Welcome to the beta version of Shelfari’s new Book Detail pages!
These pages are editable by the community, so please contribute! Click here to learn more about this feature. We’d love to hear your feedback.
Description
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Summary
In the novel's opening, the government selects Andrew "Ender" Wiggin for training at the elite Battle School. At Battle School, the commander Hyrum Graff publicly recognizes Ender as the most intelligent attendee. This acknowledgment causes other students to resent Ender,... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Memorable Quotes
-
“We'll have the asteroid belt, but they'll have Earth and you run out of raisins and celery kind of fast out there, without Earth.”
Peter Wiggin -
“Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.”
Ender -
“There's only one thing that will make them stop hating you. And that's being so good at what you do that they can't ignore you.”
Colonel Graff to Ender -
“Human beings are free except when humanity needs them.”
Colonel Graff to Ender -
“There was no doubt in Ender's mind. There was no help for him. Whatever he faced, now and forever, no one would save him from it. Peter might be scum, but Peter had been right, always right; the power to cause pain is the only power that matters, the power to kill and destroy, because if you can't kill you are always subject to those who can, and nothing and no one will ever save you.”
Ender -
“Perhaps it's impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.”
Valentine -
“We may be young, but we're not powerless. We play by their rules long enough and it becomes our game.”
Valentine -
“-"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them-" -"You beat them."”
Ender and Valentine -
“Humanity does not ask us to be happy. It merely asks us to be brilliant on its behalf. Survival first, then happiness as we can manage it.”
Mazer Rackham to Ender -
“I don't care if I pass your test, I don't care if I follow your rules. If you can cheat, so can I. I won't let you beat me unfairly - I'll beat you unfairly first.”
Ender -
“Welcome to the human race. Nobody controls his own life, Ender. The best you can do is choose to be controlled by good people, by people who love you.”
Valentine to Ender - Show all quotations from this book (warning: contains spoilers)
First Sentence
I've watched through his eyes, I've listened through his ears, and I tell you he's the one.
Table of Contents
Series
This is book 1 in the Ender Quartet series.
Authors & Contributors
- Orson Scott Card (Author)
Awards
- Nebula Award (1985: Best Novel)
- Hugo Award (1986: Best Novel)
Popular Tags
See all 50 tags
Books That Influenced This Book
Amazon Customers Who Bought This Book Also Bought
If you have any suggestions for how we can improve this page or if there are sections that you would like us to add, please let us know.
