Andrew Wiggin, Ender, The Xenocide, Speaker for the Dead

At a time on Earth when reproduction was restricted to one child per family, Ender's older brother Peter was drafted to Battle School and dismissed for being too ruthless. Recognizing his extraordinary aptitude, however, the military requested another child from the Wiggins, resulting in Ender's sister Valentine who was intellectually gifted but too compassionate to be an effective Battle Commander. Once again, the commanders requested a child, whom the Wiggins duly produced: Ender. Ender turned out to be the ideal candidate. With all the extraordinary mental functioning of both of his siblings and their respective qualities of compassion and ruthlessness, Ender was the ideal candidate.

Born Andrew Wiggin, Ender saves Earth in the first novel, Ender's Game, by leading Earth's ships against the invading bugger's home planet while participating in what he thinks is routine training. Unbeknownst to Ender, the...