Synopses & Reviews
Welcome to the Enderverse.
When Orson Scott Card first published "Ender's Game" as a novella in 1977, 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 an audiobook 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.
Review
"[An] appealing and entertaining collection of tales....For newcomers to Ender's universe and longtime fans, this book will hit the spot and whet the appetite for more."--School Library Journal on
First Meetings"Showcases Card's talent at developing the inner life of a character. Even those who are intimately familiar with the concepts of the Game from later Ender books will be struck anew by Card's virtuosity. His powerful voice and startlingly clear vision will draw many new readers into a lifelong love of science fiction. This accessible collection will impress even non-sci-fi buffs, besides being a must-have for Ender saga devotees."--Publishers Weekly on First Meetings
"These stories demonstrate the assured scene setting, apparently effortlessly sustained suspense, and moral preoccupation with the responsibilities of kinship and friendship that distinguishes Ender's entire saga."--Booklist on First Meetings
Review
"[An] appealing and entertaining collection of tales....This book will hit the spot and whet the appetite for more." School Library Journal
Review
"This accessible collection will impress even non-sci-fi buffs, besides being a must-have for Ender saga devotees." Publishers Weekly
Review
"These stories demonstrate the assured scene setting, apparently effortlessly sustained suspense, and moral preoccupation...that distinguishes Ender's entire saga." Booklist
Review
“His powerful voice and startlingly clear vision will draw many new readers into a lifelong love of science fiction. This accessible collection will impress even non-sci-fi buffs, besides being a must-have for Ender saga devotees.” —
Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
The Polish Boy" begins in the wake of the first Bugger War when the Hegemony is still desperate to recruit brilliant commanders. In five-year-old John Paul Wieczorek they have found one. Or have they? In "Teacher's Pest" a brilliant but insufferably arrogant John Paul Wiggin--now a university student in America--falls in love with an equally brilliant graduate student named Theresa Brown. Reprinted is the landmark "Ender's Game, " in which the child commander single-handedly challenges the full might of the Bugger fleet. It is many years past the end of the Bugger Wars in "The Investment Counselor" when a jaded, planet-hopping 20-year-old Andrew Wiggin must contend with a greedy blackmailer threatening to expose Ender the Xenocide. Lavishly illustrated throughout, First Meetings is Orson Scott Card writing at the height of his considerable powers about his most beloved character. ON SALE
Synopsis
First Meetings is an anthology whose entries include the novellas Enders Game and Teacher's Pest.
Synopsis
Four Outstanding Novellas!
One Brand-New to This Collection
Includes the Original
"Ender's Game"
Praise for "First Meetings:
"Showcases Card's talent at developing the inner life of a character. Even those who are intimately familiar with the concepts of the Game from later Ender books will be struck anew by Card's virtuosity. His powerful voice and startlingly clear vision will draw many new readers into a lifelong love of science fiction. This accessible collection will impress even non-sci-fi buffs, besides being a must-have for Ender saga devotees."
-"Publishers Weekly
"These stories demonstrate the assured scene setting, apparently effortlessly sustained suspense, and moral preoccupation with the responsibilities of kinship and friendship that distinguishes Ender's entire saga."
--"Booklist
Accelerated Reader: Reading Level 5.6, 8 Points.
Synopsis
Meet Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the unforgettable boy-hero of
Ender's Game--winner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel--and enter his Universe through
First Meetings, a collection of stories from Orson Scott Card.
"The Polish Boy" is John Paul Wiggin, the future father of Ender. In the years between the first two Bugger Wars, the Hegemony is desperate to recruit brilliant military commanders to repel the alien invasion. They may have found their man--or boy--in John Paul Wiggin....
In "Teacher's Pest"-a novella written especially for this collection--a brilliant but arrogant John Paul Wiggin, now a university student, matches wits with an equally brilliant graduate student.
"The Investment Counselor" is set after the end of the Bugger Wars. 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 award-winning novella, "Ender's Game," which first appeared in 1977.
Synopsis
Meet Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the unforgettable boy-hero of
Ender's Game--winner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel--and enter his Universe through this collection of stories.
"The Polish Boy" is John Paul Wiggin, the future father of Ender. In the years between the first two Bugger Wars, the Hegemony is desperate to recruit brilliant military commanders to repel the alien invasion. They may have found their man--or boy--in John Paul Wiggin....
In "Teacher's Pest"-a novella written especially for this collection--a brilliant but arrogant John Paul Wiggin, now a university student, matches wits with an equally brilliant graduate student.
"The Investment Counselor" is set after the end of the Bugger Wars. 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 Xeoncide.
Also reprinted here is the original award-winning novella, "Ender's Game," which first appeared in 1977.
About the Author
Orson Scott Card is best known for his science fiction novel
Ender's Game and its many sequels that expand the Ender Universe into the far future and the near past. Those books are organized into the Ender Quintet, the five books that chronicle the life of Ender Wiggin; the Shadow Series, that follows on the novel
Enders Shadow and are set on Earth; and the Formic Wars series, written with co-author Aaron Johnston, that tells of the terrible first contact between humans and the alien “Buggers”.
Card has been a working writer since the 1970s. Beginning with dozens of plays and musical comedies produced in the 1960s and 70s, Card's first published fiction appeared in 1977 -- the short story "Gert Fram" in the July issue of The Ensign, and the novelet version of "Ender's Game" in the August issue of Analog. The novel-length version of Enders Game, published in 1984 and continuously in print since then, became the basis of the 2013 film, starring Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin. Card was born in Washington state, and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he runs occasional writers workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University.
He is the author many sf and fantasy novels, including the American frontier fantasy series “The Tales of Alvin Maker” (beginning with Seventh Son), There are also stand-alone science fiction and fantasy novels like Pastwatch and Harts Hope. He has collaborated with his daughter Emily Card on a manga series, Laddertop. He has also written contemporary thrillers like Empire and historical novels like the monumental Saints and the religious novels Sarah and Rachel and Leah. Cards recent work includes the Mithermages books (Lost Gate, Gate Thief), contemporary magical fantasy for readers both young and old. Card lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, He and Kristine are the parents of five children and several grandchildren.
Table of Contents
The Polish boy -- Teacher's pest -- Ender's game -- Investment counselor.