Okay, finished "Ender's Game" yesterday after raking leaves. Maybe because everyone was making such a big deal about the "shocking surprise" that I had turned my Plot RADAR to "high" so when I finished, everything had played out pretty much the way I expected.
Part of the problem was coming in on this franchise this long after it was first published meant that I knew the second book title ("Speaker for the Dead"). Gee, I wonder who that could be/might refer to?
I enjoyed reading this book, but I guess I feel that Ender's story is complete. I am not so compelled with the characters as to feel I must read the rest of the "Ender" series.
Regarding the movie (since this is the movie thread, after all,) I might go see it to see how Graff is played by Ford. But before I pay full price (or matinee), please promise me it doesn't have the usual Hollywood-obligated "room full of applauding bystanders" when the climatic scene plays out. I'll wait for it on Netflix in that case.
Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide are actually really good books; very different. Ender is a 3,000 year old 35 year man.

Unfortunately, the conclusion to the speaker trilogy, Children of the Mind, is really bad. really, really bad. A shame actually, since Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide are both award-winning novels. They take a while to get used to all the Portuguese names though. And Card's understanding of roman catholicism has a strange almost pre-vatican two take.
Ender's Shadow, a parallel telling of Ender's Game from the perspective of Bean is actually very good, and quite creative. The rest of the Shadow series, IMHO, have way too much 20th-century-like politics, and nowhere near enough science fiction. And just aren't that enjoyable. Ender in Exile, on the other hand, which picks up Ender's Game from right after the last battle, and goes through his discovery of the hive queen, is not bad. It isn't necessary, but for the most part is a good read.
The movie's celebration scene is pretty much like in the book. It isn't reason to skip the film. What comes after it, however... lame-o.
When I first read Ender's Game, I knew nothing of the sequels, and knew nothing of the novel, so I didn't catch all the clues that are in it about the end. Plus, I was listening to the audio book. Stefan Rudnicki does a wonderful job with the story, and Gabrielle de Cuir's Valentine is excellent too.