Children of the Mind (The Ender Quintet) - Speaker for the Dead

I can't give a review on the whole series. I have just finished Speaker for the Dead. But if the last two books are anything like the first two books then you (and I) are in for a real treat. I'm a big science fiction fan and have to say that Orson Scott Card does an amazing job at showing you everything you want from a great science fiction novel and more. He somehow balances action with individual internal stuggle. And instead of his books being from one person's point of view. You see it from every person's point of view which makes you feel completely invested in every single character. There is really no way to explain how great his books are. You'll just have to read them yourself!

An well written entertaining SciFi story that talks about xenocide, racism, nationalism, scientology and religion.

A good psychological story that starts w/ the childhood problems of a certain Ender Wiggin and ends up discussing far wider and general concepts as the ones described above.

High quality condition books for such a low price, perfect gift for any fan of the Ender's Game storyline. Orson Scott Card is a fantastic writer whose novels pull the reader into an amazing world of suspense and adventure.

Arrived on time and the price was good. I read the first book with no problems, but on the second the binding was coming lose by the 3rd chapter, not a huge problem for me, but it is a bit disappointing. All in all it's a great series and I'd highly recommend it.

Easy read. (1 weekend should be enough) and great story. If you want to try a new Sci-Fi author, this will convince you to research Orson Scott Card.

The story is fantastic and the characters have depth and are believable. If you're into Futuristic Sci-Fi, I would definetely recommend this award winning book.

They always say to never watch the movie before you read the book because it will spoil it, not so in this case. I watched the movie of Ender's Game before I read the book, and the only comparisons I made between the two were the lack of information and the disarray of facts in the movie. I found it funny though how I ended up reading every line as if in the voice of the actor who portrayed them in the movie.

I was so happy to have found this box set of the Ender's Game series for $20 that I couldn't pass it up. I am hoping to get the other set, Ender's Shadow. I read the whole box set in about a month. I would recommend it to any sci fi or fantasy reader out there. In fact, I think everyone should read it.

Ender's Game is amazing, truly a must read. Speaker for the Dead is a little slower, requiring a much more philisophical perspective, but Xenocide and Chidren of the Mind return to a mix of action, adventure, and thought-provocation. Card is gifted, and shares that gift well.

This is the chips and dip of deep philosophical / political thought books. It is so easy to read that you don't notice that it's so deep and meaningful till after you finish the last book... or sometime before that point.

This is one of the best books I've ever read and I'm a book worm.

So far, I've only read Ender's Game...so I have more books to read before I can judge the series.

The pack comes in tiny paper backs, which is kind of a pain for me, but might be desirable for some one else. I'm attempting to read the entire series in chronological order, so I'm reading the "Shadow" series first.

I've heard that Card wrote Speaker for the Dead before the novelization of Ender's Game, which is exciting because Ender's Game was so good! I can't wait for the sequel - enjoy!

I wont say much about the actual books, since if your buying the whole set your probably a fan anyway. The binding is rather poor, my wife and I both went through them in about 2 weeks and the covers are already set to fall off. I have lots of paper back books but these seem especially poor in quality. Despite their failings they should get you through a couple readings though.

I hadn't ready any of these before and after seeing the movie wanted to ready the book. I found out it was a series and bought this so I could read them all. These come in a flat cardboard box with the spines facing out so that the page edges are protected during travel or on the shelf. I really enjoyed the 1st book of the series but it was a struggle to maintain interest in the storyline as the series progressed. If you know you will have multiple people reading these or are committed to reading all the books then by all means this is the product for you. If you only have a passing interest in the original Ender's Game book then you might be disappointed in buying the whole series, despite this being a very nice set.

I bought this for my girlfriend as a birthday gift. She was so happy that the entire series was literally at her fingertips. Once she got done reading one of them, she would quickly start the next. This is a great item for people who are fans of the series.

In terms of the transaction, the company sent the item well packaged and on time. They're great!!!

Children have fewer inhibitions and are more open to learning than are we adults. Ender's Game is an excelent example of this concept, but... 3000 years have passed before 'Xenocide' takes place. Did I miss the party last Saturday? What happened during that 3000 years? I haven't read all the Ender books yet and hope there is just a wee bit more insight to Ender's life. That ought to be some very interesting reading, somehting I am looking forward to with great relish.

I started reading and was instantly engulfed into the story. I could not put the book down. I finished the first book with in a few days. The detail Card uses to describe the context and environment is incredible. I enjoyed thoroughly the progression from child to leader that is developed through the first book.

Also cant find a better deal than four books for roughly $20.

Bought it as a gift and my wife loved it.

The only complaint I have is that the binding of the first book she read from the series just fell apart. the pages are loose from the binding, the glue just let go, but hopefully we will fix it with no problem.

Shhhhh, Mom I'm reading! Any book that makes those words come out of my 13 year olds mouth will always get 5 stars from me. Not to mention that as soon as he finished one book in the series the next was immediately in his hands.

Gave these books to my 19 y'old brother as a Christmas gift and he loves them! I placed the order LATE December 22nd (like 10:30 PM) and they arrived on the morning of December 23rd - fantastic shipping!! The books come in a very nice little case, which my brother thinks is great for travel. These are also an excellent read, so read them if you get the chance!

The Ender Quartet Box Set is a way of having a great sci-fi classic serie in a very efficient way. The books inside are very practical to read, but the best part is the low price and having the complete Ender' game series in your possesion. The box is quite small and perfect for any bookshelf. The product is perfectly worth the price. I am very happy with it and highly recomend it.

Ender's Game was great. The other books are remarkably different than Ender's Game. It is almost like the other three books are a part of a separate series. They are philosophical, grappling with various religious and cultural "dilemmas"

I got what I wanted and it either arrived early or on time. I will be ordering Orson's other box set of four in the Ender saga probably from this seller. This is an incredible book set and I don't think too many people could be disappointed with what Orson Scott Card delivers. If you read science fiction then read this books.

Ender's Game is a fantastic book, and was definitely worth the time and money. However, the other three books are not of the same calibur. The characters flatten out, the writing becomes very predictable, and the plot takes some really weird turns. In the 3 other books, the characters overcome various conflicts to the point where it felt like they could not fail. Deux ex machina is a great writing tool, but it is very overused in Speaker through Children of the Mind. Save money and just buy Ender's Game separately.

This is a nice box set of the 4 books in this series.

That said, the 3 books after Ender's Game do not hold up to the first. As the series progresses, Card starts using the books to promote some disconnected and poorly fleshed out views that have nothing to do with the story, and the actual storytelling suffers. I'd recommend starting and stopping with Ender's Game.

These books are the worst because once you pick one up, you end up wasting the read of the day finishing it. They are the most dangerous books I have ever read, read again, and then read again, and then a few more times. They are very smart, engaging, and do a fantastic job representing the hearts of people.

This series arrived still in original plastic and 4 days before estimated! It is by far on of my favorite purchases, and Ender's Game is my all-time favorite book. Card is a brilliant writer that can envelope you within his stories. The farther into the series you get the better it gets, and the more you have to wonder about what it truly would be like.

I bought this book for myself because my grown son told me it was the best book he had ever read. I was really impressed by the mind of the author. His descriptions of surroundings and activities make it easy to "see" the future in which the book takes place. I, too, enjoyed this book, but my idyllic values are more conservative than my son's, it seems. To me, this book was quite violent. Still, it was interesting and a good read.

My husband bought the series some time ago, one book at a time. They were paperback as well and are falling apart so I bought this set to replace them. I appreciate that they can be kept together in this box. I may cover the box with leather looking contact paper or something to make it match other books on the shelf better.

The Ender Quarter Box set offers hours of intense reading experience. After each book, one has to stop and reflect on the many insights into human character that these books offer. It is rare to find such excellent and rewarding reading material.

The first book is great.the other three are ok but not nearly as exciting or good.they are a separate story totally different style then enders game.enders shadow is like enders game in that's great read that one :)

Love these books and wanted the set since I had the downloads. I let one of my friends read the Speaker of the Dead book, and she returned it 2 day later showing me the pages were out of order and some were just missing. I skimmed the other books and they seem fine, but very disappointed.

I am a retired sailor. The Ender Quartet should be required reading for all military leaders: nomcoms and officers. Author Card captures the essence of leadership: trust, confidence, and commitment in "Ender's Game"; and the personal consequences of war, the fragility of racial tolerance and compassion, and the ghosts that haunt veterans (many for the balance of their lives) in "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide". and "Children of the Mind".

I read each of the eight books that today comprise the Ender's Quartet and the Ender Shadow series, book by book, as they were first published, in the last quarter of the 1900's; many of them in my bunk, braced against rolling seas.

Spurred by Card's most recent "Ender in Exile"--a gift from a friend--I purchased both the Quartet, and the Shadow series, and read each anew, certainly, with different eyes than the first reading. I suggest that Orson Scott Card has taken a seat along side Asimov, Hienlien, and Clark. Be you veteran, neophyte, pacifist, activist, monk, clergy, healer, historian, leader, follower, or dreamer of better worlds there is something in the Quartet for all of us.

Great, if gory at times (in the later books). Also, I had read the first book before I had read about Card's supposed homophobic views. If that's true, it's very disappointing. I can't really see myself purchasing more of his books because of that.

o.k. I bought this cause their was a movie coming out and my wife said that this book was great. The first one was pretty good but the second one is a one star I doubt if I'll read three or four. This is probably the first time I've bought a book and have no plan to read them.

Slow moving - too much character development and little action.

Through the series it gets more and more abstract. Frankly, I would not recommend to anyone. I cannot see how a movie was made if they stuck to the book.

There are much better things to read....

Not sure if I'm the only one, but the books I received in this set had bent covers and the pages had lots of dirt stains on them. They did not seem like new books or someone did not carefully package them. Totally defeats the purpose of buying new books, if what you get is dirty and misused...

In terms of the content - Orson Scott Card is a great author and I would definitely recommend this series as it is one of my favorites.

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin kept his government-issued monitor on until the age of six. That was a year longer than most. Many of the other kids are jealous, especially his older brother, Peter. When the bad boys at school corner him, Ender does what he has to. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Graff arrives at the Wiggin home and offers Ender the chance to attend Battle School.

It has been about eighty years since the last war with the buggers. The buggers almost managed to wipe humanity out of existence. Since then, the government has been trying to make officers for the next war; a war that could happen at any time. Battle School is where children are trained to become commanders. All the children are organized into armies and they compete in zero gravity war games.

Unknown to Ender (but well known to readers), Graff intends to make six-year-old Ender into the best battle commander in history. The future of humanity could very well depend on Ender becoming a perfect killing machine. Ender is bright, in perfect health, highly intelligent, and imaginative. To Ender, winning is everything. (To quote part of the book: "Ender Wiggin isn't a killer. He just wins - thoroughly.") To some others in the military, Graff is often too cruel to the children, especially to Ender. But Graff is doing what he believes is necessary for the preservation of the human race. Ender realizes early on that Graff is isolating him from the kids by using every low-down trick in the book - and several NOT in the book. The mind games are nothing new to Ender. He was used to dealing with Peter, who is a master manipulator. As Ender thinks up more and more amazing strategies to win the war games, he is also shaping himself into the very weapon Graff wants so badly.

***** FIVE STARS! This is one of the most impressive novels of our time (imho). The author takes a nascent child (Ender) and places him in a military school to (basically) sink or swim. Due to the exigencies of an upcoming war, the person in charge of Battle School (Graff) is unstinting in his mistreatment of all the children.

This story has already become required reading in some high schools. Teachers enjoy having their students debate on whether Graff is guilty of mistreatment of children or if his actions are justifiable. Another point of debate is the emotional and psychological toll on young Ender.

Though the story mainly focuses on Ender, some time is given to his brother and sister who are still back at home. Those Wiggin siblings are as intelligent as Ender, but instead of strategy they have more manipulative and/or persuasive abilities.

All-in-all, this is an excellent story for Science Fiction fans of any age. (Fans of Robert A. Heinlein will especially enjoy this tale. The meticulous thoughts and beyond-his-time-ideas can be found in this story too.) Un-Freaking-Believable! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I never knew about this series till the movie came out and I am so glad to have found this one. If you enjoy scifi these are wonderful reading! My 12yo just got through with the first book over the summer and chose to read it over the xbox 360 so that tells me he dug it:) Plus Scotts other series are different but just as engrossing and thought provoking. Happy reading.

Pretty good read. Predictable, but if you read a lot of books it's a problem you run into that a lot. Went to a local bookstore and picked up the set as they were cheaper in price+tax then the store for this purchase. Was thinking of going for the ebook version but was turned off by the price for an electronic version of an older book series.

I first read these four books when I was 15 years old, my neighbor lent them to me, I never knew I could love reading so much before I read the first book, Ender's Game. Card's writing style is basically perfect for teen readers. At 25, I read the first 4 in the Ender's Shadow series after re-reading Ender's again. Since then, I've read the newer ones when they came out. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan. And as as teenager, this helped me realize things that helped me out socially.

If you want lots of explosions, this series may not be for you.

Science fiction, military, politics, children, battle training, space travel, game simulation, growing up, inspirational.

I'll admit, technically I never finished Ender's Game. I was reading it for Summer Reading one year and ran out of time but had gotten about 90% through. After that though, I enjoyed it so much that years later I picked up Speaker for the Dead and fell in love! Of course out of duty/loyalty I finished the series with Xenocide and then finally Children of the Mind. Overall it is a GREAT series. I felt like Xenocide and CotM were a little lacking/confusing though what with a million story lines to follow but I am grateful that Card split them into 2 books instead of just 1.

1. Ender's Game
2. Ender in Exile (short story that introduces Jane)
3. Speaker for the Dead
4. Xenocide
5. Children of the Mind

I just completed the 5 stories of Ender Wiggins. Very nicely done! Card's writing style is accessible and not unduly heavy or complex (unlike say Gene Wolfe (Book of the New Sun) or Dan Simmons (Hyperion Cantos)). I enjoyed the expression of deep philosophical ideas through the characters he created, particularly in the concluding book, Children of the Mind. I also liked how Card stole the "Ansible" communication device from Ursula K. Le Guin as a convenient solution for interstellar communication. :)

As I began plowing through the first novel in the series (Ender's Game), I was feeling somewhat bored. I was tired of Battle School, Battle School and more Battle School from the eyes of a 5-11 year old child. It wasn't really working for me and I was wondering why people gave this story such high marks? But as I moved on to the Speaker For The Dead and the remaining books, Ender grew up and the story/character started growing on me as Card developed it. By the time I reached the final book, Children of the Mind, I was thoroughly engrossed and wondering how he would bring all the threads together by the end of the book.

Well, he does bring everything together and satisfyingly so. However, that being said, there is certainly room to expand on the universe and state of affairs that Card left us with at end of Children Of The Mind. I won't go into my ideas here so as not to spoil the ending for others reading these reviews before they have completed the series. But I do hope that Card expands on the Ender Wiggins universe where he left off in 2 to 4 additional novels.

Enders Game is to the rest of the series as The Hobbit is to the Ring Trilogy. It is written as a story that will appeal to adolescents and yet stands solidly on its own. It is ,however, a lead in to a much deeper and richer saga-nothing less than the ethical evolution of the human race. The stakes are enormous, constantly increasing and dotted with powerful and rich characters.
I have read this series twice. I just can't bring myself to see the movie......Hollywood

The series is awesome! I love Ender, Bean, and the others. I found Card's approach to childrens' grasp of world affairs intriguing. I've reread the series a few times and each time caught a new detail I missed about the relationships, conflicts and ideas on what it would be like if children fought the battles. Side point: just read a book by S.G. Rainbolt "Dear Sun, I Am Real" and he dedicated it to Orson Scott Card. He too used the approach of genius kids running things. I find that subject inexhaustible but delightful to read. Take a look. I recommend both.

I bought this for myself. I read the book series so many time. I keep giving my copies to friends to read and sometimes never get it back. So I am restocking it. I love the series, but the first book, Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow (Bean's series) are my favorite!

I won't go into the plot here, as so many have already done. I just want to say that I am NOT a fan of science fiction, but Orson Scott Card is such a great writer with excellent character development that I could not put these down. Even if you don't buy the whole set, at least give the first book (Ender's Game) a try.

یکی از بهترین داستان های علمی تخیلی که خوندم. نه تنها با تکنولوژی بلکه با سفر به درون شخصیت های داستان و تنش های بین تمدنی در آینده (با نشانی هایی از حال) با ادویه ایده های خفن زیرکانه سیاسی و فروم های آنلاین و تم بازی های جنگی
نمیذاره کتاب رو تا مدت ها فراموش کنید و سراغ قسمت های بعدی اش نرین.

I have read all of the books in this series and I can honestly say I enjoyed each one of them. I read ender's game on my own time during the summer before freshmen year and fell in love with his story. I decided to continue with ender's story and bought speaker for the dead. I don't remember too much but I do know I loved it. I immediately bought xenocide after that one, however it took me about a year to actually finish due to distractions of books for school. I finally finished the series a few days ago and I loved it. I was expecting the books to get a little worse the longer the series went on but they didn't. These books went above my expectations in all aspects except the ending of Children of the Mind which I wish were a bit more like an ending and possibly more exciting. This ending does not deter from the beauty of the series and should not cause anyone not to read it. I recommend these books to everyone I know and I definitely suggest investing in one or all of them. I will be most likely rereading this series eventually and if not the whole series, at least Ender's Game.
To sum up; GREAT BOOKS WITH GREAT WRITING. READ THEM.

A nice series of books that really hold the plot theme well. Quality varies a little between books but they are all good, or great, reads. Ender's Game, the movie, is coming out in 2013. Read these books first, especially volume one.

The faster the big publishing firms collapse the better. Kindle is 50% more expensive than print. Buy USED, download an illegal PDF, (fair use once you own hardcopy) and let Orson Scott Card know his publisher is so greedy, he lost them a royalty. I want to use a big publisher for their marketing, but this crap keeps me a at so make money writing the scripts with rights. Death to Random House! As a loyal reader, do what it takes to break the back of greedy Time Warner.

Enders Game is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is amazing with character and story very good. The second one (Speaker for the dead) us just as good as the first one but in different ways. A most read to everyone

I don't have this physical set but I have listened to all four through Audible.com and I loved every minute of them. While the fourth book gets into some "weird" areas it was a thoroughly enjoyable series.

I would like to see this set made available for the Kindle Reader. I absolutely loved the first two novels Enders Game and Enders Shadow. I think this set would be an absolute bargain if it were made available for $25 for the whole set in Kindle form. I hope the store.com and the publisher comes to some sort of deal for the Kindle.

Those who have read Orson Scott Card, or in my case, listened to them, know that there are three things that separate him from mere mortal writers,
1. Increadible sense of story and the characters
2. Philosophical concepts worth of the Nobel Prize woven into the stories
3. Complete inability to be breef or to finish a story for that matter!

I have read the Quartet here and while most people only finished Ender's Game, which is the most action packed and where he predicted the internet, it is the last three books, particularly the Children of the Mind that trully show Orson Scott Card as a foremost philosopher of our times.

It is a great read and I wholeheartedly recommend it"

We purchased this box set for my 17 year old son- who discovered Ender's Game and permanently borrowed the book from the school library. I tried at most of the big chain stores to find all 4 Ender novels together but no luck. the store was the only place to carry the set. For anyone who hasn't discovered this series it is worth a read. As a 40 year old mother I have read it and thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. Can't wait to read "Ender in Exile".

I gave this 2 starts instead of 1 because I read all 4 books. I'm not impressed with Orson Scott Card's writing. Please note that this is not science fiction, it is poorly written drama comparable to a soap opera. Card creates one dimensional characters and uses meta-physical phenomenon to explain his story. If you want real SCIENCE fiction read Arthur C. Clarke, Issac Asimov, Alistair Reynolds or Stephen Baxter. I liked Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars series better and I couldn't even finish it.

Even though I'm one of the few that reviewed this series negatively, I feel these books aren't worth your time. If you really want to read them buy them at the used book store. Mine will be at the used book store soon. Hopefully I can get $5.00 credit for the set.

Ignore the psychopaths who berate Card for his politics (see other comments below and above). THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT SERIES in the genre and wholly great reads. The exploration of morality in the books gets the reader questioning your most deeply-held beliefs--not to make you doubt them, but to re-examine what the reader really values and believes. The series has compelling and creative characters, storyline. Excellent in every way.

Orson Scott Card is a very smart man, with a military mind. His writing skill is fantastic, but he is not without problems.
All of Card's characters are unrealistic. They are nothing like real people, let alone children. People make mistakes constantly, they say the wrong thing, they are sometimes petty, and they do timings that they regret.
Card's characters are too calculating,too mature, too perfect, too flawed in all the right ways. They are not even close to real. Bean is the only character who has an excuse to be abnormal.
Also, the Ender series starts out as a regular novel, with Ender's Game and eventually all of the characters dissolve and the books become prose. I almost feel like we were bamboozled into reading prose. It was good prose, but why didn't he just make up new characters and write an entirely other book?
All in all, I think that most if Card's books are worth reading, although some were, slightly boring in my opinion. Card has problems understanding people and once you understand that, most of the problems you may have with the books will become clearer. I hope you enjoy them anyways.

Orson Scott Card really did a good job with this series. These are exactly the type of book that I like, good explanation of the world in that age, good character basis, and layed the plot down perfectly.

These books are all fantastic. Orson Scott Card is one of the best storytellers I've encountered. The Ender series is written by an adult, but captures the thoughts and actions of children. These are a truly enjoyable read.

UPS never sucsefully delivered it apparently it required a signature but the strange thing is on at least 2 of the 3 days I was sitting in the living room and I never heard a knock on the door during the time that they supposedly tried to deliver it and only on the "3rd" day they tried to deliver it i found one of those notices unfortunately I found it that night after they had start the return process very disappointed all around

The Ender Quartet Box Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the MindThe first book was very good. The second book was not as good and the third was just terrible. The characters are not well developed and the prose was just ok. The story in the third book just strains credulity to the point of foolishness. Would not recommend this author and would not read any more of his books. There are just so many quality authors out there that these books would not be missed.

I loved these books - until I found out the Orson Scott Card is a Raving Looney! Read the politics above, but for my money, he went over the top when he called for the overthrow of the American Government if Gays were allowed to marry.

I wish you wouldn't spend your money on someone so obviously full of hate.

I only wish I could get all my money back for all the books of his I've bought over the years.