cover image First Meetings

First Meetings

Orson Scott Card. Tor Books, $17.95 (208pp) ISBN 978-0-7653-0873-3

Ender's Game, first published 25 years ago, and three other novellas by Orson Scott Card comprise First Meetings: In the Enderverse. In ""The Polish Boy"" (2002), which occurs between the two Bugger Wars, the Hegemony tries to draft a boy genius, John Paul Weiczorek, to help ward off an alien invasion. In ""Teacher's Pest,"" written especially for this collection, John Paul (now known as John Paul Wiggin) spars with the brilliant graduate student who teaches his class at the university. John Paul's son, Ender Wiggin, stars in ""Ender's Game,"" as he trains in Battle School to lead an army against an alien army. And finally, in ""Investment Counselor"" (2000), Ender has been accused of mass murder and, traveling as Andrew Wiggin, he avoids detection with the help of a mysterious financial adviser.