The Shadow Saga Omnibus

The Shadow #1-4 omnibus

by Orson Scott Card

This boxed set contains Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and Shadow of the Giant.

 

Ender's Shadow

 

Welcome to Battle School.

Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to pound your skull into pulp for a scrap of apple. If Bean has learned anything on the streets, it's how to survive. And not with fists. He is way too small for that. But with brains.

Bean is a genius with a magician's ability to zero in on his enemy and exploit his weakness.

What better quality for a future general to lead the Earth in a final climactic battle against a hostile alien race, known as Buggers. At Battle School Bean meets and befriends another future commander - Ender Wiggin - perhaps his only true rival.

Only one problem: for Bean and Ender, the future is now.

 

Shadow of the Hegemon

 

The War is over, won by Ender Wiggin and his team of brilliant child-warriors. The enemy is destroyed, the human race is saved. Ender himself refuses to return to the planet, but his crew has gone home to their families, scattered across the globe. The Battle School is no more.

But with the external threat gone, the Earth has become a battlefield once more. The children of the Battle School are more than heroes; they are potential weapons that can bring power to the countries that control them. One by one, all of Ender's Dragon Army are kidnapped. Only Bean escapes; and he turns for help to Ender's brother Peter.

Peter Wiggin, Ender's older brother, has already been manipulating the politics of Earth from behind the scenes. With Bean's help, he will eventually rule the world.

 

Shadow Puppets

 

Earth and its society has been changed irrevocably in the aftermath of Ender Wiggin's victory over the Formics--the unity enforced upon the warring nations by an alien enemy has shattered. Nations are rising again, seeking territory and influence, and most of all, seeking to control the skills and loyalty of the children from the Battle School.

But one person has a better idea. Peter Wiggin, Ender's older, more ruthless, brother, sees that any hope for the future of Earth lies in restoring a sense of unity and purpose. And he has an irresistible call on the loyalty of Earth's young warriors. With Bean at his side, the two will reshape our future.

Here is the continuing story of Bean and Petra, and the rest of Ender's Dragon Army, as they take their places in the new government of Earth.

 

Shadow of the Giant

 

Bean, once the smallest student at the Battle School, and Ender Wiggin's right hand, has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he wishes for a safe place to build a family--something he has never known--but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies--old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth. To find security, Bean and Petra must once again follow in Ender's footsteps. They must leave Earth behind, in the control of the Hegemon, and look to the stars.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space, Novels

1257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Orson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.

Reviews

[Maaike · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a shame the author is a dick because this is brilliance

[Jason Witter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series, Ender's Shadow is even better than Ender's Game.

[Luke Aylen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of wish I could do a 3.5. The first book would be a 4 star review but the subsequent ones are a 3 for me.

Having read a number the original Ender's Game and series many years ago, I happened to watch the film recently. I remembered how much better the book was (I'd give it a 5 star review!) and set about to re-read. In doing so, I came across this parallel series, however, and so thought I'd read for the different perspective. Ender's Shadow, the first book, really didn't disappoint. I enjoyed the alternative perspective and the parallel events. Having written a series with parallel novels, I can appreciate the complexity of the task. At no point did it feel overly clumsy or shoehorned which was very skilful by Scott Card.

I read and enjoyed the rest of the series. Scott Card's interesting Catholic influences and interaction between religions in a futuristic world was something that had struck me in the Ender series, and there were moments where this was done really well. There were also moments where it felt a bit too heavy handed for me and the focus on marriage and having babies felt a little overly contrived at certain points. Some of the geopolitical stuff felt slightly stereotyped or even illogical in a couple of points and there is a considerable amount of self reflection and navel gazing which might put off some readers. I personally didn't mind this too much as the depth of character development is well done and the interactions and events all the richer for the complex cast of characters.

Overall an enjoyable read. I'd strongly recommend book one to anyone who loved Ender's game and could imagine revisiting this volume in the future. The following books were still good with some real highlights, but I probably wouldn't read them a second time.

[Zach Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the four Battle School books, I eventually got all of the Shadow Series books and slowly went through them over my summer job and through the Fall school semester. Orson Scott Card's writing is some of my favorite sci-fi story telling, but its also a story about family and relationships, about cultural differences, and about the humanity behind war. These books could be read in a month if you wanted, but I took over a year and spaced them out to make it last longer. And that's only half of the entire Enderverse books finished so far!

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked the Ender Series, you'll love this too. I love Ender, but it's hard not to be more impressed by Bean.

Like anything with Card, the series always gets a bit weird by the end but I still enjoyed the ride all long the way.

[Shannon Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series, explored life and death, politics and war in the realm of childhood and young adulthood.

[Raiya Dhalwala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite series, better than Ender

[Jonathan Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the concept, hadn’t read anything even remotely like it when I first read it!

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished and liked Ender's Game. It had a good semi-twist ending. I'm not sure that Card really managed to capture the mindset of a young child, if you suspend your disbelieve and remember that Ender is supposed to be extraordinary, it works.

I finished Speaker for the Dead, and it was still good, but kind of repetitive. It covered a lot of the same themes and ideas. Also, there were sections that dragged on a little bit more than Ender's Game. I thought Card did an exceptional job of linking the two books. Ender is a character in both of them, but not necessarily the dominant character in Speaker for the Dead. Card plays around with time a lot, and I think he does a good job. The fact that some of his events take place at different times, with people aging at different rates is explained well and adds to the plot.

I am still working on Xenocide. Again, it revisits the same types of themes and conflicts of the first two books, which at this point is getting a little tired. I'm also finding myself not quite as interested. The plot of Ender's Game was different from Speaker for the Dead, despite sharing themes. So far, Xenocide just continues the plot from Speaker for the Dead. I'm not usually a Sci-Fi or Fantasy series reader, and I know that it is often the case that one book picks up exactly where the last book left off. I'm not a fan. Xenocide did introduce a new plot element, but so far that hasn't been explored to my satisfaction. I will try to finish Xenocide, but am finding my interest fading.

UPDATE: I have given up on this series. I may continue it at a later date, but I didn't find it to be the type of series I couldn't put down.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these. Reading them felt like watching two really good players play Risk. Card has always done his homework, no matter the subject material for his books, and so it's a really neat bit of speculative fiction: If the world were to be dominated/united under a single head, how would the power struggle play out. I also liked the ending to the series. Petra and Bean don't get to live happily ever after together, but it was in a beautifully tragic kind of way instead of a now-I-hate-the-author kind of way, plus I actually really like Peter and Petra ending up together.

Books
Ender's Shadow 4 stars
Shadow of the Hegemon 4 stars
Shadow Puppets 4 stars
Shadow of the Giant 4 stars

[Jenny Grundberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed reading this series, but not necessarily because the story lines were terribly original. It was just a fun, engaging thriller of a read, mostly because I'm a fan of Orson Scott Card and I tend to agree with most of his moralizing.

I did find that throughout the series all the characters started having similar voices--there was little deviation in their collective thought processes. But overall, a good continuation for anyone who wasn't completely sated by the 'Ender's Game' series. I'm happy to know that I still have 'Shadows in Flight' and 'Children of the Mind' to enjoy.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of my favourite books of all time. I'm not usually a big fan of sci-fi, but Card is able to use the spacey/futuristic setting as a tool for an epic story. These books are ultimately brilliant because of the way that they incorporate political, psychological, and ethical issues in a way that isn't preachy or contrived, but gives the story and characters depth and interest. I was particularly engaged by the possibilities he creates regarding world politics in such an extreme situation.

[Matt McGhie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series of sci-fi books.

Two parallel story lines. 4 books in each. My personal preference is down the Ender's Shadow line.

The books down the Ender's Saga line get a little bit weird after Book 1, but still worth it.

[Brian Bowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is meant to apply to books 2-4 of the Ender's Shadow Series. (Book 1 was phenomenal.) The subsequent books focus on politics and military strategy, with some smatterings of romance and genetic philosophy. I always find myself losing interest the further I get into books 3 and 4.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the Shadow series better overall than the Ender's Game series, though Speaker for the Dead is still my favorite individual book. This series was more plot driven and had enough to keep it interesting through all four books. We also got to see the development of Bean, Petra, and others.

[Rich]

WANTED,Enders Shadow Saga #3

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great series of stories that is a companion of the triad of the enders series

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books! I;ve read them many times and I just listened to them all on audio book.

[LOL_BOOKS]

MOST DISAPPOINTING BOOK SERIES?

LOL ENDER'S GAME/SHADOW

[Austin Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

1,712 pages later.....I DID IT!!!

(Oh wait...he's still writing more books....aggggghhhh!!!)