First Meetings: In Ender's Universe

Ender's parents never got their due in the original Ender's Game novel, but Card began developing them as fascinating characters in Ender's Shadow and its sequels. If you've only read Ender's Game, you probably think of Ender's father as a simpleton, and his mother as... well, as nothing, really, because there's so little about her in the book. But of course, there's a contradiction in that. How could two people of average intelligence produce three super geniuses (Ender, Valentine, and Peter)? Ender's Shadow began to resolve that problem by presenting them as being very smart, but hiding their intelligence so they did not overshadow their children. This book goes back in their lives before they got married. In the father's case, it begins when he is a small boy. Besides developing two great characters, numerous holes in the original novels are nicely resolved - the religion of Ender's parents and how that plays into the fertility laws, how Ender's family got to America, and how the family was induced to produce kids like Ender. Another character's genesis is also covered in the final story - the computer program Jane, who will be familiar to readers of the Ender's Game sequels. It's a short, satisfying read, and very much in Card's distinctive style. Finally, there is the novella that started it all. I read this when it first appeared, and this award winning story motivated me to get the Ender's Game novel as soon as it appeared. If you like the Ender universe, you really ought to read this just to see how it all got started. Be warned - there are some inconsistencies with the novel. But they are minor, and it's interesting to see the evolution from the novella to the novel. This is a short read. It is suitable for teens and adults - the same audience as Ender's Game, really. If you liked any of the Ender series, you really ought to get this.

For those of you who have not read any of Orson Scott Card's Ender series, then I must honestly say you are missing out. First Meetings is the perfect book for a simple introduction into Ender's world, so why not start there. This book, like his other Ender books, is just amazingly well written. For example, OSC presents a semi-futuristic world, yet we can all relate and just enjoy reading about the characters; that is not an easy task. It does help that this book is more than just a book. It is really a collection of his Ender short stories, including the one that started it all. For any Ender fan, this is an obvious book to add to the collection, but for the casual reader it presents stories about child geniuses, space wars, and even family. It is a very enjoyable book, and if you like this, and I think you will, then you should definitely read the series.

Orson Scott Card joins the ranks of the fantasy/SF authors who have written a book of short stories set in their best-loved universe. "First Meetings" is a nice accompanying book for the Ender series or its "Shadow" spinoffs. "The Polish Boy" is the tale of Ender Wiggin's father, John Paul. John Paul is a precocious Polish Catholic child (five and a half) whose parents haven't noticed his unusual intelligence. But a government tester does, and soon a tug-of-war begins between his parents and the people who want to reshape him into a battle strategist."Investment Counselor" is a "plug the hole" type of story. It's been years since the events of "Ender's Game," and Ender is travelling the stars. He also has turned twenty, and there's a slight problem concerning the whole tax thing. The one to help him? An artificial intelligence named Jane -- a familiar figure to fans of the Ender series.And the third story is the original "Ender's Game," a short story published in the late 70s, that produced the idea of the Battle school, genius children Ender and Bean, and a sort of microcosm of the eventual epic series that Card has since written. It's a smal book, only about 150 pages, but Card never tries to flesh it out too much. It's the content of the stories that really makes it worth the buy, because of what he does with them. "Boy" adds an extra dimension to Ender's father and the situations that came years later. "Investment" is a nice bit of backstory, with a slightly humorous tone that makes it lighter than the books. And "Ender's Game" (the short story) is merely pleasant to read because it's nice to see how this short story blossomed and expanded.Fans of Card will not be disappointed by this well-written, interesting collection of stories. This is the kind of SF I like to read.

This small book contains jems from the Enderverse. Included is the version of Ender's Game that appeared in an Analog magazine in 1977 and introduced us to Ender, Buggers, and Battle School. It is a very fun read and it is amazing to see how the story expanded to novel form. A second short story included in the book is called Investment Counselor. This story introduces Jane, Ender's living computer friend, to Ender as he is traveling on a colony ship. Again, the story is short and fun. Finally, the third story in this book is called the Polish Boy. Readers will see Ender's father as a young boy living in noncompliant Poland. A young International Fleet officer named Graff (ring a bell, Ender fans?) plays a role in guiding this young child's future before Ender was even a twinkle in his father's eye. Overall, this book is a good additional collection of information relating to Ender. While not necessary to understand the other novels, they do add tidbits of information that makes the Enderverse all that much more enjoyable. I highly recommend it. Signed copies are available at Orson Scott Card's official web page-hatrack.com