Shadow of the Giant

The Shadow #4

by Orson Scott Card

The Ender Saga continues with Shadow of the Giant, which parallels the events of Ender's Game from a different character’s point of view.Bean's past was a battle just to survive. He first appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else. He knew he could not survive through strength; he used his tactical genius to gain acceptance into a children's gang, and then to help make that gang a template for success for all the others. He civilized them, and lived to grow older. Then he was discovered by the recruiters for the Battle School.For Earth was at war - a terrible war with an inscrutable alien enemy. A war that humanity was near to losing. But the long distances of interstellar space has given hope to the defenders of Earth - they had time to train military geniuses up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School. That story is told in two books, Orson Scott Card's beloved classic Ender's Game, and its parallel, Ender's Shadow. Now, in Shadow of the Giant, Bean's story continues.Bean was the smallest student at the Battle School, but he became Ender Wiggins' right hand, Since then he has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he and his wife Petra yearn for a safe place to build a family - something he has never known - but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies - old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth. To find security, Bean and Petra must once again follow in Ender's footsteps. They must leave Earth behind, in the control of the Hegemon, and look to the stars.THE ENDER UNIVERSEEnder seriesEnder’s Game / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind / Ender in Exile / Children of the FleetEnder’s Shadow seriesEnder’s Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant / Shadows in FlightThe First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)Earth Unaware / Earth Afire / Earth AwakensThe Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)The Swarm / The HiveEnder novellasA War of Gifts / First MeetingsAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult, Audiobook, Space

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

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

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars. And so we arrive at the finale to the wonderful Shadow series on the heals of the tumultuous events of the previous three books, Ender's Shadow,Shadow of the Hegemon andShadow Puppets. For those that have not read the previous installments, there will be some spoilers below as the plot summary alludes to events that have occurred in the previous books. However, I will avoid spoilers for this book and will try and be as general as possible in the synopsis.

This book concludes shortly after the conclusion of Shadow Puppets with the fall out from the momentous events of that story being felt around the world. Peter Wiggin, Hegemon of Earth, is trying to strengthen his fledgling “Free People of Earth (FPE)” and turn his figurehead title into a reality. Like the previous two novels, the central plot plays out like an enormous version of the boardgame “Risk” with Peter’s FBE competing and maneuvering against China, India, a revived Russia and a newly organized Moslem Empire. Each of these powers is being ruled or controlled by a former member of Ender’s Battles School “jeesh” and it makes for some fascinating move/countermove scenarios.

In addition to the main story, a significant subplot is Bean trying to find a cure for his condition, known as Anton’s Key, which continues to make him smarter and larger to the point where his size will soon kill him. In addition, Bean is frantically searching for his missing “children,” the fertilized embryos previously stolen.

While I did not like this as much as the previous books in the series, I still thought it was very good. The geo-political landscape of the future Earth of this series is such a fascinating place full of subtle intrigue and shifting alliances that it makes a great backdrop for the stories. I think Card did terrific job setting up this credible alternative future.

Through all 8 novels in the Ender/Bean series, Card, in my opinion, has not written one below “very good” and this installment is no exception. The writing is excellent, the tactical/strategic plot elements are very well done and the dialogue between the "gifted" characters is terrific. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

One final comment I thought would share. I find it interesting that both the Ender series and the Shadow (or Bean) series have followed the EXACT same pattern as far as my level of enjoyment. I loved the first books (Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow). I loved the second books substantially MORE (Speaker for the Dead and Shadow of the Hegemon). I then loved the third books of both series more than the first but not as much as the second (Xenocide and Shadow Puppets). Finally, I really liked but didn’t love the fourth (Children of the Mind and this book). If nothing else, OSC is consistent.

Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

[mich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who the hell decides to randomly re-read book 4 in a series that they haven't touched in YEARS? Umm. . . me? I guess?

I first read these books a really long time ago. Ender's Game had been one my favorite sci-fi books ever back in the day (I will never forget how I felt when I read the "twist" at the end of that book. It was one of those moments that literally put goosebumps on my arms. SO GOOD.)

I ended up reading most of the Enderverse books and liking them. I remembered that this was my least favorite of the series, but not why. I think I just thought it was the most boring one? I remembered there was a lot of politics in this one. I wondered if I'd be able to pick this back up with my older, more patient (and more mature? lol) self and be able to appreciate this more and look back at this series as a whole as an old favorite?

Um, NO. Jesus, no. This was so bad.

And no, my big criticism isn't that it's so unrealistic that teenagers are able to control and lead countries. I mean, we're all here at this point cuz we loved Ender's Shadow/Ender's Game, right? The book that had alien buggers in space? Sooo, I mean. . . I don't think "realism" is one of standards that I really need to hold the rest of these books up to lol.

I actually LOVE that part of the whole thing. Following the members of Ender's jeesh, these genius kids who have had elite training and lived through a nightmare together, going back to regular life on Earth. How Battle School was a veritable melting pot, but leaving and going back home meant testing your former loyalties and friendships cuz "home" was a country that wanted to use you to wage war against each other. It was fun and it was cool.

What I didn't like was how Card completely shits on all the female characters here. Doodoo, all over them. It stinks and it's bullshit.

If you've read enough of his books, you know this author can get preachy. His personal beliefs bleed into the pages every once in awhile, and the fact that he did this to all his female characters kinda gives me an indication as to how this dude must really feel about women in general.

Overly emotional. Irrational. Crazy.

That's what he turned his 2 main female characters into. Wtf?

Look, I have always loved Petra. You remember the first scene we get from her in Ender's Game, right?

"Petra Arkanian. The only girl in Salamander Army. With more balls than anybody else in the room."

How do you go from that badassery to this emotional baby-obsessed mess?? Card ends up destroying her character and using her for the sole purpose of being a mouthpiece for his condescension and utter disdain for anyone who doesn't think that making babies is the end all and be all of everything, and if you don't do that with your body then you might as well just go die or live in a cave somewhere cuz you don't matter in life.

And don't get me started on Virlomi.

Virlomi's the only female character at this point who is actively on the world stage with the boys. She got there by being smart, and strategic, and kickass. Just like the other Battle School guys.

And Card decides to turn her into a crazy person. Not only that, he decides to suddenly make her become stupid (the latter being the bigger offense in my opinion).

It's such bullshit the way he makes a point of having all his female characters fail at the things that the male characters ultimately end up succeeding in.

Not only that, he makes us actively dislike them (hey, he does the same thing in the other Ender books with Novinha and Quara). He makes sure to let us see them being completely fucking irrational and controlled by their emotions.

He doesn't do that with the male characters.

Again, it's bullshit.

And I won't even comment on how Card portrays Islam here.

This was a shitty book. The "fun" stuff can only get you so far. I wish I hadn't picked this book up again. It was definitely better being left in my memories as "the dull one in the series" rather than what it is now.

[Maria Dobos · Rating 4 out of 5]

După dispariția lui Ahile, ambiția foștilor membrii ai armatei lui Ender amenință să înghită și să sfâșie Pământul în lupte fără sfârșit. Cu un rol mai mult simbolic și fără o putere reală, Peter Wiggin, Hegemonul Pământului, încearcă să-și exploateze puțina influență politică pentru a pune bazele Alianței Popoarelor Libere și a unifica întreaga planetă sub un singur conducător, evitând astfel războiul.

Pe celălalt plan, Bean își împarte puținul timp rămas între Petra, căutarea embrionilor pierduți și consolidarea puterii lui Peter. Folosindu-se de prestigiul, instruirea și extraordinarele sale capacități intelectuale, el reușește să încline balanța în favoarea Alianței Popoarelor Libere, căreia încep să i le alăture din ce în ce mai multe națiuni.

Conștient de evoluția implacabilă a bolii sale, Bean acceptă oferta Colonelului Graff de a pleca în spațiu o dată ce Peter va avea controlul Pământului, luându-i cu el pe cei trei copii ce i-au moștenit anomalia genetică și sperând că relativitatea călătoriei le va oferi suficient timp cercetătorilor pentru descoperirea unui tratament. Încercând să le ofere șansa unei vieți normale, Bean îi lasă pe cei cinci copii normali pe Pământ, împreună cu Petra.

Cu toate că are lipsurile ei (de exemplu, mi s-a părut prea puțin credibilă evoluția lui Virlomi ca personaj, e greu de împăcat chibzuința, altruismul și inteligența ei din volumul precedent cu imaginea zeiței fanatice și egocentriste care nu ezită să sacrifice sute de mii de vieți pentru glorie), Umbra Uriașului are farmecul ei - tensiunea care se acumulează treptat, mișcările politice care se aseamănă unui joc de șah, Peter Wiggin care se străduiește să mențină pacea lumii, Flota Internațională care visează să împrăștie Omenirea printre stele - toate se împletesc și conturează un deznodământ acceptabil al întregii aventuri (PS: știu că mai exista un volum al seriei, dar prefer să păstrez în minte acest final, cu Bean călătorind printre stele 😊).

[Jeraviz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha sido un poco decepcionante el final de esta saga o al menos de este arco argumental. Comenzó siendo muy prometedora con un personaje principal mucho más atractivo que Ender y la trama al estilo Risk donde los alumnos de la Escuela de Batalla gobernaban los distintos países de la Tierra me parecía perfecta. Pero tanto en el anterior como en este Scott Card toma unas decisiones que no me parecen las correctas y baja bastante el nivel. A los dos personajes femeninos más importantes los rebaja a meros floreros o toman decisiones sin sentido sin ningún motivo, a Bean le pone como secundario y todos los juegos de guerra que comentaba antes entre los países simplemente se esbozan o se resumen.

El final de Bean lo deja muy en el aire por si más adelante quiere retomarlo imagino, creo que hay más entregas y no sé si vuelve a aparecer pero no se merecía ese final.

Me parece mucho mejor saga la de Ender, más madura y enfocada a un público más adulto.

[Jenna St Hilaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth of the Shadow books, and in it, Card picks up the question of what happens to a lot of young people who have never known anything but war, as Ender's Jeesh and other key Battle School graduates take their places among the heads of state. It's thoughtfully done, if not carried to great personal depths in every case; so much happens in this story that a lot of the political maneuvers simply have to be summed up, and some of the important character development happens in just one or two scenes. Card has quite the knack for doing great things with lone scenes, however.

Of those great lone scenes, I was surprised at which characters' big moments affected me the most. This was Bean's book, and Petra's, and yet I have loved Bean and Petra for five books. I did not expect to love Peter. That astonishing little delight provided for a hefty share of the sweetness in the bittersweet ending, and in some ways, this was his book as well. The narrative hops perspective a lot, giving the reader sight into the various Battle Schoolers' struggles to shape the world and their own lives; it focuses on Bean and Petra, but Peter's genius and his motivations, his hard work and his healing are the central tale.

As for the Battle Schoolers' struggles, Card structures the military movements with outstanding logic, best as I can tell; he appears to have done his research thoroughly on the various countries involved, and everything from motive for action to the playing out of battle upon available terrain seemed thought-through and believable to me. Someone more knowledgeable of strategy than myself may catch mistakes, but the only thing I saw that resembled a flaw was in how briefly big events had to be summarized—probably a consequence both of word count limits and the fact that not every active country had a Battle School graduate to follow around.

But that abbreviating of key events was well made up for by the thoughtfully optimistic perspective on life and humanity that carries Card's work. If Shadow Puppets came off slightly moralistic, Shadow of the Giant reverted to true Orson Scott Card empathy and brilliance. The comprehension of human nature and culture, the compassionate philosophy, and the powerful, ever-hopeful drive toward light and redemption are overwhelmingly beautiful even amid grief.

And there is grief in this book. This is a tale of hope and happiness and suffering together, and it was both the sorrow and the beauty of it—and the truth of it, for that matter—that had me in tears for the last thirty pages this morning. Card shows redemption working in the most unexpected characters, of which Peter is only the most central, and his latter scenes allow for the existence and goodness of a God who has, as in Psalm 18, 'made darkness his hiding place.' It was those things, even more than the sorrow, that put my eyeliner to the test. (Both eyeliner and mascara survived the meltdown. I'm impressed.)

Card sold me on the ending, but I can imagine some readers being a touch less satisfied. A handful of threads are left unresolved for sequels' sake, and the heartache and sweetness are pretty inextricable. I'll recommend the entire Shadow series wholeheartedly to anyone who has read much of the Ender saga and loved it.

For anyone who has not read the Ender saga: if I taught writing, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead would be required reading for an understanding of how to write humanity; but even for those only looking for some good reading, I recommend those two books almost without reserve. They are some of the best modern fiction I've ever come across.

[thethousanderclub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam C. Zern offers his thoughts . . .

"When I completed Shadow Puppets I was as hesitant as I’ve ever been to continue reading the Shadow series, which is an extension of the Ender series. I felt the book was extremely weak in both story and character. It made me feel as if Orson Scott Card was wandering helplessly in the desert of his own imagination and never finding an oasis of meaningful creativity. Happily, Shadow of the Giant, the 4th book in the Shadow series, is a solid return to the character-driven, emotional core that made Card’s other Ender and Shadow books so good.

The best part of Shadow of the Giant is that one of the main conflicts and with it the main antagonist—Achilles—is gone. Bean’s personal war with Achilles was overwrought and its subsequent resolution was surprisingly weak. Now that it’s over it feels as if Card doesn’t have to slavishly return to the conflict as he repeatedly did in the last book. The meat of this book is the confrontations between a variety of characters and countries, which allows for more diverse and interesting scenarios. In other words, Shadow of the Giant is a whole lot more entertaining than Card’s last entry in the series.

Anyone familiar with any of the books in the Ender or Shadow series knows that they’re based on psychology as well as science fiction. Card sometimes meanders into too much psychoanalysis of his characters, which he accomplishes through stilted dialogue, but the characters remain fascinating. As I have said before, I am invested in these characters and will continue reading what Card has to offer in this universe even after the Ender and Shadow series are over.

By reading in their entirety the Ender and Shadow series in the Ender’s Game universe, I can honestly and confidently say that there are two books which are must-reads—Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow. The other books in the two sagas or worthwhile but only after deciding if the characters deserve your time."

http://thethousanderclub.blogspot.com/

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Things this books taught me:

Even if you save a planet by fighting an intergalactic war before you hit puberty, your life will be meaningless unless you have biological children. Also, the Islamic region exists only to take over the entire world and is more evil than the other people who want to take over the entire world, even though everyone else is also killing and fighting people because they think their way is better.

Things I wanted to learn in this book:

How Peter Wiggins was able to take over the world through clever manipulation and political tactics with the help of Ender's old war friends.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an exciting read with the crisis for Bean/Julien becoming more and more central to the story as well as his relationship with Petra and the fate of the other embryos with Anton's Key modified. Beyond that, we are faced with Ender's Jeesh running several major countries and getting into wars and imbroglios. I was a little put off by all the bad behavior demonstrated primarily by the Arab and Indian nations with America just an aloof non-participant. There was a sense, in my own perception of the book, of an implied superiority of white cultures (since after all those are who dominate the book's characters and survivors). Nonetheless, it made for good and exciting reading more or less from cover to cover.

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...

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. It was ok. Not his crown masterpiece.
Lots of war games, strategy. You get to find out what happens to Bean and Petra and the rest of Ender's Jeesh as all the nations of Earth use the wonder kids to try to tear each other apart. Interesting insight on Islam (from, um, a Mormon?). You get to see Peter be Not Such a Bad Guy After All.

My problems with it are:
- not much exciting new conceptual stuff like the Speaker for the Dead books. It feels like the whole book is denouement. Or filler.
- I suppose it's possible that super-smart super-analytical kids would think and talk about their relationships in flat strategic terms, but really? I guess I'm missing a certain emotional sophistication and nuance.

I think the most interesting thing about this book is what it sets up to happen in the next book ...

[SPOILERS FOLLOW]

He left it wide open for a new series about an Achilles re-mix, the genetic offspring of Bean, with Beans brilliant-but-fatal condition, but raised by a woman who thinks Achilles is a poor misunderstood brilliant leader. She doesn't know it's Bean's kid or that it has that condition, and she's teaching him the "real truth about Achilles". She takes him off to a colony world, which means he'll be time-delayed just like Bean's other wonder-kids which he takes into space with him. Which means someone might care enough to try to figure out Bean's problem if they have to deal with another Bean-but-evil. However, Bean is not ambitious, so would Bean's kid be? Hmm. Bean's kid would also not have Bean's military training. And raised by a crazy lady on a colony world. Hmm. But either way, the next series will surely be about all the little Beans running around being crazy-brilliant and trying to out-maneuver each other, using the colony worlds as their playground. Perhaps using space travel as a way to delay the effects of their disease.

The other interesting part of the book was this idea that Volescu was planning to release a genetic virus that would make every new kid have Bean's disease. So it would change the course of human evolution and create a new species of super-humans, who would die at age 20. But that was dropped, it wasn't the case, he was just bluffing. But that would be an interesting book.

Question: Why don't they set up a lab in Bean's ship that he goes off in with his uber-smart babies? Wouldn't they be the best ones to try to find a cure? They've got motivation and they are smarter than Valescu. Hmmm.

[Davyne DeSye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

This is the fourth book in the Ender’s Shadow series – and once again, is a book that can be read as a standalone novel.

This book in many ways continues the story of Ender’s older brother, Peter, attempting to (and getting closer to success) unite the world in peace – with Bean’s and Petra’s help of course. For me, this is also a much more personal story of Bean and Petra.

While the world politics continues in the background, Bean and Petra have found love, and – more amazing still – have decided to have children of their own. For understandable reasons, they opt for in vitro fertilization and end up with nine viable embryos. Bean and Petra immediately implant one and become excited (and terrified) at the prospect of being parents, especially as their child is likely to be a genius in its own right. Unfortunately, they discover soon after implanting the first embryo that their other embryos have been stolen. When no ransom is demanded, they realize the awful truth: Someone has stolen the embryos in the hopes of raising their own small army of indoctrinated geniuses that can be raised to become the new child-warriors the world is demanding. They must get their children back…

As always, Orson Scott Card’s writing is impeccable as is his characterization. And yep, I cried my eyes out at the end. Sigh. Great stuff!

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great ending to this particular arc! Truth be told, I liked this series a lot more than I thought I would, especially considering it didn’t have many sci-fi elements. But this book benefitted from two things: I’m still riding the high from Ender’s Shadow – the profound character and story connections I carried away from loving it as much as I did. And I continue to find Card’s writing totally absorbing, even when the story travels miles away from what initially drew me to the series.

I also love how this tangent series added so much richness to the people who were only periphery characters in the first two books.

I don’t know why I always just assumed these continuation books would be boring and hard to follow compared to Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow. Sure, they’re not on the same pedestal, but they’ve been delights in their own right. I HAVE heard the by-publication continuations (I’m reading these chronologically) weren’t as good as the originals from the majority of people I’ve sourced (I’ll be reading those eventually), so perhaps I just unconsciously clumped these in with the hearsay for those. I’m truly surprised at how much I took away from this series and how highly I’d recommend the experience. I cannot wait to continue exploring more of this universe.

Recommendations: Haven’t read Ender’s Game yet? You’re missing out on an amazing story and one of the best sci-fis (and books) I’ve read. Read Ender’s Game but not Ender’s Shadow yet? You’re missing out on the absolute PHENOMINAL. These Shadow continuations are also worth your time.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Tracey, Dagmara, and Poochtee! <3

Find me on Booktube at: The Obsessive Bookseller

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

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[Angela Blount · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Life is full of grief, to exactly the degree we allow ourselves to love other people."

While Ender is off to a colony world at relativistic speeds, the world and friends he's left behind must fend for themselves.

Here we have a whole book on the aftermath of a psychopath's grand scheme... and the geopolitical power struggle between several of the more prominent countries, who are in some way being led and advised by former Battle School children. And then there's Peter Wiggin, attempting to redeem and give purpose to himself by somehow ending the wars and uniting the planet. His only chance to do so comes down to the cooperation of Bean and Petra--who have minimal reason to trust Ender's elder brother.

I admit, I haven't exactly been reading these in order. So it was a bit of a surprise when I found out Bean and Petra got married...
And then with the urgency of Bean's fatal genetic condition bearing down, they decide to have children--while there's still a chance of Bean knowing any of them before he dies. This circumstantial family planning pressure is then increased massively after 8 of their fertilized embryos are kidnapped and implanted into surrogates (some unwitting, and some not so much), causing a race to locate their lost children, and forcing them to have to rear all of the found ones all at once. And then, just to up the ante further... several of their children will undoubtedly have the same genetic disorder that's causing Bean's giantism and severely shortened lifespan--for which there is still no cure.

I didn't care much for the political machinations and intrigue. (That's truly never my cup o' tea.) And I was certainly missing some of the context that any of the books between this one and Ender's Shadow would have brought. But Card does a decent job of filling in and summarizing the missing bits.

My favorite part, as ever, was Petra. I know some reviewers seem to think her desperate rush into motherhood diminished her range or value in some way. But I'd argue that it rounded her motives and characterization out in ways most people never attain in a full lifetime--let alone at age 17--genius prodigy or not. I understood her completely, and can't say I would have chosen differently in her position. There even comes a point nearer the end where one of the Battle School masterminds (Colonel Graff?) mentions that Petra is/was the very best of all the original children--the most balanced and compassionate of all those whom Ender selected as his co-leaders. And that rang oddly true to this reader.

I also appreciated the hints of the deep understanding, and perhaps what could be considered a trauma bond, between Petra and Bean. It ALMOST makes me want to get ahold of the previous book to see how their relationship advanced to this point. (Even though that would mean sifting through the unsettlingly psychotic mind of Achilles once again.)

I didn't fully buy into Peter's whole redemption arc. While Card might have made me tentatively forgive him, he didn't quite make me like or trust him. And the story's resolution was less satisfying than I would have preferred. But that could just be a result of me hoping for something... happier.

[arjuna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Going to have to reiterate my wish that these four books had been combined, heavily pruned, and polished a little, I'm afraid... I concur with this review on most points... the endless geopolitical stuff got very tired early on in this book, and while it was good to see a little more on Alai and Virlomi (I really liked her story), the whole point of this set of things is Peter's rise, and the constant bogging-down of what could have been a really interesting, succinct examination of the powerplays in the ongoing Bean'n'Petra soapie story is just plain annoying at this point.

Haven't said this before but I'm going to have to, at this point: the enjoyment I *did* get out of the book is undermined considerably by the constant harping on about family and babies and marriage and babies and the point of life for women (and men, but mostly women) being babies... jfc. Can't fault the "active, intelligent and independent" female characters, but to have them all (pretty much) decide that family life was their one-true-calling and everything else is subsidiary, and that somehow Petra is the bad guy for following her intelligence rather than her womb until the Very Last Minute is just... ugh. And puhleeze - all that "Redeem the battle children with family life" stuff... pretty much everything in this quartet loses a star for that. But this book in particular. Alienating, distasteful, and an unpleasant surprise after the robust females elsewhere in the Ender saga.

[Jimmy Corvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't be happier with how this series ended.

I feel like this book was just OSC showing off. It was as if he were attempting to write a book to show other authors how to develop characters. OSC took characters that the reader previously held in high regard and easily made them a villain as well as took previously, unlikeable characters and turned them to into charismatic heroes. It was a real treat to see these kids grow up and find out what happens to every story line.

While I don't want to give anything away, the end of this book is basically a dream for any fan of the series. Ever since I started the Shadow series, I've wanted one conversation to happen, and OSC does not fail in the powerful and moving dialogue which closes the final chapter of this series.

I'm a little torn about having Ender in Exile to follow up this book as I feel like I don't need anything else from these characters...however, as I said above, I feel like I've seen all these kids grow up and thus, I want to know as much as I can about their lives. I certainly do not expect EiE to compare to this final installment, but I am excited about it, nevertheless

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here I am, yet again, drinking up page after page of vague, over-generalized international conflict talk like it is the sweetest ambrosia.

Card writes this series specifically for me, honestly. There is a part where Peter Wiggin and Graff talk about "if Russia does this, then China will do that" "if India does that, I will do this" in massively nonspecific and omniscient terms for a whole entire chapter. I love it. Talk to me about ten all-powerful genius kids playing war games with the whole world forever, please. A too-steady diet of this stuff is why fluffy, unrealistic fantasy world politics was all I could write about as a teenager.

This meat of this book is focused on the process of Peter conquering the world through diplomacy. The last few chapters jump and take us up to the coda of Ender's Game, where Ender talks to elder statesman Peter by ansible and writes his biography. The whole thing is chock full of little moments I gleefully enjoy: Petra and Dink finally talking, Virlomi throwing the former Prime Minister of India out on his ear, the email exchange between Carn Carby and Dumper, the jeesh reunion meeting, etc.

Unfortunately, it was also full of trash.

Xenocide Law Rating: Low-moderate. Most of the breeding kink stuff is over.

Treatment of Women Rating: TERRIBLE.

This book explains away Petra as having redirected all her ambition and hunger for power toward being a mother. That's why she isn't busy dividing up the world. That's why she doesn't come to the jeesh reunion meeting. That's why she's the only jeesh member safe enough to allow to remain on Earth. That's why she spent all of the last book begging and pleading and coercing Bean into giving her his babies. She finally gets to run a mini-war at the end, but even the narrative admits the campaign is "just cosmetic," and it's not enough to rehabilitate the last MANY books painting her with a massively different brush than was used for literally any other jeesh member.

Petra, though, is shafted only minorly compared to how Virlomi is treated. Virlomi is the only other really prominent female we have. She is the only one actually playing the game of world affairs with the boys. She is the only non-jeesh member allowed to take a starring role. She spent the last two books being wise and compassionate and singlehandedly liberating India. In this book, because all of the Battle School kids can't be omnipotent and omniscient, because ONE of them has to lose in order to resolve the pan-Asian conflict and it can't be one of Ender's jeesh, Virlomi takes the fall.

This still would have been bad, because we have only two centrally located female game pieces and that would have made BOTH of them the ONLY ones we have seen to genuinely fail. The way Virlomi fails, though, makes it even worse. She somehow loses her entire mind and abandons all strategy, reason, and tactics -- the very things that have allowed her to succeed thus far -- and ends up marching straight towards the enemy convinced that she is God. This, after throwing herself at Peter and then throwing herself (naked) at Alai.

What the hell? Couldn't she have kept some dignity? Couldn't she have tried something smart, and still failed? They go on and on in this book about how, if two equally brilliant minds are pitted against each other, the contest comes down to resources and circumstances. Couldn't Virlomi have lost because of this, without going straight up hysterically nuts? Without taking up Petra's line and demanding that Alai put a baby in her? But no. Apparently it is only male Battle Schoolers who are all-powerful and perfect, obsessed with changing the world. Female battle schoolers obsess over carrying children, and when they reach a certain point they "break."

[♥ Rebecca ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an almost completely satisfying conclusion for the Shadow series. I just wish that girl, Randi, would have gotten smacked around a bit.

But I really enjoyed that this addition to the series had more of the war games than the last. Shadow of the Hegemon and Shadow of the Giant are my favourites of the Shadow series for that reason. I also enjoyed having some sort of conclusion for all of the other characters, such as Alai. Especially Peter. I really enjoyed his character. Being a very different kind of brilliance from the other characters really made him stand out. And of course his accomplishments were the most impressive. This book made me cry alot, which is a good thing. Even when it was because of sadness it was done well, otherwise I wouldnt cry, I would just be frustrated. I was left feeling very satisfied.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This absolutely made up for Shadow Puppets.

This is Peter's story. And Bean's. And Petra's. And Alai's. And Virlomi's. And Han Tzu's. And even Vlad's and Suri's. And you know what? OSC has finally spoken for them. And I know them, and care for them. And it isn't even about Ender anymore. In my review of Shadow Puppets, I declared that the jeesh members were only interesting to us in that they were related still to Ender. In a way, in Shadow of the Giant, it was another Wiggin that they revolved around- these characters did serve to reflect Peter and build his story, but they each also took on their own distinct character and value. Again I say, OSC finally spoke their stories. And, most importantly, he finally gave us Peter the Hegemon. A Wiggin as worthy of admiration as Ender.

A very satisfying end to this companion series.

[Dakota · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am SO done with the series of sermons about biological determinism that these books have become. I will probably just keep going in the hope that’s I eventually like another as much as the first few. Peter is still good in this one, but only really in the last fifth of the book. And that’s the only good thing I can say. Card is of course great at writing political machinations, but that’s not enough for me to ignore everything like the heterosexism and pretty blatant Islamophobia.

[Bradley Woodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wraps up so many things from so many other books, and so beautifully done. The moment I learned what volescu was doing I couldn't stop reading and it didn't let up. I didn't know if I was going to read shadows in flight after this but now I have no choice. Loved all the character development. Just overall great book.

[Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a lot of the negative reviews for Shadow of the Giant because about halfway through I kept thinking, "Am I the only one that thinks this is pretty much garbage?"
Card built his Ender empire both through Ender Wiggin and Bean/Julian Delficki, but in my opinion starting with Shadow of the Hegemon slowly flushes his universe and characters down the toilet. I was really impressed with Ender's Game even though I got tired of hearing, "Fart knockers" all the time. Ender's Shadow is the book that really made me a fan of Card's writing. The thing that killed it was how in Shadow of the Hegemon through Shadow of the Giant, Card began to interject his useless ideology into his writing. It felt like he was policing himself and not letting his full potential come out. I know that Card is Mormon, so I am not sure (but I heavily suspect) that one of his church leaders warned him that he was treading in dangerous waters with all the violence and profanity in his books. He mentions this in his afterward in one of his audiobooks. Honestly, there really isn't any violence or profanity. I think that the conversation spooked him and he began to police himself in his writing and began to interject his beliefs into his writing. The character that I have come to loathe is Teresa Wiggin and all her babies, babies, babies talk – then with Petra talking about the same thing. I feel like he went down an unrealistic path with pretty much everything. Why didn't he just let Anton be a homosexual? Again, it mind-boggled me that he put things in there that could have been left well-enough alone. I also hated the ending. I thought Bean came off as a whiner. Card tried to write him as some sort of altruistic individual, but from me, he came off and the ultimate "woe is me" person. I feel like this could have been one of the greatest novel series ever with just a few tweakings. It would have been nice to have it end on a happy note or at least a bittersweet one, but it was almost a joke.
The one thing Card has taught me as a reader and an author is to never censor yourself; never be afraid to allow the characters to be who they were meant to be. If the characters swear – let them swear 0r at least be a good enough writer to creatively pass it off in a way that doesn't come off as fake. That is why Stephen King is my favorite author. In his writing book "On Writing," he talks about how he never censors himself, and he doesn't let other people including publishers censor him either. I didn't understand the full power of what that means until I read Card's Ender series. It is such a letdown to realize that an author has let other people's opinions and beliefs get to him in his writing. It is sad, because Orson Scott Card is a damn good writer and he basically sells himself out to himself and the people that he fears, which is pretty unfortunate. The one good thing to come out of this is that I promise that I will never do that. I have no desire to be an Orson Scott Card. This will be the last Card novel that I will read for a long time.

[Nola Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orson Scott Card concludes his shadow series brilliantly in this novel, which details the search for Bean and Petra’s missing children and the onset of world peace under the Hegemon’s rule. Card takes us into the heart of Ender’s jeesh and the ambition that drives them. At the same time, he makes Peter somewhat more likeable as his true motives emerge.

The novel begins with a Chinese coup led by “Hot Soup,” resulting in him being crowned Emperor. Three key jeesh members now lead countries in rather close proximity, and all have aspersions of growth. Throughout the novel, Graff, Rackham, and Peter all encourage Ender’s army to abandon Earth and colonize other planets, pointing out the fact that if they do not, millions of soldiers will die in the scramble for supremacy.

At the same time, Bean and Petra are searching for the embryos stolen by Achilles and implanted in wombs throughout the world. We get only two glimpses into the mind of the woman who birthed the only unfound child. And, while the world domination comes to an end, the saga of these nonhuman children is left open, which will surely lead to another novel. I’ve found myself speculating just how far into the future space travel will make this confrontation; could it, perhaps, involve the great Ender himself? I am also interested in seeing what happens to Bean’s “alien” offspring. In short, as soon as the next novel comes out, Card has at least one buyer.

The story is fast paced and detailed. I love the fact that the solution to the problem of the Buggers has led to another problem on Earth. In short, the Battle School children, bred for a hunger to lead and an ambition for power, return to their homes and destabilize the world. But I also love the fact that the intelligence and ability to reason ultimately leads them all to the same conclusion.

Fast paced, powerful, and with a great story to tell, Shadow of the Giant keeps readers locked to its pages. The focus here is more on overall objectives and less on individual battles. Card has told yet another masterful tale. This story wraps up the life of the Hegemon, Peter Wiggin, and has humanized him. I have to wonder if it was the same story Ender might have written…but Ender’s tale was far shorter, as I recall. Either way, I look forward to learning what happens to Bean and his children, and whether young Achilles is ever found.

[Cory Hughart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed Bean's story, even more than Ender's, but there are a couple of things that have been nagging me throughout this entire series. Bean is supposed to be the most intelligent human being alive. I can't help but feel that Card can't even come close to properly portraying the smartest man alive.

First of all, it's ridiculous that Bean should spend any brainpower at all thinking about religion and God. Countless studies show a clear inclination towards atheism in people with high IQs. This is purely an artifact of the religious beliefs of the author, and I suppose I can understand why he would like to believe that a super-intelligent person would end up clearly admitting belief in some sort of God. I mean, if the smartest of us is willing to have faith, shouldn't the rest of us take a hint? Unfortunately, Card missed the memo: the smartest of us have already had their say, and the overwhelming majority of smart people have come to the conclusion that religious belief/purposeful ignorance is foolish and a waste of time. And I really don't care that he was raised by a nun. He's too intelligent for that and the sappy ending that his "hidden faith" allows for just makes him seem weak and pathetic.

Secondly, the reason Bean is the biggest brainiac of all is actually because his brain is supposedly still growing, still forming new neural pathways. Why is it, then, that he's only really good at military strategy? Why is it that he has so much trouble empathizing with and understanding the people around him? Empathy and intra-personal skills are just pathways in the brain as well, and he is able to practice nearly every waking moment! Bean should have grown into a genius in every right, not just in one area like a kid with Asperger's. You can tell when Card is having trouble writing about someone smarter than him; most of the time, Bean's "genius" only shows in some random intuitive leap or other. At least he was actually devising new, never-before-thought-of techniques back in the Battle Room. Now he's just an overgrown bag of hormones and awkwardness and grey matter. Literally.

For what it's worth, after all that, the rest of the book was entertaining. The semi-normal Battle School Brats kept things moving. And I would definitely like to see how Bean's last child gets resolved if any more books are written in the Ender Universe.

[Ric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadow of the Giant was much better than Shadow Puppets, but still not close to the first two books of the series. The basic plot of the last three books has been Battle School grads treating the world as their own personal game of Risk, which is so cool. But for whatever reason, some of the subplots just aren’t drawing me in as much, and some of the characters are getting really annoying. The Bean and Petra relationship felt kind of forced a few books ago, but just as I was starting to get used to it she tells Dink Meeker of all people that she’s still in love with him in an email, but not as much as Bean. Then after Bean goes off world to find a cure for his gigantism, she falls in love with Peter almost instantly, which is just ridiculous. And then at the end she says she loved him but never stopped loving Bean either, and I can’t keep up with all of it. There was Alai marrying Virlomi for reasons and then leaving in the night like three chapters later because he realized she’s actually crazy. Moral of the story, I don’t need the romantic subplots in this story (not that I don’t love them in other stories, because I really do) just give me the military genius of the greatest minds this world has to offer.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

OSC could have just cut the entire series down into 2 books and the story would have been the same. Waste of time reading.

Spoilers from here on out.

I'm giving it two stars only because I kinda liked the ending with Peter and Petra even though the whole ending to Petra and Beans relationship was stupid (I didn't care much for their relationship anyways). Again OSC takes 500 pages to get to the point. I hate the religious crap that he shoves down our throats the entire time. And I really hate how Virlomi turned into a crazy religious idiot. It's like instead of character development throughout the series, it's character de-development(?I can't think of the right word) if that makes any sense. The only character that grew was Peter. Peter developing a new world is the only story I care about yet it takes a back seat to Bean and Petra's family issues. They keep saying Bean is gunna die but he never. fuckin. dies. Kill him and his weirdo babies off and let the god damn story move on!

[Христо Блажев · Rating 4 out of 5]

От дребосък до гигант, засенчващ дори Ендър: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/s...

Когато през 2012 г. изчетох всички издадени на български книги от серията за Ендър, си обещах да намеря и останалите неиздавани и да си ги прочета в оригинал, толкова бях зашеметен от поредицата, всяка от книгите в която има собствен чар и стойност. Но животът си течеше, нови книги се сипеха непрестанно и така и не се заех сериозно с това ми намерение. Докато преди известно време съвсем случайно в една книжарница в куп книги втора ръка не открих “Shadow of the Giant”, която е точно следващата неиздадена след трите от линията за Бийн – “Сянката на Ендър”, “Сянката на Хегемона” и “Сянката на марионетките”. При това не просто следващата, а завършващата тази серия. Купих си я веднага, разбира се, но чак сега, отпускно, намерих време за нея.

http://knigolandia.info/book-review/s...

[Keith Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems that as Card writes these series and drags them into four and five books or more, they degrade in quality. I’m not sure what about this novel made it less interesting than the rest, but it certainly was. I liked it, but not nearly as much as some of the others. I know some people steer clear of this or Card’s work entirely based on disagreements they have with his portrayal of homosexuality, but I don’t think it makes sense to judge a book solely based on that. Often I will read things simply because I know I will disagree with them, and I learn from them still. Taking this book as is, without the added layer of personal belief of the author, it still isn’t as great as some of the others.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending of this book was actually very sweet, and I am here for Petra and Peter as a couple, which I wanted for a while and definitely understand in a way I never understood Bean and Petra. But overall, this part of the story still lacked the really compelling plot that I wanted. It was a very long conclusion. And the fact that there's some random woman out in space with a genetically altered baby whose real identity she doesn't know and who is going to needlessly suffer because of the ignorance of his mother feels like an unfair and unnecessary loose end.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadow of the Giant is definitely my least favorite of the Shadow Series. I hate the way it ends. it is not badly written; I just hate the Bean/Petra resolution that Card decides on. The unification of the world under Peter Wiggin works for me. Sending the members of Ender's Jeesh to space makes sense. I am glad Virlomi comes to her senses. STILL I hate what happens to Bean and Petra.

Nevertheless, it is a well thought out conclusion to the series.

[Thomas Everest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad this was better than the last one. Still said "make babies" too much but had some more of the creativity that I like from him. Hot take: Volescu made the Descolada.