Rating: 
Summary: Certainly not the best of the series
Review: I introduced myself to the Ender series as a teenager nearly a decade ago and throughout my high school years Card was by far my favorite storyteller. In my mind, Ender's Game is a classic and ranks alongside works such as the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Although I haven't revisited Ender's Game since I first read it (and for the sake of nostalgia, probably never will), these last few books certainly don't show a great deal of TLC on the part of Card. In one sense, my assessment's unfair. Card put decades of thought into developing Ender's Game and it's a solid, inspiring work. He's been churning these last ones out in a year's time. I assume he's written the more recent for his fans, whom I believe he genuinely relates to, and I guess he's simply trying to satisfy their appetite to know what happened from the mind that created this whole fictional universe. But Shadow Puppets is, in my humble opinion, a laundry list of events with fairly lackluster prose and pretty weak character development (for what I remember as the best of Card, at least). There was a mystery to the world (it was a far more exciting place when the details were murky) of Ender's Game, but the post-Formic War planet Earth is too much like the one we have in the here and now and I just can't swallow any longer the premise that adolescents would be running the world, at least not in such great number...I read this book as soon as it arrived at my door here in Scotland. And when I put it down, I couldn't help be get a lump in my throat as I remembered fondly those final chapters of Ender's Game. Now that was a heck of a book.
Rating: 
Summary: Highest marks in the most important category: enjoyment!
Review: It seems to me that Roger Ebert is on to something - he will give a film a high rating if he enjoyed it, even if he cannot intellectually justify it. I find that the Shadow series of Orson Scott Card to be in this category. While reading the books, I've enjoyed them immensely, racing throught them at breakneck speed. It is only upon reflection afterwards that I notice that the Shadow subseries lacks the scope and ambition of the Books 1-4 of the Ender series. Card's inventiveness shines in the earlier books - 2 extraordinary extraterrestrial races (three if you count Jane), a new religion, speculation on the nature of the soul, etc. What do we get in Shadow Puppets? A continuation of the Achille vs. Bean battle and unification of the Muslim world.The general story picks up where we left off in Shadow of the Hedgemon - Peter is "ruling" as Hedgemon (with about as much power as the general secretary of the U.N.). China has invaded and occupied India and Southest Asia. Achille is rescued from captivity in China by Peter, causing Bean and Petra to flee from the Hedgemony and seek a life on the lam, while trying to determine if they can have children who will not be afflicted with Bean's genetic mutation. Meanwhile, world opinion comes around to fear of the rapidly expanding China, setting the stage for a world war. Card saves his best writing for the commando raids and military actions both strategic and tactical. The detail is less than, say, Tom Clancy, but very interesting and well-paced. Unfortunately, characterisations are sacrificed. When I consider Speaker for the Dead with its detailed and varied characters, I am disappointed with the development of Peter, Bean, and Petra. We do get to meet the parental Wiggins, and that is a special treat of this book - I wish we could have had more of them. This review sounds negative, so let me reiterate: the criticisms I have of the book were only noticed on reflection. While in the midst of the story, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and recommend it. If you have not read the previous books in the series, you will not be able to start here - go back and read at least Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Shadow of the Hedgemon. Incidentally, for my money, Speaker for the Dead is the jewel of the Ender series, and one of my top 5 favourite books of all time.
Rating:
Summary: It Has Its Good Points
Review: I am a big fan of Card and have read many of his works...including the previous books in this series. As usual, Card draws his characters in incredible detail. The relationship between Bean and Petra is very intimately and carefully shown and it is the highlight of this book. But unlike the vast majority of Card's other works this book just didn't "grab" me. It was a good story, and by no means will it turn me off to reading more of Card's works (or further books in this series), but somehow the book just didn't suck me in like most of his other books. Overall, this book should definitely be read in the context of the series...but don't expect anything too spectacular --> a rarity for Card.
Rating: 
Summary: Ender series a shadow of its former self.
Review: Both this latest installment along with its "Shadow" predecessors has much wanting. I've read and re-read Ender's Game easily a dozen times, and the later books focusing on Andrew Wiggin several times as well. This series that follows Bean as a young angst-ridden superhuman is sadly lacking in the easy charm of the earlier books. The characters are put in postions or act in ways solely to serve the necessities of the plot, and aren't believable in any way. When the plot calls for any of the Superkids to become dumb suddenly, they do. The entire "let have some babies" sub-plot had to be the worst idea Bean ever had (not to mention preachy on Card's part considering his Mormon beliefs - not everyone HAS to have kids). In any case that twist served only as a contrivance to force a final showdown between the Hero and his Nemesis. And and nemeses go, Achilles is pitiful. OOH, he's scary. Watch out. He is a punk kid. In fact, all the former members of Ender's jeesh are punk kids. Genuises, surely. But they're kids. In the context of Battle School and the Formic Wars, a bunch of kids saving the world works brilliantly. But back on Mother Earth they would be treated like smart-ass children again. They wouldn't be leading armies in the field or setting national policies. The reason the other Ender books worked is that he was an adult, we believe that he can be wise, and so do the characters in the books. The only realistic portrayal of the circumstance was that of Han Tzu who was frustrated because no one would listen to him. I found myself in a permanent state of disbelief regarding the overly simplistic portrayal to the "geo-polictial" conflicts. In my mind the question of what happened on Earth while Ender and Valentine were traveling through space was always synonomous with what happened to Peter. How did he change, how did he mature, how did he become the leader and statesman that he did? How did he keep Earth united? All these questions are a footnote in this expansion of the Enderverse. Peter becomes merely one of several boy/girl geniuses, and not even the smartest of the bunch. And while I enjoyed learning more about John Paul and Teresa, their development comes at the direct expense of Peter, who comes off as not really that smart after all. One last beef. The non-stop "witty" banter, especially that between Petra and Bean was unbelievably tedious. I skimmed entire pages and missed not one iota of important information. They repeated themselves, their motivations, their objectives, endlessly. Instead of coming up with a way to defeat their enemy they 1.ran away, giving him a more secure position and 2.gave their enemy huge leverage against them. In the end, all they came up with a clever e-mail. Nice job Bean & Petra. Ender would be proud. I'm not reading the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Hoping for a little bit more...
Review: Let me start by saying that I found the Ender Series extremely enjoyable. (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind) Although I found them to slightly decline in quality, in the end, I had very few complaints about them. I enjoyed Ender's shadow a lot. It helps us get into the fantastic mind of Bean, one of the most interesting characters in the book. Shadow of the Hegemon was more on the militaristic side, and not much character development of bean, but it kept you reading it, in order to find out what happened. Now. For this one. Shadow Puppets, as I've already said, I was expecting a little bit more. I was hoping that my slight dissapointment in Shadow of the Hegemon could be brought back with Shadow Puppets, but it was only mediocre. The book starts off fast paced, and i found the beginning of the book to be pretty interesting... im liking it. Once Petra and Bean left, however, the entire novel was devoted to babies. Petra's babies. The middle section of the book, in my opinion, was the lowest in all the Bean series. It was an interesting concept for, say, one-two chapters. However when you drag it on for 3,4,5 chapters it starts getting old. I would have liked to see some more development of Bean in action, instead of seeing him sit around wallowing in self pity. Once we met Alai, however, the book starts to get better, and the ending is great. (Once again returning to the babies.) My final verdict is: Read this book, if only to be able to read the next two books that come out. And cross your fingers that Card will be able to go back to his standard of Speaker for the Dead and Ender's Game/Shadow. 3 1/2 Stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!!!
Review: Ok, I read this book a year ago so I've forgotten a lot, and I don't have tones of time to back up my five-star rating but let me just say that this has got to be one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read because it lets you into the mind of Orson Scott Card. It seems like every paragraph is dripping with amazing insights and analysis that just blows you away. Things you've sort of thought about but never truly thought through completely. Well, Card has some amazing commentary on what seems like an endless array of topics. I just loved it. I've seen some people complain about Card being too "preachy" in this book. Well, I honestly don't think so. He isn't preaching he's analyzing, and his analysis is 100% on the mark time after time. It's so cool to think through things in the way he does. The story itself is non-stop action, more so than I remember from a lot of other Ender books, sacrificing perhaps a bit of characterization, but not a bit of insightfulness. I think Card's strongest talent is his ability to make not only cool but also valid analysis of how the world really works and why things are the way they are. This is what makes this books so awesome. I recommend it to anyone who likes to truly think about the world around them. Card should be a philosopher as far as I'm concerned. :-) ok, that's enough babbling ...
Rating:
Summary: Much better than expected
Review: Picking up this latest installment in Card's 'Shadow' saga, I had very low expectations. As I was rather bored with the last book in the series, 'Shadow Of The Hegemon', I expected 'Shadow Puppets' would probably be further down the scale. I was wrong, however; 'Shadow Puppets' was an impressive improvement over its predecessor, and though it's no match for the original Ender novels, it returns to an important trait that made 'Ender's Game' and 'Ender's Shadow' terrific books - that is, concentrating on the characters rather than international intrigue and military operation. The lead characters in the novel, as you might expect from reading the previous books, are Bean, Petra Arkanian, Hegemon Peter Wiggin and evil genius Achilles De Flanders. Each of the four characters is well developed, the writing is good and the story is well-paced and interesting. If you enjoyed Card's earlier writings, pick 'Shadow Puppets' up, too - even if it means having to wade through 'Shadow Of The Hegemon'.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly preachy
Review: As a long-time fan of Card's Ender-and-Bean series, I was hugely disappointed by the latest installment. Much like the steady decline of quality in the Ender quartet, this continuation in Bean's saga is flimsy in comparison to the orignal book - Ender's Shadow. While it is a good deal more interesting than its predescesor, Shadow of the Hegemon, I am devoutly glad that I found this book at the library rather than buying it. There is nothing wrong with the plot of this book, and parts of it are actually enjoyable. However, Card's tendency to spiral into preachyness is almost sickening at times. The man's strict Mormon beliefs are stronger than ever in this book. It wouldn't be so bad if the main character, Bean, was given more of the narration. Instead, it seems as if Card only lets us into his head when he wants to lecture. It's disappointing to see such a strong and interesting character washed away by the author's moralizing. I only wish that Mr. Card had kept in mind the fact that not everyone has strong religious faith, and many do not enjoy being preached to. While Shadow Puppets had some interesting insights into minor characters (it was a pleasure to finally get to know Mrs. and Mr. Wiggin, parents of Ender, Peter and Valentine), it managed to render it's most important character as one-dimensional as possible. Bean is nothing of the charming, razor-smart kid we met in Ender's Shadow. He is pushed out of the limelight in favor of Peter and Petra, as well as several unimportant characters who may have better off left in the background. I am giving this book three stars because it was inded a step above the last one, and it did have some bright points. However, I would recommend Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow to anyone who has not read them above this novel. And for those who have read the first books in the series... why not reread them? They are scads more enjoyable than this book.
Rating:
Summary: Mostly Tedious
Review: Like many of the other reviewers here, I find this series has steadily declined since the excellent "Ender's Shadow." In both "Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow," Card managed to blend action, philosophy, heroism, and moral dilemma in powerful, yet subtle ways. He made us really care about Ender and Bean, and he kept the tension perfectly balanced. Unfortunately, all of the subtlety seems to have disappeared, along with much of the action. I finished "Shadow Puppets" not only caring much less about the characters than I had before, but downright irritated with them. And I had a headache after being hit non-stop with the Sledgehammer of Morality. This series has become too tedious for me...I won't be buying any further editions.
Rating:
Summary: Ender series a shadow of its former self.
Review: Both this latest installment along with its "Shadow" predecessors has much wanting. I've read and re-read Ender's Game easily a dozen times, and the later books focusing on Andrew Wiggin several times as well. This series that follows Bean as a young angst-ridden superhuman is sadly lacking in the easy charm of the earlier books. The characters are put in postions or act in ways solely to serve the necessities of the plot, and aren't believable in any way. When the plot calls for any of the Superkids to become dumb suddenly, they do. The entire "let have some babies" sub-plot had to be the worst idea Bean ever had (not to mention preachy on Card's part considering his Mormon beliefs - not everyone HAS to have kids). In any case that twist served only as a contrivance to force a final showdown between the Hero and his Nemesis. And and nemeses go, Achilles is pitiful. OOH, he's scary. Watch out. He is a punk kid. In fact, all the former members of Ender's jeesh are punk kids. Genuises, surely. But they're kids. In the context of Battle School and the Formic Wars, a bunch of kids saving the world works brilliantly. But back on Mother Earth they would be treated like smart-ass children again. They wouldn't be leading armies in the field or setting national policies. The reason the other Ender books worked is that he was an adult, we believe that he can be wise, and so do the characters in the books. The only realistic portrayal of the circumstance was that of Han Tzu who was frustrated because no one would listen to him. I found myself in a permanent state of disbelief regarding the overly simplistic portrayal to the "geo-polictial" conflicts. In my mind the question of what happened on Earth while Ender and Valentine were traveling through space was always synonomous with what happened to Peter. How did he change, how did he mature, how did he become the leader and statesman that he did? How did he keep Earth united? All these questions are a footnote in this expansion of the Enderverse. Peter becomes merely one of several boy/girl geniuses, and not even the smartest of the bunch. And while I enjoyed learning more about John Paul and Teresa, their development comes at the direct expense of Peter, who comes off as not really that smart after all. One last beef. The non-stop "witty" banter, especially that between Petra and Bean was unbelievably tedious. I skimmed entire pages and missed not one iota of important information. They repeated themselves, their motivations, their objectives, endlessly. Instead of coming up with a way to defeat their enemy they 1.ran away, giving him a more secure position and 2.gave their enemy huge leverage against them. In the end, all they came up with a clever e-mail. Nice job Bean & Petra. Ender would be proud. I'm not reading the next one.
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