“When hostile aliens called the Formics attack Earth, only the legendary heroics of Mazer Rackham manage to attain a victory. To prepare for the next attack, Col. Hyrum Graff and his cohorts initiate a military program to find the next Mazer. Recruit Ender Wiggin exhibits an unusual gift for the training, easily mastering all of the challenges thrown at him.”

Many of you may have read this book already. It’s fairly popular even outside the science fiction genre. This book was published in 1985 and was based on a short story of the same name originally published in Analog in August of 1977. Since then, Orson Scott Card has written 15 other books that follow the same timeline with the most recent being published in 2016. This first book can be read as a standalone novel, but there is plenty more to read if you get drawn into the universe created around Ender.

A movie of this book was made in 2013, which I thought was a good adaptation of the book. It was entertaining and the visuals were impressive. Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, and Ben Kingsley all have give great performances. If you like the book, I also recommend the movie, but read the book first as the book is almost always better.

Interested in this book? Look for it at your local library. If you’re affiliated with Lindenwood, you can request this book from the Lindenwood Library.