The Ender Quartet Boxed Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind (The Ender Saga)

The love that you acquire for Ender throughout the whole series is seeing his balance of being compassionate and logical and setting emotions aside to do what is in the best interest of everyone. Ender shows and proves to be an amazing people person despite inwardly feeling disgust for himself and what he has done. His relationship with others is different from person to person depending on what they need but he is still himself throughout his conversations. He is strategic in knowing how peoples' emotions can interfere with rationality and talks to them in a way where they are forced to reason themselves into the truth instead of him just telling them, even though he does that too sometimes. It's like a constant therapy session with someone who understandingly loves you despite any flaws. Ultimately, this is a story that represents a collective universe through souls and the capability of them intertwining and everything being all connected, where understanding and compassion leads to peace and love.

These books were written in the mid-late 90's, in a better literary time. You see- nowadays no one can write a standalone book. Everything has to be either a trilogy or a saga, but they end up just stretching an idea or two LONG past it's prime so that they can juice audiences. This Quartet was written in a better time, for a better purpose, and in a better way. The 'Introduction' to Ender's Game is actually quite gripping, and deserves to be read and understood for what it is. Card's literary career hasn't had quite the prestige and notoriety of Asimov or Herbert, but the man can write a story that will keep you gripped. I read these books ten years ago, and I was THRILLED to see that Ender's Game got a film adaptation (it wasn't bad, but fans will walk away a little perturbed…). Long story short- if you like to read, then you should get this boxed set. Watch how easily you end up flipping those pages, and how you walk away after each book with so many ideas in your head. There's substance here, and you won't have to wade through layers of dense prose or obscure references in order to appreciate it. No one can say that Card 'dumbs it down', but what he does is craft a tale in an accessible manner that people will be able to relate to from their own experiences. You'll see what I mean. ;)

The delivery speed of this package was mind-blowing. It came two days earlier than Amazon had predicted. I haven't opened the packaging yet, but I did read Ender's game back in 7th grade, and I loved it then. I read Speaker for the Dead in high school, and it was a little boring for my teenage mind. Can't wait to read it again now that I'm a little bit older. Tried three different times to read Xenocide. Never could get past the halfway point, and I can't figure out why... Eager to try again, though. Never read Children of the Mind, due to my unknown issue with Xenocide. Great story, don't get me wrong. Just something personal that I can't seem to figure out. Ender's Game was amazingly written, and I would recommend it to ANYONE looking for a good read. The Ender's Shadow series is also amazing.

I LOVE this series. My brother let me borrow Ender's game just in time to be thrilled and simultaneously disappointed by the movie when it was in theaters. Then I discovered that there are three more books to read! Needless to say, this series has been the first book or book series that captured my attention and imagination since the Redwall books were read to me as a young kid. I would like to give a review of each book in this series individually here, but I haven't read them recently enough to be able to do justice to what lies in my heart about the stories. I will say that Ender's Game is really kind of a stand-alone book from the rest considering the main character, Ender Wiggin, is only 6 at the start and around 12 at the end, whereas in Speaker for the Dead and beyond he is over 20. Also the different type of plot is unique in the later three compared to the Ender's Game. What I mean by that is that in Ender's Game the plot moves because of conflicts that occur that could be threatening immediately to Ender (can't practice with his new army, his monitor is taken out, kids want to hurt/kill him, etc...) whereas the type of drama shifts to moral situations (do we kill another sentient species just because it is trying to kill us even if we haven't tried to speak with it? Do we question the gods and think maybe there has been evil done by those with "the mandate of heaven?"). The later books also contain more science fiction elements rather than lots of military strategy as in Ender's Game. I don't know what is so appealing about this series, specifically, but something has grabbed me and isn't letting me go. Now I'm reading the shadow series and have also read the "first meetings" and "A war of gifts". Long story short, I highly recommend this series and the rest of the books in the Enderverse (other books that occur in the same "universe" that Ender Wiggin and his story took place).

First two books were great but the last two books kind of ruined it. Orson Scoot Card has the potential to write great novel, but sometimes he comes off super preachy. Lots of religious talk in the last two books which almost entirely killed the story. Also, In one of those last two books you will start to feel a deep hatred for a certain girl with OCD who thinks she is divine and knows everything because she is perfect. There was so much emphasis on her character that I hated it. So you will probably love the first two novels and hate the last two. The only reason you will keep reading is because you will want to know what happens to Ender the character you grow to love so much.

I am a retired sailor. The Ender Quartet should be required reading for all military leaders: nomcoms and officers. Author Card captures the essence of leadership: trust, confidence, and commitment in "Ender's Game"; and the personal consequences of war, the fragility of racial tolerance and compassion, and the ghosts that haunt veterans (many for the balance of their lives) in "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide". and "Children of the Mind". I read each of the eight books that today comprise the Ender's Quartet and the Ender Shadow series, book by book, as they were first published, in the last quarter of the 1900's; many of them in my bunk, braced against rolling seas. Spurred by Card's most recent "Ender in Exile"--a gift from a friend--I purchased both the Quartet, and the Shadow series, and read each anew, certainly, with different eyes than the first reading. I suggest that Orson Scott Card has taken a seat along side Asimov, Hienlien, and Clark. Be you veteran, neophyte, pacifist, activist, monk, clergy, healer, historian, leader, follower, or dreamer of better worlds there is something in the Quartet for all of us.

Orson Scott Card - there are not enough good words to describe this series. This is my SECOND set of the Ender series. I am so fond of them. From the points of view of the characters. To the well written story lines. These books are not for the light reader yet they are easy to follow. You remember the characters, their stories, their backgrounds. They will make you think "What if" they will make you question things from our government. Almost creating an internal battle. Deciding which is which. Good or Evil. Real or Imaginary. You will put yourself into a state of emotion feeling sorry for, compassion, and anger for the characters and the process of their lives. You will cheer on when celebrated, feel sorry for when they fail. These series are written in a manner that you can pick up any of them in any order and read them easily with no confusion. As mentioned before this is my second set. I have read, re-read, and will re-read these series several times over. And then will pass them on to my children as my mother did to me. Science fiction is hard to succeed in. And these are sure to please.

I read all 4 of these books (and several others in the series) in college but somehow did not own any of them. I had to buy this to have in my library. I never thought I'd be in to Sci-Fi but Ender's Game was such an awesome book that I just devoured it. It is a must read, even if you don't read the additional books, the first one is so good. Such a shame about the movie (do not watch it, you will be sorely disappointed!!!!).

Brilliant, well-written, engaging. Buy the box set, as the first book, Ender's Game, is really just the set-up novel for the other three. The books get better as you go along. Incredibly imaginative, modern classics.

This set contains 4 Ender books: Ender's Game, Speaker of the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind. Opinions vary widely about which of these books are great and which are just passable, but inevitably you will love at least one of them. Personally I liked Ender's Game and Speaker of the Dead, but never really got into Xenocide or Children of the Mind. Depending on your taste you might feel the same way. If you've seen the movie, don't worry - there's still a lot of depth to get out of the books. One word of warning though. Xenocide and Children of the Mind are somewhat parallel, and just reading the blurb for one might spoil the story of the other. Just pick one to read and don't even look at the other until you're finished.

I won't say much about the stories, because others have done this enough. But I do want to say, that these books were just great. To me books are really worth reading, if I come upon the last one and feel sorry, that it will be over. I lived there, and that is, what good books do to the reader. They take one into the story and make one forget all around. I stumbled across these books by accident, but I am sure glad, I did. Sent them on to my son-in-law, but rebought them for my kindle, because I sure will read them again after a while. So, if you enjoy a good read, these books are for you!

Yo vi la pelicula y luego me compre los libros de la sombra de ender que pense que eran la saga original y bueno creo que fuie el orden correcto leer sombra de ender y luego ya empezar con la saga de ender, llevo 2 libros de 4 + 4 de la sombra y bueno claro que estoy fascinado con esta saga porque siempre fui fan de mundos de estrategia y sci fi

J'avais lu La stratégie Ender en français quand j'étais ado. Le relire maintenant en VO et découvrir la suite est un réel bonheur! Et puis avec le chouia de maturité acquis depuis, on comprend l'histoire beaucoup plus en profondeur. C'est une réflexion fascinante que l'humanité doit entreprendre sur elle-même et sur d'éventuelles rencontres du 3e type...