Ender in Exile

by Orson Scott Card

Hardcover, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Collection

Publication

Tor Books (2008), 384 pages

Description

At the close of Ender's Game, Andrew Wiggin, called Ender by everyone, is told that he can no longer live on Earth, and he realizes that this is the truth. He has become far more than just a boy who won a game: he is the Savior of Earth, a hero, a military genius whose allegiance is sought by every nation of the newly shattered Earth Hegemony. He is offered the choice of living in isolation on Eros, at one of the Hegemony's training facilities, but instead the twelve-year-old chooses to leave his home world and begin the long relativistic journey out to the colonies. With him went his sister Valentine, and the core of the artificial intelligence that would become Jane. The story of those years has never been told, until now.

User reviews

LibraryThing member ejp1082
It was only reluctantly that I picked up this book at all. Ever since I learned that Orson Scott Card is such a giant Mormon douchebag, my opinion of him has taken a tumble. But, as I'm normally able to separate the art from the politics of the artist, I gave it a chance. Sure, he's milking the
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Ender series (this is what, the eighth book set this universe? ), but I believed that I could still enjoy revisiting one of my favorite characters. I was wrong.

First, Card's Mormonism and the profoundly weird worldview he subscribes to was readily apparent in the novel - at several points I had to roll my eyes at "heterosexual monogamy is the bestest greatest thing evar and the only thing that has ever worked". It was also implied that the whole point to the human experience is to make as many children as possible. And there were also some frankly troubling undertones about the appropriate role of women and what they should aspire to. One character even openly wonders "Is there something in women that makes us long to be humbled?". Disgusting.

Religious themes and overtones don't normally bother me, but it felt like he was preaching these ideas to the reader. In the context of the world he had built, these views made little sense, and there was a notable absence of any competing ideas among the characters - it was as if they were all Mormon.

Second, this is a novel that filled a gap that just didn't need to be filled. It basically takes place at the end of Ender's Game - not after the end of Ender's Game, but during it. Never did I feel that there was a missing story there. And frankly, there wasn't much of a story to be told. The plot was mostly dull, and the conflicts all felt contrived. He spent most of the book building up a conflict between Ender and the Captain of the ship he was traveling on, only to diffuse it anticlimactically when they arrived at the planet. After recapping the events at the end of Ender's Game, he spent rest of the novel was spent tying up loose ends from his Bean novels. The novel was simply disjointed and lacked any compelling raison d'être.

Overall, disappointing.
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LibraryThing member readinggeek451
This is a book with no real reason to be. It fills a gap that didn't need to be filled, explains things that didn't need further explanation. It's a pleasant enough read, but it has no point, either narratively or thematically.
LibraryThing member craso
The title says it all. After Ender Wiggin saves the world from alien invasion the rulers of Earth don’t know what to do with him. Ender is a hero and since he is so young, they fear he could be used by adults to take over the world. It is decided by the people who love him that he should be kept
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away from home. He is sent to Shakespeare Colony to become its governor. His sister Valentine leaves Earth to be with him. The rest of the story is about his voyage, his discoveries on the world that was first colonized be the formics, and how he reconnects an old friend with her lost son.

This book fills in the gap of what happened between chapters 14 and 15 of “Ender’s Game.” Some people may feel this book didn’t need to be written. I haven’t read the Shadow series or the last two books in the Ender series so the revelations about Bean were new to me. This may have made this book more enjoyable because not everything was a rehash of previous plot devices. I wanted to know about what happened to Ender and his friends from battle school. This book explains how he wrote “The Hive Queen” and why he becomes reviled as the Xenocide. I also enjoyed what makes Ender such a great character; the way he outwits everyone and makes them see his way of doing things, how his enemies fall in love with him, and how he always wins.
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LibraryThing member lisalouhoo
For any of you who have read and enjoyed Ender's Game and the other books in the Ender's series, Ender in Exile gives answers and details to what happened to Ender after he saved humankind from the buggers. It explains the political and personal reasons that Ender never returned to the earth, but
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made his home journeying from planet to planet.

For me, this book brought back the reasons why I believe that Orson Scott Card is one of the greatest writers of our time. His insight into human nature is incredible. And I believe that it is this insight which makes his books so widely readable. He knows what his readers are really searching for: challenge, growth, affirmation that there is hope for mankind, belief in exceptional intelligence and ability. When I read Card's books I feel a bit of the genius of his characters rubbing off on me. If I can read and understand Andrew Wiggin, then there must be something great in me, also.

One example of this in the book was the total arrogance of Ender's brilliant brother and sister thinking that their parents have no clue what is going on. Because they have such higher IQ's than their parents they think they must know better what needs to be done, while the parents are subtly manipulating these feelings to get their children to do exactly what they want them to do. It was hilarious, and so very true to life. Even these genius teens, are still teens.

Ender's Game was the first book I ever read that was classified as Science Fiction. I had to read it for a class in college, and I was not looking forward to it. Suprisingly I enjoyed it so much that I soon found all of the other books in the series, and then all of Card's other works. Ender in Exile has the same wide appeal which takes Card's novels out of the genre and lets them stand on their own as great writing.
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LibraryThing member cbradley
I enjoyed this book simply because I missed Ender. A character that has been missing since Ender’s Game. The rest of the original series followed Andrew, same man but not quite the same person. He had grown up and changed in that time. The shadow books followed Bean and other characters that were
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considered minor in Ender’s Game. This book brings Ender back as he was just after the war. He was a smart and natural leader who had the flaws of someone who was still a child in so many ways. Just to see that Ender again made this book well worth it. Card also brings back the moral issues of the first book and forces Ender to come to grips with his actions during the war, something that seemed to have been brushed over in the other novels.
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LibraryThing member vanedow
A little ho-hum. Not great like some of his other books are. It felt a bit like a bunch of epilogues to his other books tacked together. He answered some of the questions you might still be wondering about, but did he really need so many pages to do it?
LibraryThing member GreatLands
Ender in Exile does a good job of filling the long gap between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. Not quite as good as those books but helps to add to the story of Ender and show how he moved from being the war hero against the formics to being best equipped to deal with the new aliens to come
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in Speaker for the Dead.
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LibraryThing member TonyaSB
I will start this post by thanking Julie at FSB Associates for sending me this book. I have been a fan of Orson Scott Card's for a long time, so when I read about the give away for Ender in Exile I was very excited.

If you've read my post about re-reading Ender's Game, then you'll know that I
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recently met Orson Scott Card at a book signing here in my own town of Denton, TX. It made me realize that a person should never meet their idols! Not so much for myself but for my mother. She's the one that started my love of Ender and all the other stories in his world, so I was very sad that she had such a bad experience at the signing that she refuses to buy anymore of his books. For me, the wait in the line (more than 2 hours and I was close to the front!) was not so bad since I met another fan of Ender and Buffy. We got to talk for the entire two hours about the fantasy worlds we love. Meeting Card afterward, and talking to him about Speaker for the Dead (my favorite in the series) was a great experience for me after that. As for my mother, I hope this book will change her mind. She did say she would read it (simply because she doesn't have to buy it!).

On to the book. Again I impressed with Card's storytelling ability. When I heard the premise of the book, I just couldn't imagine that he could find enough for a full novel. The book takes place in between Ender's Game and the second book Speaker for the Dead, specifically between chapters 14 and 15, which he wrote to bridge the novelette of Ender's Game to the novel and the sequel. I just wasn't sure what he could say that would be different than what was ALREADY said. Of course, that's why he's the writer and I'm not. The book opens with a very touching scene between the Wiggin parents that made me see them in an entirely different light. They are finally given dimension, whereas before they seemed more like caricatures of parents.

A good portion of the book takes place on the ship between the base he is at in the end of Ender's Game and colony he becomes governor over afterward. It's mainly about the relationships that are formed and broken on the ship not only with Ender but with characters we've maybe never met before (at least I don't remember some of them). I truly enjoyed this part of the book and felt that when he actually arrived at the colony and settled an important conflict, the best part of the book was over. The rest was the icing on the cake.

One of the themes throughout the series, whether intentional or not, has been Ender's constant soul searching. "Am I a good person? Can I do what's expected of me? Should I bother?" Even though Ender's age in Earth years is well beyond his physical age of 17, in some ways he continues to think as a teenager. Card constantly tries to make the point that Ender is not like other children, through the first book, Ender's Shadow, and this new one, but I believe that his soul searching questions are more typical of teenagers than most people believe. For all his intelligence and training and separateness, Ender is still a teenager in need of reassurance and love. He eventually writes a very moving letter to his parents that hit a chord with me, as it could have been written from me to my grandparents. Parts of that letter were exactly things I have said and things I wish I could have said.

As good as this book was, I do not believe it could stand on it's own or even be considered the second book in the series. Now that I've read it I feel that, of course, this should have been written and completes the series like nothing else can. However, if I read this directly after reading Ender's Game for the first time, I think I would have been very disappointed and I can't even explain why. It simply doesn't work as a second book in the series even though, chronologically, that's where it fits. Maybe it's because there is too much recap and expanding on previous themes. Maybe it's because Ender is never really in danger of any kind because we know what happens later. Or maybe it's because I just love Speaker for the Dead so much that it will always be the perfect sequel to Ender's Game. Either way, this book is very well written and the story is captivating, but it could never be anything other than a stand alone novel about characters we already love.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
If you are wondering if this lives up to the standard of 'Ender's Game', it does, as much as any book can. Even though this book fits into the niche in time before 'Speaker for the Dead', there's still plenty of story to be told. Its not a tremendously revealing book, but we still learn more about
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Ender and his family, as Ender struggles to learn about himself and put his past behind him. A very typical Card style book. Well written, not overly complicated, with strong characters that will bring you along. You can' t beat Ender - unless he beats himself.
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LibraryThing member lostinmyownlibrary
Ender has just won the war versus the formics and is waiting in vain to be returned to Earth. He finds himself on a voyage to Colony 1 and appointed it's governor and that is just the beginning. A power struggle on route, a romance to be avoided, and finding the answers to Ender's darkest questions
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are just a few of the story lines.

I found myself on a journey in a universe of fond memories while reading. I cant wait to go back and re-read all the Ender books.
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LibraryThing member theepicrat
I was pleasantly surprised to find this on the bookshelf, and I am continually surprised by Orson Scott Card. He seems to have a solid grasp on human nature and bends it to his will in all his characters. I am glad that Card decided to go back and write about the teenaged Ender. I am also pleased
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that he tied this to his parallax Shadow series. While this is not as thought-heavy as the other novels, revisiting Ender's world is always a treat.
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LibraryThing member thelittlebookworm
I just finished the "interquel" Ender in Exile, the direct sequel to Ender's Game. Ender's Game is one of my favorite books and Ender in Exile was an excellent followup. It does a great job of bridging the gap between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, between Ender of the first book and Andrew
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of the later books, a gap that was wide enough that it felt like they were two different people. What always bothered me was there was such a significant amount of time between the first two books that I never really got a sense of how Ender evolved into Andrew and I always wanted to know how he came to terms with what he did at the end of the game. I mean I know that he discovers the hive queen and all but there was so much more than that and I was curious about the missing years.
Most of the events of this novel have been discussed or hinted at in other novels in the series, but here we get a complete picture of Ender's travels after winning the war to governing the first off-Earth colony to his first trip of many to other planets. Starting where Ender's Game left off, Ender in Exile finds Ender still on Eros awaiting his fate after his victory over the formics or "buggers." Valentine and Peter are highly influential people on the nets and, while Peter is figuring out how to use Ender for his own end, Valentine is working on what is best for Ender and what is best for herself. Of course, Ender is made into the governor for a colony and Valentine goes with him. There is a power struggle aboard the ship and Ender becomes involved with a young girl. It was nice to see him act like a teenager even for a few seconds. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now what to go back a re-read the rest of the Ender series.
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LibraryThing member selectiveeclectic
just not the same as Ender's Game, but I like the characters so I'll read some more...the dialogues consisted of sarcastic witty comebacks and it got tedious after a while
LibraryThing member nules
I liked this book a fair amount.The beginning wasn't my favorite part as you have all the drama with Peter and his family all over again (provided you read the Ender's Shadow books). It gets more interesting later, I think.I suppose the ending was pretty satisfying. I like how the author talks
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about his writing afterward.
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LibraryThing member gregory_gwen
This is not the best in the Ender saga. Pretty minor compared to some of the others, but it does fill in a gap.
LibraryThing member Aerrin99
I adore Ender's Game. Have every since I spent the busride home in 7th grade crying over the last two chapters. It holds a very special place in my heart.

I was delighted to go back there with the various Shadow books - I found Bean's story, and the story of Peter's Hegemonic rise on earth, to be
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compelling and interesting.

But this book should not have been written. It's difficult to describe, save to say that there is nothing in this book that was not better served by the gap between the final chapters in Ender's Game which it fills. The entire thing feels like some lesser writer's attempt to wrap up loose ends he can't bear to leave dangling, and he does a hack job of it.

Some of the characters in this book are entirely unrecognizeable. Those who remain themselves lose all their subtlety, all the glory that makes them so heart-breakingly human in other books. Here, nothing is left unsaid - it is all laid out in bizarre confrontations, in long, soul-searching letters, in interior monologues that read clunky and ungainly.

There is no /grace/ to Ender in Exile. Everything about it feels contrived and obvious - and that's when it /doesn't/ feel out of character. This is a story that should have stayed in the hearts and minds of the readers - it would have been better served there, in our various imaginations, as our hearts broke for Ender the Savior, the Xenocide, the Speaker for the Dead.

A few more nitpicky details:
- I refuse, now and forever, to call them 'formics'. They're buggers. Anyone with two cents worth of sense can see the difference in the /feel/ of the words and their impact on the reader.
- The heavy-handed Mormonism is getting worse. The number of times I had to roll my eyes at the emphasis that children are /everything/ and that, by the way, monogamy is the only cultural style that has ever resulted in anything other than horror was /far/ too high. And by the time a certain character wondered whether women want to be humbled, I nearly chucked the book across the room.
- Speaking of women, the new ones in this book are /ridiculous/. They don't look human. If there's one thing Card's always been great at, it's human. What happened?
- I absolutely intend to ignore the fact that Card feels the need to rewrite the lovely ending to his original novel to account for the ridiculous mess of this one.

I will now proceed to forget that I read this novel, and will instead reread the ending chapters of Ender's Game and let it replace this in my head.
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LibraryThing member KLmesoftly
While I have to disapprove a bit of Card's obvious milking of the Ender series for all that it's worth, I'll admit that I've been eagerly awaiting this novel for some time.

I can't say I was disappointed--the book demonstrates Ender's maturing from the young, reluctant soldier of Ender's Game to
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the man he is in Speaker for the Dead quite seamlessly, as far as I could tell, and I enjoyed the new characters the author introduced as well as the old ones he expanded on.

Is this book necessary to tell the entire Ender story? Probably not, but it's a nice treat for Ender fans eager for more canon material. Overall, I'm satisfied.
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LibraryThing member Jitsusama
An amazing read. I'm still torn on whether Ender's Game or Ender in Exile is the best. I think they are equally good, just on different merits. While Ender's Game dealt with Ender dealing with being used as a weapon, Ender in Exile deals with him coming to grips with what he has done, and what life
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he wishes to lead.

Psychologically, it gives an amazing look into the mind of a man (technically a boy, but with his experiences, definitely a man) that has annihilated an entire race of intelligent beings, and while he accepts this was necessary, he can't come to grips with why they let him.

Highly recommended. A novel that everyone should read and think about.
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LibraryThing member gregandlarry
Good story. Ender's character is developed well. A bit too much "Christian" preaching.
LibraryThing member NKSCF
When I first read the solicits for this book when it was announced forever ago, I was promised Ender meeting Achilles as the main plot of the novel, which, frankly, isn't what happens. However, this is not a bad thing, nor does it ruin the novel; rather, the introduction of Achilles near the very
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end is exactly where it should be.

This novel focuses on Ender as he deals with his issues of killing the formics and his inability to deal with the fact that he's killed people who have attacked him in self-defense, one of the major driving forces of the novel. Some of the scenes that didn't involve Ender, Achilles, or Valentine sometimes seem like needless filler, but in the end they more than make up for it.

Definitely something that Ender fans should look forward to reading, but I would recommend getting the series that focuses on Bean first in order to understand everything from this novel. A great book and a wonderful addition to the Ender mythos.
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LibraryThing member lloannna
LT's "Will you like it" predicted I would love this book (with high confidence.) Yay Tim and your awesome math.

I quite enjoyed this one, to the point of staying up far too late to read it in just two sessions on work nights after going to the gym. I was 35 seconds shy of being late to work, it was
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so good.

Which isn't to say it was perfect, just darned satisfying; I can't imagine what all the fans of the Ender series who actually read them when they first were published felt, but when I knew this book existed, I bought it within seconds. Bearing in mind, I did the same thing with the 5th, 6th, and (yes, third time, shame on me squared, etc.) 7th Harry Potter books, and I threw one of them across the room, I was so annoyed with it. This book was the opposite of that. Yes I can think of ten ways to improve it without blinking, but they're not eye-twitch-inducing problems for me; with everything that's followed Ender's Game we're about 1% of the way to the wackiness that JRR Tolkien thrust upon his fanboys, and I'm OK with that.

The plot is what it is; if you've read everything (especially First Meetings) recently enough more than a few pages are completely skipable; if you don't like a bit of high-handed Christian content what on earth are you doing reading Orson Scott Card books? I probably bumped the book by a full star just because it was a satisfying new bit of Enderness.

Oh, and that prediction? I, uh, own all the rest of the Ender books. It was a little like shooting a fish that's actually affixed directly in front of your muzzle, really.
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LibraryThing member LTFL_JMLS
This is not the best in the Ender saga. Pretty minor compared to some of the others, but it does fill in a gap.
LibraryThing member kgriffith
For anyone who just can't get enough of Ender, this book delivers in a way that the later books in the original saga and the shadow series did not. With a few unexpected subplots and an ending that leaves yet another opening for future parallel novels, Card scores another win for this Ender addict.
LibraryThing member drhapgood
Felt a little rushed in spots, but I loved it. Getting to spend time with these characters is always a treat. Ender's letter to his parents almost made me cry.

As a book sandwiched between other books in the series chronologically, it was a bit anticlimactic. Can't exactly kill a character present
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on Lusitania or other colony worlds in the next book.
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LibraryThing member wiring
Under normal circumstances, I probably would have only rated this book a three, as plot-wise, it is hardly riveting, though enjoyable enough. Though the Enderverse books are never solely about the action, the focus is usually less trained on the characters themselves and their growth than some
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overarching plotline, which I felt was reversed here. There is still the usual intrigue, but the real reason I had to rate this book with four stars is simply because the book is about Ender and how he thinks and feels in the aftermath of winning the war and he is apparently a horrible Achilles' heel of mine.Essentially, I'd mainly recommend this book to diehard Ender fans. If you like the Enderverse in general, you'll probably enjoy it, and if you love Ender himself, I'd wager you'll really enjoy it, but otherwise, it's not a brilliant sci-fi novel or even particularly well-written.
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Awards

Whitney Award (Finalist — Speculative Fiction — 2008)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2008-11-11

Physical description

384 p.; 9.21 inches

ISBN

0765304961 / 9780765304964
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