title: Earth Afire
text: # Earth Afire
  
  Ender's Game series :
  
  Chronology :
  
  In chronological order
  
  Earth Unaware
  
  Earth Afire
  
  Earth Awakens
  
  The Swarm
  
  The Hive
  
  The Queens
  
  "Mazer in Prison"
  
  "The Polish Boy"
  
  "Teacher's Pest"
  
  "Pretty Boy"
  
  "Cheater"
  
  Ender's Game
  
  'Recruiting Valentine'
  
  A War of Gifts
  
  Ender's Shadow
  
  'The League War'
  
  Children of the Fleet
  
  Ender in Exile
  
  Shadow of the Hegemon
  
  Shadow Puppets
  
  Shadow of the Giant
  
  Shadows in Flight
  
  "Investment Counselor"
  
  Speaker for the Dead
  
  Xenocide
  
  Children of the Mind
  
  The Last Shadow :
  
  In publication order
  
  Ender's Game
  
  Speaker for the Dead
  
  Xenocide
  
  Children of the Mind
  
  Ender's Shadow
  
  Shadow of the Hegemon
  
  Shadow Puppets
  
  First Meetings
  
  Shadow of the Giant
  
  A War of Gifts: An Ender Story
  
  Ender in Exile
  
  Shadows in Flight
  
  Earth Unaware
  
  Earth Afire
  
  Earth Awakens
  
  The Swarm
  
  Children of the Fleet
  
  The Last Shadow
  
  The Hive
  
  The Queens :
  
  vte    Chart :
  
  | Short Stories | Novels | Comics | Audioplay | Film |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  
  Ender's Game :
  
  Formic Wars: Burning Earth (2011) :
  
  Earth Unaware (2012) :
  
  Mazer in Prison :
  
  Mazer in Prison :
  
  The Swarm (2016) :
  
  Ender's Shadow (1999) :
  
  Battle School (2009) :
  
  * Ultimate collection (2012) |||||
  
  Ender's Game Alive (2013) :
  
  Ender's Game (1977) :
  
  Ender's Game (1985) :
  
  Battle School (2009) :
  
  * Ultimate collection (2012) |||||
  
  Ender's Game (2013) :
  
  Ender's Stocking (2007) :
  
  * War of Gifts (2009) |||||
  
  Shadow of the Hegemon (2001) :
  
  Ender's Homecoming (2008) :
  
  * A Young Man with Prospects (2007) |||||
  * A Young Man with Prospects (2007) |||||
  * The Gold Bug (2007) |||||
  
  Ender in Exile (2008) :
  
  Children of the Fleet (2017) :
  
  Speaker for the Dead (2011) :
  
  * Gloriously Bright (1991) |||||
  
  Speaker for the Dead (1986) :
  
  1 2 3 The events of Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and A War of Gifts take place in roughly the same time period. The events of A War of Gifts only take place during the time at Battle School).1 2 The events of Ender in Exile and the Shadow Trilogy take place in roughly the same time period. - First part of Ender in Exile (2/3) takes place during the Shadow Trilogy. - Last part of Ender in Exile (1/3) takes places after Shadow of the Giant.1 2 Note on the following (maybe not yet so common) Trilogies: "Speaker Trilogy": Original set of sequels to Ender's Game, also referred to as: - "Ender Quartet" (Ender's Game combined with "Speaker Trilogy"), also referred to as: - "Ender Quintet" ("Ender Quartet" combined with Ender in Exile). "Shadow Trilogy": Original set of sequels to Ender's Shadow, also referred to as: - "Bean Quartet"/"Shadow Quartet" (Ender's Shadow combined with "Shadow Trilogy"), also referred to as: - "Bean Quintet"/"Shadow Quintet" ("Bean Quartet" combined with Shadows in Flight), could be referred to as: - "Bean Sextet"/"Shadow Sextet" ("Bean Quintet" combined with The Last Shadow)↑ Title is also mentioned in regard to a possible sequel for the film. :
  
  vte :
  
  Earth Afire is a science fiction novel by American writers Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, and the second book of the Formic Wars novels in the Ender's Game series. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for science fiction.
  
  ## Plot
  
  A century before the events of Ender's Game, an alien spaceship enters the solar system and soon makes known its hostile intentions by destroying harmless human ships. Then, it wipes out a ragtag fleet of asteroid miners who have banded together in a desperate attempt to stop it. All of the adult male members of Victor Delgado's extended clan die in the battle. The survivors are unable to transmit a warning, so Victor volunteers for a near-suicidal mission to try to reach Earth in a tiny, hastily converted unmanned cargo ship. He makes it to the Moon, but is unable to get the authorities to take him seriously. Thus, humanity is totally unprepared when the First Formic War starts.
  
  The invader sends three enormous landing craft to southeast China. The Formics emerge and use gas to defoliate the area and kill everyone. Despite suffering stupendous losses, the suspicious Chinese government refuses outside help.
  
  Before the landing, Mazer Rackham had been training the Chinese military on a new transport aircraft, the HERC, in exchange for training on their new invention, drill sledges that can tunnel quickly underground. During the Formic invasion, he saves Bingwen, a very intelligent eight-year-old Chinese boy, but is then shot down. Bingwen saves his life, with the remote help of Mazer's romantic interest, Kim. Bingwen and Mazer then set off to destroy the nearest Formic lander.
  
  The Mobile Operations Police (MOP), a small but elite international force, enters China (without official authorization). The MOPs save Bingwen and Mazer from a Formic attack. The lander is heavily shielded, but it does not extend underground. Mazer manages to find some drill sledges and HERCs to transport them close to the lander. MOP Captain Wit O'Toole obtains a tactical nuclear weapon from anonymous Chinese who do not agree with their government's stance on foreign assistance. They destroy the lander, but then Captain Shenzu arrives and places Mazer under arrest.
  
  Meanwhile, Victor and Imala (a Customs Agent assigned to Victor upon his unauthorized arrival) manage to drift close to the Formic ship, using a disguised ship provided by Lem Jukes (the only son of the richest man alive) to avoid being destroyed. Victor breaks into the alien ship through a gun port.
  
  ## Characters
  
  * Victor Delgado, a young mechanic of great talent who, along with his father and a young apprentice, keeps the family mining ship El Cavador running
  * Rena Delgado, Victor's mother
  * Lem Jukes, son of mining magnate Ukko Jukes and captain of the Makarhu, a corporate mining vessel
  * Captain DeWitt Clinton O'Toole, commander of the Mobile Operations Police (MOPs)
  * Lieutenant Mazer Rackham, a Maori soldier whom O'Toole is interested in recruiting
  * Bingwen, a young child whose parents and grandfather are killed in the Formic invasion
  * Ukko Jukes, Lem Jukes' father
  * Imala Bootstamp, Victor's Luna Trade Department representative and auditor
  * Captain Shenzu, a Chinese military officer
  