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The Shadow #1
Ender's Shadow
Ender's Shadow is being dubbed as a parallel novel to Orson Scott Card's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender's Game. By "parallel," Card means that Shadow begins and ends at roughly the same time as Game, and it chronicles many of the same events. In fact, the two books tell an almost identical story of brilliant children being trained in the orbiting Battle School to lead humanity's fleets in the final war against alien invaders known as the Buggers. The most brilliant of these young recruits is Ender Wiggin, an unparalleled commander and tactician who can surely defeat the Buggers if only he can overcome his own inner turmoil.
Second among the children is Bean, who becomes Ender's lieutenant despite the fact that he is the smallest and youngest of the Battle School students. Bean is the central character of Shadow, and we pick up his story when he is just a 2-year-old starving on the streets of a future Rotterdam that has become a hell on earth. Bean is unnaturally intelligent for his age, which is the only thing that allows him to escape--though not unscathed--the streets and eventually end up in Battle School. Despite his brilliance, however, Bean is doomed to live his life as an also-ran to the more famous and in many ways more brilliant Ender. Nonetheless, Bean learns things that Ender cannot or will not understand, and it falls to this once pathetic street urchin to carry the weight of a terrible burden that Ender must not be allowed to know.
Although it may seem like Shadow is merely an attempt by Card to cash in on the success of his justly famous Ender's Game, that suspicion will dissipate once you turn the first few pages of this engrossing novel. It's clear that Bean has a story worth telling, and that Card (who started the project with a cowriter but later decided he wanted it all to himself) is driven to tell it. And though much of Ender's Game hinges on a surprise ending that Card fans are likely well acquainted with, Shadow manages to capitalize on that same surprise and even turn the table on readers. In the end, it seems a shame that Shadow, like Bean himself, will forever be eclipsed by the myth of Ender, because this is a novel that can easily stand on its own. Luckily for readers, Card has left plenty of room for a sequel, so we may well be seeing more of Bean in the near future. --Craig E. Engler
380 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1999
1908 people are currently reading
55302 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
891 books20.7k followersOrson 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 6,169 reviews
February 5, 2021
“I don't freeze up because it isn't my battle. I'm helping. I'm watching. But I'm free. Because it's Ender's game.”
2021: Another fantastic reading of Ender's Shadow! I'm hoping to find time to continue on with Ender's Saga.
Not sure if this was my third or fourth read of Ender's Shadow. Couldn't believe I had never reviewed it (or some of the other Ender books I reread this year). So I really enjoyed this book, which is a parallel novel of Ender's Game. And if you're wondering, I would be on Team Bean. I prefer the Ender sequels, but Bean's story of Battleschool and the war with the Formics is more compelling than Ender's version (in my opinion). That said, Ender's Shadow, Ender's Game (and the Ender's Game Series) are well worth the read. Even though the protagonists are very young (especially Bean), this novel connects lots of issues with good storytelling.
2021: Another fantastic reading of Ender's Shadow! I'm hoping to find time to continue on with Ender's Saga.
Not sure if this was my third or fourth read of Ender's Shadow. Couldn't believe I had never reviewed it (or some of the other Ender books I reread this year). So I really enjoyed this book, which is a parallel novel of Ender's Game. And if you're wondering, I would be on Team Bean. I prefer the Ender sequels, but Bean's story of Battleschool and the war with the Formics is more compelling than Ender's version (in my opinion). That said, Ender's Shadow, Ender's Game (and the Ender's Game Series) are well worth the read. Even though the protagonists are very young (especially Bean), this novel connects lots of issues with good storytelling.
May 7, 2011
4.0 to 4.5 stars. Okay, now don't turn away thinking that this book is just a "re-telling" of the story of Ender's Game from the perspective of the character of Bean. Not at all. This is not simply OSC cashing in on the success of the Ender Series. This is a completely different novel and there is little to no overlap in the actual events of Ender's Game. It simply takes place at the same time as those events.
The purpose of this story is two fold. First, we get to really know Bean who turns out to be a character as gifted as Ender and whose life story is absolutely fascinating. Growing up poor and homeless on the streets in Amsterdam, Bean difficult early childhood is used as the backdrop to explore the Earth of Ender's Game and provide much greater detail of the socio-political-economic environment. I love that kind of stuff so I was in heaven.
From there, we get to see Bean's recruitment into Battle School and watch the very different road he takes through the Formic (or bugger) War described in Ender's Game. At the end, it feels like we have finally been told the complete story.
The second and MUCH MORE IMPORTANT purpose of this novel is to set the stage for the novels that follow (Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets and Shadow of the Giant), of which Bean is a central character and which deals with the aftermath of the Formic wars on Earth and the rise of Peter Wiggins (Ender's brother) as Hegemon of Earth.
This is a wonderful novel and the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in the Ender saga. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (2000)
Nominee: SFSite Reader's Poll Best Science Fiction Novel (2000)
December 21, 2012
Very impressed with how good this was. I count myself in the party that there shouldn't have been anything past Ender's Game (like The Matrix and most any sequels Hollywood makes nowadays), but I have to admit this was great.
As a parallel novel to Orson Scott Card's classic Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow follows Bean, the kid Ender treats like the teachers treated him.
While hesitant to pick this up, I had heard that the Shadow series is better than the original quartet, but I couldn't get away from the feeling that it would pretty much be the same book. I'm glad I was wrong.
The first quarter or so of the book takes us from Beans upbringing in the slums of Rotterdam as he barely survives on the streets through the child gangs and bullying to his discovery and entry into Battle School.
Already, Ender's Shadow is completely different from Ender's Game. Bean has obviously survived because of his immense intelligence, which not only rivals Ender's, but far surpasses it. The only problem is there is one other person on the streets who happens to have it out for Bean because of what Bean's done to him. Achilles (pronounced Asheel) holds grudges like no one else, but also knows how to work the system, especially adults.
Card is a master storyteller, even turning what is essentially the same story in Ender's Game into something new and unique. Characterization is flawless and while Bean is a super-intelligent kid, he is in every way relatable to the reader. Let's be honest, kids can be brutal and Card understands this perfectly.
Bean is able to out-think everyone at flight school from the kid commanders to the teachers and officers. He knows what will get him in trouble whether it's bullies or teachers, but he also knows most everything else that is going on in Battle School even those things the teachers don't want him to know. Those things that make him a risk and have the teachers wondering whether he belongs.
Audio Commentary
There is a full cast for this one and Scott Brick, playing Bean, does an amazing job. In fact there's not one bad performance and even the great Stefan Rudnicki plays a minor role (Worth it just to listen to him).
At the end of the book, Card gives an afterword that mainly discusses the movie Ender's Game that he says will be a combination of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. This wasn't the original decision, but actually helped to cut down the script being able to play from both point of views.
Card also mentions that once someone writes a book everyone starts asking when it's going to be made into a movie, to which he replies, it's already in it's perfect form, it's a book. Too true!
Sadly, this movie will probably never come to pass - I don't know how long these talks have been going on, but it's been a while. [EDIT: Obviously this was written a couple years ago because it's definitely going to be a film]
Why Should You Read Ender's Shadow?
This is a great follow up (or beginning) to the classic, Ender's Game. It puts you right into the setting and mind of the main character and everything becomes real. Coupled with Card's writing, you can't go wrong - this is a great book. Highly Recommended.
4.5 out of 5 Stars
As a parallel novel to Orson Scott Card's classic Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow follows Bean, the kid Ender treats like the teachers treated him.
While hesitant to pick this up, I had heard that the Shadow series is better than the original quartet, but I couldn't get away from the feeling that it would pretty much be the same book. I'm glad I was wrong.
The first quarter or so of the book takes us from Beans upbringing in the slums of Rotterdam as he barely survives on the streets through the child gangs and bullying to his discovery and entry into Battle School.
Already, Ender's Shadow is completely different from Ender's Game. Bean has obviously survived because of his immense intelligence, which not only rivals Ender's, but far surpasses it. The only problem is there is one other person on the streets who happens to have it out for Bean because of what Bean's done to him. Achilles (pronounced Asheel) holds grudges like no one else, but also knows how to work the system, especially adults.
Card is a master storyteller, even turning what is essentially the same story in Ender's Game into something new and unique. Characterization is flawless and while Bean is a super-intelligent kid, he is in every way relatable to the reader. Let's be honest, kids can be brutal and Card understands this perfectly.
Bean is able to out-think everyone at flight school from the kid commanders to the teachers and officers. He knows what will get him in trouble whether it's bullies or teachers, but he also knows most everything else that is going on in Battle School even those things the teachers don't want him to know. Those things that make him a risk and have the teachers wondering whether he belongs.
Audio Commentary
There is a full cast for this one and Scott Brick, playing Bean, does an amazing job. In fact there's not one bad performance and even the great Stefan Rudnicki plays a minor role (Worth it just to listen to him).
At the end of the book, Card gives an afterword that mainly discusses the movie Ender's Game that he says will be a combination of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. This wasn't the original decision, but actually helped to cut down the script being able to play from both point of views.
Card also mentions that once someone writes a book everyone starts asking when it's going to be made into a movie, to which he replies, it's already in it's perfect form, it's a book. Too true!
Sadly, this movie will probably never come to pass - I don't know how long these talks have been going on, but it's been a while. [EDIT: Obviously this was written a couple years ago because it's definitely going to be a film]
Why Should You Read Ender's Shadow?
This is a great follow up (or beginning) to the classic, Ender's Game. It puts you right into the setting and mind of the main character and everything becomes real. Coupled with Card's writing, you can't go wrong - this is a great book. Highly Recommended.
4.5 out of 5 Stars
January 2, 2009
When I read a description of a book summing it up as a retelling of a story from a different perspective, I groan internally and my interest wanes slightly.
Ender's Shadow follows those exact lines. We switch from Ender's perspective to Bean's, the brilliant dwarf child who serves under his command.
What shocked me the most was how much more I preferred Bean's perspective. Ender grew up with a loving family and had a generally conventional outlook for a genius. Bean functions as a direct contradiction, having grown up in squalor with no family, a tiny body, and a brain capable of cutting through almost anything.
Bean spends most of the novel slicing through the world of the Battle school at angles that give him vastly more information and awareness of the world than Ender possessed, and his angry, calculating view gives the story a much richer perspective.
The only issues arise from the few points where it directly intersects Ender's Game. Bean wasn't written with a great deal of depth in the original story, he qualified as a background character, and anytime his conversations with Ender come up, the interactions feel weirdly unnatural. It's almost as if this larger, more multi-faceted Bean doesn't fit back in his original container.
Despite what Card states in the introduction, you should not read this book first. Many bits of necessary exposition from Ender's Game are not reiterated here, and part of the fun derives from getting Bean's bird's-eye view of what Ender's witnessed from within the trenches.
The score I gave this book should almost be the score awarded to the two books collectively, as I read them consecutively. There's a reason Card wanted to movie adaptation to essentially be a combination of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. The two complement each other amazingly well.
Ender's Shadow follows those exact lines. We switch from Ender's perspective to Bean's, the brilliant dwarf child who serves under his command.
What shocked me the most was how much more I preferred Bean's perspective. Ender grew up with a loving family and had a generally conventional outlook for a genius. Bean functions as a direct contradiction, having grown up in squalor with no family, a tiny body, and a brain capable of cutting through almost anything.
Bean spends most of the novel slicing through the world of the Battle school at angles that give him vastly more information and awareness of the world than Ender possessed, and his angry, calculating view gives the story a much richer perspective.
The only issues arise from the few points where it directly intersects Ender's Game. Bean wasn't written with a great deal of depth in the original story, he qualified as a background character, and anytime his conversations with Ender come up, the interactions feel weirdly unnatural. It's almost as if this larger, more multi-faceted Bean doesn't fit back in his original container.
Despite what Card states in the introduction, you should not read this book first. Many bits of necessary exposition from Ender's Game are not reiterated here, and part of the fun derives from getting Bean's bird's-eye view of what Ender's witnessed from within the trenches.
The score I gave this book should almost be the score awarded to the two books collectively, as I read them consecutively. There's a reason Card wanted to movie adaptation to essentially be a combination of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. The two complement each other amazingly well.
February 15, 2010
I personally found that I enjoyed Ender's Shadow more than Ender's Game.
Perhaps because I found Bean, as a character, more relatable in how he analyzes and views people and the world in general. He also felt more real as a character in that he is awkward and clueless and greatly flawed.
The pacing for this book is a little less smooth in comparison to Ender's Game. The plot, on the other hand, is a little better as you have a greater insight into the background workings of Ender's success. Graff and other characters come to life in a greater degree and have more personality and "air time". So too does Petra.
Over all, I enjoyed this book.
Perhaps because I found Bean, as a character, more relatable in how he analyzes and views people and the world in general. He also felt more real as a character in that he is awkward and clueless and greatly flawed.
The pacing for this book is a little less smooth in comparison to Ender's Game. The plot, on the other hand, is a little better as you have a greater insight into the background workings of Ender's success. Graff and other characters come to life in a greater degree and have more personality and "air time". So too does Petra.
Over all, I enjoyed this book.
November 20, 2017
While Ender's Game taught me that reading is fun, Ender's shadow is my favorite book (and series) in the Ender Universe. Ender may be the hero the universe needed but Bean is the most powerful weapon the universe had. The down and dirty story of an orphan child who had to learn to survive on his own at the age of four and looked on the world in contempt is just the hero I needed to re-introduce myself to Card's work.
I read this book back when I worked at Barnes and Noble and would sneak reads behind the cash register when the store was slow/would get most of my reading done on breaks and lunch. I didn't particularly feel guilty either because most of the time I was never relieved for my breaks anyway.
Bean decisiveness, cold-hearted calculating nature, and minuscule stature really created the perfect contrast for a world in danger and a military in dire need of a savior. He is easily one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, and writing this review now makes me feel the urge to re-read the book.
I read this book back when I worked at Barnes and Noble and would sneak reads behind the cash register when the store was slow/would get most of my reading done on breaks and lunch. I didn't particularly feel guilty either because most of the time I was never relieved for my breaks anyway.
Bean decisiveness, cold-hearted calculating nature, and minuscule stature really created the perfect contrast for a world in danger and a military in dire need of a savior. He is easily one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, and writing this review now makes me feel the urge to re-read the book.
January 21, 2024
Era bastante reacio a leer esta historia porque la venden como la novela paralela al Juego de Ender y no me apetecía volver a leer sobre lo mismo. Pero con las reseñas tan buenas que había me picó la curiosidad y la sorpresa ha sido buena. La sombra de Ender es una historia muy solida que tiene como protagonista a Bean, uno de los secundarios que aparecían en Ender. Y lo llamativo es que Bean me ha parecido mucho más atractivo como personaje que Ender.
No le puedo poner ninguna pega a los dos primeros tercios de la novela. Nos presenta a Bean, vemos cómo sobrevive siendo apenas un bebé en las calles de Rotterdam y cómo va haciéndose un hueco en la banda callejera hasta que le descubren y ven que es válido para la Escuela de Batalla. Tiene una historia más trágica que Ender y por ello empatizamos mucho más con él.
Es en este punto, en el momento en que aparece Ender y los hechos que ocurren son paralelos a la novela original cuando se ha venido la historia un poco abajo. Ya conocemos el final, ese giro que no vimos venir con el Juego de Ender aquí está claro desde la primera página y eso es un handicap que no supera. Aún así, Orson Scott Card juega bien sus cartas y como sabe que los lectores sabemos el final, lo enfoca de otra forma y construye la base para lo que imagino vendrá después. Pero aún así, el desenlace final es lo mismo que vimos en la otra trama por lo que se queda en 4 estrellas muy completas.
Además, me ha gustado que retomara el tono más juvenil ya que las continuaciones de El juego de Ender eran más filosóficas, muy interesantes eso sí, pero echaba de menos la acción que vimos en la Escuela de Batalla enfocado a un público más joven.
No le puedo poner ninguna pega a los dos primeros tercios de la novela. Nos presenta a Bean, vemos cómo sobrevive siendo apenas un bebé en las calles de Rotterdam y cómo va haciéndose un hueco en la banda callejera hasta que le descubren y ven que es válido para la Escuela de Batalla. Tiene una historia más trágica que Ender y por ello empatizamos mucho más con él.
Es en este punto, en el momento en que aparece Ender y los hechos que ocurren son paralelos a la novela original cuando se ha venido la historia un poco abajo. Ya conocemos el final, ese giro que no vimos venir con el Juego de Ender aquí está claro desde la primera página y eso es un handicap que no supera. Aún así, Orson Scott Card juega bien sus cartas y como sabe que los lectores sabemos el final, lo enfoca de otra forma y construye la base para lo que imagino vendrá después. Pero aún así, el desenlace final es lo mismo que vimos en la otra trama por lo que se queda en 4 estrellas muy completas.
Además, me ha gustado que retomara el tono más juvenil ya que las continuaciones de El juego de Ender eran más filosóficas, muy interesantes eso sí, pero echaba de menos la acción que vimos en la Escuela de Batalla enfocado a un público más joven.
March 28, 2012
This book made me wish I could forget that I had ever read Ender’s Game.
Not because it was necessarily a better book – though it is longer – but because the two books offer different views of the same events from two distinctly different perspectives.
Ender Wiggin is brilliant and empathetic, a boy torn apart by his own doubts and fears and driven to greatness by a government that sees him simply as a means to an end. It is only his ability to understand and come to love those around him that gets him through his trials, endure his isolation, and which ultimately allows him to put together the team that defeats the Buggers. Ender seems to be more human than human, and not in that ironic Blade Runner sort of way, but in a way which makes us want to see him succeed and do well.
Bean, on the other hand, is about as different from Ender as it’s possible to get. He’s introduced in Ender’s Game as a foil, a character designed to show us how far Ender had come in the short time that he had been in Battle School. When we meet Bean, Ender is using the same techniques of isolation and constructive abuse that were used on him, making us wonder if Ender will turn out to be just a copy of the adults who were tormenting him. We learn that Bean, like Ender, is brilliant, but he is also strong-willed and ambitious and takes well to the atmosphere of Battle School. In the end, Bean shows himself to be a vital part of the team that Ender assembles to save the Buggers and cement humanity’s place in the cosmos.
Ender’s story is all about empathy and self-understanding and his desire to be the person he wants to be, rather than the person humanity needs him to be. He has to give up some of his essential humanity in order to save the world.
Bean’s story comes from the opposite direction. More brilliant than Ender, Bean learns to find his humanity. He has to learn to see people as people, rather than a means to an end or a puzzle to solve. The hard lessons that he learned on the streets of Rotterdam as a small child were vital in preparing him to become a commander, but they have to be put aside if he’s to become a human.
Bean’s story is much bigger in scope than Ender’s, which gives the book as a whole more depth than Ender’s Game. We start out in Rotterdam, which has become a center of poverty and violence among rival gangs of street children. Bean, tiny and starving, manages to prove his worth to one of these gangs by suggesting strategies by which they can get more food and more respect. He gains the attention of Sister Carlotta, a nun who is working for both God and the International Fleet, and she is the first to see his full potential as a student in Battle School. But in the course of trying to understand Bean, she learns that his origin is one of horror, and that his future is even worse.
As a character, I liked Bean more than I liked Ender, possibly because on a scale of Complete Misanthrope to Bodhisattva, Bean and I are pretty close to the complete misanthrope end of the spectrum. To be fair, though, Bean has a lot more reasons to feel that way, and he’s a lot worse than I am. As we meet him, Bean views people as means to an end or as problems to be solved. He doesn’t reform the street gang culture of Rotterdam because it’s the right thing to do – he does it because he needs to eat. When he does experience attachment or fondness for others, he doesn’t know how to deal with it, and turns it into just another problem to be solved.
That hyper-analytical way of looking at the world makes Bean a much more aware character than Ender as well. While Ender spends most of his book wrapped inside his own head, Bean is constantly testing the world, analyzing it and trying to figure out what’s really going on. So while Ender was exploring the computer fantasy game, Bean was crawling through air ducts in the Battle School. While Ender was researching the battles of the past, Bean was learning how to spy on his teachers.
In the end, just as Ender is learning to put aside his humanity for the common good, Bean discovers a deep well of compassion that he never knew he had. Ender becomes more isolated, and Bean becomes more connected to others. The two characters come at each other from different directions and view the world in vastly different ways, giving us a kind of parallax view of the same events, to use Card’s preferred terminology.
Most interestingly, many of the revelations that were revealed to Ender in his book were discovered by Bean in this one, which creates a whole different reading experience.
And that’s why I wish I could delete my memory of having read Ender’s Game,, or at least put it away for a while. Reading this book, I constantly compare what’s happening to Bean with what happened to Ender, looking for those scenes that are shared between the books and others that we only get to see once. Whether it’s the early days of Battle School or Ender’s fight with Bonzo Madrid or the climactic end, there are enough similarities and differences to make each book worth reading.
But at the same time, I want to read each one for the first time, without knowing what’s going to happen next. I want to share Bean’s ability to see plans unspool before him without already knowing what those plans are. And then I want to read Ender’s Game the way I read Ender’s Shadow and have those wonderful moments of revelation as new light is shed on topics that were only briefly mentioned before – like Locke and Demosthenes, or the true fate of Mazer Rackham.
Card has done a difficult job very well in this book, and I can’t imagine it was easy at all. As he noted in his forward, a dozen years passed between the first book and this one, and a person changes in that much time. He learned new things and gained new perspectives, and that naturally had a great influence on how he chose to write this story.
And then there’s the enormous popularity of his other Ender books. Between Game and Shadow, he wrote Speaker for the Dead in 1986, Xenocide in 1991, and Children of the Mind in 1996. That means he had a much more solid understanding of his world by the time he got around to Ender’s Shadow in 1999, and a much larger fan base as well. Writers will always say that they write for the story, not for the fans, but every writer wants in their heart of hearts to have people love what they write. Revisiting your most famous work and exploring a popular character brings great risks with it.
Fortunately, I think Card succeeded with this book. It both compliments and contrasts with Ender’s Game, offering enough new information and new viewpoints to merit a second novel, while being faithful to the story that fans had come to love over a decade and a half. What’s more, it feels like the work of a more experienced writer. The scale is larger, the characters have more depth, and he takes more chances with the story than he did with Ender’s Game.
All in all, if you were a fan of the first, you’ll like this one. If you haven’t read either, you really should. And if you start with this one, let me know how it goes.
----------------------------
“Ender was what Bean only wished to be — the kind of person on whom you could put all your hopes, who could carry all your fears, and he would not let you down, would not betray you. I want to be the kind of boy you are, thought Bean. But I don’t want to go through what you’ve been through to get there.”
Not because it was necessarily a better book – though it is longer – but because the two books offer different views of the same events from two distinctly different perspectives.
Ender Wiggin is brilliant and empathetic, a boy torn apart by his own doubts and fears and driven to greatness by a government that sees him simply as a means to an end. It is only his ability to understand and come to love those around him that gets him through his trials, endure his isolation, and which ultimately allows him to put together the team that defeats the Buggers. Ender seems to be more human than human, and not in that ironic Blade Runner sort of way, but in a way which makes us want to see him succeed and do well.
Bean, on the other hand, is about as different from Ender as it’s possible to get. He’s introduced in Ender’s Game as a foil, a character designed to show us how far Ender had come in the short time that he had been in Battle School. When we meet Bean, Ender is using the same techniques of isolation and constructive abuse that were used on him, making us wonder if Ender will turn out to be just a copy of the adults who were tormenting him. We learn that Bean, like Ender, is brilliant, but he is also strong-willed and ambitious and takes well to the atmosphere of Battle School. In the end, Bean shows himself to be a vital part of the team that Ender assembles to save the Buggers and cement humanity’s place in the cosmos.
Ender’s story is all about empathy and self-understanding and his desire to be the person he wants to be, rather than the person humanity needs him to be. He has to give up some of his essential humanity in order to save the world.
Bean’s story comes from the opposite direction. More brilliant than Ender, Bean learns to find his humanity. He has to learn to see people as people, rather than a means to an end or a puzzle to solve. The hard lessons that he learned on the streets of Rotterdam as a small child were vital in preparing him to become a commander, but they have to be put aside if he’s to become a human.
Bean’s story is much bigger in scope than Ender’s, which gives the book as a whole more depth than Ender’s Game. We start out in Rotterdam, which has become a center of poverty and violence among rival gangs of street children. Bean, tiny and starving, manages to prove his worth to one of these gangs by suggesting strategies by which they can get more food and more respect. He gains the attention of Sister Carlotta, a nun who is working for both God and the International Fleet, and she is the first to see his full potential as a student in Battle School. But in the course of trying to understand Bean, she learns that his origin is one of horror, and that his future is even worse.
As a character, I liked Bean more than I liked Ender, possibly because on a scale of Complete Misanthrope to Bodhisattva, Bean and I are pretty close to the complete misanthrope end of the spectrum. To be fair, though, Bean has a lot more reasons to feel that way, and he’s a lot worse than I am. As we meet him, Bean views people as means to an end or as problems to be solved. He doesn’t reform the street gang culture of Rotterdam because it’s the right thing to do – he does it because he needs to eat. When he does experience attachment or fondness for others, he doesn’t know how to deal with it, and turns it into just another problem to be solved.
That hyper-analytical way of looking at the world makes Bean a much more aware character than Ender as well. While Ender spends most of his book wrapped inside his own head, Bean is constantly testing the world, analyzing it and trying to figure out what’s really going on. So while Ender was exploring the computer fantasy game, Bean was crawling through air ducts in the Battle School. While Ender was researching the battles of the past, Bean was learning how to spy on his teachers.
In the end, just as Ender is learning to put aside his humanity for the common good, Bean discovers a deep well of compassion that he never knew he had. Ender becomes more isolated, and Bean becomes more connected to others. The two characters come at each other from different directions and view the world in vastly different ways, giving us a kind of parallax view of the same events, to use Card’s preferred terminology.
Most interestingly, many of the revelations that were revealed to Ender in his book were discovered by Bean in this one, which creates a whole different reading experience.
And that’s why I wish I could delete my memory of having read Ender’s Game,, or at least put it away for a while. Reading this book, I constantly compare what’s happening to Bean with what happened to Ender, looking for those scenes that are shared between the books and others that we only get to see once. Whether it’s the early days of Battle School or Ender’s fight with Bonzo Madrid or the climactic end, there are enough similarities and differences to make each book worth reading.
But at the same time, I want to read each one for the first time, without knowing what’s going to happen next. I want to share Bean’s ability to see plans unspool before him without already knowing what those plans are. And then I want to read Ender’s Game the way I read Ender’s Shadow and have those wonderful moments of revelation as new light is shed on topics that were only briefly mentioned before – like Locke and Demosthenes, or the true fate of Mazer Rackham.
Card has done a difficult job very well in this book, and I can’t imagine it was easy at all. As he noted in his forward, a dozen years passed between the first book and this one, and a person changes in that much time. He learned new things and gained new perspectives, and that naturally had a great influence on how he chose to write this story.
And then there’s the enormous popularity of his other Ender books. Between Game and Shadow, he wrote Speaker for the Dead in 1986, Xenocide in 1991, and Children of the Mind in 1996. That means he had a much more solid understanding of his world by the time he got around to Ender’s Shadow in 1999, and a much larger fan base as well. Writers will always say that they write for the story, not for the fans, but every writer wants in their heart of hearts to have people love what they write. Revisiting your most famous work and exploring a popular character brings great risks with it.
Fortunately, I think Card succeeded with this book. It both compliments and contrasts with Ender’s Game, offering enough new information and new viewpoints to merit a second novel, while being faithful to the story that fans had come to love over a decade and a half. What’s more, it feels like the work of a more experienced writer. The scale is larger, the characters have more depth, and he takes more chances with the story than he did with Ender’s Game.
All in all, if you were a fan of the first, you’ll like this one. If you haven’t read either, you really should. And if you start with this one, let me know how it goes.
----------------------------
“Ender was what Bean only wished to be — the kind of person on whom you could put all your hopes, who could carry all your fears, and he would not let you down, would not betray you. I want to be the kind of boy you are, thought Bean. But I don’t want to go through what you’ve been through to get there.”
December 4, 2007
This is the simplified version of Ender's Game for the kiddie set that can't handle rich characters with moral ambiguity, moral introspection, and character growth.
Card does great work teaching people how to re-imagine stories from different viewpoints and with different motivations in his workshops. It's a shame that he didn't demonstrate it here.
Instead, we get Bean (a great character in the original story) as a classic Mary Sue, a wish-fulfillment character with all of Ender's skill but none of his angst or growth around it. Even the adults who spend the first book walking a delicate line trying to save Ender from their own work fall down at Bean's feet and beg him to save them from their own inadequacies.
The one limitation he has, and I'm not kidding, from his genetically engineered childhood where he was found in a toilet tank, is that he is so smart, so physically developed, and so gosh-darn what the 6 year old reader wants to grow up to be that he's going to die young. Except, of course, you know he's not. Because Mary Sues do die young, but he obviously won't.
We have more sequels to milk, after all, and not enough uberkinder to go around.
Skip this. Do your local child a favor and don't let them read it. If they want to read pablum, let them read fun pablum, at least. This book should come with insulin.
Card does great work teaching people how to re-imagine stories from different viewpoints and with different motivations in his workshops. It's a shame that he didn't demonstrate it here.
Instead, we get Bean (a great character in the original story) as a classic Mary Sue, a wish-fulfillment character with all of Ender's skill but none of his angst or growth around it. Even the adults who spend the first book walking a delicate line trying to save Ender from their own work fall down at Bean's feet and beg him to save them from their own inadequacies.
The one limitation he has, and I'm not kidding, from his genetically engineered childhood where he was found in a toilet tank, is that he is so smart, so physically developed, and so gosh-darn what the 6 year old reader wants to grow up to be that he's going to die young. Except, of course, you know he's not. Because Mary Sues do die young, but he obviously won't.
We have more sequels to milk, after all, and not enough uberkinder to go around.
Skip this. Do your local child a favor and don't let them read it. If they want to read pablum, let them read fun pablum, at least. This book should come with insulin.
November 15, 2007
This book tried really hard to ruin Ender's Game for me. The premise of the book is that Ender wasn't really the hero of his own book, but that his course was manipulated and prodded onward by an even greater genius, in the form of Bean, a member of Ender's army.
Bean had a brutal upbringing on the streets, and somehow ended up in Battle School, where he takes over the computer system and runs everything by the time he's six. He ensures that Ender ends up saving the world -- without his help, Ender would have failed.
It was interesting to see the events of Ender's Game from a different perspective, but that's about the only positive thing I have to say about this book. Possibly the deepest theme element in the book is how Bean's interactions with Ender forced him to care about someone other than himself. End of Bean's worries that he might not be human.
It seems like Orson Scott Card also tried to pull in some elements of Alan Dean Foster's "Flinx" series, with the whole "genetically manipulated super-human with emotional insecurity" thing.
Great. "I see your super-genius and trump you with a super-super-genius." Lousy book.
Bean had a brutal upbringing on the streets, and somehow ended up in Battle School, where he takes over the computer system and runs everything by the time he's six. He ensures that Ender ends up saving the world -- without his help, Ender would have failed.
It was interesting to see the events of Ender's Game from a different perspective, but that's about the only positive thing I have to say about this book. Possibly the deepest theme element in the book is how Bean's interactions with Ender forced him to care about someone other than himself. End of Bean's worries that he might not be human.
It seems like Orson Scott Card also tried to pull in some elements of Alan Dean Foster's "Flinx" series, with the whole "genetically manipulated super-human with emotional insecurity" thing.
Great. "I see your super-genius and trump you with a super-super-genius." Lousy book.
June 8, 2023
I freaking loved it.
March 22, 2017
...dacă nu ar fi coperta asta care pe mine mă îngrozește, aș spune ca e perfectă.
Publicată la treisprezece ani după Jocul lui Ender , Umbra lui Ender urmărește evoluția lui Bean, unul dintre personajele inițial secundare ale aventurii lui Ender. Orfan, mult prea firav pentru vârsta sa și fără să-și cunoască prea mult trecutul, Bean reușește să supraviețuiască în iadul străzilor din Rotterdam datorită inteligenței sale. Abilitățile lui neobișnuite atrag atenția sorei Carlotta care îl recomandă Flotei Internaționale, deschizându-i astfel drumul spre Școala de Luptă.
Evoluția stilistică a lui Orson Scott Card este fascinantă, mi se pare uluitor modul în care acesta reușește să își captiveze cititorului printr-o poveste al cărei deznodământ e deja cunoscut. Pe lângă surprinzătoarea origine a lui Bean și incredibila luciditate prin care Orson Scott Card îi motivează acțiunile, cartea asta este genială și prin subtilitatea cu care surprinde frământările politico-sociale ale Pământului. Pentru mine, Umbra lui Ender nu este doar o poveste spusă din altă perspectivă, este ceva nou care completează într-un mod minunat seria inițială și stabilește premisele viitoarelor volume.
Publicată la treisprezece ani după Jocul lui Ender , Umbra lui Ender urmărește evoluția lui Bean, unul dintre personajele inițial secundare ale aventurii lui Ender. Orfan, mult prea firav pentru vârsta sa și fără să-și cunoască prea mult trecutul, Bean reușește să supraviețuiască în iadul străzilor din Rotterdam datorită inteligenței sale. Abilitățile lui neobișnuite atrag atenția sorei Carlotta care îl recomandă Flotei Internaționale, deschizându-i astfel drumul spre Școala de Luptă.
Evoluția stilistică a lui Orson Scott Card este fascinantă, mi se pare uluitor modul în care acesta reușește să își captiveze cititorului printr-o poveste al cărei deznodământ e deja cunoscut. Pe lângă surprinzătoarea origine a lui Bean și incredibila luciditate prin care Orson Scott Card îi motivează acțiunile, cartea asta este genială și prin subtilitatea cu care surprinde frământările politico-sociale ale Pământului. Pentru mine, Umbra lui Ender nu este doar o poveste spusă din altă perspectivă, este ceva nou care completează într-un mod minunat seria inițială și stabilește premisele viitoarelor volume.
January 29, 2008
Ender's Game:
There's this really, really smart kid, see, and he's lonely, and he has to do really hard stuff, and adults are mean.
OK. I can get with that.
Ender's Shadow:
Oh, but I forgot to mention, there's this OTHER kid, who's even smarter, like really, really, REALLY smart, and he's also even lonelier, and he has to do even harder stuff, and the adults are even meaner.
Give me a break. Yawn. I think Card is great but this is just ridiculous. I read Shadow of the Hegemon but quit after that.
There's this really, really smart kid, see, and he's lonely, and he has to do really hard stuff, and adults are mean.
OK. I can get with that.
Ender's Shadow:
Oh, but I forgot to mention, there's this OTHER kid, who's even smarter, like really, really, REALLY smart, and he's also even lonelier, and he has to do even harder stuff, and the adults are even meaner.
Give me a break. Yawn. I think Card is great but this is just ridiculous. I read Shadow of the Hegemon but quit after that.
February 6, 2017
Ender’s Shadow: Better than expected - Ender’s Game from Bean’s perspective
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
Ender’s Game was a SF book so successful and critically acclaimed that it launched Orson Scott Card’s career for decades to come. In fact, it’s fair to say that the story of Ender Wiggins is one of the most popular SF novels the genre has ever produced, to the point of getting the full-budget Hollywood treatment in 2013 (grossing $125 million on a budget of around $110-115 million) with A-listers such as Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley, but receiving mixed critical reviews.
Not one to miss a commercial opportunity, Card has returned the favor, producing a whopping 15 Ender-related books with more in the works apparently. I read Ender’s Game (1985, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards) at the perfect age for that book, in junior high school and overlapping with the character’s ages. In fact, it’s fair to say that the book launched my love of SF after having mostly read fantasy such as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN, etc.
I quickly went on to Speaker for the Dead (1986, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards again) and was deeply moved by its examination of the ethics of Ender’s actions in the first book and subsequent attempts at redemption. However, I found the follow-up Xenocide (1991) a bit dialogue heavy and didn’t ready anything else by him for over two decades including the fourth Ender novel Children of the Mind (1996).
In fact, I was quite surprised to discover the cottage industry Card has built around Ender during that time, when I finally re-read Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead 30 years later. I thought Ender’s Game held up well as a fast-paced but thoughtful military SF yarn, but Speaker for the Dead became fairly tedious with all its anguished moralizing. Maybe my reaction is more about how I have changed since my innocent days of youth.
In any case, I’m not so enamored of Ender’s Game that I feel obligated to read 15+ sequels and spin-offs, etc. However, having read a number of reviews, many readers claim that Ender’s Shadow (1999), essentially a re-telling of Ender’s Game from Bean’s perspective, was surprisingly good. Although it is part of a series known as THE SHADOW SAGA, following the stories of major characters from Ender’s Game such as Bean, Peter, Petra, Achilles, etc.
I've read THE SHADOW SAGA gets much more into the political and military intrigue back on Earth after Ender prevails over the alien Buggers, and I have to admit I’m not that interested in that direction (and reviews I’ve read have been fairly negative too). Ender’s Game captured readers’ attention, especially YA readers, because the story was about a lonely 12-year old military genius who had to survive Battle School, prove his leadership skills against older kids and the manipulative generals in charge of him, and beat an implacable alien fleet with only his tactical ingenuity. It’s easy to get pulled into his story and so it makes sense to revisit it, but only if you have something new to add and not just rehash it.
So I was hesitant to try Ender’s Shadow but I was drawn into the story of tiny Bean trying to survive on the mean streets of children’s gangs in Rotterdam in in 2170. At the opening, Bean is supposedly just 4 years old and starving to death. Despite being almost too weak to put food to mouth, he manages to convince a small street gang led by female boss Poke to keep him alive by giving them critical survival tips to gain entry to food kitchens and stave off older bullies. Bean’s special skills and behind-the-scenes influence on the entire power balance of the street gangs brings him to the notice of Sister Carlotta, who runs one of the food shelters but also is a recruiter for the IF (International Federation) that is looking for promising candidates for Battle School.
Against all odds, tiny Bean excels enough to get picked for Battle School, where he intersects with the famous storyline of Ender Wiggins. It’s unlikely that readers will come to Ender’s Shadow without having first read Ender’s Game, so Card has to achieve the difficult goal of giving us a fresh look at the events of Ender Wiggin’s time at Battle School from Bean’s perspective, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that he pulled it off quite well.
Bean is a very different character from Ender. He is a child-genius that has grown up on the streets with only one goal — to survive at all costs by using his wits and tactical skills to manipulate stronger people around him, both children and adults, but remaining behind the scenes and avoiding the notice of powerful enemies. So while Ender is constantly under the spotlight and is forced to prove his leadership again and again, Bean stays in the shadows, carefully gathering data on the other commanders in battle school, the trainers, and the generals who think they are controlling events. He surreptitiously helps Ender when he can, but sometimes makes crucial mistakes that actual expose Ender to potentially fatal danger.
Eventually Bean’s tactical skills become apparent to the other children, but it is Ender’s leadership that captures their hearts and loyalty, not Bean. So there is the emotional dynamic of love/jealousy with which Bean observes how Ender can control those around him, and even when more credit for tactics in the battle simulations should be given to Bean, it is generally Ender who gets the accolades.
At the same time, the intense and unrelenting pressure of Ender’s success in the games is also a burden that Bean can only observe from outside, unable to share the cross that Ender bears each day. As the games get more relentless as the generals accelerate the pace, knowing that the real battle with the Buggers at their home world is rapidly approaching, it is Bean who seems most aware of the real situation, and Ender who is withering under the pressure.
I was impressed with how exciting the story remained even when I knew in detail what was going to happen. Card managed to give the reader new angles that make us reexamine the same events with greater emotional depth and understanding of the greater context of the story. Card called it a “parallax” story, and it’s something that might have failed in lesser hands. I think after having written so many books about Ender over the years, Card has a deep knowledge of the characters, storyline, and universe, and also what appeals to fans.
The audiobook is an all-star production featuring Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki, and Gabrielle de Cuir. They provide a level of dramatic range to the characters that really enhances an already-compelling story. Ender’s Shadow is a great companion piece to Ender’s Game, so give it a try.
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
Ender’s Game was a SF book so successful and critically acclaimed that it launched Orson Scott Card’s career for decades to come. In fact, it’s fair to say that the story of Ender Wiggins is one of the most popular SF novels the genre has ever produced, to the point of getting the full-budget Hollywood treatment in 2013 (grossing $125 million on a budget of around $110-115 million) with A-listers such as Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley, but receiving mixed critical reviews.
Not one to miss a commercial opportunity, Card has returned the favor, producing a whopping 15 Ender-related books with more in the works apparently. I read Ender’s Game (1985, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards) at the perfect age for that book, in junior high school and overlapping with the character’s ages. In fact, it’s fair to say that the book launched my love of SF after having mostly read fantasy such as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN, etc.
I quickly went on to Speaker for the Dead (1986, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards again) and was deeply moved by its examination of the ethics of Ender’s actions in the first book and subsequent attempts at redemption. However, I found the follow-up Xenocide (1991) a bit dialogue heavy and didn’t ready anything else by him for over two decades including the fourth Ender novel Children of the Mind (1996).
In fact, I was quite surprised to discover the cottage industry Card has built around Ender during that time, when I finally re-read Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead 30 years later. I thought Ender’s Game held up well as a fast-paced but thoughtful military SF yarn, but Speaker for the Dead became fairly tedious with all its anguished moralizing. Maybe my reaction is more about how I have changed since my innocent days of youth.
In any case, I’m not so enamored of Ender’s Game that I feel obligated to read 15+ sequels and spin-offs, etc. However, having read a number of reviews, many readers claim that Ender’s Shadow (1999), essentially a re-telling of Ender’s Game from Bean’s perspective, was surprisingly good. Although it is part of a series known as THE SHADOW SAGA, following the stories of major characters from Ender’s Game such as Bean, Peter, Petra, Achilles, etc.
I've read THE SHADOW SAGA gets much more into the political and military intrigue back on Earth after Ender prevails over the alien Buggers, and I have to admit I’m not that interested in that direction (and reviews I’ve read have been fairly negative too). Ender’s Game captured readers’ attention, especially YA readers, because the story was about a lonely 12-year old military genius who had to survive Battle School, prove his leadership skills against older kids and the manipulative generals in charge of him, and beat an implacable alien fleet with only his tactical ingenuity. It’s easy to get pulled into his story and so it makes sense to revisit it, but only if you have something new to add and not just rehash it.
So I was hesitant to try Ender’s Shadow but I was drawn into the story of tiny Bean trying to survive on the mean streets of children’s gangs in Rotterdam in in 2170. At the opening, Bean is supposedly just 4 years old and starving to death. Despite being almost too weak to put food to mouth, he manages to convince a small street gang led by female boss Poke to keep him alive by giving them critical survival tips to gain entry to food kitchens and stave off older bullies. Bean’s special skills and behind-the-scenes influence on the entire power balance of the street gangs brings him to the notice of Sister Carlotta, who runs one of the food shelters but also is a recruiter for the IF (International Federation) that is looking for promising candidates for Battle School.
Against all odds, tiny Bean excels enough to get picked for Battle School, where he intersects with the famous storyline of Ender Wiggins. It’s unlikely that readers will come to Ender’s Shadow without having first read Ender’s Game, so Card has to achieve the difficult goal of giving us a fresh look at the events of Ender Wiggin’s time at Battle School from Bean’s perspective, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that he pulled it off quite well.
Bean is a very different character from Ender. He is a child-genius that has grown up on the streets with only one goal — to survive at all costs by using his wits and tactical skills to manipulate stronger people around him, both children and adults, but remaining behind the scenes and avoiding the notice of powerful enemies. So while Ender is constantly under the spotlight and is forced to prove his leadership again and again, Bean stays in the shadows, carefully gathering data on the other commanders in battle school, the trainers, and the generals who think they are controlling events. He surreptitiously helps Ender when he can, but sometimes makes crucial mistakes that actual expose Ender to potentially fatal danger.
Eventually Bean’s tactical skills become apparent to the other children, but it is Ender’s leadership that captures their hearts and loyalty, not Bean. So there is the emotional dynamic of love/jealousy with which Bean observes how Ender can control those around him, and even when more credit for tactics in the battle simulations should be given to Bean, it is generally Ender who gets the accolades.
At the same time, the intense and unrelenting pressure of Ender’s success in the games is also a burden that Bean can only observe from outside, unable to share the cross that Ender bears each day. As the games get more relentless as the generals accelerate the pace, knowing that the real battle with the Buggers at their home world is rapidly approaching, it is Bean who seems most aware of the real situation, and Ender who is withering under the pressure.
I was impressed with how exciting the story remained even when I knew in detail what was going to happen. Card managed to give the reader new angles that make us reexamine the same events with greater emotional depth and understanding of the greater context of the story. Card called it a “parallax” story, and it’s something that might have failed in lesser hands. I think after having written so many books about Ender over the years, Card has a deep knowledge of the characters, storyline, and universe, and also what appeals to fans.
The audiobook is an all-star production featuring Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki, and Gabrielle de Cuir. They provide a level of dramatic range to the characters that really enhances an already-compelling story. Ender’s Shadow is a great companion piece to Ender’s Game, so give it a try.
June 3, 2008
This is a hard book for me to review without getting angry, so bear with me. The review may also contain spoilers, so if you have not read this book or "Ender’s Game" you may want to skip over this review and just note I'm giving it a 2/5, and would probably drop that down to a 1.5 given the choice.
The original "Ender’s Game" novel is, in a word, extraordinary. Its one of those books almost everyone has read. Its translated in hundreds of languages. Its won many, many awards, and has won Orson Scott Card many awards as well. So you would think that revisiting "Ender’s Game" through the eyes of the rather important side-character Bean would be hard to mess up. Whole sections of the book are already written, as Bean and Ender experience the same situations together. All Card needed to do was fill in the blanks, toss in a bit of behind-the-scenes information on Ender through the eyes of a team member, and voila! Instant hit, especially with fan boys like me.
Unfortunately, thats not what happened. Instead, Card let the many years that passed between the writing of the original "Ender’s Game" short story, and the conceptualization of "Ender’s Shadow", shine through. He forgot what it meant to write a story based on a childhood dream during the time of Nixon, Carter, and Regan. Instead, he wrote as an upstanding citizen and devoted Latter Day Saint. Don't get me wrong, neither of these attributes are bad! They're just not where he was personally when he wrote "Ender’s Game", and this changes the whole tone of not just "Ender’s Shadow", but "Ender’s Game" as well!
In "Ender’s Game", Ender is manipulated by the world government into becoming the greatest space admiral, and the world's savior. Along the way, Ender knows he's being manipulated, and believes he understands the implications found within such manipulations. And even in the face of severe adversity, chooses to keep going because he knows its the right thing to do. He sees their deception and continues on, because even if the deception itself is wrong, their goal is just. And it coincides with his own reason for continuing on; to save his sister Valentine. Throughout the book, we also are given the perspectives of Generals Graff and Anderson, who speak constantly of the affects their manipulations are having on Ender, and the justifying reasons for their deception of someone so young. Graff is even put on trial at the end of the book for his involvement, and is deemed not guilty, in no small an example of the ends justifying the means.
"Ender’s Shadow" takes these machinations, these deceptions of both the children at Battle School and the general public, and throws it out. Instead of sticking with the idea of a government uncaringly using a very small segment of the population for the protection of the species as a whole, instead the government is painted as almost completely lost in how to proceed. Only the arrival of hyper-intelligent Bean saves the day. Younger even than Ender, Bean ends up manipulating Graff and Anderson, in order to achieve the results we saw in "Ender’s Game". The government wasn't smart enough to plan anything in advance, but Bean is! Not only that, but he continues to get smarter and smarter. By the end of the Bean series ("Shadow of the Giant"), he has long since past the point of believability. Nearly every problem Bean faces, he is able to solve with his unbelievably powerful brain without any outside help. This makes the books following "Ender’s Shadow" gradually get worse, but it all starts here.
The Bean series, beginning with "Ender’s Shadow", has me hesitant to read anything else Card has written in the Ender-verse. "A War of Gifts" seems to be yet another attempt by Card to re-write the "Ender's Game" tale by repainting it rosier than it once was. A recently-announced prequel to "Speaker for the Dead" makes me fear Card will start rewriting the rest of the series as well. And that makes me quite sad, because it will mean the scuttling of one of the greatest science fiction series around.
The original "Ender’s Game" novel is, in a word, extraordinary. Its one of those books almost everyone has read. Its translated in hundreds of languages. Its won many, many awards, and has won Orson Scott Card many awards as well. So you would think that revisiting "Ender’s Game" through the eyes of the rather important side-character Bean would be hard to mess up. Whole sections of the book are already written, as Bean and Ender experience the same situations together. All Card needed to do was fill in the blanks, toss in a bit of behind-the-scenes information on Ender through the eyes of a team member, and voila! Instant hit, especially with fan boys like me.
Unfortunately, thats not what happened. Instead, Card let the many years that passed between the writing of the original "Ender’s Game" short story, and the conceptualization of "Ender’s Shadow", shine through. He forgot what it meant to write a story based on a childhood dream during the time of Nixon, Carter, and Regan. Instead, he wrote as an upstanding citizen and devoted Latter Day Saint. Don't get me wrong, neither of these attributes are bad! They're just not where he was personally when he wrote "Ender’s Game", and this changes the whole tone of not just "Ender’s Shadow", but "Ender’s Game" as well!
In "Ender’s Game", Ender is manipulated by the world government into becoming the greatest space admiral, and the world's savior. Along the way, Ender knows he's being manipulated, and believes he understands the implications found within such manipulations. And even in the face of severe adversity, chooses to keep going because he knows its the right thing to do. He sees their deception and continues on, because even if the deception itself is wrong, their goal is just. And it coincides with his own reason for continuing on; to save his sister Valentine. Throughout the book, we also are given the perspectives of Generals Graff and Anderson, who speak constantly of the affects their manipulations are having on Ender, and the justifying reasons for their deception of someone so young. Graff is even put on trial at the end of the book for his involvement, and is deemed not guilty, in no small an example of the ends justifying the means.
"Ender’s Shadow" takes these machinations, these deceptions of both the children at Battle School and the general public, and throws it out. Instead of sticking with the idea of a government uncaringly using a very small segment of the population for the protection of the species as a whole, instead the government is painted as almost completely lost in how to proceed. Only the arrival of hyper-intelligent Bean saves the day. Younger even than Ender, Bean ends up manipulating Graff and Anderson, in order to achieve the results we saw in "Ender’s Game". The government wasn't smart enough to plan anything in advance, but Bean is! Not only that, but he continues to get smarter and smarter. By the end of the Bean series ("Shadow of the Giant"), he has long since past the point of believability. Nearly every problem Bean faces, he is able to solve with his unbelievably powerful brain without any outside help. This makes the books following "Ender’s Shadow" gradually get worse, but it all starts here.
The Bean series, beginning with "Ender’s Shadow", has me hesitant to read anything else Card has written in the Ender-verse. "A War of Gifts" seems to be yet another attempt by Card to re-write the "Ender's Game" tale by repainting it rosier than it once was. A recently-announced prequel to "Speaker for the Dead" makes me fear Card will start rewriting the rest of the series as well. And that makes me quite sad, because it will mean the scuttling of one of the greatest science fiction series around.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2012
Almost everyone I talked to about Ender's Game, told me I should read Ender's Shadow, it's just as good, if not better. So naturally, I was super pumped to get my hands on Card's retelling of one of my favorite tales. Instead, however, I found that after the first couple chapters, it was getting harder and harder to read the book without wanting to chuck it out the window.
Here are the main reasons why this book drove me completely bananas and caused me to finally abandon it 200 pages in:
1. The redundancy. Not in the fact that ender’s shadow is a retelling of a previously-written novel, but in Bean’s continued consideration of everything around him. His thoughts, which are described to run at an incomprehensible to speed to anyone but Bean himself, are spelled out word for word at an appallingly slow pace. Concepts that are comprehendible the first time around are continually repeated, leading to paragraph after paragraph restating the same idea. This is extremely unnecessary and took up the entire first couple weeks of Bean's stay at Battle School.
2. The technology. The advancement in technology between the writing of Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow is directly reflected into Card’s description of the technology. Desks are described much more to resemble laptops, at one point card goes so far as to call someone’s desk a computer. His description and use of the technology has been clearly affected. What’s wrong and annoying about this is that it seems like the technology between the two books are no longer the same entity as they are supposed to be. No longer do the desks have an other-worldly presence that separates this world from ours. Card has allowed the world around him to affect his analysis of his own sci-fi-future world. This is ignoring the replacing the name "Buggers" with "Formics," another unnecessary change that only divides the two books.
3. Bean's character. As a character, Ender Wiggin has the major contrast between his strong compassion and love for those around him and the ability to demolish anyone who threatens his own survival. The cross between his brother’s brutality and his sister’s empathy leads to wonderful characterization that enhances his account of his adventures through the book. In contrast, Bean’s character is described as a machine. The events affecting Ender's learning at Battle School have been replaced by monotonous thoughts and explanations in Ender's Shadow. Everything that happens is overanalyzed and over explained, whereas in Ender's Game, Ender simply acts as he sees fit, we learn why this is as we learn about his character and personality. Besides this, Bean, now in this retelling, is newly arrogant and conceited. He is offended when Ender doesn't know of his great "reputation" and reacts badly to everything Ender does as a commander, complaining about how horrible he is and what he is doing wrong.
4. The conception of Ender Wiggin. On this previous note, through Bean's arrogant perception, Ender comes off as a huge a-hole as well. There is no hint that Ender treats Bean and his fellow soldiers in order to get the best performance out of them, rather Bean sees everything as a product of Ender's arrogance, doing pointless things just to humiliate his soldiers. Also, although it is understandable that he would be some sort of legend at Battle School with the best ratings, the extent of his legend and ubiquitous obsession comes too soon too fast. He is good yes, but it is not until Dragon Army when Ender's presence truly takes over the school, when it becomes truly clear how obsessed the teachers are with his potential.
In essence, none of the characters in Card's retelling held any interest to me, even Sister Carlotta, the nun, came off as arrogant, sarcastic, and manipulative. At least in Ender's Game, Ender had good qualities that conflicted against his ability to control and manipulate those around him. With Bean, even when he has a chance at having a friend, he still sees himself as superior.
Here are the main reasons why this book drove me completely bananas and caused me to finally abandon it 200 pages in:
1. The redundancy. Not in the fact that ender’s shadow is a retelling of a previously-written novel, but in Bean’s continued consideration of everything around him. His thoughts, which are described to run at an incomprehensible to speed to anyone but Bean himself, are spelled out word for word at an appallingly slow pace. Concepts that are comprehendible the first time around are continually repeated, leading to paragraph after paragraph restating the same idea. This is extremely unnecessary and took up the entire first couple weeks of Bean's stay at Battle School.
2. The technology. The advancement in technology between the writing of Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow is directly reflected into Card’s description of the technology. Desks are described much more to resemble laptops, at one point card goes so far as to call someone’s desk a computer. His description and use of the technology has been clearly affected. What’s wrong and annoying about this is that it seems like the technology between the two books are no longer the same entity as they are supposed to be. No longer do the desks have an other-worldly presence that separates this world from ours. Card has allowed the world around him to affect his analysis of his own sci-fi-future world. This is ignoring the replacing the name "Buggers" with "Formics," another unnecessary change that only divides the two books.
3. Bean's character. As a character, Ender Wiggin has the major contrast between his strong compassion and love for those around him and the ability to demolish anyone who threatens his own survival. The cross between his brother’s brutality and his sister’s empathy leads to wonderful characterization that enhances his account of his adventures through the book. In contrast, Bean’s character is described as a machine. The events affecting Ender's learning at Battle School have been replaced by monotonous thoughts and explanations in Ender's Shadow. Everything that happens is overanalyzed and over explained, whereas in Ender's Game, Ender simply acts as he sees fit, we learn why this is as we learn about his character and personality. Besides this, Bean, now in this retelling, is newly arrogant and conceited. He is offended when Ender doesn't know of his great "reputation" and reacts badly to everything Ender does as a commander, complaining about how horrible he is and what he is doing wrong.
4. The conception of Ender Wiggin. On this previous note, through Bean's arrogant perception, Ender comes off as a huge a-hole as well. There is no hint that Ender treats Bean and his fellow soldiers in order to get the best performance out of them, rather Bean sees everything as a product of Ender's arrogance, doing pointless things just to humiliate his soldiers. Also, although it is understandable that he would be some sort of legend at Battle School with the best ratings, the extent of his legend and ubiquitous obsession comes too soon too fast. He is good yes, but it is not until Dragon Army when Ender's presence truly takes over the school, when it becomes truly clear how obsessed the teachers are with his potential.
In essence, none of the characters in Card's retelling held any interest to me, even Sister Carlotta, the nun, came off as arrogant, sarcastic, and manipulative. At least in Ender's Game, Ender had good qualities that conflicted against his ability to control and manipulate those around him. With Bean, even when he has a chance at having a friend, he still sees himself as superior.
July 11, 2025
Absolutely fantastic!
This is a “parallel novel” to Ender’s Game (which is one of my favorite books of all time). So what is a “parallel novel?” Just what it sounds like! In Ender’s Game, we meet many of Ender’s fellow students in Battle School. In this book, Ender’s Shadow, we follow the life of another student, Bean, who is one of Ender’s friends in the original book. We are briefly introduced to Bean’s life on Earth before he is called to Battle School, and the book ends in approximately the time/place as Ender’s Game… so is it the same story? No. Not at all.
As in Ender’s Game, this story occurs after our solar system has been invaded by “Buggers” – ant-like aliens that came extremely close to wiping humans out. The Buggers were eventually repelled but are likely to be gathering their strength for a new “final” invasion.
For this reason, humans have – for decades – being combing Earth for the best and the brightest children, hoping to train (starting at a very young age) those children to be the brilliant military commanders that will be necessary to defend Earth from the coming attack.
Bean is a street urchin, small, malnourished and hanging on to life by focusing his extreme intellect on survival. Bean is a lost soul – until he comes up with a plan for civilizing life on the streets of Rotterdam, and is discovered by Sister Carlotta, a nun searching through the sometimes-feral and always-starving street urchins of the world in the hopes of finding a promising candidate for Battle School and raising him/her out of the mire. Bean agrees to go to Battle School – not because he has to, but because it is a matter of survival. On Earth, he has incurred the murderous wrath of larger, older street urchin.
The character of Bean is brilliantly developed and explored. (Much like the disagreements between Phantom of the Opera fans between “Phantom” fans and “Raoul” fans, there are those who – after reading both books – are “Ender” fans versus “Bean” fans.) Better still, we are given a completely different perspective on the circumstances and developments that occur while both Bean and Ender are in Battle School.
Both books can be read as stand-alone novels, so someone reading only Ender’s Game has the full story, as does someone only reading Ender’s Shadow. At the same time, there is no tedious repetition if someone reads both. Instead there is an enrichment, one by the other, which portrays, in the end, not just the full story (which can be gained by either book) but a “fuller” story. Fabulously done.
Another enjoying part of this book – especially if you have read Ender’s Game first – is that the story telling/writing in this book is more mature. This makes sense when you realize that this book was written about 20 years after Ender’s Game.
I will read this book again and again! Highly recommended.
This is a “parallel novel” to Ender’s Game (which is one of my favorite books of all time). So what is a “parallel novel?” Just what it sounds like! In Ender’s Game, we meet many of Ender’s fellow students in Battle School. In this book, Ender’s Shadow, we follow the life of another student, Bean, who is one of Ender’s friends in the original book. We are briefly introduced to Bean’s life on Earth before he is called to Battle School, and the book ends in approximately the time/place as Ender’s Game… so is it the same story? No. Not at all.
As in Ender’s Game, this story occurs after our solar system has been invaded by “Buggers” – ant-like aliens that came extremely close to wiping humans out. The Buggers were eventually repelled but are likely to be gathering their strength for a new “final” invasion.
For this reason, humans have – for decades – being combing Earth for the best and the brightest children, hoping to train (starting at a very young age) those children to be the brilliant military commanders that will be necessary to defend Earth from the coming attack.
Bean is a street urchin, small, malnourished and hanging on to life by focusing his extreme intellect on survival. Bean is a lost soul – until he comes up with a plan for civilizing life on the streets of Rotterdam, and is discovered by Sister Carlotta, a nun searching through the sometimes-feral and always-starving street urchins of the world in the hopes of finding a promising candidate for Battle School and raising him/her out of the mire. Bean agrees to go to Battle School – not because he has to, but because it is a matter of survival. On Earth, he has incurred the murderous wrath of larger, older street urchin.
The character of Bean is brilliantly developed and explored. (Much like the disagreements between Phantom of the Opera fans between “Phantom” fans and “Raoul” fans, there are those who – after reading both books – are “Ender” fans versus “Bean” fans.) Better still, we are given a completely different perspective on the circumstances and developments that occur while both Bean and Ender are in Battle School.
Both books can be read as stand-alone novels, so someone reading only Ender’s Game has the full story, as does someone only reading Ender’s Shadow. At the same time, there is no tedious repetition if someone reads both. Instead there is an enrichment, one by the other, which portrays, in the end, not just the full story (which can be gained by either book) but a “fuller” story. Fabulously done.
Another enjoying part of this book – especially if you have read Ender’s Game first – is that the story telling/writing in this book is more mature. This makes sense when you realize that this book was written about 20 years after Ender’s Game.
I will read this book again and again! Highly recommended.
October 17, 2018
Since Ender’s Game is my all time fav, so is this. ❤️
August 29, 2010
This edition comes with a forward by Mr. Card in which he expresses the opinion that his "later books" in the Ender series are "better" than the first "Ender's Game" but that the first book is action packed, adventurous, and has a boy as main character, so it appeals to younger readers. Thus the greater sales etc. are due to the number of younger readers. Well, I suppose that is part of it. But, even though Mr. Card is the writer, I must "on the whole" disagree with him. The first book is just...better. It doesn't mean others didn't "understand" or didn't "get" his other books, the later books are just more caught up in Mr. Card's own belief system and ideas. They get a bit pedantic.
This book is well written. While I've noted before that the "coming of age" story isn't a "genre" I find particularly appealing. This one however "holds it together" as follow Bean in his development and watch an actual growth process. I find the book overall not as good as Ender's Game but still a good book. I'm not sure how everyone will feel (what they will think) about a retelling of the events in Ender's Game from the point of view of Bean. I personally think there are some good sized holes here and there but nothing that will ruin it for you. As I said, "overall" a good read...oh yeah, and there's some action to. (LOL)
This book is well written. While I've noted before that the "coming of age" story isn't a "genre" I find particularly appealing. This one however "holds it together" as follow Bean in his development and watch an actual growth process. I find the book overall not as good as Ender's Game but still a good book. I'm not sure how everyone will feel (what they will think) about a retelling of the events in Ender's Game from the point of view of Bean. I personally think there are some good sized holes here and there but nothing that will ruin it for you. As I said, "overall" a good read...oh yeah, and there's some action to. (LOL)
January 19, 2011
With all honesty, I don’t know what to say right after I finished this book. The book never failed to impress me as it failed my first impression. Yes—my first impression. The fact that I didn’t read yet the Ender’s Game series made me hesitate in pursuing reading the Ender’s Shadow. Credit to Orson Scott for initializing the reason why should I read the book through his well written foreword. Another thing, I’m not deep into novels which set above the earth—or in other words, the outer space. Glad that the book has stricken me--not the setting but the story line and the main the protagonist of the book.
Proven and tested. This book is a butt-stapler. Once you get hold of this book, you’ll never try to put it down. One reason of why the book a page-turner one is how interesting the main character is. Have you watched Baby’s Day Out movie? If yes, imagine that this book is a way how we’ll know the main protagonist’s—the baby--perspective. Bean himself is a strong catch up that bounds the reader not to miss even a single word of the book.
I admire the personality of Bean that it made me relate myself to him. If you think because I’m smart as him, then you’re stupid like meowing dog. Bean’s intelligence is exceptional that even the readers won’t even guess what had he planned, much less the other characters of the book. His mind is unpredictable, yet prompt. The personality that we shared is how not to snap back when the bullies are up for humiliation and fun. Thus, the only way to cease it is to gain respect and honor.
If I have the list of likable child characters, I now say that Bean is at the top of them as what his ratings did in this book. His way of defeating an enemy is not by killing him/her but by letting the authority to do it without dirt in his hands. His means of winning a battle is not by competing to others, instead sharing of knowledge for unity. Bean is not character of bravery but an image of tactics, intelligence and maturity. That’s the Kid. That’s Bean. That’s my favorite character.
I love the premise of the book. All along reading the book, as if I was with his journey, I realized that all he needed was love and appreciation. However it wasn’t dig deeply in this book, but as you get yourself into the character, you’ll notice the missing piece of his life that though he was scared to have, he was definitely in need of it. I also love how this book ended, even this book is meant for a series, the ending was justifiable break indeed.
I find the book perfect for my taste. From the very first page of the book up to the end is amazement to me. I once said that this book never failed to impress me and I will not hesitate to repeat it all over again. I didn’t pick the wrong book, though I never yet tried reading the Ender’s Game. And because of that, since this book has given also much credit for Ender Wiggin, it’s an exact timing of reading the more precise happened in the battle through reading Ender’s Game.
When 2011 started, I decided to have a basis in giving the books ratings. And apparently, this book passed far beyond my standards. So great that at least, for this month, I have read a much deserved book to have my five stars.
I haven’t suggested yet any books from my previous reviews. And now I dare break it by recommending this to everybody else especially to those who haven’t read yet the Ender’s Game and also to everyone who loves YA sci-fi books. Some of the sci-fi or dystopia books now are no good than a talking mud, but believe me; this book will hunt your obsession and will cause an impact on every cell of your brain.
Bean is a gifted child. Or is he even a human to be referred a child? When Bean crawled from danger when he was almost one year old, he knew then that he was no ordinary kid. He looks 2-year old kid but the real is he’s 4 years old, yet he thinks at least 10-year old bully. He gets himself a family but soon finds out it wasn’t a good idea because it tends him to escape from the murderer of the person who gave him life—Poke.
Through Sister Carlotta and through Bean’s intelligence, he made it to be a launchie in a Battle School where everyone is trained to be commander of the fleet. No matter how smart he is when all his teachers doubt his ability, he still has to prove something. And the worst of all despite the fact that everyone knows he’s the one who has the highest score in every field, yet it is as though inevitable to be a shadow of another excellent student named Ender.
Proven and tested. This book is a butt-stapler. Once you get hold of this book, you’ll never try to put it down. One reason of why the book a page-turner one is how interesting the main character is. Have you watched Baby’s Day Out movie? If yes, imagine that this book is a way how we’ll know the main protagonist’s—the baby--perspective. Bean himself is a strong catch up that bounds the reader not to miss even a single word of the book.
I admire the personality of Bean that it made me relate myself to him. If you think because I’m smart as him, then you’re stupid like meowing dog. Bean’s intelligence is exceptional that even the readers won’t even guess what had he planned, much less the other characters of the book. His mind is unpredictable, yet prompt. The personality that we shared is how not to snap back when the bullies are up for humiliation and fun. Thus, the only way to cease it is to gain respect and honor.
If I have the list of likable child characters, I now say that Bean is at the top of them as what his ratings did in this book. His way of defeating an enemy is not by killing him/her but by letting the authority to do it without dirt in his hands. His means of winning a battle is not by competing to others, instead sharing of knowledge for unity. Bean is not character of bravery but an image of tactics, intelligence and maturity. That’s the Kid. That’s Bean. That’s my favorite character.
I love the premise of the book. All along reading the book, as if I was with his journey, I realized that all he needed was love and appreciation. However it wasn’t dig deeply in this book, but as you get yourself into the character, you’ll notice the missing piece of his life that though he was scared to have, he was definitely in need of it. I also love how this book ended, even this book is meant for a series, the ending was justifiable break indeed.
I find the book perfect for my taste. From the very first page of the book up to the end is amazement to me. I once said that this book never failed to impress me and I will not hesitate to repeat it all over again. I didn’t pick the wrong book, though I never yet tried reading the Ender’s Game. And because of that, since this book has given also much credit for Ender Wiggin, it’s an exact timing of reading the more precise happened in the battle through reading Ender’s Game.
When 2011 started, I decided to have a basis in giving the books ratings. And apparently, this book passed far beyond my standards. So great that at least, for this month, I have read a much deserved book to have my five stars.
I haven’t suggested yet any books from my previous reviews. And now I dare break it by recommending this to everybody else especially to those who haven’t read yet the Ender’s Game and also to everyone who loves YA sci-fi books. Some of the sci-fi or dystopia books now are no good than a talking mud, but believe me; this book will hunt your obsession and will cause an impact on every cell of your brain.
March 26, 2019
I loved this book! It was a little confusing at first. The time period, and the whole situation that Bean was in was really weird and I didn’t understand it until a bit later. When I did start to comprehend what was happening, I became more interested in the book and wanted to read more of it. The end was the best part by far. It was very intense and detailed, and kind of sad.
I really want to read more of these novels. I’d love to read all of the other perspectives. It’s really interesting that someone would write multiple books about the same event, but just in some of the other characters point of views.
I would definitely read this book again, because I still don’t completely understand everything. Like the whole Achilles thing. But even though I was confused for some of this, it’s still a really good book and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.
I really want to read more of these novels. I’d love to read all of the other perspectives. It’s really interesting that someone would write multiple books about the same event, but just in some of the other characters point of views.
I would definitely read this book again, because I still don’t completely understand everything. Like the whole Achilles thing. But even though I was confused for some of this, it’s still a really good book and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.
June 12, 2012
I was blown away by Ender's Shadow. I was surprised that a re-telling of Ender's Game from Bean's perspective could be so enjoyable. I loved Ender's Game more after reading Ender's Shadow as it added a depth and new level of understanding to circumstances I thought I already fully grasped. I tip my hat to Orson Scott Card for this brilliant display of story telling. Love it!
March 13, 2025
3.5 Enderverse Stars rounded down to 3 Shadow Stars for, like the three preceding Enderverse installments, being over 100 pages longer than is enjoyable.
If you thought Ender’s Game was a good read, well, I did too! And you are sure to find it worth your time and energy to read Ender's Shadow (Enderverse #5). Set on the same time line as Ender's Game, the story is told from an extraordinary battleschool student's POV. A galvanizing parallel narrative but. like its forerunners, blusters on for over a hundred pages more than is enjoyable.
Well, on to Enderverse #6: Shadow of the Hegemon🧚♀️🙋🏼.
If you thought Ender’s Game was a good read, well, I did too! And you are sure to find it worth your time and energy to read Ender's Shadow (Enderverse #5). Set on the same time line as Ender's Game, the story is told from an extraordinary battleschool student's POV. A galvanizing parallel narrative but. like its forerunners, blusters on for over a hundred pages more than is enjoyable.
Well, on to Enderverse #6: Shadow of the Hegemon🧚♀️🙋🏼.
did-not-finish
July 28, 2025DNF 80%, próbowałam się zmusić do dokończenia, ale nie mogę.
January 22, 2024
This was really awesome, and I wish I had read it closer to Ender’s Game, which only means I have to reread that classic soon! I loved diving into Bean as a protagonist. He is a fascinating character study of cold intelligence and the need for love and validation. It was great to be back at Battle School and it made me think that Rowling's Potterverse had to have been somewhat influenced by Card's Enderverse.
In this story, Bean goes from a horrific childhood on the violent streets to become the second-greatest military mind of his generation, helping Ender save the human race from the Buggers. The way we learn piece-by-piece about his origins is well-done and the book is not as laced with Mormonism as some of the later Ender books.
I want to move on to Shadow of the Hegemon now to see how he gets aligned with Peter Wiggins and how he gets along with Valentine.
Fino's Enderverse Reviews in internal chronological order (I think):
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In this story, Bean goes from a horrific childhood on the violent streets to become the second-greatest military mind of his generation, helping Ender save the human race from the Buggers. The way we learn piece-by-piece about his origins is well-done and the book is not as laced with Mormonism as some of the later Ender books.
I want to move on to Shadow of the Hegemon now to see how he gets aligned with Peter Wiggins and how he gets along with Valentine.
Fino's Enderverse Reviews in internal chronological order (I think):
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 8, 2009
I think I may have like this better than Ender's Game. Maybe I wouldn't have liked it at all if I had read them back to back or had read it rather than listened to it, but trying to remember the sequences in Ender's Game as I read them from a different perspective was interesting. I enjoyed seeing the story from the one training just in case Ender fails. Bean's impassionate analysis vs Ender's emotional turmoil. The kid you don't quite like at first because he's too self-confident in his intelligence and then you learn to trust him better than you would yourself. That's about how I felt about the book too. Slow at first but then as you weave into Bean's perspective you see everything from his conclusions and I came to like him very much, more even than Ender. I empathized with him more and came to to root for him more than I ever had for Ender. How systematically Bean took his place knowing everyone would follow Ender but not him, understanding people did not like or trust him, processing lengthy paragraphs of deductive reasoning in a split second until he had could accurately access any situation so you as the reader recognize the potential he never gets credit for. His story's a little more heart-wrenching than Ender's. He could have been the hero, even if he did not believe it himself. I liked that Bean. And I liked his story.
My only disappointment with the book is that in Ender's Game this was obviously not Bean's story and the few interactions that did not feel authentic to Bean's character are connector points to Ender's story. Case in point, when Bean says he can't find his way back to the dorm, when Bean freaks out not understanding when Graff takes Ender to Commander school, and most importantly when Ender deducts that Bean is a great strategist on small projects but not good at grasping the whole picture. Card tries to smooth these over with excuses like Ender being fed doubts about Bean so he won't keep him busy, but it doesn't quite hit the mark. Either Ender isn't as brilliant as he's sold to be in not being able to understand Bean's genius or Bean was never intended to be as large of character as Ender's Shadow portrays. I just wish Card would have known Bean's story while he wrote Ender's so he could place better clues about Bean's story in the original story.
My only disappointment with the book is that in Ender's Game this was obviously not Bean's story and the few interactions that did not feel authentic to Bean's character are connector points to Ender's story. Case in point, when Bean says he can't find his way back to the dorm, when Bean freaks out not understanding when Graff takes Ender to Commander school, and most importantly when Ender deducts that Bean is a great strategist on small projects but not good at grasping the whole picture. Card tries to smooth these over with excuses like Ender being fed doubts about Bean so he won't keep him busy, but it doesn't quite hit the mark. Either Ender isn't as brilliant as he's sold to be in not being able to understand Bean's genius or Bean was never intended to be as large of character as Ender's Shadow portrays. I just wish Card would have known Bean's story while he wrote Ender's so he could place better clues about Bean's story in the original story.
August 13, 2007
This book was definitely not as good as Ender's Game. The best parts of Ender's Game were the action parts, and also the parts where Ender would be faced with a problem and he had to come up with a clever way to fix it. But in Ender's Shadow, Bean is the main character and he tends to be much less subtle than Ender. He also spends an absurd amount of time thinking, just thinking and thinking. It's like... dude. STFU! Maybe if he thought about interesting stuff, but he spends most of his time thinking about military tactics and politics and his own relations with people when he was a baby. Also, one of Bean's character traits is that he's very small, so there's no hand-to-hand combat with him in the way that there was with Ender. All the parts that might have been hand-to-hand combat in Ender's Game were instead replaced with pages and pages of--you guessed it!--thinking.
Card seems to enjoy going off on this boring tangents wherein his characters have cryptic discussions about religion and the military--two subjects I really couldn't care less about. Which brings me to the religion parts of this book. Bean's caretaker for a while is a nun and often the narration will return to her story. Those are by far the worst parts of the book and I often found myself skipping them. I don't care about the adults of the Ender books. I care about the kids and the Battle School. And I especially don't care about the theological beliefs of every single minor character in the series.
Anyway, I would go so far as to say that this book ruined Ender's Game for me. It was so horrible in so many ways that it's eclipsed the coolness that was Ender's Game. And one thing's for sure: I'm not reading any more books in this series.
Card seems to enjoy going off on this boring tangents wherein his characters have cryptic discussions about religion and the military--two subjects I really couldn't care less about. Which brings me to the religion parts of this book. Bean's caretaker for a while is a nun and often the narration will return to her story. Those are by far the worst parts of the book and I often found myself skipping them. I don't care about the adults of the Ender books. I care about the kids and the Battle School. And I especially don't care about the theological beliefs of every single minor character in the series.
Anyway, I would go so far as to say that this book ruined Ender's Game for me. It was so horrible in so many ways that it's eclipsed the coolness that was Ender's Game. And one thing's for sure: I'm not reading any more books in this series.
February 5, 2008
Wow.
I just cried while listening to an audio book. Even more amazing is that this book was the re-telling of a story I've already read, only told from a different perspective. Orson Scott Card is amazing. I'm now looking forward to the other books in the shadow series.
The audiobook was, like all others in this terrific series, fantastically well-executed. Full-cast reading, but no audio effects. Nothing is done to cheapen the conveyance of the story, but oh so much is done to elevate it beyond masterful storytelling into a beautiful work of art. Card himself asserts in his afterword that the audiobook version is the best presentation of his story, superior to reading the book in print or to the potentially forthcoming film version of Ender's Game, which will be a blend of this book and that one.
The pacing is excellent, the background is rich and engaging, and the characters are deeply complex and consistent. Elements of the story that are shared with Ender's Game aren't repetitive but rather simply familiar. It's a great, great story.
One minor glitch I noticed: At one point, Bean realizes the truth of something, then talks himself out of it. Later on, he suddenly believes it again without going through the mental deliberations to switch his opinion again. I got over it, but it needed a page or two of thinking to really be believed.
But that's it. The rest is amazing.
I just cried while listening to an audio book. Even more amazing is that this book was the re-telling of a story I've already read, only told from a different perspective. Orson Scott Card is amazing. I'm now looking forward to the other books in the shadow series.
The audiobook was, like all others in this terrific series, fantastically well-executed. Full-cast reading, but no audio effects. Nothing is done to cheapen the conveyance of the story, but oh so much is done to elevate it beyond masterful storytelling into a beautiful work of art. Card himself asserts in his afterword that the audiobook version is the best presentation of his story, superior to reading the book in print or to the potentially forthcoming film version of Ender's Game, which will be a blend of this book and that one.
The pacing is excellent, the background is rich and engaging, and the characters are deeply complex and consistent. Elements of the story that are shared with Ender's Game aren't repetitive but rather simply familiar. It's a great, great story.
One minor glitch I noticed: At one point, Bean realizes the truth of something, then talks himself out of it. Later on, he suddenly believes it again without going through the mental deliberations to switch his opinion again. I got over it, but it needed a page or two of thinking to really be believed.
But that's it. The rest is amazing.
May 31, 2020
4.25 stars
I first read this when it was new-ish. Already a big fan of Ender’s Game, I read the two books back-to-back. That was cool; I recommend that.
Bean gets his own series, starting here. He is known for being small and smart, but he has a huge backstory that is gripping and mysterious. Pacing is right on; characterization is great, even for the minor characters; it’s just done very well.
I did the re-read on audio. Scott Brick is the main narrator, but there are about half a dozen others for the short scenes with adults. It also included Card discussing how the Ender’s Game movie was finally made. (I remember him saying years ago that it wasn’t being made because all the producers wanted Ender to be an older teen with a love interest, which would of course destroy the story. So I was kind of surprised that it actually got made.)
Some mild crude language; no swearing | No sexual content | Some violence, possibly disturbing
I first read this when it was new-ish. Already a big fan of Ender’s Game, I read the two books back-to-back. That was cool; I recommend that.
Bean gets his own series, starting here. He is known for being small and smart, but he has a huge backstory that is gripping and mysterious. Pacing is right on; characterization is great, even for the minor characters; it’s just done very well.
I did the re-read on audio. Scott Brick is the main narrator, but there are about half a dozen others for the short scenes with adults. It also included Card discussing how the Ender’s Game movie was finally made. (I remember him saying years ago that it wasn’t being made because all the producers wanted Ender to be an older teen with a love interest, which would of course destroy the story. So I was kind of surprised that it actually got made.)
Some mild crude language; no swearing | No sexual content | Some violence, possibly disturbing
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