How were u introduced to EG?

[theinvid]

Hi, new here but not new to EG. I'm curious to find out how everyone was introduced to EG.
I'll begin with my little story.

First off I'm a fan of 3 major franchises. Star Wars, Robotech and Ender's Game.

When I was in HS I was 'forced' to read certain books for class. I pretty much never cared for any of the required reading books. I thought that I hated reading in general until I one day read a Star Wars book and found that I really enjoyed it.
So...I read every star wars book I could get my hands on.
In college (early 20's) I had a close friend that suggested I read Ender's Game and handed me a copy. Here I was again, someone telling me what I should read. I read the cover of the book and immediately judged that it wouldn't be any good.

The book sat in the trunk of my car for MONTHS. One day as I was waiting for my buddies at the raquetteball court I realized that I was about 30 minutes early and didn't have my latest star wars book to help pass the time. I remembered the EG book in the trunk and figured...well...let's read a few pages until they get here.
Well, I immediately knew upon reading the first page that I was going to read the entire book. I became excited about it and couldn't put it down.

I had never read something so easy to read and yet also so deep at the same time. It immediately became my favorite book of all time (not that I had experimented much with other authors/genres). It was also the first book that I EVER read a 2nd time. Scott Card opened my eyes to the fact that there are other great books out there and I should give them a chance. I quite literally judged the book by the cover in regards to EG and boy was I wrong to do so.

Ofcourse, now I've read the book many times and am about to re-read the entire series yet again. (something I do every year or 2)

EG is still my favorite book/series of all-time and I owe a debt of gratitude to my friend that loaned me the book. Now I'm more of an EG fan than he is. I make it a point to share EG with as many EGVirgins as possible and have bought numerous copies to give away.

My friend made a casual recommendation and loaned me the book...little did he know (nor I at the time) what a tremendous gift he had bestowed upon me.

--theinvid

[locke]

Great story! thanks for sharing.

[buckshot]

I first heard EG on XM, my daughters got me a sat radio for my tractor and I got hooked on EG right away . It really sucks waiting for a 30 minute show so i always buy each audio book first. I re read the books when I have time but I love the audio books when traveling or driving tractor. I`m frustrated now having to wait for OSC to kick out some new stuff so i`m gratefull to have this site , a haven to stir in with fine folks like Jebus to round with.

"Happiness is" a large loving family, In another city, George Burns.

[Person122]

There have been many instances where I have had a book sit around before I read it and it turned out to be good. Unfortunately if I read a book and wasn't immediately hooked, I tend to put it aside, and sometimes not pick it up again. I probably missed many a good book this way.

Last year, I had to read Ender's Game for required reading in school, and upon reading the first chapter, I was immediately hooked. Eventually, I found Ender's Shadow and Speaker for the Dead and read them. Then this summer, I reserved all of the available Ender books from my public library system at the same time, and apparently they were really popular because it took a while for me to get any of the books. I ended up reading them in a strange order probably because I was just anxious to read any Ender book, no matter in what order.

[bonzo's_pride]

i had to read ender's game for my juvenile literature class in college. i was hooked and blew through the rest of the ender/shadow series that was out at the time. i now own nearly all of the OSC collection. just a few to add...that i know about. i have since handed out dozens of copies of OSC books to friends and they have all been hooked.

[spola003]

I had to read Ender's Game for a sci fi class this year in college. I was never really a sci fi fan and a lot of the readings were somewhat difficult for me. But, I actually really enjoyed this book. I think that this is a great book to start sci fi reading because of the fact that it is a somewhat easier read than a lot of the other books were.
This book, I got hooked pretty quickly actually. It was intriguing to me to read about a world in which a young child would be considered for basically being in the military, and knowing that he would excel in military operations.
I finished this book in one sitting, which isn't something that I do all that often! Definitely a neat read!

[not_vichyssoise]

I had the book first reccomended by my dad. i was 12 when i first read it so i didnt understand everything but i still loved it. i then followed up by reading the rest of the series within the next 2 months and Ender has been my favorite series ever since

[Jeesh_girl15]

Oh my gosh, that's exactly what happened to me. We were even the same age. Except it was my mom, and I think I read the whole series in less than a week.

Has anyone welcomed you yet? Well, welcome to Pweb, n_v.

[not_vichyssoise]

thanks, i love this site. its nice to be able to read wat other people think of the series

[Jeesh_girl15]

You'll definitely love it here. I certainly do, and it's not like Iv'e been here for a while.

[^Peter]

8th grade Lit teacher lent me a copy to read, and I loved it. The past school year I read every single one of them.

[Jeesh_girl15]

So, your teacher lent you the book, thinking you would like it? Wow, if that's what happened to me, I would thank God for a teacher like that.

[Gravity Defier]

One of my students borrowed my personal copy and never brought it back; it was the one I bought for my English class in high school, the first copy I ever read. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea at the time.

[^Peter]

Yeah, she was one of my favorite teachers, and she noticed I was reading a book over (I think it was Artemis Fowl) and she had a class set of Ender's Games.

[Aesculapius]

I had to read it for and Independant Novel Study in Grd 10. BEST english class I've ever had. For some reason my friends were never that interested it in. I mean, what's NOT great about EG? It's one of the best novels I've ever read.

I thanked my teacher so much for making us read that.

[stahl5336]

I was assigned to read it for a college SF course. It was a wonderful story, one I plan on reading more of! I think that it is one of the best books I have read in a long long time. I since there is a lot ahead for Ender and the human race.

[Tcashon]

I randomly picked up this book out of the Science fiction section at my high-school library many many years ago. I started reading in one class and couldn't stop. My statistics teacher had to get on to me for reading in class because I just couldn't put the story down.

I then started reading again when I got home, and around 4am I came to the end of one of the best, most engrossing stories I have ever read.

From then on out it was love for OSC, I bought/read the rest of the Ender and Shadows series, read all of the Alvin Maker books, and even picked up some of this collections such as Maps in a Mirror, etc.

I can't help it, I love the way the man writes and it's so easy for me to fall into his stories.

EDIT: I even went so far as to purchase and play "Advent Rising" for Xbox, I personally loved the game and wanted a sequel......"

[megxers]

My brother & dad had read it and recommended it (well, my dad did, my younger brother hated the ending), so I brought it to class one day when the teacher was okaying books for us to read for a book project. Actually, I brought it as a back up in case the Pratchett novel I really wanted to use for the project was deemed below grade level or whatever. The teacher saw Ender's Game and said it was okay if I read the Pratchett, but I had to read Ender's Game as well. So I did. And then my best friend spoiled Xenocide during Algebra. It has been 7 years and I still hold it against him. He finds it hilarious.

[Jeesh_girl15]

then my best friend spoiled Xenocide during Algebra. It has been 7 years and I still hold it against him. He finds it hilarious.

How did he spoil it?

[ifloyd-UMD]

I had to read the book for a college science fiction course and I found it to be one of the best novels we've read in it. I made it through Ender's Game in two days and now have a strong desire to read the other books in the series.

[Jeesh_girl15]

I had to read the book for a college science fiction course and I found it to be one of the best novels we've read in it. I made it through Ender's Game in two days and now have a strong desire to read the other books in the series.

You should, they might even be better.

[megxers]

then my best friend spoiled Xenocide during Algebra. It has been 7 years and I still hold it against him. He finds it hilarious.

How did he spoil it?

Everything involving Peter. Who happens to be my favorite character so I was thoroughly unimpressed. I learned my lesson, though- to finish all the available books in a series before mentioning to someone that you are reading a book in it.

[Jeesh_girl15]

Oh, well, I have to agree, I guess...

[Baran]

First off, Hi, I'm new here. I love the little registration test, the enemy's gate is ____. I always thought that captcha's should be more like that...

Anyway.. How did I find out about Ender's Game? Well, I've always been a voracious reader... Reading in class, at home, whenever I can. In 5th grade, school was ending and my teacher, Mrs. Taylor, asked me if this book that she found on the floor was mine. It was called... Ender's Game. I'd never heard of the book, and I asked around. By the end of the day, no one had claimed, so by school rules it was mine.
I started reading it on the ride home... I didn't leave the car till I had finished (it was pretty late). I then went to sleep, woke up, and started to read it again. And again. And again. Eventually, I showed it to my brother. Ender's Game had that quality, that most good books have, in that you don't even notice that you are reading because you are so sucked into the story. We must have read the book a dozen times each that week. We walked to the library and checked out Speaker for the Dead. Now, this was 5th grade... Speaker was a bit advanced for me (and all modesty aside, that's saying something). I didn't like it as much, and we decided that Ender's Game must have been Orson Scott Card's best work.
We read it every few weeks for a year or two, forcing friends to read it too. After a while, one of my brother's friends asked if we liked Ender's Shadow.
It started all over again.
Now, years have passed... We've learned to appreciate Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and the rest... Though Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are still far better, in my opinion. That copy of Ender's Game has become our lending-copy, and is lent out to friends while we keep a copy at home for us (though both copies are currently out, since my brother has our copy at his school). A good 6 months had gone without and OSC... Then I reread Ender's Shadow...
I had forgotten how much fun reading can be. I'm currently about halfway through Songmaster (for the dozenth time). We own most of OSC's works, and have read most many times (though Hart's Hope and Treasure Box.... Only once...)
Ender's Game... I've borrowed so many of its sayings... I can't imagine life without Card. His ideas, his arguments...
Ah, I've started rambling. That means it is time to hit post.

[Jeesh_girl15]

Now, this was 5th grade... Speaker was a bit advanced for me (and all modesty aside, that's saying something). I didn't like it as much, and we decided that Ender's Game must have been Orson Scott Card's best work.

Agreed... though I was in 6th.

[Luet]

Welcome, Baran!

Sorry you didn't get a welcome sooner. Glad you found your way here and I hope you wander over to Milagre where all the action is.

[Jeesh_girl15]

I agree to that too. And welcome.

[Pseudonym]

I was far ahead of the rest of my grade 9 english class, and the teacher told me to take a week off from class. So on the third day of having a spare period, I decided to look for a decent book in the library to pass the time. A very nice girl a few years my senior suggested it to me as I was browsing the Science Fiction section. I wish I could remember her name because she changed my life with that one little action

[JeffersonSteelflex]

I was getting dressed in a hurry after my 9th period gym class. Lit class was next and I had the 10mins dress time and 5 minute passing period to read two chapters. I couldn't afford to continue failing this class because I needed it to graduate. I'd made it to my senior year w/o ever in my life reading a full book. The closest I came was Attack of the Mutant, a Goosebumps book back in 5th grade, and I didn't finish that because they started playing them on tv. So while everyone changed, I read and dressed and read. It was mostly scanning but I absorbed nearly the whole 2 chapters in the rushed 15mins. Walked into class and aced the test. On the bus ride home I cracked the book back open and reread the chapters and kept going. Ender's Game had consumed me. Two days later and the class was only up to chapter 5, while I (who had never read a book) was done in 3 days. I had two weeks to do nothing in class.

The year was over and I didn't like this particular teacher, so I decided, "You're not getting your book back." A year later when I was working at a warehouse, I did my work so fast everyday I needed a way to fill my down time. I filled a few days with more Ender's Game until I decided I had to have more. So the next time my mom went to the bookstore I tagged along and bought the only other copies in the series they had at the time, ES, SotH, and CotM. Obviously this is in no way the correct order to read them in but I was stuck with what this one horse town had to offer, two big name book retailers (Barnes and Noble, Borders) and only 3 books between them. WTF! I even tried the next two towns. Neither even had a copy of EG.

A few months rolled by and the books started going up on the shelves finally. So every pay day during lunch I'd jet up to the bookstore to see if there was anything new. Eventually I completed the set, including War of Gifts and First Meetings. Since then I've spent about 40 bucks in copies of EG simply to give to people.

With the exception of EiE, I've read them all cover to cover no less than 6 times each, the shadow series being my favorite. The best thing about OSC's books is that no matter how many times I read them, even though I know the books backwards and forwards, I never get the same feelings and lessons. Each read through is a different experience. The worst part, is that they eventually end. Ender's Game has givin me the moral compass that guides me today, and it's worked out pretty well so far.

[Astrum]

My mother read Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead while she was in High School. I like to read quite a bit more than most other people, and she bought me a set containing Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Shadow of the Hegemon when I was 12. I have since read every book and own 6 of them.

[PetraArkanian]

My story is a little embarassing, but hey I was a child of the 90's...

I'm not sure if they are still around but there was a campaign to get kids to read called, "Get Caught Reading" anyway, Jake Lloyd who played little Anakin in the first Star Wars movie was on one of those posters, reading Ender's Game. I thought he was really cute at the time so I read Ender's Game and loved it I have since read them all. Good to know something positive came out of The Phantom Menace right?

[Syphon the Sun]

I have that poster hanging in my home office.

[perspicacious.emperor]

EG was my second OSC book. I finally forced myself to read it after my obsession with Songmaster toned down.

[shadow-petra]

I couldn't find a book to read, and my friend said to read EG for like 2 weeks. and then I gave in and did it. Best decision everrr

[Satya]

It was the first time I went to public school. I was homeschooled or church-schooled, but there were a few semesters between 3rd and 5th grade we didn't have the money for it so I went to public school. There was this reading contest going on for a few weeks; teams of 4 would read a list of 16 books, divy them up how they wanted, and then there would be a contest between the teams to answer questions from the books. I didn't know anyone so I didn't have a team, but I wanted in on the contest, so they found this girl that also didn't have a team and put us together for a 2-person team. We couldn't get all 8 of each of our books read, but we did the best we could and still ended up getting 2nd place despite having a half a team. Of course, we were both voracious readers (from not having any friends to distract us. Or were we distracting ourselves from not having any friends by putting ourselves in the world of fiction? A question for another time) and most kids at that age aren't.

The point is, Ender's Game was among the books on the list, and as fate would have it, was one of the 8 that she didn't want to read.