So as you have all probably picked up by now, I'm obsessed with the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card. I'm on my twelfth book, I own ten of them, and I recently read the first book again for the third time (and the second book for the second time). I love Ender's Game. A lot.

So, naturally, I extend an invitation out to all of you to read it. At least to read the original Ender Quartet, if not all 13+ books (though the First Formic War trilogy isn't all that good so far, I'm afraid). And since you all know I have an excellent taste in books and instantly are scrambling to get your hands on copies of this series (right?), you may be wondering: where do you start? What order should you read the books in? Is there a set order?

The answer is yes, some books cannot be read without knowledge from the others. So here is my Official Recommended Ender's Game Reading Order:

Read them in order of publication.

That is:

Ender's Game

Speaker for the Dead (my FAVORITE OF ALL OF THEM)

Xenocide

Children of the Mind

Ender's Shadow

Shadow of the Hegemon

Shadow Puppets

Shadow of the Giant

Ender in Exile

Shadows in Flight (my second favorite of all of them)

Earth Unaware

Earth Awakens

Earth Afire

The Swarm

The Hive (not out yet)

The Queen (not out yet)

Children of the Fleet (not out yet)

(There are also a bunch of short stories that I haven't read yet.)

Now, there is some leeway on this list. I, for one, read Ender's Shadow right after Ender's Game and didn't read the four Shadow sequels until later. Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind all must be read in order, but are at the end of the timeline and therefore can be placed anywhere in the reading order. I strongly recommend reading them directly after Ender's Game, however, as 1) they're the best of the best in my opinion and 2) the lore they give is good information for the other books. Shadows in Flight and Ender in Exile can be switched, but (even though it's set directly after Ender's Game) Ender in Exile cannot be read without reading the Shadow Quartet first. Earth Unaware, Earth Awakens, and Earth Afire are all prequels, but not as good, and I don't think it's a good idea to read them before any of the sequels.

Basically, it's confusing, but my reading order will get you through the best.

Reading in publication order also helps you see the Enderverse grow and change and expand, and see Orson Scott Card's writing style evolves, which is awesome to see. 

If you like sci-fi at all, if you're ever planning on writing sci-fi or fantasy, or if you trust my sense of quality, read this series. It's so good.

Disclaimer: It does swear. *deep sighing* But when I reread Ender's Game for the third time I had my very own copy and I went through and crossed out all the swear words and felt very happy XD still, if I, who despises swearing, will read 12+ books with it, this must be really good, right?

(Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and Shadow of the Giant are the worst with the swearing. The rest don't have very much, and Speaker for the Dead has next to none.)

And finally, if you're a writer, read How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card. Seriously. You won't regret it.

Let me know if you decide to take this wondrous journey! I'll stay with you every step of the way.