Ender in Exile (The Ender Quintet)

From Publishers Weekly Set between Card's Hugo and Nebula–winning Ender's Game (1985) and Speaker for the Dead (1986), this philosophical novel covers familiar events, but puts new emphasis on their ethical ramifications. In the wake of his victory over the alien Formics, 12-year-old military genius Ender Wiggins is hailed as a hero, but governments opposed to the International Fleet, which trained him, intend to portray him as a monster. Ender winds up as titular governor of one of the new human colonies, where he struggles to adapt to civilian life and ponders his role in the deaths of thousands of humans and an entire alien species. His agonized musings aren't always sophisticated but possess a certain gravitas. Fans will find this offering illuminating, and it's also accessible to thoughtful readers new to the series. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From School Library Journal Adult/High School—Here is Card's answer to all those readers who asked, "What happened to Ender?" between Ender's Game (1985) and Speaker for the Dead (1986, both Tor), a gap that covers nearly 3000 years. Twelve-year-old Ender Wiggin should be coming home to a hero's welcome after wiping out the dreaded buggers—aliens who have twice defeated humanity in the past—in a fierce space battle. He is instead proclaimed a dangerous weapon and appointed titular governor of a colony world to keep him as far away from Earth as possible. His beloved sister Valentine joins him on the colony ship but is unable to penetrate the barriers he has erected around himself. Wracked with remorse at his genocide of the buggers, Ender searches for the reason the aliens allowed him to defeat them, knowing the answer will give him direction. As in most great speculative fiction, Card mines the depths of humanity's philosophical and political ideas through Ender's trials and discoveries. Exile brings together many drifting story lines from a number of other books in the series, so it's not for the uninitiated. For those who are familiar with Ender and his world, this is a wonderful treat to be devoured whole in a gulp and then returned to later to digest at leisure.— Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Card’s latest addition to the Ender Wiggins canon nicely dovetails with Ender’s Game (1977) and Ender’s Shadow (1999), which it parallels by looking at the same events from another viewpoint. The war against the Buggers is over; all the Formic hive queens are dead—so now what is Ender to do? Returning to Earth seems problematic, since he’s viewed as both war hero and villainous murderer of children. Ender, wracked with guilt over the destruction of the Formics, tenaciously struggles with the question of why the queens let him kill them and begins his long pursuit of atonement. His exile sends him, at age 13, with a large group of new colonists, including his sister, Valentine, to an established human colony on a former Formic world, of which he will be governor. Meanwhile, his brother, Peter, back on Earth, is surreptitiously manipulating politics in order to become the Hegemon. Threads from all the other books in the series flow through this narrative,xa0which fills gaps, fleshes out familiar characterizations, and introduces well-limned new ones. Ender’s angst, combined with his handling of the intrigue swirling around him, ensures the depth for which the series is famous. --Sally Estes "An affecting novel full of surprises." -- The New York Times Book Review on Ender's Game "The novels of Orson Scott Card's Ender series are an intriguing combination of action, military and political strategy, elaborate war games and psychology." -- USA Today “ Card's prose is powerful here, as is his consideration of mystical and quasi-religious themes. Though billed as the final Ender novel, this story leaves enough mysteries unexplored to justify another entry; and Card fans should find that possibility, like this novel, very welcome indeed." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Children of the Mind “Orson Scott Card made a strong case for being the best writer science fiction has to offer.” -- The Houston Post on Xenocide "There aren't too many recent sf novels we can confidently call truly moral works, but Speaker for the Dead is one. It's a completely gripping story." -- The Toronto Star "An undeniable heavyweight . . . This book combines Card's quirky style with his hard ethical dilemmas and sharply drawn portraits." --New York Daily News on Ender's Game "This is Card at the height of his very considerable powers--a major SF novel by any reasonable standard." -- Booklist on Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card is the bestselling author best known for the classic Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and other novels in the Ender universe. Most recently, he was awarded the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in Young Adult literature, from the American Library Association. Card has written sixty-one books, assorted plays, comics, and essays and newspaper columns. His work has won multiple awards, including back-to-back wins of the Hugo and the Nebula Awards—the only author to have done so in consecutive years. His titles have also landed on “best of” lists and been adopted by cities, universities and libraries for reading programs. The Ender novels have inspired a Marvel Comics series, a forthcoming video game from Chair Entertainment, and pre-production on a film version. A highly anticipated The Authorized Ender Companion , written by Jake Black, is also forthcoming. Card offers writing workshops from time to time and occasionally teaches writing and literature at universities. Orson Scott Card currently lives with his family in Greensboro, NC. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHAPTER 1 To: [email protected], [email protected] From: hgraff%[email protected] Subj: When Andrew Returns Home Dear John Paul and Theresa Wiggin, You understand that during the recent attempt by the Warsaw Pact to take over the International Fleet, our sole concern at EducAdmin was the safety of the children. Now we are finally able to begin working out the logistics of sending the children home. We assure you that Andrew will be provided with continuous surveillance and an active bodyguard throughout his transfer from the I.F. to American government control. We are still negotiating the degree to which the I.F. will continue to provide protection after the transfer. Every effort is being made by EducAdmin to assure that Andrew will be able to return to the most normal childhood possible. However, I wish your advice about whether he should be retained here in isolation until the conclusion of the inquiries into EducAdmin actions during the late campaign. It is quite likely that testimony will be offered that depicts Andrew and his actions in damaging ways, in order to attack EducAdmin through him (and the other children). Herat IFCom we can keep him from hearing the worst of it; on Earth, no such protection will be possible and it is likelier that he will be called to "testify." Hyrum Graff Theresa Wiggin was sitting up in bed, holding her printout of Graff’s letter. " ‘Called to "testify." ’ Which means putting him on exhibit as—what, a hero? More likely a monster, since we already have various senators decrying the exploitation of children." "That’ll teach him to save the human race," said her husband, John Paul. "This is not a time for flippancy." "Theresa, be reasonable," said John Paul. "I want Ender home as much as you do." "No you don’t," said Theresa fiercely. "You don’t ache with the need for him every day."Even as she said it she knew she was being unfair to him, and she covered her eyes and shook her head. To his credit, he understood and didn’t argue with her about what he did and did not feel. "You can never have the years they’ve taken, Theresa. He’s not the boy we knew." "Then we’ll get to know the boy he is. Here. In our home." "Surrounded by guards." "That’s the part I refuse to accept. Who would want to hurt him?" John Paul set down the book he was no longer pretending to read. "Theresa, you’re the smartest person I know." "He’s a child!" "He won a war against incredibly superior forces." "He fired off one weapon. Which he did not design or deploy." "He got that weapon into firing range." "The formics are gone! He’s a hero, he’s not in danger." "All right, Theresa, he’s a hero. How is he going to go to middle school? What eighth- grade teacher is ready for him? What school dance is he going to be ready for?" "It will take time. But here, with his family—" "Yes, we’re such a warm, welcoming group of people, a love nest into which he’ll fit so easily." "We do love each other!" "Theresa, Colonel Graff is only trying to warn us that Ender isn’t just our son." "He’s nobody else’s son." "You know who wants to kill our son." "No, I don’t." "Every government that thinks of American military power as an obstacle to their plans." "But Ender isn’t going to be in the military, he’s going to be—" "This week he won’t be in the American military. Maybe. He won awards at the age of twelve, Theresa. What makes you think he won’t be drafted by our benevolent and democratic government the moment he gets back to Earth? Or put into protective custody? Maybe they’ll let us go with him and maybe they won’t." Theresa let the tears flow down her cheeks. "So you’re saying that when he left here we lost him forever." "I’m saying that when your child goes off to war, you will never get him back. Not as he was, not the same boy. Changed, if he comes back at all. So let me ask you. Do you want him to go where he’s in the greatest danger, or to stay where he’s relatively safe?" "You think Graff is trying to get us to tell him to keep Ender with him out there in space." "I think Graff cares what happens to Ender, and he’s letting us know—without actually saying it, because every letter he sends can be used against him in court—that Ender is in terrible danger. Not ten minutes after Ender’s victory, the Russians made their brutal play for control of the I.F. Their soldiers killed thousands of fleet officers before the I.F. was able to force their surrender. What would they have done if they had won? Brought Ender home and put on a big parade for him?" Theresa knew all of this. She had known it, viscerally at least, from the moment she read Graff’s letter. No, she had known it even before, had known it with a sick dread as soon as she heard that the Formic War was over. He would not be coming home. She felt John Paul’s hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. His hand returned, stroking her arm as she lay there, facing away from him, crying because she knew she had already lost the argument, crying because she wasn’t even on her own side in their quarrel. "We knew when he was born that he didn’t belong to us." "He does belong to us." "If he comes home, his life belongs to whatever government has the power to protect him and use him—or kill him. He’s the single most important asset surviving from the war. The great weapon. That’s all he’ll be—that and such a celebrity he can’t possibly have a normal childhood anyway. And would we be much help, Theresa? Do we understand what his life has been for the past seven years? What kind of parents can we be to the boy—the man—that he’s become?" "We would be wonderful," she said. "And we know this because we’re such perfect parents for the children we have at home with us." Theresa rolled onto her back. "Oh, dear. Poor Peter. It must be killing him that Ender might come home." "Take the wind right out of his sails." "Oh, I’m not sure of that," said Theresa. "I bet Peter is already figuring out how to exploit Ender’s return." "Until he finds out that Ender is much too clever to be exploited." "What preparation does Ender have for politics? He’s been in the military all this time." John Paul chuckled. "All right, yes, of course the military is just as political as government." "But you’re right," said John Paul. "Ender’s had protection there, people who intended to exploit him, yes, but he hasn’t had to do any bureaucratic fighting for himself. He’s probably a babe in the woods when it comes to maneuvering like that." "So Peter really could use him?" "That’s not what worries me. What worries me is what Peter will do when he finds out that he can’t use him." Theresa sat back up and faced her husband. "You can’t think Pete would raise a hand against Ender!" "Peter doesn’t raise his own hand to do anything difficult or dangerous. You know how he’s been using Valentine." "Only because she lets him use her." "Exactly my point," said John Paul. "Ender is not in danger from his own family." "Theresa, we have to decide: What’s best for Ender? What’s best forgetter and Valentine? What’s best for the future of the world?" "Sitting here on our bed, in the middle of the night, the two of us are deciding the fate of the world?" "When we conceived little Andrew, my dear, we decided the fate of the world." "And had a good time doing it," she added. "Is it good for Ender to come home? Will it make him happy?" "Do you really think he’s forgotten us?" she asked. "Do you think Ender doesn’t care whether he comes home?" "Coming home lasts a day or two. Then there’s living here. The danger from foreign powers, the unnaturalness of his life at school, the constant infringements on his privacy, and let’s not forget Peter’s unquenchable ambition and envy. So I ask again, will Ender’s life here be happier than it would be if . . ." "If he stays out in space? What kind of life will that be for him?" "The I.F. has made its commitment—total neutrality in regard to anything happening on Earth. If they have Ender, then the whole world—every government—will know they’d better not try to go up against the Fleet." "So by not coming home, Ender continues to save the world on an ongoing basis," said Theresa. "What a useful life he’ll have." "The point is that nobody else can use him." Theresa put on her sweetest voice. "So you think we should write back to Graff and tell him that we don’t want Ender to come home?" "We can’... Read more