Reading order · 5 books · 1985 to 2008 · Set in space
Ender Quintet in Order
The Ender books follow Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a child genius trained at Battle School to fight an alien invasion, and his life afterwards as a voice for the dead.
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Series facts
- Books
- 5
- Published
- 1985 to 2008
- First book
- Ender's Game
- Latest
- Ender in Exile (2008)
- Setting
- Set in space
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Ender Quintet book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
5 books · Set in space
- 1Ender's Game1985With Andrew "Ender" WigginAndrew “Ender” Wiggin, a six-year-old genius, is taken to Battle School, a military academy in orbit around Earth, to be trained as a commander in the war against an alien race.Buy on Amazon
- 2Speaker for the Dead1986With Andrew "Ender" WigginThree thousand years later, Ender, now a Speaker for the Dead, travels to the planet Lusitania, where humans live alongside an alien species.Buy on Amazon
- 3Xenocide1991With Andrew "Ender" WigginA deadly virus on Lusitania threatens both humans and aliens.Buy on Amazon
- 4Children of the Mind1996With Andrew "Ender" WigginEnder and his family race to save the planet and its peoples.Buy on Amazon
- 5Ender in Exile2008With Andrew "Ender" WigginAfter the war, young Ender travels to one of the new colonies.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read Ender’s Game first. Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind follow Ender as an adult; Ender in Exile fills the gap between the first two.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Andrew "Ender" Wiggin | Valentine Wiggin | Novinha | Jane |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ender's Game | LLead | MMajor | ||
| 2 Speaker for the Dead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 3 Xenocide | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 4 Children of the Mind | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 5 Ender in Exile | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Ender Quintet books
7 characters from Orson Scott Card’s chart, with the number of Ender Quintet books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew "Ender" WigginChild commander | 5 | Ender's Game 1985 |
| Valentine WigginEnder's sister | 5 | Ender's Game 1985 |
| NovinhaXenobiologist on Lusitania | 3 | Speaker for the Dead 1986 |
| JaneIntelligence born in the ansible network | 3 | Speaker for the Dead 1986 |
| Peter WigginEnder's ruthless brother | 1 | Ender's Game 1985 |
| Julian "Bean" DelphikiTiny genius from the streets | 1 | Ender's Game 1985 |
| Petra ArkanianBattle School commander | 1 | Ender's Game 1985 |
Crossovers with Orson Scott Card’s other series
- Shadow: Andrew "Ender" Wiggin also appears in 1 of its books