between Ender and the AI entity Jane and it is very light and amusing.
✐ First Meetings in Ender's Universe is neither a young-adult reading nor a very serious, philosophical/psychological-loaded one.
✐ I said before that two of the stories are over-the-top religious and here it is the message that I found disturbing: in today's world, it is OK/normal/religiously desirable to have 9 children (12, if we think that in Speaker for the Dead, by the time she is 34-35, Novinha has already 6 children and she plans to have 6 more with Ender! ☹.) I can't even count on how many levels I disagree with this message!
......◊ I'm not even going to mention that at just under 7 billion people we are at the very least 10 times more numerous than what a healthy ecosystem can support.
......◊ Yet, this novel seems to advocate that a quadruple increase in population every 20 years (9 children to 2 parents means in fact a 4.5 increase) is fine and should not be avoided. So assuming that a person leaves 80 years, during her life, she will see an increase of 410 times in the number of people (4.5 to the 4). That means that given today's population, in 80 years there will be roughly 2870 billion people. Who is going to feed all those people and where are they going to live?
......◊ Of course, Mr. Card would say that it's people's right to have as many kids as they want, and I agree with that as a general principle. But you can't ask 4 non-christian couples to forgo their choice of having children only that a christian couple could have 9 of them.
......◊ Further it is implied that the folks who don't want children are in denial. Having known over the time a large number of folks who found no innate need to procreate, I can testify that their motivations range from socioeconomic & ecologic responsibility to simple lack of any putative joy coming from "creating life" -- with all shades of gray in between. To allude that they don't know what they want is a bit... presumptuous in my opinion.
May 17, 2009
Ender's Game fascinates me. I always go back and back and back to it. I've heard from many different people, all sci-fi lovers to varying degrees, their opinions on Orson Scott Card's Ender series and the majority of these folks caution me not to waste my time reading further into the series - reportedly the books grow weaker and lean more heavily on the past books.
Here's the thing though - I'm not finding that to be true at all. They're riffing off each other, sure. But that's the best part! I ADORE seeing the same story told from different sides - I ADORE having these people's characters fleshed out more and more. It's vastly interesting to me. I wish everyone wrote this way!
This book was passed along to me without a book jacket. I read it blind - no googling to see what it was about or anything. I was REALLY surprised to learn that John Paul - the precocious boy IF wanted in their program was Ender's dad! Reading the little stories without prior knowledge allowed me to be surprised and that was delightful.
Here's the thing though - I'm not finding that to be true at all. They're riffing off each other, sure. But that's the best part! I ADORE seeing the same story told from different sides - I ADORE having these people's characters fleshed out more and more. It's vastly interesting to me. I wish everyone wrote this way!
This book was passed along to me without a book jacket. I read it blind - no googling to see what it was about or anything. I was REALLY surprised to learn that John Paul - the precocious boy IF wanted in their program was Ender's dad! Reading the little stories without prior knowledge allowed me to be surprised and that was delightful.
November 30, 2016
Four short stories from the "Enderverse" in one volume. Three of the stories are "origin" stories in a way - how Ender's dad was recruited by the Fleet as a child, how Ender's dad met Ender's mom (characters who barely rated a mention in the original series but had a more prominent role in the "Shadow" series) and how Jane met Ender for the first time. Also included is the original "Ender's Game" short story which Card later expanded into the full-length Award-Winning novel of the same name. The stories are all at least mildly interesting for fans of the series but not essential reading, but anyone who hasn't read Ender's Game and/or its sequels probably wouldn't get anything out of this.
June 6, 2017
There were a few discrepancies in this book compared to the Books Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.
Otherwise this was a very enjoyable book of four novellas. I loved learning a little more about Ender's parents and how he meet "Jane".
Otherwise this was a very enjoyable book of four novellas. I loved learning a little more about Ender's parents and how he meet "Jane".
August 9, 2016
This prequel was not developed enough to make me crave the first book in the series but it was not bad either so I will move on the next book. I hope it blows me away.
July 9, 2007
I liked "The Polish Boy," and I'd already read and enjoyed "Investment Counselor" in another collection (though I think it does re-write some of the main characters' histories a bit). "Teacher's Pest," however, irritated me quite a bit. I liked and admired Ender's parents in the series proper, but I found John Paul insufferably smug and condescending in this story. And Theresa just...gave in to it! The story took two characters I admired and made me really dislike them both.
February 21, 2014
A collection of interesting but frivolous stories set in the Enderverse. Find out why Ender's father immigrated to America. Find out how Ender's parents first met. Find out how Ender hooked up with Jane. And read the story of ENDER'S GAME back before it got fleshed out into a novel.
Or don't. Because these stories aren't necessary to fully understand and enjoy the rest of the series. Still, fans of the Enderverse will find FIRST MEETINGS a treasure trove of world-building.
Or don't. Because these stories aren't necessary to fully understand and enjoy the rest of the series. Still, fans of the Enderverse will find FIRST MEETINGS a treasure trove of world-building.
June 25, 2021
So glad I read this before launching into the second book in the Ender's Saga series, Speaker for the Dead! I got some backstory on Ender's mother and father meeting, etc. It was great to read the original short story that became the first book in the series, Ender's Game! And, as you might expect, the final story, "The Investment Counselor," depicts Ender's life in the aftermath of his heroic win and his beginnings as "Speaker for the Dead." So glad I read this before continuing on with the series! Now I'll read Ender in Exile (Ender's Saga #1.2), then on to the second installment!
June 1, 2021
A very cool entry into the Ender Saga!
4 short stories packed into one book. 3/4 stories were extremely well done. The 4th was just a reprint of the Enders Game short story published long ago, before it was a full novel. So it wasn't bad, it was just a story I already knew.
We got to meet Enders parents and see things from both of their perspectives. How they met, and how they came together. And then a book that is set after the events of Enders game where a man tries to blackmail Ender. 😂😂
OSC is an author that I really love. I don't know why I haven't read more of his works. I haven't read one book by him that I don't enjoy thoroughly. This is no different. He writes interesting and unique characters that jump off the page and are fascinating to follow and see what they say next. They are typically brilliant, at least in this world, and the way he gets that across is, in itself, brilliant as well.
Enders Game is the book with action and it was written well. But each subsequent boom did have nearly, of any, action and yet I was on the edge of my seat wanting to learn more anyway.
If you like the Ender series I definitely think you should read this. If you haven't jumped into Enders world at all though, probably don't start here. Especially the last story as it gives away all the excitement of Enders Game.
2 more books in the Enderverse to go for me!
4 short stories packed into one book. 3/4 stories were extremely well done. The 4th was just a reprint of the Enders Game short story published long ago, before it was a full novel. So it wasn't bad, it was just a story I already knew.
We got to meet Enders parents and see things from both of their perspectives. How they met, and how they came together. And then a book that is set after the events of Enders game where a man tries to blackmail Ender. 😂😂
OSC is an author that I really love. I don't know why I haven't read more of his works. I haven't read one book by him that I don't enjoy thoroughly. This is no different. He writes interesting and unique characters that jump off the page and are fascinating to follow and see what they say next. They are typically brilliant, at least in this world, and the way he gets that across is, in itself, brilliant as well.
Enders Game is the book with action and it was written well. But each subsequent boom did have nearly, of any, action and yet I was on the edge of my seat wanting to learn more anyway.
If you like the Ender series I definitely think you should read this. If you haven't jumped into Enders world at all though, probably don't start here. Especially the last story as it gives away all the excitement of Enders Game.
2 more books in the Enderverse to go for me!
December 26, 2025
A great compliment to the amazing first stories of Ender’s Game and Speakers for the Dead.
July 12, 2017
Reseña
Este libro se compone de 4 cuentos relacionados con el universo de Ender, relatados en orden cronológico:
El niño polaco: cuenta la infancia del padre de Ender, John Paul, y de cómo descubrieron su talento.
La peste del maestro: trata de cómo se conocieron los padres de Ender, en la universidad, donde su madre era profesora de su padre.
El juego de Ender: corresponde al cuento corto, en el que se basó Orson Scott Card para después desarrollar su novela del mismo nombre.
La asesora financiera: trata de cómo Ender conoce a Jane en el momento en el que Ender pone el pie en un planeta llamado Sorelledolce y debe hacer su declaración de impuestos, luego de haber cumplido 20 años relativos durante el viaje interestelar. Además, se hace Portavoz de los Muertos.
Crítica
Para alguien que ya es seguidor de Orson Scott Card, estos cuentos no tienen pérdida. Todos van añadiendo información relacionada a la saga del Juego de Ender, excepto quizás el cuento largo, que se presenta como la tercera historia de este libro. Aún así, aunque ya se haya leído la novela, el cuento es dinámico y entretenido, va a lo importante, a la acción y a mostrarnos el carácter de Ender junto a las batallas que mantiene con la ayuda de su equipo.
Fue interesante conocer más a los padres de Ender en su niñez y juventud, aunque también me gusta mucho el relato final, ya que Jane es uno de mis personajes favoritos de la saga y conocer sus inicios es atractivo.
Estos cuentos se disfrutarán más después de haber leído al menos los dos primeros libros de la saga, "El juego de Ender" y "El portavoz de los muertos". Pero el cuento corto del Juego de Ender también sirve como un puntapié inicial, un relato introductorio para alguien neófito en esta saga (o en la ciencia ficción en general).
Aún me falta seguir con la saga de los inicios (cuando los insectores atacaron la Tierra), y la Sombra, pero sí o sí los leeré. Me gusta mucho el trasfondo filosófico que Scott Card agrega a sus novelas... como lo hizo Frank Herbert con su saga Dune.
Con este libro termino la saga del Juego de Ender, que la recomiendo a quienes gusten de la ciencia ficción mezclada con filosofía. Si no les gusta la filosofía, quédense sólo con el primer libro. "El juego de Ender".
4 / 5 estrellas
Este libro se compone de 4 cuentos relacionados con el universo de Ender, relatados en orden cronológico:
El niño polaco: cuenta la infancia del padre de Ender, John Paul, y de cómo descubrieron su talento.
La peste del maestro: trata de cómo se conocieron los padres de Ender, en la universidad, donde su madre era profesora de su padre.
El juego de Ender: corresponde al cuento corto, en el que se basó Orson Scott Card para después desarrollar su novela del mismo nombre.
La asesora financiera: trata de cómo Ender conoce a Jane en el momento en el que Ender pone el pie en un planeta llamado Sorelledolce y debe hacer su declaración de impuestos, luego de haber cumplido 20 años relativos durante el viaje interestelar. Además, se hace Portavoz de los Muertos.
Crítica
Para alguien que ya es seguidor de Orson Scott Card, estos cuentos no tienen pérdida. Todos van añadiendo información relacionada a la saga del Juego de Ender, excepto quizás el cuento largo, que se presenta como la tercera historia de este libro. Aún así, aunque ya se haya leído la novela, el cuento es dinámico y entretenido, va a lo importante, a la acción y a mostrarnos el carácter de Ender junto a las batallas que mantiene con la ayuda de su equipo.
Fue interesante conocer más a los padres de Ender en su niñez y juventud, aunque también me gusta mucho el relato final, ya que Jane es uno de mis personajes favoritos de la saga y conocer sus inicios es atractivo.
Estos cuentos se disfrutarán más después de haber leído al menos los dos primeros libros de la saga, "El juego de Ender" y "El portavoz de los muertos". Pero el cuento corto del Juego de Ender también sirve como un puntapié inicial, un relato introductorio para alguien neófito en esta saga (o en la ciencia ficción en general).
Aún me falta seguir con la saga de los inicios (cuando los insectores atacaron la Tierra), y la Sombra, pero sí o sí los leeré. Me gusta mucho el trasfondo filosófico que Scott Card agrega a sus novelas... como lo hizo Frank Herbert con su saga Dune.
Con este libro termino la saga del Juego de Ender, que la recomiendo a quienes gusten de la ciencia ficción mezclada con filosofía. Si no les gusta la filosofía, quédense sólo con el primer libro. "El juego de Ender".
4 / 5 estrellas
September 2, 2016
This book gets a mixed review. Made up of 3 short stories, along with the ORIGINAL 1977 version of Ender's Game, the book presents its best foot first with an introduction into the background of Ender's parents. The first gives you a look at Ender's Father as a small boy living in Poland. The second gives you a window into the meeting and courtship of Ender's Parents. I found both of these stories very compelling (and originally thought them to be one combined tale) and just as interesting as the original novel itself. The third story takes place sometime after the completion of the 1st book, as it details some of the planet-hopping taken by both Ender and Valentine long after the completion of the war. The final story is the original novella of Ender's Game, that covers the broad strokes of the story from when Ender receives his own army at Battle School to the final battle at Command School. Although a nice bit of nostalgia, I didn't understand that this was the original short story and thought it was a condensing of the original story simply done to be used as filler. Now that I understand where the story breaks are (listening to an audiobook in a noisy 18-wheeler causes you to miss little bits here and there), I've revised my original 3* rating to a more improved 4* overall rating.
June 1, 2013
I'm in one of those I-don't-actually-give-a-fuck states after reading not-so-interesting stories, so forgive me for my indifference if you actually liked this specific novella.
Note: This doesn't actually spoil the second book for you, hence it's book #1.5 in the saga. The first two chapters happen before the time Ender's Game takes place, the third chapter is a quick recap of its second half, and the last is the filler between its ending and the beginning of Speaker for the Dead.
Thisbook novella is basically an extension of Ender's Game since it features stories before, during, and after Ender's Game. I didn't love it as much as I loved Ender's Game, though, but I did like it.
***
Court dismissed, bring in the dancing lobsters!
x
Note: This doesn't actually spoil the second book for you, hence it's book #1.5 in the saga. The first two chapters happen before the time Ender's Game takes place, the third chapter is a quick recap of its second half, and the last is the filler between its ending and the beginning of Speaker for the Dead.
This
***
Court dismissed, bring in the dancing lobsters!
x
May 22, 2014
Just read this again last night! My favorite short story in here is "The Investment Counselor" where we first encounter Jane. She is awesome and the comeuppance of Benedetto is particularly sweet. I love the Enderverse!
Read 11/2013
5/2014
Read 11/2013
5/2014
June 30, 2018
I LOVE John Paul Wiggin. Guys, John Paul and Theresa Wiggin have actually been the best characters in the Enderverse this whole entire time. The Shadow series made this increasingly clear, and now these short stories just drive the point home.
It got a little silly in places, since Graff and Chamrajnagar have apparently been in charge of everything that's ever happened in the IF since Ender's dad was six years old. And since Graff apparently orchestrated Ender's birth by sending John Paul to America expressly to meet a genius girl and have a genius baby to save the world. Who knew Graff was actually the one signed on as God. But I don't really care. I love John Paul and I would absolutely read an entire book about both of them.
The one about Ender's taxes, too, was PRICELESS. I adore Ender's interactions with Valentine. I long for more of them. I dream about them every night. I salivate for them. Anyway, this was great and I'm so glad I got to read it. I can't believe Jane got that scamming official murdered in prison for trying to cheat Ender; she and Ender are truly meant for each other I guess.
It got a little silly in places, since Graff and Chamrajnagar have apparently been in charge of everything that's ever happened in the IF since Ender's dad was six years old. And since Graff apparently orchestrated Ender's birth by sending John Paul to America expressly to meet a genius girl and have a genius baby to save the world. Who knew Graff was actually the one signed on as God. But I don't really care. I love John Paul and I would absolutely read an entire book about both of them.
The one about Ender's taxes, too, was PRICELESS. I adore Ender's interactions with Valentine. I long for more of them. I dream about them every night. I salivate for them. Anyway, this was great and I'm so glad I got to read it. I can't believe Jane got that scamming official murdered in prison for trying to cheat Ender; she and Ender are truly meant for each other I guess.
December 20, 2023
Absolutely enjoyed the story’s included in this. It’s interesting to hear the story of Ender meeting Jane. My favorite, however, was the story’s of John Paul, Ender’s dad. It helped paint a picture of the world between the first formic war and the 3rd.
As for the audio production, the music that played at the beginning and end of some of the short stories was rather distracting and at some points, louder than the narrator. It didn’t last long, thankfully, but i don’t think that music added anything to the story, they could have don’t a shorter transitional audio rather than having it cover the beginning of the next short story.
Absolutely recommend reading this if you are working your way through the Enderverse. I would read the main ender quintet and the shadow series before diving into this novella.
As for the audio production, the music that played at the beginning and end of some of the short stories was rather distracting and at some points, louder than the narrator. It didn’t last long, thankfully, but i don’t think that music added anything to the story, they could have don’t a shorter transitional audio rather than having it cover the beginning of the next short story.
Absolutely recommend reading this if you are working your way through the Enderverse. I would read the main ender quintet and the shadow series before diving into this novella.
February 21, 2018
Probably the breeziest of all the reads I have planned for this year. This is a collection of four stories, including the original Ender's Game novella. The other three depict vignettes from Ender's life (between novels) or those of his parents (prior to the first novel).
Most of the story takes place entirely in dialogue, featuring the manipulative maneuverings of highly-intelligent people. That's always rewarding, of course, but the enjoyment is doubled when it's kids doing the maneuvering. I've always loved the way Card writes children's dialogue, and this book doesn't disappoint. And at just a couple hundred pages, it's the kind of thing you could finish in an afternoon, in between weightier tomes.
Most of the story takes place entirely in dialogue, featuring the manipulative maneuverings of highly-intelligent people. That's always rewarding, of course, but the enjoyment is doubled when it's kids doing the maneuvering. I've always loved the way Card writes children's dialogue, and this book doesn't disappoint. And at just a couple hundred pages, it's the kind of thing you could finish in an afternoon, in between weightier tomes.
September 29, 2024
I've been reading and enjoying the Enderverse for seven-ish years now, but since I'd never read any of Card's short stories, I picked up a cute little hardcover version when I saw it at a library book sale. Sure, I'd read the biggest selling point of the collection - the original "Ender's Game" story - multiple times before, but since I semi-recently went through some of the Enderverse for the first time in five-or-so years, I thought that rereading it now would be a different reading experience. I was right, but... it wasn't quite for the better.
--The collection starts with "The Polish Boy," a short story about Ender Wiggin's father Jan Pawel Wieczorak, whose family disregards the International Fleet's population-regulating laws. Graff - the same one from *Ender's Game* - leads an effort to recruit Jan into the I.F.'s Battle School and offers . This story recontextualizes *Ender's Game* and makes everything seem a bit deeper, especially the strategy behind Graff's actions in that book. At the same time, it does make me wonder why the interactions between Jan and Graff in *Ender's Game* were the way they are, besides the obvious fact that Card hadn't dreamt this story up when he first wrote the novel. The other complaint is that the prose in this story seems... simpler than Card's usually is. It's almost like this was written for children compared to the more complex, all-seeing prose of his novels. And the cartoonish doodles just made things seem... dumb. This will be a complaint for the whole book, but it was probably the most forgivable here our of the three "new" stories.
--"Teacher's Pest" looks at the meeting of Jan and his future wife, Theresa Brown, who are the titular pest and teacher, respectively. Brown is teaching "Human Communities" and spars with her "star" pupil several times, gradually losing her footing because A) she's a student teacher who's not really any older than him, and B) her father is world-famous for refusing to obey population control laws and sharing his last name is getting her removed from research projects she came up with herself. This gives a little more weight to Ender's pedigree, but that honestly wasn't needed. The emotional story that runs through this story is alright, but at the end of the day, it didn't make me feel much of anything besides "this writing still isn't too good" and "why did Card have to write a story to explain this?"
--"Ender's Game," the story that became the novel, is at least interesting. Card once wrote that when turning a short story into a novel he, unlike most authors, like to keep a short story's beginning, middle, and end and prefers to flesh out everything the short story glossed over. "Ender's Game" confirms that writing philosophy (spoilers for the original book incoming). It starts with Battle School, shows Ender's army get pitted in unfair matches, introduces his mentor Mazer Rackham, and ends with his eventual winning of the Bugger War, all in one piece. It misses all the familial and psychological alleys that the adaption goes through, but it's still a good story with a good twist that gets Bean and the Battle School across. I find it more enjoyable as a study than a piece because the novel is so good, but I'd still recommend it for fans of the book.
--Finally, "Investment Counsellor" introduces Ender and Jane (the AI from *Speaker for the Dead*) to each other. It's another okay story... it doesn't explain where Jane came from or anything or genuine interest to me, but it does show Ender coming-of-age a long time after *Ender's Game* (I say "long time" because of relativity) and having to file his first tax return. During the process, . I mean, it's okay, but the prose isn't great and as I've said already... what's the point again?
At the end of day, unlike books like *Speaker for the Dead* or *Ender's Shadow*, *First Meetings in the Enderverse* doesn't add anything meaningful to Card's mythos, besides - possibly - the increased depth of Ender's father. Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon who likes things they way they used to be, but... this only gets a 6/10 from me. It was *okay* - not offensive beyond the blandness of the prose, and you should give the original "Ender's Game" a try because it's a lot of fun. Without it, I probably would've given this collection a 5 or a 5.5. I suppose I'll get back to re-reading the *Speaker for the Dead* stuff down the line, but for now, I should be done with Card for the rest of the year. But then again, that's what I always say...
--The collection starts with "The Polish Boy," a short story about Ender Wiggin's father Jan Pawel Wieczorak, whose family disregards the International Fleet's population-regulating laws. Graff - the same one from *Ender's Game* - leads an effort to recruit Jan into the I.F.'s Battle School and offers . This story recontextualizes *Ender's Game* and makes everything seem a bit deeper, especially the strategy behind Graff's actions in that book. At the same time, it does make me wonder why the interactions between Jan and Graff in *Ender's Game* were the way they are, besides the obvious fact that Card hadn't dreamt this story up when he first wrote the novel. The other complaint is that the prose in this story seems... simpler than Card's usually is. It's almost like this was written for children compared to the more complex, all-seeing prose of his novels. And the cartoonish doodles just made things seem... dumb. This will be a complaint for the whole book, but it was probably the most forgivable here our of the three "new" stories.
--"Teacher's Pest" looks at the meeting of Jan and his future wife, Theresa Brown, who are the titular pest and teacher, respectively. Brown is teaching "Human Communities" and spars with her "star" pupil several times, gradually losing her footing because A) she's a student teacher who's not really any older than him, and B) her father is world-famous for refusing to obey population control laws and sharing his last name is getting her removed from research projects she came up with herself. This gives a little more weight to Ender's pedigree, but that honestly wasn't needed. The emotional story that runs through this story is alright, but at the end of the day, it didn't make me feel much of anything besides "this writing still isn't too good" and "why did Card have to write a story to explain this?"
--"Ender's Game," the story that became the novel, is at least interesting. Card once wrote that when turning a short story into a novel he, unlike most authors, like to keep a short story's beginning, middle, and end and prefers to flesh out everything the short story glossed over. "Ender's Game" confirms that writing philosophy (spoilers for the original book incoming). It starts with Battle School, shows Ender's army get pitted in unfair matches, introduces his mentor Mazer Rackham, and ends with his eventual winning of the Bugger War, all in one piece. It misses all the familial and psychological alleys that the adaption goes through, but it's still a good story with a good twist that gets Bean and the Battle School across. I find it more enjoyable as a study than a piece because the novel is so good, but I'd still recommend it for fans of the book.
--Finally, "Investment Counsellor" introduces Ender and Jane (the AI from *Speaker for the Dead*) to each other. It's another okay story... it doesn't explain where Jane came from or anything or genuine interest to me, but it does show Ender coming-of-age a long time after *Ender's Game* (I say "long time" because of relativity) and having to file his first tax return. During the process, . I mean, it's okay, but the prose isn't great and as I've said already... what's the point again?
At the end of day, unlike books like *Speaker for the Dead* or *Ender's Shadow*, *First Meetings in the Enderverse* doesn't add anything meaningful to Card's mythos, besides - possibly - the increased depth of Ender's father. Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon who likes things they way they used to be, but... this only gets a 6/10 from me. It was *okay* - not offensive beyond the blandness of the prose, and you should give the original "Ender's Game" a try because it's a lot of fun. Without it, I probably would've given this collection a 5 or a 5.5. I suppose I'll get back to re-reading the *Speaker for the Dead* stuff down the line, but for now, I should be done with Card for the rest of the year. But then again, that's what I always say...
February 3, 2017
Another fantastic book from the genius Orson Scott Card: a collection of short stories to discover the story behind the Bugger's war or the Xenocide.
How Ender's father meet each other, the war and what happened to Ender and Valentine after the war.
You feel the touch of a talended writer in these pages.
How Ender's father meet each other, the war and what happened to Ender and Valentine after the war.
You feel the touch of a talended writer in these pages.
April 28, 2022
4.5 stars. A great collection of novellas. Polish Boy had a believable and interesting situation with a brilliant kid. This was built on in Teacher’s Pest, with the bonus of a fun philosophical discussion. The Ender’s Game novella works well on its own, but can easily be skipped in favor of the full novel, which is better. Investment Counselor was a tad weaker but still a fun introduction of Jane.
October 4, 2022
The Polish Boy and Teachers Pest really only served to make me like John Paul and Theresa a bit less. It was interesting to finally read the original short story that started it all, the parts Card changed were definitely for the better.
The saving grace is Investment Advisor, it serves as a pretty solid bridge between Ender in Exile and Speaker. Would recommend.
The saving grace is Investment Advisor, it serves as a pretty solid bridge between Ender in Exile and Speaker. Would recommend.
September 8, 2024
This book has some short stories in it, that fill in some history. And It has the original novella of Enders Game in it. I would have loved that Novella in high school, when I first read Ender's Game. I loved the two short stories and giving history with the hegemon and the two child policy. The author does a good job showing moral issues in stories without making it too obvious.
May 22, 2018
This book surprised me. I was ready to be done the series with Children of the Mind. This wasn't a bad addition, with Jane's origin story, the story of Ender's parents, and a few other tidbits.
August 4, 2019
Somewhat interesting, but not too rewarding short stories:
- two about Ender's father's childhood and how he met his mother
- one about how 20 year old Ender deals with an attempt to steal his inheritance and his meeting with an AI agent helping him deal with his taxes and other issues
- Ender's game short story - blah.
- two about Ender's father's childhood and how he met his mother
- one about how 20 year old Ender deals with an attempt to steal his inheritance and his meeting with an AI agent helping him deal with his taxes and other issues
- Ender's game short story - blah.
December 18, 2022
For some reason I delayed reading this book for a long time and now, when I finally read it, I feel like I should have picked it earlier. A great space sci-fi book I’ve been looking for a long time.
I knew nothing about the series and was sure that John Paul Wiggin is Ender, but was surprised to discover that he’s actually his father.
The first two novellas are about Ender’s father and the last one is about Ender. It was a bit confusing, but I assume that’s because I know nothing about the Ender’s universe. Probably you should first read the original story and at some point jump to this one.
My favorite was the Teacher’s Pest. He is so bold there and I like how he approaches the professor. They fit together greatly.
I knew nothing about the series and was sure that John Paul Wiggin is Ender, but was surprised to discover that he’s actually his father.
The first two novellas are about Ender’s father and the last one is about Ender. It was a bit confusing, but I assume that’s because I know nothing about the Ender’s universe. Probably you should first read the original story and at some point jump to this one.
My favorite was the Teacher’s Pest. He is so bold there and I like how he approaches the professor. They fit together greatly.
April 2, 2018
This book was very enjoyable if you had prior read the book Enders game. Orson Scott Card uses a lot of description and rich language in this book in order to effectively set the scene for what is happening. Even if you have not read Enders game it perfectly helps linking how ender became who he is and what he becomes in the time immediately after.
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