Shadow Puppets (Ender, Book 7)

Rating:
Summary: A Three Hundred Page Punctuation Mark.
Review: This by far is the weaker book in the whole Ender/Bean saga, but this isn't due to Card losing his stuff or anything quite that dramatic. The fact of the matter is that this is the last two hundred or so pages of book 6. Before the story could move anymore (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) Achilles had to be killed. I'm guessing that adding that to the sixth book would have made it longer than the publisher liked, and thus what was probably one hundred pages of story had to be fleshed out, and thus diluted. I just finished reading book 8 and let me tell you that this was a wholly necessary step in the story.

As for the lack of science fiction, I can admit that it isn't totally traditional sci-fi at this point, but it's still got most of the characteristics. Anything in the future, after alien bug invasions, with colony worlds, and faster than light communication, well yeah that counts as sci-fi to me. I think the biggest problem is that Card is a total sci-fi guy, and when he tries his hand at romance it comes off like a Bollywood movie. And the babies thing, the emphasis on having tons of babies, is a natural reaction of the characters to the end of the birth control laws. That probably explains why there seems to be an ongoing breeding infatuation.

Anyway, this book is good, but the others are great. But we need all in the series to make it work, so this one does it's job well enough. It can't live up to the intrigue of the others, but it makes the eigth book possible. And the eigth was really worth it. At least we can be thankful that they haven't become as whacked out as the last two Ender books.

Rating:
Summary: Some people need to lighten up
Review: There is not a book in the "Shadow" series by Card that is a disappointment, even if this is the closest he's come. I will admit that the amount of "movie" action he includes in this book is higher than some of his other novels,but one tends to forget that action was a prime piece of the appeal of "Ender's Game". I think hardcore Sci-Fi fans are just uncomfortable with action that takes place in less incredible environments. Somehow null-gravity laser battles in a space station are of more value than terrestrial warfare. I believe that Card's treatment of the material in this book is comparable to that of any of the other books in the series.

To those who criticize Card for his stance on social issues, I ask that you please find a better target for your rage, because this novel does not exist to preach the Mormon faith or Right-Wing politics. The reviewer that criticizes THIS book for Card's statements on a political web site has completely missed the point of a book review. In the end, politics are not the driving force behind this work. This is a novel that survives on the creativity and innovative characterization that Card used to write every other book in this amazing series.


Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I agree with one of the reviewers below, in that

1. The "climax" was a disappointing confrontation out of a cheap action flick. Way, way too predictable and obvious.

2. The witty banter is obnoxious. And not so witty. These are conversations you might have with one of your friends when you're just pretending to argue about something in order to have fun. That doesn't mean I want to read it. This is a common complaint I have about Card, actually, so if it doesn't bother you in his previous books, it probably won't bother you in this one.

3. It's hard to believe Peter could ever become the beneficent and powerful hegemon he apparently becomes. He's just whiny.

4. I have a hard time identifying with Bean. I really don't care if his character lives or dies. I don't feel there's anything particularly redeeming about him.

5. It's hard to believe that Achilles is really capable of accumulating all this power.

6. I'd say this book is about as good as Children of the Mind, except that I liked Peter's storyline in CotM much better than any storyline in this book.

7. To calibrate you on what kind of book I like, I'd rank the books in the Ender series in this order: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Shadow of the Hegemon, Ender's Shadow, Children of the Mind, Shadow Puppets.

Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: The Ender's Shadow series was off to such a great start. Ender's Shadow was excellent. Shadow of the Hegemon was even better, introducing political intrigue. Shadow Puppets then came along, and while better than most novels out there... was NOTHING compared to the other books in the Ender series.

The story's major flaw is the change in the characters. Rather than being the young struggling geniuses, the novel is about a lovestruck Bean and Petra. This scenario is hard to adjust to when one is so used to Bean being a 6 year old midget but it is a requirement to manage the novel.

The love story ultimately causes the story to drag as Bean and Petra fight over the situation of whether or not they should... have babies. The drivel that these conversations offer is quite boring and is the reason the novel can't live up to its predecessors.

Where the novel does stand strong is in the growing political turmoil. Bean and Petra reunite with an old friend and help slow down Achilles expansive nature. The strategy of the groups military actions and the reintroduction of old characters helps to save the novel and ultimately lets the story be remembered in a positive light.

I just hope that in the coming Shadow of the Giant, Orson Scott Card reduces the love elements and continues with the political elements and the climax of Bean's medical condition.

Rating:
Summary: Right Wing Hack
Review: Notwithstanding Card's work as a sci-fi hack, he's a frequent poster to Free Republic Online, where he calls Senator (Soon President) Kerry a liar "hostile" to the American military.

Avoid this hack's work! He's using his prominence as a published author to bolster his authority to trumpet very partisan and distasteful tripe!

Rating:
Summary: Anti-climactic
Review: Overall I didn't think this book was as bad as other reviewers would claim, although my laundry list of complaints is as long as many others'

- The "witty banter" between Bean and Petra, and between the Wiggins was, as others have mentioned, not witty
- Peter is by far the most disappointing character in the series to date: instead of seeing the transition from Ender's tormentor to master statesman we are subjected to the tedious ranting of a spoiled brat teenager
- Card rambles and preaches nonstop (but still better than Children of the Mind in this area)
- Petra's obsession with having Bean's babies is so scary it's funny
- Achilles becomes as unimposing as Peter
- The story involving the missing embryos was an interesting subplot at first, but then it becomes THE plot for the majority of the book
- The overall story is interesting but the plotting is very dull and predictable. Not once is there a surprise, and despite the "action" that occurs, never is there a suspenseful moment.

And on and on. But I thought the story was better than Shadow of the Hegemon, which felt like the game of Risk on steroids. In Shadow Puppets, the characters are forced to make hard choices, success and failure were not always so clear, and a feeling of melancholy hung over the tale. Although the major characters in the book disappointed me more often than not, the minor characters played interesting roles. Virlomi's Wall of India was simple, yet powerful. Alai in particular was fascinating as the Caliph, a figure elegant and powerful, yet terribly constrained by duty and religion (he reminded me a bit of the young protagonist of Dune).

After the disappointing end to the original post-Ender's Game trilogy, I had ceased to expect great things of this series, so perhaps that is why I was not as disappointed as others were with this book. I was encouraged by Card's return to focusing on the characters, even if his attempts at characterization were often flawed at best.

I see that Card is churning out another book in the series: "Shadow of the Giant" is due to come out early next year. Part of me wishes that I had stopped at the original "Ender's Game", I should have known Card could never top that. Yet I keep going in the series, as I imagine many other readers have, seeing sparks of genius in his books and always hoping for more (despite the inevitable disappointment). Please, Mr. Card: hit one out of the park with your next book. The patience of your loyal readers is starting to die out.

Rating:
Summary: We are all puppets of the series
Review: After reading this final book, I cannot help but feel manipulated for being a fan of the series. The book doesn't teach us anything new. Except Bean, no character grows, and he's only growing literally.

From the previous novels, especially the Ender-focused books, I have come to expect much from Peter. Was he really the monster that Ender thought he was? Was he really just as smart as Ender, but more brutal? Was he capable of uniting Earth under the Hegemony? The answer is no. And that answer is hugely disappointing. I was fully prepared to hate and admire him at the same time, yet all I feel after reading about him is disappointment. If only Ender had come back to Earth; he would’ve spared us the last 2 novels.

This novel serves as a good filler/epilogue reading. In other words, don’t expect to see any definite answers because there aren’t any. You might learn more about semi-background characters (Ender’s parents are very nicely written here, to my immense delight) but many lose ends are left untied. Personally, I was waiting for further confirmation regarding Sister Carlotta. However, the only references to her are when Bean feels guilty/depressed/self-pity about losing her and Poke. Many many times throughout the book.

When you find yourself being smarter than the supposedly “smartest person in the world”, you have to tend to expect less from him. I used to love reading these books and feeling overwhelmed by the intelligence of these little kids, so I was surprised to find out that they can be extremely stupid at times. However, this doesn’t mean that I have stopped being a fan of the series. This may not have been the strongest book in the series, but it was still nice to come back to read about all the precious characters.

If you’re a fan of the series, I recommend reading the book. It is not too long, doesn’t get overly boring, and lets you revisit Battle School, if only for a very brief moment. It’s like standing outside your old school: Just bringing back the memories is good enough.

Rating:
Summary: The first disappointing book in the shadow series
Review: I'm a big fan of the orson scott card shadow series, some of the books were brilliant, i was quite disappointed with this one, the story doesn't go anywhere, the brilliance of the characters some how disappeared in the book, im definetely going to try and read the next one in the series, because ender's shadow was brilliant so were the other books. i just hope that it will get better in the next one. If you are a fan on the series you should read this book just don't come with high expectations

Rating:
Summary: Good; not great is Card's latest novel in the Shadow Series
Review: For Shadow Puppets, Card continues the storyline of where he left off in Shadow of the Hegemon. Achilles is back of course as a rival to Bean and Peter who attempts to wreak havoc between nations for his benefit.

I felt I could not give this book a full five stars simply because some of the military scenes where the countries and their leaders (Battle School students) often leave the reader slightly confused as to what is going on.

However, like all of Cards books, I have found it to be enjoyable no matter how big or small some of the flaws might be. Tor has occasionally let a few typos slip thru the cracks as well but that is not as big of a deal as the military operations are.

That aside though, Shadow Puppets is exactly what the fans of the Ender's Shadow Series expect to get when they purchase this book.

And that is a book that truly takes you into the fascinating aspects of war , politics, the traditional good versus evil, and kids that are wise beyond their years leading the charge while the adults must take a background seat to their Battle School Leaders.