Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5) by Orson Scott Card
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Book Reviews of Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5)
Book Review: It's deja vu all over again, and I love it!
Summary: 4 Stars
First of all, I never thought Ender's Game needed a sequel, much less a parallel story. I always felt that the first book should stand alone as an independent classic, even as I understood, as a writer, that if I had been blessed with such strong story material, I probably couldn't have left it alone either. So, to the point: Ender's Shadow is longer and slower than its famous predecessor--but it is also very, very good.
The character of Bean is the "shadow" mentioned in the title, and if ever a sidekick lived in the shadow of his partner, Bean is the one. It seems, however, that Bean has a story, too--one that is, in many ways, richer than Ender's, and one that the author takes several more pages to tell (occasionally to the book's detriment). People who are worried (or hope) that all of the same scenes have simply been rewritten from another point of view can cast that suspicion aside. The story bones of the bugger war are all there, but the personal story of Bean is all his own. In fact, some of what we learned in Ender's Game about the outcome of that war may be ... well, slightly one-sided, and Bean's contribution to that climactic event in the so-called simulator is a revelation worth reaching.
I didn't really want to read it. I wasn't looking forward to it. And yet, the book won me over. Kudos, Mr. Card.
(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire fantasy "Teeth.")
Book Review: Great Accompanyment to Game
Summary: 4 Stars
This book made me think of Ender's Game in a whole new light. In the driver's seat this time we have another brilliant student, possibly even more brilliant than Ender, and you really can't appreciate the commander as much after having read this book. If you want to continue to think of Ender as an incredible leader and a suffering human being, don't read Ender's Shadow. Shadow places Bean at the forefront and shows his contribution to Earth's victory over the Buggers. His personality is strikingly different from Ender. With less pressure on him, he is more cynical of his teachers and the way battle school is run, but he also has the insight to know the difference between when to rebel and when it actually matters. Despite adult intellect, Ender seems a child next to Bean's self-reflection and vision. He sees through every Battle School mind game, knows far ahead that the simulations are actual battles, and knows what his teachers are thinking before they do. This alternate personality adds another dimension to the story that has already blown us away. Personally, I have yet to read further in the Ender series, but I would call this parallel story a must-read after Ender's Game.
By the way, if anyone is wondering whether they should just read Shadow and not Game, or read them in the opposite order, I would say that I greatly enjoyed my experience reading Ender's Game first and Ender's Shadow almost a year later.
Book Review: Enjoyable but not without its flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
Ender's Shadow is an enjoyable read, and I recommend it to those who would like to spend more time with Ender, Petra, Bean, and our friends from Ender's Game.
The main flaw in this novel is conceptual. Broadly speaking, the premise of this book is the familiar mantra "everyone thinks they're the main character," invoked by writers to remind themselves that villains, supporting characters, and even The Barman At The Inn should be people with their own motivations, goals, and perspectives and not just convenient robots for advancing the plot. The way this develops in the novel is more along the lines of "Bean is actually way smarter than Ender and everyone else." Bean, formerly supporting cast, has become the main character... and he overshadows everyone in the supporting cast, new and old. His nemesis is a new character who seems to be Evil and Unlikable for no particular reason than to provide Bean with a nemesis.
The biology technobabble requires significant suspension of disbelief for anyone well-informed about child development. It's a plot point that a particularly gifted, undersized infant is strong enough to lift the cover of a toilet tank.
Despite these flaws, it's a fun romp in the world of Ender.
Book Review: Unexpected gem.
Summary: 4 Stars
Ender's Shadow is a parallel novel set against Ender's Game, and chronicling the life and origins of Bean, Ender Wiggin's second in command.
Although the first portion of the book is well developed and Bean's survival on the streets is fascinating, what I enjoyed most about the book were the continual contrasts between Bean and Ender's characters, backgrounds, and motivations. While Ender was always easy to root for, Bean is a much harder character to like initially. Card takes his time drawing you in, slowly teaching Bean empathy as his original book taught Ender to be merciless.
It's true that Card obviously manipulated Bean's character a bit in order to pull this book off, but unlike other readers I don't find that this weakens the original source material at all. Card has matured significantly as a writer since penning Ender's Game, and this newer, more subtle companion proves it.
Book Review: Favorite Ender's Game Sequel
Summary: 4 Stars
This book occurs during the same time frame as Ender's Game, however the protagonist, rather than Ender, is the super-smart Bean.
Of all the sequels of Ender's Game I've read, this was by far my favorite. If you have just finished Ender's Game and wished you had more, this is the answer. It has the same style as it original, occasionally switching to a higher authority, while following the plight of young Bean, another super-brilliant child- perhaps even more-so than Ender.
Most will find it harder to relate to, since Bean grew up on the streets, but I enjoyed how it filled in more of the Ender's Game universe.
I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first.