Ender's Game (short story)

Infobox short story |
name = Ender's Game
title_orig =
translator =
author = Orson Scott Card
country = United States
language = English
series = Ender's Game series
genre = Science fiction
published_in = "Analog"
publication_type = Periodical
publisher = Dell Magazines
media_type = Print (Magazine)
pub_date = 1977
english_pub_date =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Ender's Game" is a story by Orson Scott Card set in his Ender's Game universe. It is the story of how Ender Wiggin as a little boy defeated the Formics in an interstellar war. It first appeared in the August 1977 issue of "Analog" magazine and was later expanded into the full length novel "Ender's Game".

Plot Summary

This story begins shortly after Ender is made the commander of Dragon Army at a Battle School designed to make young boys into military commanders to fight in the next war against the Formics. Right away Ender takes his army to the Battle Room and begins practicing and training them to fight the other armies. Due to his genius in leadership Dragon Army goes on to win nineteen battles in fifteen days. At the end of the nineteenth battle Ender is told that his Army is being broken up and his toon leaders are being made into commanders. As soon as this is done Ender is sent to Command School where he begins studying with new teachers including Maezr Rackham. They teach Ender how to use a battle simulator and tell him that he will be using it to fight mock battles. Before his first battle begins Ender discovers that many of the boys from Battle School are also at Command School and that they will be his toon leaders. With the help of his toon leaders Ender wins every battle and in the end destroys the enemy’s home world. Once the last battle is over Mazer tells an exhausted Ender that the battles were real and that he saved the human race.

Characters

Children

*Ender Wiggins - commander of Dragon Army
*Bean - special squad leader in Dragon Army
*Ren - toon leader in Dragon Army
*Peder - toon leader in Dragon Army and at Command School
*Brian - toon leader in Dragon Army
*Wins - toon leader in Dragon Army and at Command School
*Younger - toon leader in Dragon Army and at Command School
*Lee - toon leader at Command School
*Vlad - toon leader at Command School
*Carn Carby - commander of Rabbit Army
*Pol Slattery - commander of Leopard Army
*William Bee - commander of Griffin Army
*Bonzo Madrid - Ender's worst enemy

Adults

*Colonel Graff
*Lieutenant Anderson
*Lieutenant Morris
*Mazer Rackham
*Teachers at Command School - unnamed
*Medic at Command School - unnamed
*Observers during the final battle - unnamed

Relationship to the novel

This short story was later expanded into the novel "Ender's Game". Although the story is basically the same, the novel begins earlier in Ender's life and provides more background information about his family. The novel also includes an ending that serves as a bridge between it and the novel "Speaker for the Dead". In the short story, the enemy is simply described as "the enemy", opposed to the Formics (Buggers) in the Novel.

Publication

*"Analog Science Fiction and Fact", August 1977
*"Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories", Dial Press, 1980
*"The Future at War vol. 2: The Spear of Mars", Ace Books, 1980
*"Analog Readers' Choice", Dial Press, 1981
*"Analog Anthology #2", Davis Publications, 1982
*"There Will Be War", Tor Books, 1983
*"Maps in a Mirror", Tor Books, 1990
*"First Meetings", Subterranean Press, 2002

References

*"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card
*"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card
*The Hatrack Orson Scott Card’s official website.

External links

* [http://www.incwell.com/ipulp/endersGAME/index.html HTML version of "Ender's Game"] - available online from iPulp Fiction
* [http://www.hatrack.com/osc/books/firstmeetings/firstmeetings.shtml About the story "Ender's Game"] - from Card’s website
* [http://www.hatrack.com/osc/bibliography/index.shtml Publication history for "Ender's Game"] - from Card's website
* [http://bestsciencefictionstories.com/2008/04/04/enders-game-by-orson-scott-card/ Ender's Game at BestScienceFictionStories.com] - A review of the short story.