Card Comments on Earth Unaware

Comic-Con and Earth Unaware

In his column for the Rhino Times, Ender’s Game author, Orson Scott Card, wrote about recently released movies, his recent trip to San Diego Comic-Con and his latest book, Earth Unaware which was released yesterday.

On the topic of Comic-Con, Card mostly writes about the amazing cuisine in San Diego. If anyone’s heading that way for a family vacation anytime soon, read his full article here. He did however write,

“Maybe the best thing about Comic-Con in San Diego is San Diego. Warm during the day but not too warm – the Alaska current keeps it cooled off as long as the breeze blows in from the sea. At nights, the drier air cools off so there’s relief, and sometimes even a chill.”

If that’s not enough to convince Ender fans to try to snag tickets for next year’s Comic-Con, remember that the Ender’s Game movie will likely have a much bigger presence next year.

On the topic of Earth Unaware, he is quick to note that he cannot fairly review his own work, but that he continues to enjoy the story a year after it was written. (***Spoiler!) He also reminds fans that although Mazer Rackham doesn’t have a large role in this first installment of the Formic Wars, he will be a crucial character in the second novel in the Formic Wars trilogy.

I can’t fairly review my own work, but I am happy to tell you that the first Ender’s Game prequel, Earth Unaware, the first of the Formic Wars novel series, cowritten with my good friend and brilliant fellow-writer Aaron Johnston, is now on the stands.

It’s the story of the people who have the first encounters with the aliens whose invasion of Earth gave rise to the story told in Ender’s Game. One character from the Ender series appears in this book – though only briefly (he returns big time in the next volume).

Most of our time is spent with the people who are working in the Kuiper Belt, in the outer reaches of the solar system – the people who are first to see and first to suffer from the invaders, who seem to make no effort to communicate before they start killing.

Aaron Johnston scripted the Formic Wars graphic novel series (Burning Earth; Silent Strike) from Marvel Comics; now we’re creating novel versions of the same story. In a novel, we have room to really flesh out the stories – the characters, the relationships, and a lot of what lies behind and around the action.

What with lead time, it’s been a year since we finished writing it, but I got an advance copy of the audiobook and I’ve been listening to it for the past week or so. The readers do a great job with it – and I’m delighted with the fact that if anything the book is even more enjoyable a year later! I hope you’ll like it, too.

Who’s finished Earth Unaware already? Tell us how you’re enjoying it in the comments!

Earth Unaware Hit Shelves!

Earth Unaware is finally out!

Head out to your local bookstore and pick up a copy or order one from Amazon. One of our readers has already got one, thanks @eaglecracker for the picture!

“The mining ship El Cavador is far out from Earth, in the deeps of the Kuiper Belt, beyond Pluto. Other mining ships, and the families that live on them, are few and far between this far out. So when El Cavador’s telescopes pick up a fast-moving object coming in-system, it’s hard to know what to make of it. It’s massive and moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light.

El Cavador has other problems. Their systems are old and failing. The family is getting too big for the ship. There are claim-jumping corporate ships bringing Asteroid Belt tactics to the Kuiper Belt. Worrying about a distant object that might or might not be an alien ship seems…not important.

They’re wrong. It’s the most important thing that has happened to the human race in a million years. The first Formic War is about to begin.”

I case you missed it, we interviewed co-author Aaron Johnston, click here to listen to Part 1 and Part 2. Click here to read an excerpt of Earth Unaware and listen to our special audiobook clip.

Nonso Anozie Talks Ender’s Game: No Scenes with Major Anderson

“Ender’s Game was a great movie and I’m looking forward to the world seeing it.”

In a recent interview with Ebony, Ender’s Game actor Nonso Anozie talked about his casting as Sergeant Dap. We learn that Dap has a first name, James. It’s also interesting to note that Anozie reveals he has no scenes with Viola Davis, who plays Major Anderson. Read the Ender’s Game part of the interview below:

EBONY: Speaking of the Big Easy, you recently filmed the upcoming sci-fi movie Ender’s Game there, tell us about your role in that project.

NA: Ender’s Game is set 60 years from now, earth has been attacked by aliens and we are preparing a preemptive attack on the intruders, the formic race. Kids have been recruited because they’ve got the fastest reflexes and can learn quicker and Sergeant James Dap, my character, is training them using war games, which the kids think are fake but they’re real. Sergeant Dap trains young Ender, a genius little kid with the opportunity to save earth from an attack of formic aliens. My character sees something special in Ender from the start so he’s extra hard on him. At first, the audience will think that Dap’s really mean but then, they’ll see it’s for a reason and he and Ender build a good relationship. Ender’s Game is fantastic and I’ve gotten to see quite a few bits and I love the way it’s turned out.

EBONY: Viola Davis and Harrison Ford also star in Ender’s Game, what was it like working with the Academy Award nominees?

NA: Viola Davis is a lovely person and we’d talk offset. I don’t have any scenes with her in the film but I’d come to set on my off days to watch because I enjoy all facets of movie making. Harrison Ford invited me to fly on his private plane to Los Angeles, and he’s great to work with. He’s really down to earth and we got to know each other quite well. Ben Kingsley is also in the movie and we worked together on another film so we’ve been great friends since then. Ender’s Game was a great movie and I’m looking forward to the world seeing it.

EBONY: What’s been most surprising about your role in the fim?

NA: Originally, it wasn’t written for a Black man, Sergeant Dap is a white guy in the book. But the casting staff liked me so much that I got the part and I get quite a few roles like that. As soon as I started acting in England, I got unusual roles. Although I’m 6 foot six and agents might standardly cast me in tough guy roles or the big guy in the back, I’ve been very blessed to do roles that makes them think twice about how they’re gonna cast me.

Click here to read the full interview.

Comic-Con Round Up: Ender’s Game

Comic-Con 2012

Ender’s Game had a small presence at Comic-Con this year, but here’s what you missed if you weren’t able to attend.

At the Smart Pop Books booth they gave away copies of their preview sampler, which included an excerpt of the forthcoming book Ender’s World. Ender’s Game fans were also entered into a drawing to win galley copies of Ender’s World.  Here’s what the booth and the preview sampler looked like:


 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Tor booth, Aaron Johnston and Orson Scott Card were signing copies of Earth Unaware.

At the Summit booth they displayed this Ender’s Game poster, gave out two different style Ender’s Game t-shirts and Ender’s Game pins.

We have a several dozen of these pins that we’ll be giving away in the near future. So watch out for the opportunities!

THE PHILOTIC ANSIBLE Podcast: Aaron Johnston, Part 2

(Part 2) Interview with Aaron Johnston, co-author of the forthcoming Ender prequel novel Earth Unaware: The First Formic War, featuring a young Mazer Rackham, in bookstores tomorrow, July 17, 2012.

We are very pleased to present the second podcast resulting from the partnership of The Philotic Web Ender Fan Community, and Ender’s Ansible. Click on the image to subscribe (it’s free).

In Part 1 of our interview with Aaron he discussed how he became a writer and his time on the set of the Ender’s Game movie. If you missed Part 1 and want to listen, click here.

In Part 2, Aaron gets into detail about working inside OSC’s Universe, gives us some insight into the expanding of Ender’s world as seen in The First Formic War series of novels, and hints at what is to come in the future of the Enderverse.

Listen to Part 2 of our interview here: Philotic Ansible #002b – Aaron Johnston, Part 2 (mp3, 33:57– Right Rlick to Save), stream below, or subscribe in iTunes.

Don’t forget to order your copy of Earth Unaware (due out tomorrow!), follow Aaron Johnston on Twitter, and listen to our special audiobook clip of Earth Unaware.

EDIT: A somewhat mixed-up version of the audio file had been linked earlier. This has been fixed. Apologies for the inconvenience or confusion.

Nonso Anozie Talks Ender’s Game Movie

London Comic-Con 2012

RedCarpetNewsTV caught up with Sergeant Dap actor, Nonso Anozie, at London’s Comic-Con yesterday where he spoke about the Ender’s Game movie. He describes his character as “A real hard-ass at first to Ender, a really bad guy. But at the end you really start to see there’s a reason why he’s been so hard on him.” He also mentions that he really enjoyed working with the younger cast, saying “I had a really great time working with him [Asa Butterfield].”

Anozie also says that he’s really enjoyed working on the film and that he’s not quite finished yet. He plans to meet up with the rest of the cast in the United States to finish up some final things. He teases, “It’s going to have a lot of things that no one’s seen before- a lot of computer graphics, a lot of visual effects. Kind of cutting edge. Stuff that nobody’s seen before.”

Watch the full interview below!

THE PHILOTIC ANSIBLE Podcast: Aaron Johnston, Part 1

Interview with Aaron Johnston, co-author of the forthcoming Ender prequel novel Earth Unaware: The First Formic War, featuring a young Mazer Rackham, in bookstores July 17, 2012.

We are very pleased to present the second podcast resulting from the partnership of The Philotic Web Ender Fan Community, and Ender’s Ansible. Click on the image to subscribe (it’s free).

AaronJohnstonPicThis, our second podcast, features an interview by Alea (from Philotic Web) with Aaron Johnston, long time friend and collaborator with Orson Scott Card, co-author of Invasive Procedures, the Formic Wars comics from Marvel, and the highly insightful essay ‘Getting Ender Right: A Look at the Ender’s Game Screenplay Development” in  The Authorized Ender Companion. See Aaron’s website for more information his background and output, and follow him on Twitter @AaronWJohnston.

Listen to Part 1 of our interview here: Philotic Ansible #002a – Aaron Johnston, Part 1(mp3, 32:44– Right Click to Save), stream below, or subscribe in iTunes.

In the first part of our interview, Aaron explains his history, background, and experience, and how he came to be a writer of fiction. He also explains his connection with the Ender’s Game film and screenplay as Associate Producer, gives us some tantalizing insight on the process of the film’s development, as well as thoughts on what he saw on the set of the film. Fun fact: Aaron’s going to  be an extra officer in the movie.

In Part 2 (coming next week), Aaron gets into detail about working inside OSC’s Universe, gives us some insight into the expanding of Ender’s world as seen in The First Formic War series of novels, and hints at what is to come in the future of the Enderverse. Stay tuned!

Pre-order your copy of Earth Unaware today, and check out our special Audio Book Preview of the first 8 minutes of the book!

The Philotic Ansible Podcast is still new. Please tell us your thoughts in the comments- likes, improvements you’d like to see, and future topics or tell us on Facebook.

Dear Valentine by Maurice Jones

Another Song Inspired by Ender’s Game

Maurice Jones is a singer songwriter from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who has been playing guitar and writing songs for about 10 years now. He’s been an Ender’s Game fan for lightly longer than that at 11 years, when he was first introduced to the book in high school. Naturally, this led him to write the song below inspired by Ender’s Game called “Dear Valentine.”

He tells us that he was inspired to capture what was going on inside Ender’s head. “The thoughts that could’ve been dwelling within his mind. Having to endure a lot of psychological and physical strain. Being torn apart from your family, learning to trust no one yet holding on to the thought of one person that can help him see this through. Living up to the fact that failure is not an option and empathy can used as a weapon or salvation. These thoughts and ideas were the driving force in the lyric writing process.”

“I wanted to convey the fact that Ender is giving a dying plea out to Valentine to save him because ultimately she is the only one that he can trust, even though she cant be there for him. […] I tried to take the somber, lonely, emotions of Ender and culminate it with the major themes and mood from the book. It was hard to try and sum up Ender’s Game through a 4 and half minute song but in the end I am very proud of it.”

Maurice Jones has one request, “All I ask is for you to close your eyes, turn it up and take a listen. Think about Ender and see where this song takes you. If you do that, I promise it wont disappoint.”

You can find the lyrics to “Dear Valentine” here. Maurice’s solo act can be found here and here’s his Facebook. & If you’re interested in hearing more Ender’s Game inspired songs, click here.

Earth Unaware Book Tour

San Diego, Greensboro, Lexington, and Dayton

Earth Unaware authors Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston will be signing copies of their Ender’s Game prequel, Earth Unaware, this summer. Check out the schedule below via Aaron’s site or pre-order yours from Amazon for July 17th.

For more informations on Earth Unaware click here.

 

 

 

Friday, July 13th at 12:00 – 1:00 PM
San Diego Comic-Con
TOR booth #2707
(Only five copies available!!)

 

Saturday, July 14 4:30 – 5:30 PM
San Diego Comic-Con
Post Panel signing Table AA09
(I’m told copies of the book will be available, but I don’t know how many)

 

Wednesday, July 18th at 7:00 PM
Barnes and Noble
3102 Northline Avenue
Greensboro, NC 27408

 

Thursday July 19th at 7pm: 
Joseph Beth Booksellers
161 Lexington Green Cir # B1
Lexington, KY 40503

 

Friday July 20th at 7:00 PM
Books & Co.
The Greene Shopping Center
4453 Walnut Street
Dayton, OH  45440
Phone: 937-429-2169

Orson Scott Card to Appear at Comic-Con 2012

A Panelist

Ender’s Game author, Orson Scott Card, will appear at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday July 14, from 3:00pm – 4:00pm in Room 23ABC. He well serve on a panel titled “A Wrinkle in Time” which will feature science fiction authors discussing other dimensions.

Comic-Con’s website describes the panel,

A Wrinkle in Time— ”To boldly go where no man has gone before” is the phrase that has greeted many of us who have looked to the heavens in awe. From the far-flung reaches of the Milky Way to the mind-bending possibilities of time travel, let the authors of speculative fiction tell you what they see when they venture to other dimensions. Board a starship to the future with David Brin (Existence), Deborah Harkness (Shadow of Night), Michael Cassutt (co-author of Heaven’s Shadow trilogy),Charles Yu (Sorry Please Thank You), Phil Hornshaw (co-author of So You Created a Wormhole), Peter F. Hamilton (The Nano Flower), Orson Scott Card (Earth Unaware, Ender’s Game), and Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time graphic novel), captained by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy.”

Attendees of Comic-Con remember: Smart Pop Books will be giving away Ender-related freebies! Click here to figure out how to get your hands on them!