Ender's Shadow

Rating:
Summary: Best book.
Review: This is by far the best book in the series. I have fallen in love with the character Bean. If makes normal people, such as i, feel very dumb sometimes. It's so hard to describe how much i like this book. It seemed completely natural for this book to happen. However, we don't really know if any of the other characters deserve a Parallel book, maybe they did! Anyway, I'm glad i read Ender's Game before i read Ender's Shadow.

Rating:
Summary: If you want the same novel as Enders Game, then read this on
Review: Enders Game is perhaps the most compelling book I've ever read. Enders Shadow, is basically that, a book that stands in the shadow of Enders Game. I felt that it was basically good, just lacking in any of the originality that we had with Enders Game. It tried to hard to have that same magic. It just didn't make it for me.

Rating:
Summary: A sandwich story
Review: I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Bean's background made me feel for him much the same as certain key characters did. I must credit Card for using identical dialogue with "the other side of the story" where applicable.

The once reason that I did not give this 5/5 stars is much of this novel seems to be in preparation for additional tales. Achilles character and the fact that Bean was caught up in some sort of sci-fi "Parent Trap" relationship with his older twin brother all seem to have no place in this story or essential background of the character unless some additional events in the later stories require them. This creates a distraction from the main story presented in THIS novel.

It remains to be seen if this distraction is worth while as Bean's story is still developing, but if you enjoyed reading "Ender's Game" and can read this without expecting to read your favorite stories about learning how to play in the battleroom all over again then you will enjoy this book as well. If you want to hear about someone learning the same things the same way that Ender did in the first book of the series, take out some white out and your old copy of "Ender's Game" and put your name in his place. You'll be much happier.

Rating:
Summary: Parallel Excellence!
Review: Wow, this book replaces Ender's Game as my favorite in the series! I checked it out from the library near my grandparent's house, and finished it that night before I had to leave for home! WowwieWowWow that was good! Just the whole idea of rewriting a book from another character's perspective is interesting, and Mr. Card managed to keep the same general storyline and environment fresh and brand spankin' new-feeling. The characters are still well-developed and the writing is still natural-feeling. This book and Ender's Game blur together in my mind, but I can always recollect how much I liked reading this on the big, blue couch at my grandma and grandpa's house.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Book
Review: In Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card manages to retell the same story he told in
Ender's Game, without much repetition or overlap. I've never read anything quite like this before and found it to be a very interesting concept, that must have taken an incredible amount of planning to be pulled off.
The book starts on the streets of Rotterdam, where poverty is rampant. Bean is homeless, and young, but brilliant. By manipulating those around him, Bean is able to change the way every homeless child lives in the city, and he is found by a women who tests children for battle school. He passes the tests and is sent off to battle school where his side of the story of the battle against the buggers is told.
In this book, we see beyond Ender, and into everyone else who helped him to destroy the buggers. Card also manages to give us more insight into Ender, although he is not focus of the book at all. This book is an amazing accomplishment, but at times gets tedious with the tremendous amount of detail. The biggest failing of the story is the characterization of Bean. He is an untouchable character who us little with which to empathize because of his incredible genius and his inability to identify with anyone else.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing Much New Under the Sun
Review: Mostly Parallel to Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow tries to tell the same tale only with more insights. The protagonist in this book is Bean, a different version of Ender, a much more intelligent character whose humanity is in debate.

Throughout the book Bean argues with himself about moral dilemmas and discusses his actions compared to Ender's in similar cases.

For those who have read Ender's game and think that in this book you'll find another insightful story I recommend to reconsider; while Bean is supposedly intellectually superior to Ender, readers will be disappointed by the many quotes from Ender's game, vocalized by Bean, which are unsatisfactory explained from Bean's line of thought. Indeed, the reader will be left with the impression that many a sentence were reasoned with the arguement "so I said..."

Rating:
Summary: Milking an old cow
Review: Ender's shadow is an attempt to squeeze more money out of Ender's game. Same story, different viewpoint. Although Bean is a great character, he's too great, he can do too much, making him a characature of his cameo appearance in Ender's Game. Like many assisting roles, he is great in the cameo, but is flat in the starring role. Only Card is to blame for this. I feel he was trying to create a superheo out of Bean, but couldn't quite do it. All of the campy superhero antics were built into this book, the vague beginnings, superhuman abilities, and especially the idea of an arch-nemesis who coincidentally comes from the same home town as the hero. Card, I though better of you. If you're in love with Ender's Game, you'll like it because of the return to Battle School and all of Ender's gang. But on it's own, the title says it all, it is dwarfed in Ender's shadow.

Rating:
Summary: Strong story with an intellectual prose.
Review: Orson Scott Card's fifth novel in the Ender Quartet series is one great yarn that really entertains you and keeps you reading until you reach the back cover. Keep in mind, this story is very smart and incredibly insightful upon all these magnificently created characters of one totally unique story, and, if you look at it closely, you'll find that this novel is pretty much based one hundred percent around characterization, entirely involved around Bean, his origins, his friendship with Ender and the daunting tasks he had to suffer through, everything from his emotional stresses to his rough life. Although this novel is Sci-Fi, it is not your regular blast up the alien un-originality that manifests itself within many SF stories today. There is actually very little violence, destruction, gore and war in this book, even though it shows up in some places. No, 'Ender's Shadow' is more scientificly suspenseful with just tension and unpredictability alone, with colourful characters and a visually impressive picture of a dark, gothic vision of Rotterdam after the first two alien invasions. After the invasion, we find ourselves, once again, in Space.
Even though I've never really liked Sci-Fi, I found this book a great read. The only problem that I had with it, however, was the fact that although Mr. Card was building enough tension to the fact that a third invasion of the Formics would be coming, he didn't make the ending battle scene very dramatic or climactic to support that theory. Like I said earlier, however, this is not a video game book, this is not circled around violence or blood; just pure characterization.
I enjoyed this novel thoroughly, however, and would without a doubt reccomend anybody to read it, Sci-Fi fan or not.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular parallel novel to Ender's Game
Review: "Ender's Game" told the haunting tale of a young child burdened with unspeakable responsibilities and tasks in a hyper-militarized society. Ender Wiggin was viewed as the last best hope for planet Earth in decades-long war with an alien species called 'Buggers'. The journey as Wiggin began to realize the expectations of him and comes to terms with the loneliness and burden of command (and the jealousies of other Battle School children) made for one of the most compelling science fiction novels written in recent years.

In "Ender's Shadow", author Orson Scott Card takes the unique approach of telling the story of the same events and time period, but telling it from a completely different point of view. In "...Shadow", Card takes one of Ender Wiggin's most trusted lieutenants from "Ender's Game", a tiny spud of a child named Bean, and tells the story from Bean's angle. While such an endeavor could seem as nothing more than a lazy way to cash in on the popularity of "Ender's Game", "Ender's Shadow" actually ends up telling the equally compelling of Bean.

Bean grew up in a virtual hell on the streets of Rotterdam. Because of rapidly advanced intelligence, he was able to survive and latch on with one of the local gangs of children in spite of meager age of four years and tiny stature. It is on these streets and in this gang that Bean learns the skills of influence and leadership while also being exposed to the worst of humanity. Certain actions by Bean catch the attention of a 'recruiter' (a nun named Sister Carlotta) for the Battle School, who recommends that he be sent there for training and as a possible last hope if the Battle School's 'secret weapon' (Ender) fails.

There are many parallels between "Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow", which is to be expected, given that it takes place during the same time frame. Bean, like Ender, is singled out by the administrators of the Battle School for his command potential and put in situations that earn the envy and animosity of his fellow soldiers. Bean also must deal with an arch-enemy like Ender did. Unlike Ender's conflict with the egomaniacal Bonzo Madrid, Bean caught the ire of the cold and calculating Achilles while he was still in Rotterdam. Through an oversight, Achilles was admitted to Battle School as well and becomes a constant threat to Bean.

The differing story angles enhance the overall scope of the Ender's saga. In the original four books of the Ender's quartet, the events following the destruction of the Buggers are only briefly referenced as Ender goes off on his time travel exile. "Ender's Shadow" deals explicitly with what may happen one Earth once the war is over. Ender was merely concerned with defeating the Buggers. Bean is concerned with defeating the Buggers AND what will become of the unstable geo-political situation on Earth after the war is over. It truly makes for fascinating reading. At no point does the reader feel as though the events are mere rehashes of previous material. The curiosity and thirst for knowledge of the events to come that is created by "Ender's Shadow" feeds perfectly into it's sequel "Shadow of the Hegemon". Such spectacular storytelling is why Card is one of the finest contemporary science fiction officers there is.

Rating:
Summary: Great new perspective on a great story.
Review: After Children of the Mind, I was a little skeptical about reading any more books in this series. Going in with low expectations may have helped, but I think this book would have delivered anyway.

It's very interesting to learn about Bean's life before he gets to battle school. It gives the character a whole new depth. The story of Bean's journey from the streets to helping save humanity is a compelling one. And it also is a great complement to the story told in Ender's Game.

Anyone who liked Ender's Game will probably enjoy this as well, and even if you haven't read Ender's Game, I would recommend this. When you finish, you will probably want to read Ender's Game which is also a wonderful book. If you have read Ender's Game, reading Ender's Shadow will make you want to read it again.