The Ender Quartet Boxed Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind (The Ender Saga) Paperback – November 4, 2008

The love that you acquire for Ender throughout the whole series is seeing his balance of being compassionate and logical and setting emotions aside to do what is in the best interest of everyone. Ender shows and proves to be an amazing people person despite inwardly feeling disgust for himself and what he has done. His relationship with others is different from person to person depending on what they need but he is still himself throughout his conversations. He is strategic in knowing how peoples' emotions can interfere with rationality and talks to them in a way where they are forced to reason themselves into the truth instead of him just telling them, even though he does that too sometimes. It's like a constant therapy session with someone who understandingly loves you despite any flaws. Ultimately, this is a story that represents a collective universe through souls and the capability of them intertwining and everything being all connected, where understanding and compassion leads to peace and love.

I read all 4 of these books (and several others in the series) in college but somehow did not own any of them. I had to buy this to have in my library. I never thought I'd be in to Sci-Fi but Ender's Game was such an awesome book that I just devoured it. It is a must read, even if you don't read the additional books, the first one is so good. Such a shame about the movie (do not watch it, you will be sorely disappointed!!!!).

These books were written in the mid-late 90's, in a better literary time. You see- nowadays no one can write a standalone book. Everything has to be either a trilogy or a saga, but they end up just stretching an idea or two LONG past it's prime so that they can juice audiences. This Quartet was written in a better time, for a better purpose, and in a better way. The 'Introduction' to Ender's Game is actually quite gripping, and deserves to be read and understood for what it is. Card's literary career hasn't had quite the prestige and notoriety of Asimov or Herbert, but the man can write a story that will keep you gripped. I read these books ten years ago, and I was THRILLED to see that Ender's Game got a film adaptation (it wasn't bad, but fans will walk away a little perturbed…).Long story short- if you like to read, then you should get this boxed set. Watch how easily you end up flipping those pages, and how you walk away after each book with so many ideas in your head. There's substance here, and you won't have to wade through layers of dense prose or obscure references in order to appreciate it. No one can say that Card 'dumbs it down', but what he does is craft a tale in an accessible manner that people will be able to relate to from their own experiences.You'll see what I mean. ;)

I LOVE this series. My brother let me borrow Ender's game just in time to be thrilled and simultaneously disappointed by the movie when it was in theaters. Then I discovered that there are three more books to read! Needless to say, this series has been the first book or book series that captured my attention and imagination since the Redwall books were read to me as a young kid. I would like to give a review of each book in this series individually here, but I haven't read them recently enough to be able to do justice to what lies in my heart about the stories. I will say that Ender's Game is really kind of a stand-alone book from the rest considering the main character, Ender Wiggin, is only 6 at the start and around 12 at the end, whereas in Speaker for the Dead and beyond he is over 20. Also the different type of plot is unique in the later three compared to the Ender's Game. What I mean by that is that in Ender's Game the plot moves because of conflicts that occur that could be threatening immediately to Ender (can't practice with his new army, his monitor is taken out, kids want to hurt/kill him, etc...) whereas the type of drama shifts to moral situations (do we kill another sentient species just because it is trying to kill us even if we haven't tried to speak with it? Do we question the gods and think maybe there has been evil done by those with "the mandate of heaven?"). The later books also contain more science fiction elements rather than lots of military strategy as in Ender's Game.I don't know what is so appealing about this series, specifically, but something has grabbed me and isn't letting me go. Now I'm reading the shadow series and have also read the "first meetings" and "A war of gifts". Long story short, I highly recommend this series and the rest of the books in the Enderverse (other books that occur in the same "universe" that Ender Wiggin and his story took place).

Orson Scott Card - there are not enough good words to describe this series. This is my SECOND set of the Ender series. I am so fond of them. From the points of view of the characters. To the well written story lines. These books are not for the light reader yet they are easy to follow. You remember the characters, their stories, their backgrounds. They will make you think "What if" they will make you question things from our government. Almost creating an internal battle. Deciding which is which. Good or Evil. Real or Imaginary. You will put yourself into a state of emotion feeling sorry for, compassion, and anger for the characters and the process of their lives. You will cheer on when celebrated, feel sorry for when they fail. These series are written in a manner that you can pick up any of them in any order and read them easily with no confusion.As mentioned before this is my second set. I have read, re-read, and will re-read these series several times over. And then will pass them on to my children as my mother did to me. Science fiction is hard to succeed in. And these are sure to please.

Brilliant, well-written, engaging. Buy the box set, as the first book, Ender's Game, is really just the set-up novel for the other three. The books get better as you go along. Incredibly imaginative, modern classics.

Yo vi la pelicula y luego me compre los libros de la sombra de ender que pense que eran la saga original y bueno creo que fuie el orden correcto leer sombra de ender y luego ya empezar con la saga de ender, llevo 2 libros de 4 + 4 de la sombra y bueno claro que estoy fascinado con esta saga porque siempre fui fan de mundos de estrategia y sci fi

J'avais lu La stratégie Ender en français quand j'étais ado. Le relire maintenant en VO et découvrir la suite est un réel bonheur! Et puis avec le chouia de maturité acquis depuis, on comprend l'histoire beaucoup plus en profondeur. C'est une réflexion fascinante que l'humanité doit entreprendre sur elle-même et sur d'éventuelles rencontres du 3e type...

I haven't found these books in Belgium so I went online and after a long search I found this book-set and after reading it 3 times already I can't get enough of itthe first book is ok for teenagers but the other 3 maybe a little bit to deep for teens on the other hand if you love sci-fi and love some philosophy then this is an awesome readspoiler alert:the first book tells the story of ender as a kid and can be seen as a stand alone storythe last 3 books are 1 story made in 3 books that tells the story of ender as an adult and about the other aliens

the only thing that i do not like about this saga is that it was not finished. I read these books over the years over and over again, each one many times, and every time I discovered new meanings. And they never ceased to amaze me. This is more than just SF, these books are an artwork, a masterpiece! Orscon Scott Card poses deep questions about what humanity is, about how alien are we to one another as human beings, and how misconception about alien intelligence can lead to our destruction even. Influence of religion and genetic alterations, relationships between children and parents, metaphysics, what does it mean to be alive, hierarchy of foreignness, these books have everything!