How should I read Ender's Game?

Question

Not this particular book, but the whole series. What order should I read the books following Ender's Game? and how is Ender's Shadow a "parallel" to Ender's Game?

Answer 1

I'd like to clarify and elaborate a bit more on what rickinnocal and HAVOC said.

I agree that you should read Ender's Game first. I'm fuzzy, now, as to how Ender's Shadow could come first, time-wize, since Bean in younger than Ender. But since I heard about how the Ender sequels feel very different than the original, I shifted over to the Shadow series after Ender's Game and enjoyed them very much. Now I plan on shifting back to the Ender sequels, starting with Speaker for the Dead. (A War of Gifts just came out, so I haven't read that one.)

So rickinnocal's chronological list is really good, but I think it would be a big mistake to read Ender's Shadow before Ender's Game.

Answer 2

Read Ender's Game 1st.

Ender's Shadow is a "parallel" because it takes place in the same time and place as Ender's Game. It is from the point of view of a different character.

Read Speaker 2nd and Xenocide 3rd.

Be aware that those books are much more philosophic than Ender's game (although Ender's game and the whole series are deep books). Ender's Game just feels different, it can appeal to younger readers with the game aspect that the later books can't. Not to say that Ender's Game is juvenile, just that a kid could really love Ender's Game, then be a bit at a loss after that.

Fabulous series, though.

Answer 3

Card wrote them in this order...

Ender's Game
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
Ender's Shadow
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant
A War of Gifts: An Ender Story

The story's chronological order (The order the stories start in) is

Ender's Shadow
Ender's Game
A War of Gifts: An Ender Story - set during Ender's Game
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind

Yes, Enders Shadow covers the same time period as Enders Game, but from a different viewpoint.

By the way, read them, then return to them years later. I quite recently re-read Enders Game after about 15 years, and enjoyed it all over again.

Richard

Answer 4

I examine the comprehensive sequence and that i'm not a sci fi e book fan. I enjoyed those books. each time Card got here out with a sequel I examine all the books from the beginning up. each time I examine it i got here across something that I missed. If I have been you i might examine Ender's activity back.

Answer 5

It actually doesn't matter which order you read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. They are the same storyline and plot, just from 2 different points of view. Oviously, because they are from different characters' point of views, there will be some differences, but these cannot be eliminated or cleared up by reading them in any particular order.

Answer 6

In the order written.

Answer 7

Very carfully.