Ender's Game
science fiction
Series · science fiction
The Formic Wars
The Formic Wars series by Orson Scott Card has 5 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Earth Unaware (2012).
- Books
- 5 books
- First published
- 2012
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Earth Unaware (2012) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Earth Unaware
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Earth Unaware - Book 2:
Earth Afire
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Earth Afire - Book 3:
Earth Awakens
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Earth Awakens - Book 4:
The Swarm
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Swarm - Book 5:
The Hive
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hive
About The Formic Wars
Co-written with Aaron Johnston, the Formic Wars novels are prequels to Ender's Game dramatizing the two alien invasions -- referred to throughout the original saga only in hindsight -- that shaped the world Ender is born into. The First Formic War trilogy (Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, Earth Awakens) follows the initial, catastrophic contact between humanity and the insectoid Formics (the 'Buggers' of Ender's Game), tracking mining-ship crews, military officers, and the young Mazer Rackham -- later Ender's own mentor -- as Earth scrambles to survive a war it doesn't understand and is comprehensively losing.
The Second Formic War duology (The Swarm, The Hive) jumps forward to the buildup of the massive counter-invasion fleet and International Fleet command structure that Ender's Game takes for granted, following the political maneuvering and military desperation that produces the Battle School program Ender is eventually recruited into. Read together, the five novels function as an origin story for everything Ender's Game treats as pre-existing background.
How to read this series
Read the First Formic War trilogy first (Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, Earth Awakens), then the Second Formic War duology (The Swarm, The Hive) -- publication order and internal chronology match. All five books are prequels and can be read before or after Ender's Game itself; reading them first gives useful context for why Earth's institutions look the way they do when Ender arrives at Battle School, while reading them after adds dramatic irony, since you already know how the war Earth is fighting here eventually ends.
Frequently asked questions
How many Formic Wars books are there?
Five: the First Formic War trilogy (Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, Earth Awakens) and the Second Formic War duology (The Swarm, The Hive), all co-written by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston.
What order should I read the Formic Wars books in?
Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, Earth Awakens, then The Swarm and The Hive -- publication order matches internal chronology across both sub-trilogies.
Do I need to read the Formic Wars before Ender's Game?
No -- they're prequels written well after Ender's Game (2012 onward vs. 1985) and work either as background before it or as added context afterward.
Are the Formic Wars books written entirely by Orson Scott Card?
No -- all five are co-written with Aaron Johnston, who is credited as full co-author throughout the sequence.
How do the Formic Wars connect to Ender's Game?
They dramatize the two alien invasions that Ender's Game only references in passing, including the war that made Mazer Rackham a hero and established the Battle School and International Fleet that shape Ender's own story.
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Reading order last verified .