Orson Scott Card
Author of Ender's Game
About the Author
Orson Scott Byron Walley Card, was born in 1951 and studied theater at Brigham Young University. He received his B.A. in 1975 and his M.A. in English in 1981. He wrote plays during that time, including Stone Tables (1973) and the musical, Father, Mother, Mother and Mom (1974). A Mormon, Scott show more served a two-year mission in Brazil before starting work as a journalist in Utah. He also designed games at Lucas Film Games, 1989-92. He is best known for his science fiction novels, including the popular Ender series. Well known titles include A Planet Called Treason (1979), Treasure Box (1996), and Heartfire (1998). He has also written the guide called How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (1990). His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead, both won Hugo and Nebula awards, making Card the only author to win both prizes in consecutive years. His titles Shadows in Flight, Ruins and Ender's Game made The New York Times Best Seller List. He is also the author of The First Formic War Series, which includes the titles Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, and Earth Awakens. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Nihonjoe
Series
Works by Orson Scott Card
The Ender Quartet Box Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind (2008) 512 copies
The Ender Saga #1: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender in Exile (2013) 80 copies
Getting Lost: Survival, Baggage, and Starting Over in J. J. Abrams' Lost (Smart Pop series) (2006) — Editor — 52 copies
Shadows Alive (Ender's Shadow, #6) 45 copies
Empire of Dreams and Miracles: The Phobos Science Fiction Anthology (v. 1) (2002) — Editor — 34 copies
Hitting the Skids in Pixeltown: The Phobos Science Fiction Anthology, Volume 2 (2003) — Editor — 26 copies
Formic Wars Trilogy Boxed Set: Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, Earth Awakens (The First Formic War) (2016) 23 copies
Homecoming: The Memory of Earth / The Call of Earth / The Ships of Earth / Earthfall / Earthborn (1995) 17 copies
The Queens 13 copies
MegaSF : verhalen van Orson Scott Card, Greg Bear, Wim Gijsen, William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Jack Vance e.a. (1990) 12 copies
Ender's Game Boxed Set II: Ender's Game, Ender in Exile, Speak for the Dead (The Ender Quintet) (2013) 11 copies
Tweesprook. 2 9 copies
The Wives of Israel 6 copies
Ender's Shadow: Battle School 1 5 copies
InterGalactic Medicine Show, Issue 1 4 copies
Ultimate Iron Man #3 3 copies
Dragon Age #2 3 copies
Ultimate Iron Man #1 3 copies
Master Alvin 3 copies
Ultimate Iron Man #5 3 copies
Ultimate Iron Man #4 3 copies
Dragon Age #3 3 copies
Ultimate Iron Man #2 2 copies
Homeless in Hell [short story] 2 copies
Orson Scott Card - 27 Short Stories 2 copies
Waterbaby 2 copies
Ultimate Iron Man II #5 2 copies
Ender's Game (Movie Tie-In) Trade Paperback Boxed Set III: Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow (The Ender… (2013) 2 copies
Ultimate Iron Man II #2 2 copies
Vessel 2 copies
Ultimate Iron Man II #1 2 copies
The Science Fiction Box: Eye for Eye, Run for the Stars, And Tales of the Grand Tour (2006) 2 copies
Billy’s Box 1 copy
Null_A three 1 copy
Earthborn 1 copy
Damn Fine Novel 1 copy
Hitching 1 copy
Dragon Age #6 1 copy
The Ships of Earth 1 copy
Dragon Age #4 1 copy
Gert Fram 1 copy
Bicicleta 1 copy
A Dixie Christmas Carol 1 copy
Space Boy 1 copy
Ender's Game 1 copy
Ender's Game [Revised] 1 copy
Intergalactic Medicine Show 1 copy
Wyrms 1 copy
Dragon Age #5 1 copy
Dragon Age #1 1 copy
#14 Fleet School 1 copy
Dragons of Darkness 1 copy
Umbra Hegemonului 1 copy
Copiii Minții 1 copy
Umbra Marionetelor 1 copy
Umbra Lui Ender 1 copy
Intergalactic Medicine show 1 copy
Sunstone - Vol. 2:2, Summer 1977 (1977) — Contributor; Editor, uncredited; Contributor; Contributor; Contributor — 1 copy
DRAGONS OF LIGHT - and - DRAGONS OF DARKNESS: Ice Dragon; George Business; One Winter in Eden; Drama of Dragons; Silken… — Editor — 1 copy
Treason 1 copy
Οφθαλμός Αντί Οφθαλμού 1 copy
Dragon Age #6 EA Comics 1 copy
Dragon Age #4 IDW Comic 1 copy
The Face of the Waters 1 copy
Earthfall 1 copy
In The Dragon's House 1 copy
Shadows in Exile 1 copy
Ultimate Iron Man II #4 1 copy
Ultimate Iron Man II #3 1 copy
Rasputin 1 copy
Shadow Complex 1 copy
All Books by this Author 1 copy
Ender Series: Books 1-8 1 copy
Ender Series: Books 1-9 1 copy
Orson Scott Card 5 Novels 1 copy
Ender Series: Five Book Set 1 copy
Ender Series: Six Book Set 1 copy
Geriatric Ward 1 copy
Jamaica 1 copy
Ender 14 - A point in time 1 copy
Uncle Orson's Writing Class 1 copy
Futura - broj 22 1 copy
Tweesprook. 1 copy
IL POPOLO DELL'ORLO 1 copy
Associated Works
Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural: A Treasury of Spellbinding Tales Old & New (1985) — Contributor — 524 copies
Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy, Vol. 1 (of 3) (1999) — Contributor — 438 copies
The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction, 1960-1990 (1993) — Contributor — 315 copies
Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe (2007) — Contributor — 311 copies
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction: How to Create Out-of-This-World Novels and Short Stories (2013) — Contributor — 167 copies
Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy, Vol. B (of 2) (1999) — Contributor — 136 copies
Nebula Awards 22: Sfwa's Choices for the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 1986 (Nebula Awards Showcase (Paperback)) (1988) — Contributor — 49 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVII, No. 11 (November 1977) (1977) — Contributor — 32 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVIII, No. 4 (April 1978) (1978) — Contributor — 27 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVII, No. 8 (August 1977) (1977) — Contributor — 26 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVIII, No. 2 (February 1978) (1978) — Contributor — 26 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVIII, No. 8 (August 1978) (1978) — Contributor — 25 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction June 1991, Vol. 80, No. 6 (1991) — Contributor — 23 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October 1990, Vol. 79, No. 4 (1990) — Book reviewer — 18 copies
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 11, No. 3 [March 1987] (1983) — Contributor — 17 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction May 1991, Vol. 80, No. 5 (1991) — Book reviewer — 17 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction November 1990, Vol. 79, No. 5 (1990) — Book reviewer — 17 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction September 1990, Vol. 79, No. 3 (1990) — Book reviewer — 16 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October/November 1993, Vol. 85, No. 4 & 5 (1993) — Book reviewer — 16 copies
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 11, No. 6 [June 1987] (1987) — Contributor — 15 copies
Legends II, Volume 1: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy (2005) — Contributor — 14 copies
Building a Love That Lasts: Outstanding Articles on Marriage from the Ensign (1985) — Contributor — 13 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October 1988, Vol. 75, No. 4 (1988) — Book reviewer — 13 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction April 1992, Vol. 82, No. 4 (1992) — Book reviewer — 13 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction January 1990, Vol. 78, No. 1 (1990) — Book reviewer — 13 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction January 1989, Vol. 76, No. 1 (1989) — Contributor — 12 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction July 1988, Vol. 75, No. 1 (1988) — Contributor — 12 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction August 1988, Vol. 75, No. 2 (1988) — Contributor — 12 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction September 1988, Vol. 75, No. 3 (1988) — Book reviewer — 12 copies
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 10, No. 8 [August 1986] (1986) — Contributor — 11 copies
Children of the Night: Stories of Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves, and Lost Children (The Children of the Night) (1999) — Contributor — 11 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction May 1990, Vol. 78, No. 5 (1990) — Book reviewer — 11 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction June 1990, Vol. 78, No. 6 (1990) — Book reviewer — 10 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October 1989, Vol. 77, No. 4 (1989) — Contributor — 10 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction November 1988, Vol. 75, No. 5 (1988) — Book reviewer — 10 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction April 1990, Vol. 78, No. 4 (1990) — Contributor — 9 copies
More Dixie Ghosts: More Haunting, Spine-Chilling Stories from the American South (1994) — Contributor — 9 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction June 1989, Vol. 76, No. 6 (1989) — Book reviewer — 9 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction December 1989, Vol. 77, No 6 (1989) — Book reviewer — 9 copies
Saints Well Seasoned: Musings on How Food Nourishes Us-- Body, Heart, and Soul (1998) — Contributor — 8 copies
In the Shadow of the Wall: An Anthology of Vietnam Stories That Might Have Been (2002) — Contributor — 6 copies
Science Fiction Review #29 — Contributor — 1 copy
Science Fiction Eye #07, August 1990 — Contributor — 1 copy
Mondaugen — Contributor — 1 copy
InterGalactic Medicine Show, Issue 26 — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Card, Orson Scott
- Other names
- Walley, Byron (pseudonym)
Richards, Scott (pen name)
Bliss, Frederick (pseudonym)
Gump, P.Q. (pseudonym) - Birthdate
- 1951-08-24
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Richland, Washington, USA
- Places of residence
- Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Santa Clara, California, USA
Mesa, Arizona, USA
Orem, Utah, USA - Education
- Brigham Young University (BA|1975)
University of Utah (MA|1981)
University of Notre Dame - Occupations
- writer
university professor
playwright - Relationships
- Young, Brigham (great-great-grandfather)
Allen, James B. (father-in-law) - Organizations
- Southern Virginia University
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - Awards and honors
- John W. Campbell Award (1978)
Whitney Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
Margaret A. Edwards Award (2008)
Locus Award (1996)
World Fantasy Award (1987) - Short biography
- Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools. His most recent series, the young adult Pathfinder series (Pathfinder, Ruins, Visitors) and the fantasy Mithermages series (Lost Gate, Gate Thief, Gatefather) are taking readers in new directions.
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts, including his "freshened" Shakespeare scripts for Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Merchant of Venice.
Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University.
Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, where his primary activities are writing a review column for the local Rhinoceros Times and feeding birds, squirrels, chipmunks, possums, and raccoons on the patio.
Members
Discussions
YA sci fi in Name that Book (January 2021)
Help Reading Ender's Saga in The Green Dragon (July 2014)
Seventh Son, Orson Scott Card in World Reading Circle (August 2013)
December 2011 Reading in Science Fiction Fans (January 2012)
anyone read Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card? in FantasyFans (October 2011)
Colonial science fiction adventure with transformation in Name that Book (September 2011)
Magic Street? in Orson Scott Card (February 2011)
Reviews
Read Speaker for the Dead again and pretend this and Xenocide never existed.
It is amazing how in a book this long so little actually happened.
Nonsensical pseudo-intellectual masturbation; all the appearance of profound thoughts without any profundity to be seen, for hundreds of pages.
Is this really the same author as Speaker for the Dead, a book that actually had something to say while simultaneously actually telling a story?
Card in the years since I read this revealed himself as a horrible human being, too. Don't waste your time or mental energy.
Nonsensical pseudo-intellectual masturbation; all the appearance of profound thoughts without any profundity to be seen, for hundreds of pages.
Is this really the same author as Speaker for the Dead, a book that actually had something to say while simultaneously actually telling a story?
Card in the years since I read this revealed himself as a horrible human being, too. Don't waste your time or mental energy.
As a fervent aficionado of science fiction and a professor of English, I find Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” to be a seminal work in the genre, deftly blending the intricacies of human psychology with the grandeur of space opera. The novel’s exploration of strategic warfare and the ethical quandaries of leadership through the young, prodigious Ender Wiggin is both profound and provocative. Card’s eloquent prose and the depth of his character development invite readers to ponder the moral implications of war and the price of genius. It’s a compelling narrative that not only entertains but also challenges the intellect, making “Ender’s Game” an essential read for both enthusiasts and scholars of speculative fiction.… (more)
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Space Colonization (11)
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Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 400
- Also by
- 190
- Members
- 194,341
- Popularity
- #22
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 3,260
- ISBNs
- 1,959
- Languages
- 28
- Favorited
- 689
Man tends to behave abominably towards his fellow creatures. By chapter 6 I was wondering if perhaps it would be better for the Buggers to win than the humans.
Ender is observant, a quick learner.
Friends turn out to be fickle or untrustworthy.
The last chapter was the best chapter. It (at least partially) made up for the deceitfulness of the adults and the meanness of the children. Although the last chapter was “redeeming,” yet there were some things in that chapter that went far beyond the usual suspension of disbelief. Since those concern the end, I placed those notes in a spoiler section of the review.
After Ender won, the prohibition against having more than two children was repealed because people from Earth set out to colonize other worlds. But wait, wasn’t it terribly expensive to just lift one person off the earth?
“Between 1970 and 2000, the cost to launch a kilogram to space remained fairly steady, with an average of US$18,500 per kilogram. When the space shuttle was in operation, it could launch a payload of 27,500 kilograms for $1.5 billion, or $54,500 per kilogram. For a SpaceX Falcon 9, the rocket used to access the ISS, the cost is just $2,720 per kilogram.” Note: The ISS is not outer space. Getting totally beyond Earth’s gravity is more expensive than getting to the ISS. Let’s do a calculation. Assuming a person has negligible luggage. With luggage 80 kg at $2,000 per kg is $160,000. Not only would a person need personal effects, but they also need a lot of food and facilities to care for their bodily needs. (Yes, they migh grow food - that requires energy, which isn’t free either.)
The buggers “knew” several years in advance that Ender would defeat them. Thus, they took some actions in advance. Okay, the ability to prophesy might not be so unusual. This goes beyond prophecy, this was the domain of a seer - seeing into the future.
They created the environment on their planet that he would recognize. They hacked the training game that Ender played inserting into it scenes on their planet that they he would later see and recognize. Hacking the computers of a completely different civilization, with totally different language and technology. They didn’t even use language!
They communicated mentally with him perhaps 5 years after they were all extinct, claiming to be a peaceful society. Their home planet was blown up into subatomic particles. Where again was this bugger planet that Ender temporarily lived on?
In such a large universe it’s amazing that we managed to locate their home planet.
Communicating mentally with another species from another planet years after being all dead? We can’t even reliably communicate with people of our own species. Not only that, they “knew” his future actions - that he would be “there” to receive that communication.
Tell me again about those bugger warships in the first invasion. Granted we initiated the 2nd and 3rd invasions. Still, they had warships that were terribly effective. Anyone familiar with the “arms race” knows that large weapons are not cheap to develop. You don’t spend massive resources developing weapons without a reason.
Were the buggers and the humans the only sentient creatures in the universe? The humans went around inhabiting former bugger worlds. Why didn’t the humans inhabit world that had not previously had buggers on them? Had the buggers taken over the whole known universe eliminating all other sentient species?
Thus, I conclude that Ender was probably deceived into believing that the buggers were a peaceful society. If so, then it is a scary thought that he was induced into taking that cocoon to plant on another world.