Is 'Ender's Game' the best of Orson Scott Card's 49 novels?

A few hours ago, I finished reading Orson Scott Card’s classic, science fiction novel, “Ender’s Game.”

I knew this book was supposed to be good, and I’d heard and read a lot about it, but I was still somewhat caught off guard by just how good this novel was.

Published by Tor Books in 1985, “Ender’s Game” is set in a future in which Earth has survived two attacks by the “buggers,” an insectoid race of beings from another world. Humans manage to defend Earth from the first two invasions, but expect a third invasion in the near future.

The world’s military, which has joined forces to battle the threat, searches the world for its most talented young children, hoping to find a leader that they can train and prepare in time to lead Earth’s forces against the buggers. Soon after arriving at Battle School, it becomes apparent that the novel’s main character, Ender Wiggin, isn’t a typical student and just might have what it takes to defeat the buggers.

“Ender’s Game,” which has been translated into 28 languages, is generally considered a classic among science fiction works, and it brought home the prestigious Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel. The novel was also nominated for the Locus Award in 1986, and it was ranked No. 59 on the Reader’s List of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels. The novel is also listed on the U.S. Marine Corps Professional Reading List.

I was pleased to learn that “Ender’s Game” has spawned five sequels, including “Speaker for the Dead” (1986), “Xenocide” (1991), “Children of the Mind” (1996), “A War of Gifts: An Ender Story” (2007) and “Ender in Exile” (2008).

Card, age 59, is a prolific author and has written scores of novels. Here is a complete list of his novels, in order of publication:

- Capitol (1978)
- Hot Sleep (1978)
- A Planet Called Treason (1978)
- Songmaster (1979)
- Hart’s Hope (1983)
- Saints (1983)
- The Worthing Chronicle (1983)
- Ender’s Game (1985)
- Speaker for the Dead (1986)
- Seventh Son (1987)
- Wyrms (1987)
- Treason (1988)
- Red Prophet (1988)
- Prentice Alvin (1989)
- The Worthing Saga (1990)
- Xenocide (1991)
- The Memory of Earth (1992)
- Lost Boys (1992)
- The Call of Earth (1992)
- The Ships of Earth (1994)
- Lovelock (1994)
- Alvin Journeyman (1995)
- Earthfall (1995)
- Earthborn (1995)
- Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus (1996)
- Children of the Mind (1996)
- Treasure Box (1996)
- Stone Tables (1997)
- Homebody (1998)
- Heartfire (1998)
- Enchantment (1999)
- Ender’s Shadow (1999)
- Sarah (2000)
- Rebekah (2001)
- Shadow of the Hegemon (2001)
- Shadow Puppets (2002)
- The Crystal City (2003)
- Rachel and Leah (2004)
- Shadow of the Giant (2005)
- Magic Street (2005)
- Empire (2006)
- A War of Gifts: An Ender Story (2007)
- Invasive Procedures (2007)
- The Space Boy (2007)
- Stonefather (2008)
- Ender in Exile (2008)
- Hidden Empire (2009)
- Pathfinder (2010)
- The Lost Gate (2011)

In addition to these novels, he’s also published a number of short stories, short story collections, poems, poetry collections, comic books, video games, movie scripts, anthologies, children’s books, illustrated books, flip books, plays, four nonfiction books, two books on writing and a number of magazine and newspaper columns.

In the end, have you had a chance to read “Ender’s Game” or any of Card’s other novels? If so, what did you think about them? Which did you like or dislike and why? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.