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Quick answer: If you loved Ender's Game, try Speaker for the Dead, Ender's Shadow, Red Rising, The Hunger Games, Old Man's War and Starship Troopers. Each one features brilliant young heroes, military strategy or big questions about war and humanity.
Orson Scott Card's science fiction classic follows Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a gifted child recruited to Battle School in orbit, where he trains to lead humanity's fleet against an alien race. Readers remember the zero-gravity battle games, the psychological pressure and the shocking twist. These books share the same mix of strategy, coming-of-age and moral complexity.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker for the Dead | Orson Scott Card | Science fiction | readers who want to follow Ender |
| Ender's Shadow | Orson Scott Card | Science fiction | readers who want Battle School again |
| Red Rising | Pierce Brown | Science fiction | readers who like brutal academies |
| The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins | Dystopian | readers who like young people forced to fight |
| Old Man's War | John Scalzi | Military science fiction | readers who like interstellar war |
| Starship Troopers | Robert A. Heinlein | Classic science fiction | readers who like military classics |
| The Forever War | Joe Haldeman | Classic science fiction | readers interested in the cost of war |
| Skyward | Brandon Sanderson | YA science fiction | readers who love pilots |
| The Martian | Andy Weir | Science fiction | readers who love problem-solvers |
| Dune | Frank Herbert | Science fiction | readers who like politics and prophecy |
| Leviathan Wakes | James S. A. Corey | Space opera | readers who like solar system politics |
| Scythe | Neal Shusterman | YA dystopian | readers who like moral dilemmas |
| The Maze Runner | James Dashner | YA dystopian | readers who like puzzles and survival |
| Hyperion | Dan Simmons | Science fiction | readers who like literary SF |
| Children of Time | Adrian Tchaikovsky | Science fiction | readers who like alien perspectives |
1. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Years later, Ender travels to a new world where humans have met another alien species. Quieter and more philosophical.
Best for: readers who want to follow Ender.
2. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
The events of Ender's Game retold from the point of view of Bean, a tiny genius from the streets.
Best for: readers who want Battle School again.
3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
A low-caste miner infiltrates the elite to bring down a cruel society from within.
Best for: readers who like brutal academies.
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss volunteers for a televised fight to the death.
Best for: readers who like young people forced to fight.
5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Seventy-five-year-olds are given new bodies to fight in an interstellar army.
Best for: readers who like interstellar war.
6. Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
A young recruit trains in the Mobile Infantry to fight alien bugs.
Best for: readers who like military classics.
7. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
A soldier fights an interstellar war in which time dilation leaves him out of step with home.
Best for: readers interested in the cost of war.
8. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
A girl trains to be a starfighter pilot to defend her planet.
Best for: readers who love pilots.
9. The Martian by Andy Weir
An astronaut stranded on Mars uses science and wit to survive.
Best for: readers who love problem-solvers.
10. Dune by Frank Herbert
A young noble must survive on a desert planet.
Best for: readers who like politics and prophecy.
11. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
A detective and a ship's officer uncover a conspiracy.
Best for: readers who like solar system politics.
12. Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Two teenagers train to become scythes in a world without natural death.
Best for: readers who like moral dilemmas.
13. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
A boy wakes in a maze with no memory.
Best for: readers who like puzzles and survival.
14. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Seven pilgrims share their stories on a journey to a mysterious planet.
Best for: readers who like literary SF.
15. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Humans fleeing a dying Earth discover a planet of evolving spiders.
Best for: readers who like alien perspectives.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Ender's Game: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more of Ender, read Ender's Shadow and Speaker for the Dead. If you want brutal academies and young leaders, try Red Rising, The Hunger Games or Skyward. Readers interested in war's cost should read The Forever War and Starship Troopers. For big ideas, choose Hyperion or Children of Time. Younger teens can start with Skyward or The Maze Runner.
Related: 15 Books Like A Game of Thrones You’ll Love: Epic, Gritty Fantasy · What Age Is Ender’s Game Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is Ender's Game for?
It is often read by ages 12 and up, though it includes violence.
Do I need to read the Ender books in order?
You can read Ender's Game alone, then choose Speaker for the Dead or the Shadow series.
Is Ender's Game a children's book?
It is about children, but it was written for adults and is popular with teens.
Is there a movie?
Yes. A film adaptation was released in 2013.
What is the twist in Ender's Game?
We won't spoil it, but the final battle has a revelation that changes everything.