Part of Ender's Saga by Orson Scott Card, book 0.5
First published 2004
John Paul Wiggin sits in a Hegemony recruitment center, his brilliant tactical mind drawing attention from military commanders desperate to find leaders for the coming alien war. This collection follows the Wiggin family across decades of conflict and consequence. "The Polish Boy" reveals how John Paul's genius first caught the Hegemony's eye during the tense years between Bugger invasions. "Teacher's Pest" shows the young man's intellectual battles as a university student facing off against a formidable graduate student rival. After the wars end, his son Andrew Wiggin moves through distant worlds as a hunted exile in "The Investment Counselor," hiding his identity as the boy who destroyed an entire alien species until a corrupt tax inspector threatens to expose him. The original "Ender's Game" novella completes the collection. These four stories map the terrible price of military genius across two generations, from father to son.
Genres: science-fiction, historical-fiction, military-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: Hegemony
Period: Bugger Invasions
212 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Tor