Customer Reviews

First Meetings: In the Enderverse

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The `Ender's Saga' and its most famous beginning, "Ender's Game", are among the most revered science-fiction series of all-time. While Card did a marvelous job chronicling the life and times of Ender Wiggin in the first four novels of the `Ender's Saga', and richly enhanced that universe with his subsequent three-book "Ender's Shadow" series, one could not help but think that there might be more than need be told. Enter "First Meetings in the Enderverse", an anthology of four short stories that give even greater insight into Ender's world.

One of the four short stories included in "First Meetings..." is the actual original "Ender's Game" short story. Card wrote this in the mid-1970's and expanded it into the award-winning novel everyone knows in the early to mid-1980's. Here, fans of "Ender's Game" can read Card's original vision and appreciate how the full novel came to be. The other three shorts tell some fascinating tales. The first one deals with the life of Ender's father, John Paul Wiggin, when he was a little kid, not much older than Ender at the time of "Ender's Game". Without revealing too much, here, it can be said that the events of young John Paul's life explain a great deal about what came to pass for Ender a generation later. The second tale advances John Paul to college age and reveals how John Paul and Ender's mother, Theresa, came to meet and fall in love. The final tale (after the original "Ender's Game") bridges a period of time between the ending of "Ender's Game" and its amazing sequel "Speaker for the Dead". The mystery of how Ender and his constant virtual companion, Jane, came into each other's lives is explained and it makes for an amusing anecdote.

Once again, Card continues to show a brilliant grasp of human emotion and personal interactions in bringing these shorts to life. He doesn't get bogged down in the existentialism that plagued "Children of the Mind". He sticks with elements that make this saga great.

This book of short stories contains material that will interest fans of Orson Scott Card's "Ender" series. There are two stories about Theresa and John Paul Wiggin--how they met and how John Paul grew up in Poland. These will be meaningful especially to readers of the parallel sequel to "Ender's Game", the Shadow series.

Also included is the ORIGINAL "Ender's Game." This is really fascinating. I have to say, the writing is very inferior to the revised and novelized version of this original short story. But for those who love the book, you have a glimpse into writer's craft. How did Card deepen each character? How did he revise his conversation and exposition? Good lessons here for any budding writer, and great for those who love the Ender's series as you can see the development of the books from an average short story to a thrilling series of books.

The short stories end with a small tale about a tax collector dealing with Ender as he roams from planet to planet after he leaves Earth. This is meaningful for the last in the Ender's series (Shadow of the Giant.) And it's a good story in itself.

Recommende for fans of the Card series.

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.

Well written and interesting for all those who have eagerly read the book from the "enderverse". Led together by something other than fate, Ender's parents marry and have super children. Their children's brilliance is unexplained in the novels, and unquestioned, until the Shadow books. Ender's parents are decoded in these short stories as bright individuals born too early for the child military program. The pictures provide in the hardback book are cartoonish and didn't fit with my vision at all. In all actuallity, the drawing were a distraction that I could have done without. The original Ender short story is interesting from a writer's perspective; Orson's skill for story telling has greatly improved since it was written. After reading it, there was no doubt in my mind why he chose Bean to star in his parallel novel.

Overall I enjoyed the novel, though my wallet was still smarting from the price when I finished it. It took me about two movie lengths to finish the book, so it was about two movie tickets worth of entertainment.

Judge for yourself if that is worth the buy. I have the whole Ender collection, so I couldn't leave it incomplete for lack of this book.

I would not call these three new works novellas, but simply longish short stories; they are very quick reads.

The most memorable, I think, is "The Polish Boy". Concerning duels between a 5-year-old and various administrative figures, it recalls some of the best of "Ender's Shadow": the illustration of how a very young child can, with sufficient wit and preternatural maturity, overcome adult opposition.

"Teacher's Pest" is the least of the three. It concerns cleverness used in the furtherance of adolescent romance. While this might be as excitingly done as the first story, it would have to be on a higher level of wittiness to succeed as well. But it doesn't reach that level, and it seems a bit pedestrian.

"Investment Counsellor" is set in Ender's "quiet" stage--after he's overcome the trauma of "Ender's Game" and before he's set out upon his Speaker of the Dead life. The fireworks of his passion are missing here--neither his command skills nor his personal interaction livelihood are generating the sparks that provide much of the interest in the books. It's a connector piece, showing some origins of things to come. These are good things, and it's good to have their origins, but it's not very exciting story-telling.

The illustrations do nothing for the book but take up page-space, adding 10 or 12 pages to the total. Without them, the book would be under 200 pages in length--and better, in my estimation. (When are illustrators going to stop putting airplane wings, rudders, and elevators on spacecraft??)

Having the original "Ender's Game" included is rather interesting, allowing for comparison with the novel it spawned. Bean is there, in all his arrogance, but essentially none of the other characters that have made the continuing saga so memorable: no Valentine, no Peter, none of Ender's other sub-commanders, nor his tormentors. The Hive Queen has not yet been imagined, and Buggers are entirely faceless. But all the pathos of the child used as a soldier--that essential kernel is there in boldface.

Ender's Game is one of those books that I have a soft spot in my heart for - it's suspenseful, intelligent, and beautiful in its simplicity - but the rest of the Ender series has been pretty hit-or-miss for me. Although skeptical about which Card would show up for "First Meetings", I was nevertheless reeled in by the "Ender" name.

Fortunately I was not let down. In fact, I was left hungry for more. This feeling is probably both the plus and the minus of this book. Here's what I mean:

For the first time since Ender's Shadow, Card returns to what he does best: creating a suspenseful plot and engaging characters living in a world that is both fantastical and familiar. The short stories about Ender's father were interesting: in "The Polish Boy" John Wiggin follows in the footsteps of Ender and Bean as the wunderkind lead character (Card's specialty), and sets up "Teacher's Pest" nicely by setting the stage for the chance (or is it?) meeting of Ender's parents.

The original "Ender's Game" novella was remarkable for its similarity to what would become the full length "Ender's Game" novel. As a sidenote, if you haven't read the novel, wait to read "First Meetings" until after you've read it!

I personally enjoyed "The Investment Counselor" the most; it nicely fits in the wide gap between Child Genius Ender of "Ender's Game" and Empty Shell Ender of the following trilogy (ok, I'll be upfront: after Ender's Game I thought the following trilogy was a bit of a letdown).

At the same time, I couldn't help but wish Card had fleshed out these stories into full length novels, particularly "The Investment Counselor" which could've developed nicely into a nice story involving arguably the three most interesting characters in the Ender universe: young Ender, Valentine, and Jane. With the brevity of these stories, especially with the cartoonish graphics, when I finished the book I was both happy to have been able to re-enter Ender's world, but also a bit disappointed at finding it a bit watered-down. I did not read it expecting another "Ender's Game", but I hoped it would at least measure up to "Ender's Shadow". My advice to Mr. Card: do for these novellas what you did for the original "Ender's Game": make them into full-length novels!!!

This novel is listed as "Young Adult" but so outstanding that any adult who has ever heard of the author Orson Scott Card, or of the famous characters "Bean" and "Ender" MUST get this book! This has four novellas. One is totally brand-new to the Ender collection and one is the original novella "Ender's Game" which appeared in 1977.

No matter how tempted you become, do NOT begin this book with "Ender's Game". These four stories work together. They are set in the order that they supposedly happened. So begin reading at the beginning, where you should! As a bonus, the book is fully illustrated throughout.

"The Polish Boy" © 2002 by Orson Scott Card first appeared in First Meetings: Three Stories From The Enderverse.

"Teacher's Pest" © 2003 by Orson Scott Card. This is the first appearance!

"Ender's Game" © 1977 by Orson Scott Card. First appeared in Analog magazine.

"Investment Counselor" © 2000 by Orson Scott Card. First appeared in Far Horizons, edited by Robert Silverberg.

***** Do I recommend it? Oh, yes! Orson Scott Card pleases his adult fans and makes some new young fans at the same time. Very clever. But what did you expect from a Sci-Fi Master? *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

As a huge fan of OSC, I wait eagerly for his next book to come out. However, this one was disappointing on a couple of levels. First, it is really short. I read it in two hours, tops. Secondly (but related to the first) the stories were too short to allow the characters to flex and move, as they do in his other works. I wanted more about John Paul as a child, meeting Theresa, and definately more about the introduction of Jane. (That part still has me confussed.) Card is a master storyteller, no doubt. And while this offering is good (enough), it is not his best work. I would love to see this book "recalled" and beefed up.

Nevertheless, I give it four stars because the characters remain true to themselves. The text creates a believable backstory to Ender and the puppet-like control the government has over him and his family.

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.

I saw this book a few weeks ago while in a bookstore and bought it on impulse. I knew it was just the original Ender's Game short story with a couple of new stories put out for a quick buck - but I didn't care.

I cannot say that would reccomend that Ender fans rush out and BUY it - I do think that fans should read it. If you can inter-library loan it or borrow it from a friend - that is the way to go.