Rating: 
Summary: Good Ole CARD
Review: I enjoyed this sequel book. I've been an ardent fan of Card's since Ender's game. Lotsa "baby" and pro-creation talk in this one, but he's still a primo story-teller for my money.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bean saga sputters and fades...
Review: Like Children of the Mind, the least of the original Ender series, Shadow Puppets marks a point where Mr. Card has either lost interest in his characters or inspiration to continue the series. The drop in quality since Shadow of the Hegemon is precipitous. While reading, I was surprised by how uninvolved I often felt.
That's not to say the book doesn't have its fun moments. The scene featuring a depressed Peter Wiggin right before a potentially career-ending press conference is hilarious, and the climax is fairly exciting. Yet the rest of the book is crushed by an overemphasis on babymaking (sure Bean and Petra are exceptional, but they're still teenagers), and the spark that makes you race through Mr. Card's earlier works is curiously absent.
Still, fans of the Ender and Bean novels might as well read this book. Though the series seems lifeless now, the story still isn't over. A future volume detailing Bean's demise may be worth waiting for.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but missing that certain something
Review: Card is still my favorite novelist, but his last few books have not been up to his usual level. I enjoy the stories just fine, but there seems to be something missing. I don't have a problem with anything that happens in this book, but it seems a little rushed. It just doesn't have the depth I've come to expect from him over the years, especially in comparison to the earlier Ender series.
Rating: 
Summary: Time to RETIRE.
Review: This book was seamlessly awful. Proselytize this! BAH! Just make the movie ENDER'S GAME and give the series a rest. I have been with this series since the first book and this was the worst book I have read in ten years.
Rating:
Summary: Stop Orson before he writes again!
Review: In "Shadow Puppets" Orson Scott Card throws off the secular trappings of his previous books to write a thinly veiled Mormon treatise. The result is not pleasant reading for the average S/F fan.Any reader who comes to "Shadow Puppets" from the previous "Shadow" books knows that Card has been heading in this direction thruout the series. In "Shadow of the Hegemon" readers were treated to a chapter of Mrs. Wiggins ranting to Bean about the vital importance of having MANY babies for MANY pages & of course "Enders Shadow" had it's ridiculous baby farm opening. But "Shadow Puppets" is unrelenting in it's proselytising & sermons. The primary "plot" of this tract involves Bean's & Petra's romance. Never mind that they are 15 years old in this book, Petra is determined to combine her genetic material with Bean's & bear him MANY children. Bean is resistant to the plan because he does not feel he is "human" as he is the result of a genetic manipulation. Petra contrives a meeting between Bean & his "creator" who, during the course of a 15 page monologue, manages to convince Bean that the only thing that matters in this world is to become part of the Great Web of Life. Of course, the only acceptable way to enmesh oneself is by procreation, preferably MANY times! Ick. So, Bean consents to lab-created embryos in order to placate Petra. Only once the genetic material combines, Bean has a revelation: these microscopic bundles of sperm/egg are not embryos; they are BABIES & must be treated as such. Ugh. Meanwhile, Peter Wiggins (erstwhile Hegemon & ruler of the free world) has his own revelation. He may be the most powerful entity on the planet but he's still inferior to his parents, because they are his PARENTS & so will always be due his utmost respect because, well, they're his PARENTS. Uh huh. That pretty much sums up this so-called science fiction novel. Just out of curiousity, because Mr. Card has long been a favorite author of mine, I re-read a fairly recent book of his after laughing my way thru this one. "Pastwatch" is not a part of the Ender or Shadow series, but it is an excellent book. There are many thought-provoking concepts about time as well as a very sobering look at the planetary ecology contained in this true science-fiction work. It is very hard for me to believe the same man wrote both books within a decade. Either someone is ghosting Card's work (not surprising considering his recent ouput) or the Council of Elders has had a little chat with him about his secular readership. Which ever the explanation is, do not pay for "Shadow Puppets". Get it from your local library if you need to confirm what I have written. The best choice tho, is not to waste your time on this at all.
Rating:
Summary: So Much for the Ender Series
Review: After reading Ender's Shadow, I had high hopes for this tangent series about Ender Wiggin's sidekick Bean. Unfortunately, the subsequent installments have been getting progressively worse. Now, after the dull and plodding Shadow of the Hegemon, we readers are being treated to a tedious and repetitive heap of self-righteous drivel. First of all, the somewhat forced "romance" between Petra and Bean just gets annoying after awhile. It is never mentioned why either of them suddenly loves the other, it's just sort of squeezed in there as a convienient plot device. The entire relationship is cold and without passion, and a little out of character to boot. If you ask me, Card needs to stay as far away from writing romance as he possibly can. The characters, while I'm at it, are barely recognizable. You would never guess that the lovelorn, sappy schoolgirl of this novel is supposed to be the tough, snarky Petra of Ender's Game. Or that Ender's weak-willed, slow-witted parents are actually political geniuses in disguise, ready to plot assinations any time the need for one pops up. And is it just me, or did Card do an annoying amount of preaching in this novel? After his umpteenth religious discourse, I was about ready to throw the book into the fireplace! He's trying to use this book as a platform for his LDS beliefs. As a fellow Mormon, I'm all for missionary work, but when I pick up a sci-fi novel, I want to see some sci-fi. If I want a sermon, I'll read something from Deseret Book If you're a hardcore fan of the Ender/Bean series, then I suppose this book might be worth the money. Otherwise, I'd advise you to save your money and buy yourself a hat or something. Or, if you're new to the series, perhaps Ender's Shadow or Ender's Game would be a better jumping-off point for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Uncle Orson's Ender series looks at some earthly concerns
Review: Early on while reading "Shadow Puppets," the 7th volume in the Ender series (even if Ender never actually appears within its pages), I started thinking that Orson Scott Card had written what would have been called, in the old days, a potboiler. But in contemporary terms it might be closer to the mark to think that Uncle Orson has started putting Geoffrey, Emily, and Zina through college. I also assumed that following up on "Ender's Shadow" and "Shadow of the Hegemon," this latest novel would complete the "Bean Trilogy" and resolve the conflict between Bean and Achilles. However, this is something that "Shadow Puppets" does and does not do.
Certainly that is one of the threads of the this novel, as is the mortality of Bean's existence, his relationship with Petra, and Peter's efforts as Hegemon to stave off further Chinese incursions around the globe. But although we keep return to Bean and Petra I never really get the feeling they are the true focus of the story. There are are a lot more players this time around in Uncle Orson's story, and actually the ones I found most interesting where John Paul and Theresa Wiggin, who finally prove to us once and for all where their three mega-children got their talents and abilities. Card worries in his afterward that he was making too many previous minor characters (i.e., battle school veterans) more prominent in this story, but I actually found that to be one of the better things about "Shadow Puppets"; I especially liked Virlomi's simple but effective way of creating a spirit of resistance in India.
Ultimately, I found "Shadow Puppets" intriguing as a critique of contemporary geopolitical tensions and an optimistic look at the "future." Card finished writing this novel during the war in Afghanistan and his thoughts on what Islam might look like in the future and the honorable way to fight a war are quite interesting. This underscores Card's strength as a writer, that even when it seems he is telling a story in which not much happens, he still offers food for thought. There is a lot in here about families and familial relationships, albeit mostly in the context of something else, but still there for the consideration. The books ends with a bang, if you will, instead of a whimper, but it is not a big bang, which is certainly in keeping with Card's tendency toward underplayed conclusions: the ending is never the big moment you have been awaiting, but rather with how you live with the aftermath of the big moment once it is done. Granted, this is the least of the novels in the Ender series, and a minor effort from Card all things considered. But we are still talking Uncle Orson here, and even in his lesser works he never totally disappoints his readers.
Rating:
Summary: A Laborious Read
Review: I found that Card's description of war and politics in Shadow Puppets was quite unbelievable. In fact, an invading bugger fleet is more believable. The whole scenario of China invading India just seems like it was done because someone had to be invading someone else for the world be in turmoil. The only motivation behind it seems to be: Achilles got them to do it. How the Chinese are ultimately dealt with seems like a deus ex machina to me: an old Battle School comrade suddenly shows up halfway through the story with an huge army. All in all, the political backdrop of this story is farfetched and quite boring to read about. If you're looking for a book with political intrigue, try Tom Clancy instead. Politics aside, the characterization in this book is extremely thin. Bean and Petra are just focused on having babies. Peter never actually does anything as Hegemon. Achilles is portrayed as the major villan, but really only has a small role in the plot. The characters of Shadow Puppets have no depth to them, and really aren't that intresting to read about.
Rating:
Summary: Fast Paced fun for lovers of "Ender" Series
Review: First off, I put Ender in quotes above because while the last few OSC books of this series began with Ender, they have really transformed into the "Shadow" series or more specifically, Bean. Like Ender's Shadow and Shadow of the Hegemon before it, Shadow Puppets is a very entertaining book that follows the Battle School kids progression from training to their journey back to Earth and beyond. In itself the book does a decent job keeping us excited and guessing about characters and their futures. A must read for all "Ender" fans. Now again for the quotation marks. I know from speaking with many fans of this series that the immediate fascination ended with Ender's Game itself. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE TRAVESTY! Perhaps I hold my allegiances too close, but I felt somewhat betrayed by Bean. While Ender was a reluctant hero, Bean is in many ways very arrogant. While I appreciate their relationship and all of Bean's accomplishments, it saddens me that so many readers have neglected to read through the original ENDER series. While it is true they have little of the strategic battles that made Ender's Game one of my favorite books of all time, they employ such compassion and psychology in a world that Ender chose for himself. Instead of returning home to the celebratory crowds (and Peter) Ender shuttles off to the world of their defeated enemies to colonize and create a new world. In this world visions of the past lead him to do something far nobler than any could imagine. Redemption and education persist and soon through his travel through time, he sacrifices all those who age in order to commit to a better world. All in all, don't miss the "Shadow" series for all the Earthly exploits we all wanted to hear more about, but PLEASE take the time to experience the ages of Ender's wisdom in creating a new world outside the one he left, and his absolute determination to improve the lives of not only those who hold him dear, but those who ultimately he was sent to destroy. Do yourself a favor, read carefully SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD, XENOCIDE, and CHILDREN OF THE MIND! OSC poured more thought provoking material through these three than the rest (however entertaining) combined.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: A good read. A little too heavy on the issue of growing up and having babies.
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