Which should I read next: Speaker of the Dead or Ender's Shadow? Does either cliffhanger?

Question

I just read Ender's Game and loved it. My library also had Speaker of the Dead, Xenocide, and Ender's Shadow.

Which should I read first? Ender's Shadow is an alternative perspective to the first book so even though it came out later it might be good to read now.

It is a very small library so unless I buy them myself I will never get to read the entire Ender's Game series. Do any of the books I listed end on a cliffhanger? I really don't want to have to purchase the whole series.

Answer 1

I've read the entire series multiple times. I would recommend you read Ender's Shadow next. The book begins before Ender's Game, and ends at about the same time. The rest of the Shadow series, which it appears your library doesn't own anyway, would go after Ender's Shadow...and their plots HAVE NOTHING TO DO with the Ender sequels. Everything in the Shadow books happens hundreds and hundreds of years before page one of Speaker of the Dead. So you wouldn't have to read the rest of the Shadow series now...but you could if you wanted.

Speaker of the Dead is a good book, and while it doesn't necessarily end in a cliffhanger...the second book Xenocide does. (I read the last five pages of Speaker right now to doublecheck its ending). If you're trying to avoid having to buy the whole series...don't read Xenocide...because the series wouldn't end well for you there. You'd need Children of the Mind to finish major plotlines...Xenocide ends with EVERYONE in danger.

I'd recommend you start with Ender's Shadow. And perhaps keep watch for used copies of the rest of the books. Or you could see if you'll library will interlibrary loan the rest of the series for you. Many libraries will now.

Answer 2

Speaker for the Dead is next in the series, and it IS a cliffhanger, so you have to next read Xenocide, then Children of the Mind. Ender's Shadow is a companion and holds no spoilers for the rest of the series, so you can read it next if you like. It is most like Ender's Game out of the rest of the Ender books, as it takes place in the same time frame, while the others are in Ender's future. I liked Ender's Shadow more, but I still loved the rest of the series. There is also a sequal to Ender's Shadow (Shadow of the Hegemon), but it is NOT necessary to the plot of Ender's Shadow, as it is not a cliffhanger.

Hope you enjoy! They're great books!

Answer 3

I read Enders Shadow a few years after I read Enders Game and I wished I could have read it as a companion Novel at the time But I still would read them as written so Xenocide should be next as there may be a spoiler or 2 in Enders Shadow. Also Get Shadow of The Hedgemon for the last book.

Answer 4

Speaker Of The Dead Book

Answer 5

Do it in order like everyone else says. They all have spoilers for the books prior. (Personally, I thoought Speaker of the Dead was the best). But, Speaker of the Dead was really different from Ender's Game! Ender's Shadow is closer, but none of them are really on the same level as Ender's Game. They kinda move up in the philosophy levels... make you think more...

Answer 6

Come on buy the whole series - you will be glad you did. If the first one has hooked you you will have to read the rest.

I read them out of sequence and had to go back and reread them once I collected the set. My two favorites are Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.

I hope you have a Pay Pal account.

Answer 7

Read SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD. It is the second book. Otherwise, you're reading out of order. If you read the later books first it will spoil some of it for you.

As for reading the whole series--read SPEAKER next and see if it is for you. The story is much different starting with SPEAKER (in terms of pacing and ideas) and you might not like it as much as ENDER'S GAME.

Answer 8

Speaker For the Dead is the best book in that whole series.