Ender's Ansible | Ender's Game Fansite: A news resource for the Ender's Game movie and book series.

CLOSED Giveaway: Fan-Made ‘Ender’s Game’ Posters

Posted on March 23, 2013 by CassandraApril 1, 2013

by Artist Darian Robbins

Hey Ansible readers! We’re giving away some posters from ‘Ender’s Game’ artist Darian Robbins. Darian has rendered designs that appear in various ‘Ender’s Game’ comic books, including the battle school crest and a drawing of Steve Sywak’s battle school design. He has also designed army logo T-shirts that appear in Orson Scott Card’s online store.

We will randomly select 3 winners at the end of the contest and each winner will receive one poster designed by Darian of his/her choice. The rules are simple:

1. Be a resident of the United States or Canada. (Minors, please ask your parents for permission before entering this giveaway.)

2. You have the opportunity to enter only twice.

First, you can leave one comment on this post telling us which poster is your favorite. Multiple comments by the same user will be deleted. Please fill in your email address when you comment so we can contact you if you win!

Secondly, you can tweet both Darian and the Ender’s Ansible Twitter once. Example: “@Darian_Robbins @EndersAnsible I love the Save China poster! #endersgame”

3. This giveaway will end on Sunday March 31, 2013 at 11:59 PM PST.

The three randomly selected winners will be announced on Monday April 1, 2013. The winners will have one week to claim their posters by emailing us which poster they would like and their full name and address as it should be mailed. If any winner has not claimed his/her prize in one week then he/she forfeits the prize and a new winner will be selected.

Some of Darian’s posters are pictured below Check out more of Darian Robbins’ ‘Ender’s Game’ posters and other fan art on Darian’s blog or in our fan art gallery.

Winners:

#10 “Graff17”
#21 “Trevor”
#9 “Are you there?”

Please email us your full name and address as it should be put on the mailing label. Also, tell us which poster you would like.

Beyond Fiction: Jane

Posted on March 23, 2013 by CassandraMay 4, 2013

Meet Jane’s Common Ancestor, Siri

Her voice was a whisper from the jewel in his ear. […]

The computers of the Hundred Worlds were hands and feet, eyes and ears to her. She spoke every language that had ever been committed to computers, and read every book in every library on every world. […]

Ender smiled. Despite Jane’s vast wisdom, she had no understanding of kinship. Though she had been created by humans and conceived herself in human terms, she was not biological.

—’Speaker for the Dead’ by Orson Scott Card, pages 58 – 67

Jane is more than Ender’s virtual personal assistant. She’s Ender’s closest friend and constant companion. She runs his programs and searches, schedules his travels, and knows Ender well enough to tease him.

You already know where we are going with this. Yes, we are talking about Apple’s Siri. Siri is a voice recognition software for newer Apple devices. The program, voiced by a female named Siri, can schedule your appointment reminders, give you the weather forecast, and even tell you a joke. Siri cannot whisper, but her voice through a bluetooth device would be very similar to Jane’s voice in Ender’s jewel.

While these things are handy, what really relates Siri to Jane are Siri’s sometimes unexpected remarks. Siri is programmed with more than enough cheeky responses to remind ‘Ender’s Game’ fans of Jane’s sassy attitude. For example, tell Siri that it is your birthday and she begins to sing “the happy birthday song” only to stop and remind you that she cannot because the song is copyrighted. Siri may not be a sentient being like Jane, but she has enough whit that someone created this website.

On a final note, if you have ever contemplated changing your Siri’s name to Jane, Apple does not allow it. We’ve tried.

Have you ever thought, “This reminds me of ‘Ender’s Game,’” while reading an article? Our new column, ‘Beyond Fiction’ is dedicated to sharing those stories. Each Saturday we’ll publish a piece both reminiscent and beyond the fiction of ‘Ender’s Game’. Of course, if you’d like to nominate a feature, please contact us.

Official ‘Ender’s Game’ Movie Twitter Account

Posted on March 21, 2013 by CassandraMarch 21, 2013

Mysterious Website

We have confirmed with ‘Ender’s Game’ PR and the Twitter handle @EndersGameMovie is the official Twitter account for the ‘Ender’s Game’ movie.

It’s interesting to note that the website if-sentinel.com is linked in the description of the Twitter account. The website leads to a forbidden webpage (for now), but we’re assuming the “IF” stands for international fleet. The definition of sentinel is a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch.

There’s no official word on what this website will be used for, but it’s worth noting that it might be a parallel to Lionsgate’s publicity for ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise. Last year Lionsgate launched the thecapitol.pn, a website where fans could register as citizens of the fictional Panem. The website also serves as location for Lionsgate to reveal interesting peeks into film.

Speculate in the comments. What do you think if-sentinel.com will be used for?

The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.

‘Ender’s Game’ Movie Trailer Shown at GAMA Trade Show

Posted on March 19, 2013 by CassandraMarch 20, 2013

Positive Response to ‘Ender’s Game’ Trailer

Attendees at of the Gama Trade Show in Las Vegas got an exclusive sneak peek of the ‘Ender’s Game’ movie trailer today, Tuesday March 19. Cryptozoic Entertainment, a sponsor of the event, is apparently responsible for showing the trailer to fans. Recall that Cryptozoic Entertainment will release a board game and trading card game in the future to help promote the ‘Ender’s Game’ film.

Fans tweeted their positive response to the ‘Ender’s Game’ trailer:

There is no date for the public release of the first ‘Ender’s Game’ teaser trailer.

UPDATE: Viewers of the trailer have told us that the trailer was about a minute and a half long. They say that the footage was raw and that not all of the special effects were completed. However, everyone agrees that it was very good.

The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.

Thanks staff member @EnderSpeaker!

Beyond Fiction: Taboo Names

Posted on March 16, 2013 by CassandraMay 4, 2013

Names Tainted by Evil Acts

The Speaker grimaced. “Try ‘Ender.’ “

“Ender? The Xenocide?”

“Just try it.”

It worked. Olhado didn’t get it. “Why would you have a password like that? It’s like having a dirty word for your password, only the system won’t accept any dirty words.”

“I have an ugly sense of humor,” the Speaker answered.

—’Speaker for the Dead’ by Orson Scott Card, page 187

Although Ender is only in his thirties in ‘Speaker for the Dead’ he has traveled the universe long enough for history to change his reputation. It’s after Ender writes ‘The Hive Queen’ that humanity stops celebrating his victory over the formics and begin calling him “Ender the Xenocide.” The name “Ender” soon becomes synonyms with murder and is greeted with general disgust.

Like the fictional taboo of the name “Ender”, there are a wealth of taboo names society has deemed unfit for a child. For example, fewer parents are willing to name their baby “Adolf” after the rise of Adolf Hitler. In New Zealand, the name Adolf is even banned. Other names that have become taboo because of obvious evil connotations are Hussein (Saddam Hussein), Lucifer (the Devil), and Hannibal (Hannibal Lecter).

In ‘Speaker for the Dead’ Ender signs humanity’s treaty with the piggies under the name “Ender Wiggin.” He does so in hopes that it will bring positive attributes back to his name. “The name sounded ugly even to his own ears. He heard it too often as an epithet. […] Maybe the presence of that name on the first treaty between humans and ramen will do something to change the meaning of the name” (page 349). Like Ender, someone with any of these names might do something to gain social popularity. Maybe then the taboo surrounding these names will diminish.

Source: Daily Mail

‘Earth Awakens’ is the Last Novel in ‘Ender’s Game’ Prequel Trilogy

Posted on March 15, 2013 by CassandraMarch 19, 2013

Book 3 Title Announcement

Author Aaron Johnston has just announced the title of the third novel in the First Formic War Trilogy via his Twitter. ‘Earth Awakens’ by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston does not have a release date yet.

The first two novels are ‘Earth Unaware’ and ‘Earth Afire’. ‘Earth Unaware’ is available for purchase and ‘Earth Afire’ will be released on June 4, 2013. Pre-order ‘Earth Afire’ here.

‘Earth Unaware’ Spanish Cover Released

Posted on March 13, 2013 by CassandraMarch 13, 2013

Looks Awesome

Check out the Spanish cover of ‘Earth Unaware’ by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston! This image comes to fans from co-author Aaron Johnston’s Twitter. Follow him for more important updates!

Earth Unaware is the first book in a planned prequel trilogy to ‘Ender’s Game’. Buy it on Amazon here.

Abigail Breslin Hopes She Did Valentine Wiggin Justice

Posted on March 12, 2013 by CassandraMarch 12, 2013

Everyone Loves Valentine

Abigail Breslin recently spoke with Tribute.ca to promote her new movie, ‘The Call’. When asked about her role in the ‘Ender’s Game’ movie Abigail was quick to point out that her character, Valentine Wiggin, is a very loved character. She says that she hopes she did Valentine justice. Read below:

You have several movies coming up, but one big one is Ender’s Game.

It was really fun working on that movie. I loved working with Asa Butterfield. It’s fun to meet people and when they ask, “What have you been working on?” and when I say Ender’s Game, they freak out. A lot of people love my character Valentine and they say, “I wish I had a sister like her.” She’s a much-loved character from the book so I hope that I did her justice to the fans out there.

Read Abigail Breslin’s full interview with Tribute.ca here. Also, don’t miss Abigail Breslin as a guest on ‘Live with Kelly and Michael’ tomorrow, Wednesday March 13, 2013.

The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.

Jimmy Pinchak Performs in Los Angeles Area

Posted on March 12, 2013 by CassandraMarch 12, 2013

Catch Him Again This Friday March 15th – ALL AGES WELCOME

Jimmy Pinchak (Peter Wiggin) performed with his band, The Jimmy Jax Pinchak Band last Friday March 8, 2013 at Molly Malones in Los Angeles. The band played to a crowd of about 75 people.

After his set he took the time to take pictures with fans and sign their copies of ‘Ender’s Game’.

If you missed his performance, either because you were busy or under the age of 21, fear not. The Jimmy Jax Pinchak Band is performing again this Friday March 15, 2013 at 9:15 PM. They are booked at

Rusty’s Surf Ranch
256 Santa Monca Pier
Santa Monica, CA 90401.

All ages are welcome to attend and ‘Ender’s Game’ fans are encouraged to come out and get their book signed by Jimmy after his set.

A special thanks to a handful of our readers who found the owner and editor of Ender’s Ansible, Cassandra, at Molly Malones on Friday. Enjoy your ‘Ender’s Game’ buttons! Also, a special thanks to Jimmy who gave us a shout out on the microphone between songs.

‘Ender’s Game’ Inspired Design

Posted on March 11, 2013 by CassandraMarch 10, 2013

‘Game On’ by Drew Brockington

Meet Drew Brockington. He’s an ‘Ender’s Game’ fan who discovered his love for design in college. He started out designing album covers and posters for local bands, but he has since moved on to creating logos and T-shirt designs.

He tells us that he’s been a fan of ‘Ender’s Game’ since he first read it in the sixth grade. He says, “It was the same copy that my two older brothers read. The paper back is almost destroyed, but it’s like a holy relic in my family. It has a spot of prominence on a bookshelf in my home.”

As you can image, a dual love of design and ‘Ender’s Game’ sparked inspiration for a spectacular project. Drew worked on the design pictured here for almost one year. He began sketching the project he calls ‘Game On’ while riding the train to work each morning; see early sketches of the design at the right. He wanted his design to reflect the three dimensional space of the battle room. “I wanted something that could show the dimensions of the battles, but without getting too specific to the actual characters,” Drew describes. Drew’s ‘Ender’s Game’ inspired design is available for purchase as t-shirts, prints, laptop skins and more. You can purchase them from his Society6 store.

Drew is looking forward to the release of the ‘Ender’s Game’ movie this November. He thinks Harrison Ford is the “perfect kind of grumpy” for Colonel Graff, and he can’t wait to see how the production team has designed the game simulators.

Drew Brockington is currently working on his own graphic novel called ‘Beacon’. The first two chapters will not be released until April, but you can preview it here. To see more of his designs visit Drew’s website, and follow him on Twitter and Tumblr.