Ender's Saga reading order

A plan for the whole series

7 volumes, 2,521 pages, about 45 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 9 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 6, “The Last Shadow” (by 82%).
• Readers scored volume 3, “Xenocide”, below its predecessor (7.6 after 8.4). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 6, 2027, 7 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 116 habout 3 weeksby November 19, 2026

   • 1. Ender's Game1985 · 336 pages · 6 h
   • 1.5. A War of Gifts: An Ender Story2007 · 126 pages · 2 h
   • 2. Speaker for the Dead1986 · 416 pages · 8 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 23, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 217 habout 3 weeksby December 16, 2026

   • 3. Xenocide1991 · 576 pages · 11 h
   • 4. Children of the Mind1996 · 352 pages · 6 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 19, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 313 h17 daysby January 6, 2027

   • 5. Ender in Exile2008 · 400 pages · 7 h
   • 6. The Last Shadow2021 · 315 pages · 6 h
6. The end of the series

   January 6, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: best at the start. Readers scored the first volumes (8.6) above the last ones (7.6).

Best volume: Ender's Game (8.8, 4,910 ratings). Weakest: Children of the Mind (7.4). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 5 and 6: 82%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.6) is below the average (7.9); the best volumes come earlier.