The universe is defined by humanity's near-extermination at the hands of the Formics, an insectoid alien race pejoratively called "Buggers." In the wake of two devastating invasions, a united humanity, led by the International Fleet, creates the Battle School. It is an orbital military academy designed to identify and train child geniuses, turning their unique capacity for learning and intuition into a strategic weapon. The goal: to create a commander brilliant enough to lead their fleets and end the Formic threat forever.
This guide organizes the complex web of novels into their distinct, in-universe sagas. While some books run concurrently and others are separated by millennia, this structure provides the clearest path through the complete history of Ender Wiggin, his brilliant shadow Bean, and the fate of the three sentient species: humans, Formics, and the piggies.
The Formic Wars Prequel Trilogy
This trilogy, co-written with Aaron Johnston, details humanity's desperate, near-hopeless struggle during the First and Second Formic Invasions, decades before Ender's birth.
Earth UnawareOrson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston (2012)
Set a century before *Ender's Game*, this novel depicts humanity's true first contact. It follows a family of "free miners" in the Kuiper Belt who witness the arrival of the first Formic scout ship. As the ship begins methodically dismantling their mining operations, a small, ragtag group of miners must use their knowledge of lasers and gravity to fight back, becoming the first humans to ever engage the alien threat. It's a gritty story of grassroots resistance long before the International Fleet was a unified force.
Earth AfireOrson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston (2013)
The Formic invasion reaches Earth. The novel chronicles the absolute chaos of the First Invasion as the unprepared and politically divided nations of Earth are devastated by the alien attack. The story introduces Mazer Rackham, a gifted Maori soldier, and Bingwen, a brilliant Chinese child strategist, who become central figures in organizing Earth's disorganized defense. It highlights the technological disparity and the immense human cost that would later justify the extreme measures of the Battle School.
Earth AwakensOrson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston (2014)
The First Invasion concludes and the Second begins. This novel details the formation of the International Fleet and the establishment of the Hegemony, a unified world government. We see Mazer Rackham's legendary (and seemingly impossible) victory against a Formic fleet, an event that cements his status as a hero for the ages. The book lays the final groundwork for the world of *Ender's Game*, showing the political and military decisions that lead directly to the creation of the Battle School and the search for a new generation of commanders.
The Original Saga
This section contains the foundational novel of the entire saga and its direct sequel, which bridges the gap between Ender's childhood and his adult life.
Ender's GameOrson Scott Card (1985)
The classic that started it all. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, a brilliant but empathetic "Third," is recruited into the orbital Battle School. Subjected to intense psychological manipulation, isolation, and increasingly difficult zero-gravity war games, he is forged into the perfect commander. The novel is a deep, often brutal examination of childhood, leadership, and the morality of using children as tools of war. It culminates in his graduation to Command School, where he leads the human fleet in a final, simulated battle against the Formics, only to discover a devastating truth that will define the rest of his life.
Ender in ExileOrson Scott Card (2008)
This novel fills the long gap between *Ender's Game* and *Speaker for the Dead*. Immediately after the war, a 13-year-old Ender is too famous and too dangerous to return to Earth. He is made governor of the first human colony on a former Formic world. During his journey, he grapples with the revelation of his unwitting xenocide and discovers a dormant Formic Hive Queen cocoon, containing the last hope for her species. This marks the beginning of his new purpose: not as a destroyer, but as the "Speaker for the Dead," carrying the Queen to a new home.
The Shadow Quintet (Bean's Story)
This parallel series retells the events of *Ender's Game* from the perspective of his brilliant but tiny lieutenant, Bean, and then follows the Earth-bound political fallout after the war.
Ender's ShadowOrson Scott Card (1999)
This novel runs concurrently with *Ender's Game*. It follows Julian "Bean" Delphiki, a brilliant, genetically-enhanced child who grew up on the brutal streets of Rotterdam before being recruited to Battle School. It retells the events of the war games from his unique perspective, showing how he secretly aided Ender and uncovered the school's deepest secrets. It provides a fascinating, grounded counterpoint to Ender's more isolated journey, focusing on the political machinations of the teachers and the other children in Ender's army.
Shadow of the HegemonOrson Scott Card (2001)
With the Formic threat gone, the fragile unity of humanity shatters. The brilliant children of Ender's army, now back on Earth, become priceless strategic assets in a new Cold War. Bean and his allies find themselves hunted by Achilles de Flandres, a brilliant and ruthless sociopath who seeks to conquer the world. The story follows Bean as he works with Peter Wiggin, Ender's ambitious brother, to counter Achilles's plans and establish Peter as the Hegemon, a ruler who can maintain peace through political, rather than military, means.
Shadow PuppetsOrson Scott Card (2002)
The struggle for world domination continues. Peter Wiggin, now Hegemon, works to consolidate his power, but finds himself outmaneuvered by Achilles, who has taken control of China. Bean, now married to his fellow Battle School graduate Petra Arkanian, must race against time to rescue their genetically-enhanced children, who have been stolen by Achilles. The novel is a tense political and military thriller that explores the complex relationship between Peter's ambition and Bean's tactical genius.
Shadow of the GiantOrson Scott Card (2005)
This novel concludes the primary Earth-bound storyline. Bean's genetic enhancements, which give him his incredible intelligence, also cause his body to grow uncontrollably, dooming him to an early death. As he searches for a cure and a safe future for his children, the remaining members of Ender's army must choose their sides in the final conflicts that will shape the future of Earth. It is a story about legacy, family, and the final moves of the brilliant children who saved the world only to be thrown into a new war against each other.
The Last ShadowOrson Scott Card (2021)
A long-awaited conclusion that attempts to bridge the gap between the Shadow saga and the Speaker saga. Set on a world colonized by Bean's descendants, this novel sees them discover a mysterious, planet-killing agent that forces them to seek help from the past. Using near-lightspeed travel, they encounter characters and technologies from the *Speaker for the Dead* timeline, creating a final, complex narrative that ties together the fates of both Ender's and Bean's legacies.
The Speaker Quintet (Ender's Story)
Set 3,000 years after *Ender's Game*, this series follows an adult Ender Wiggin as he travels the stars under the alias "Andrew," carrying the last Hive Queen and seeking redemption.
Speaker for the DeadOrson Scott Card (1986)
Three millennia after his "crime" of xenocide, Ender Wiggin is summoned to the planet Lusitania, the only place where humanity has encountered another sentient alien species: the forest-dwelling "piggies." Ender, now a "Speaker for the Dead"—one who tells the true, unvarnished story of a person's life after they die—must mediate a conflict between the human colonists and the piggies, whose brutal rituals are misunderstood as murder. It is a profound, philosophical novel about empathy, understanding, and the immense difficulty of bridging the gap between truly alien cultures.
XenocideOrson Scott Card (1991)
The stakes are raised to a galactic level. The all-powerful Starways Congress has ordered the destruction of Lusitania to prevent the spread of the Descolada virus, a native organism that is lethal to humans but essential for the piggies' life cycle. Ender must find a way to save two sentient species while also dealing with a third: Jane, a self-aware AI who lives in the Ansible network. The novel is a complex exploration of ethics, genetics, and philosophy, as the characters grapple with the morality of sacrificing one species to save another.
Children of the MindOrson Scott Card (1996)
The conclusion to the Speaker saga. With the fleet arriving to destroy Lusitania, the AI Jane faces her own annihilation from a government virus. Ender's own consciousness, through a complex interaction with Jane and the Ansible, is split. His younger, more ruthless "siblings," Peter and a young Val, are brought back into existence. The novel is a mind-bending exploration of consciousness, soul, and sacrifice, as the characters must make their final stands to save the three known sentient species of the galaxy from total destruction.
