Rating: 
Summary: Who are you, and what did you do with Orson Scott Card?
Review: Has anyone else noticed that as Card ages, his novels seem to become worse? Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, and Shadow Puppets all fall far short of the intense characterizations found in Ender's Game, Songmaster, or even Lovelock. Card once plumbed the depth of human emotions to bring his work to life. His was a mysterious art with characters such as Ender and Ansset who were portrayed as gifted but unutterably tragic, and Card emerged his audience in a world where nothing need fully be explained because of his wonderful sense of subtley.
Card loses that sense in his latest novels where he feels strangely compelled to spell everything out for his audience as if somehow they now lacked the intelligence to understand his work without a guide.
Ok, enough of that.
Down to Shadow Puppets. When Shadow of the Hegemon ended, I thought that perhaps Card could salvage this series. I didn't like the novel all that well, but I was intrigued by Card's portrayal of Achilles and his "love" for Petra. When I picked up Shadow Puppets, I was hoping to find this theme explored. Not to happen. Achilles is barely mentioned in the text. Instead one sees some ... about Bean and Petra's true love (Kinda happened fast compared to Kya-Kya's and Josif's blossoming love in Songmaster) that reads like a trashy romance novel without the sex. Of course, I expected Bean and Petra to be the focus of the novel, but to leave out the main villain almost alltogether was uncalled for. The lack of Achilles presence in the text allows the audience to forget how terrible and tragic (much more like Ender and Ansset that Bean is) he is.
Of course, I was hoping something more was to be made of his relationship with Petra. She was his captive after all, and even a good dose of overplayed Stockholm Syndrome here would have been appreciated over Bean and Petra's forced love that comes at no explanation. Sigh...Someone rewrite this novel please. URK!!!
Two new pet peeves of Card's new novels.
1. Card's new portrayal of religion. While allusions to religion have always been made (Ender's Game, Lost Boys, etc), they have always remained in the background. Now Card overplays religion, in that his descriptions are HIGHLY elaborate in situations where a sentence or two would have conveyed a more powerful feeling. Ender's mother in this latter half of the series is the most annoying preacher of almost trite sounding morality. Sister Carlotta is a more acceptable (less annoying) source of lecture (and Card does lecture) as she is a nun.
2. The portrayal of women. Not all women have babies on the mind. Not all women would place their children first. Not all women must rely on a man to be a person in their own right. Maybe the women in Card's universe do, but not so in the real world.
GRR!!! Give me back the Old Orson Scott Card. He was the better writer!!!
I would give this ... 0 stars if I could. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition
Rating: 
Summary: For all reader's hoping for another Speaker-sorry.
Review: While Ender's Game was an excellent book in itself, I think its most important role was to pave the way for Card's next Ender book, Speaker for the Dead. Speaker was one of the most moving, powerful, thought-provoking storys I have ever read. In short, Shadow of the Hegemon and it's latest sequel, Shadow Puppets, are anything but. They are good reads in themselves, especially for Card's devoted fans. But the character cry out to be made into something more. Ender's Shadow left Card a million opportunities to write another Speaker. But instead he wrote a story about world politics. I mean, I'm sure there are some out there who care deeply about that stuff-but let's face it-most of us don't. Although Shadow Puppets is exciting and fast-paced, it wants to be something more, something better. You get the sense that the author is tired of these characters and their situation, and just wants to finish the series. The hurried romance between Bean and Petra, Achilles' rapid fading from his formorly prominent position in the book-all point to a desire by the author to finish the books and write something really important to him. Readers can only hope Card will see the boundless possibilities in this series before it's to late.
Rating: 
Summary: A perfect addition for a perfect series
Review: The book Shadow Puppets is about a boy in the future whose friends had saved Earth a few years earlier. In the present day, Bean, the main character, is working for the Hegemon, who is kind of like the President of the United Nations. For years, the Hegemon have been attacking China to keep them at bay because China was taking over the world. But, the Hegemon did know that the key to China's success was they were being led by Achilles, the same bully that Bean had embarrassed as a child. The Hegemon captured Achilles and put him to work for the Hegemon. Achilles is known for betrayal, but the Hegemon did not heed the warning.
Because the Hegemon had decided to use Achilles, Bean and another Battle School student Petra left the service to go into hiding. Bean has a medical ailment that makes him grow so tall that he eventually dies. It is also the same disease that makes him so smart. Petra wants to have Bean's children, but he does not want them to die like he is. So, they go to a doctor that supposedly can just help create the children without medical ailments. Petra becomes pregnant, but on the way home, they are kidnapped and brought to the airport. From there, they are flown to Damascus. In Damascus, they find they were really not kidnapped. The real reason they were brought there was that they were neededat the headquarters of the Muslim League to meet a secretly elected Caliph. The Caliph is actually another Battle School student, Alai. He is planning an attack to stop China and return it to its boundaries. Bean and Petra help coordinate the attack.
Back at the Hegemon compound, the Hegemon had lost control of Achilles. The Hegemon retreated to America, and hid there. Achilles was now in control of the Hegemony. The Hegemon held a press conference and explained the situation. I wont tell any more because that would be revealing the ending, which, is incredible, but this book I would recommend to adult-like minds and mature children because of the deep plot and fascinating storyline. This book shows off Orson Scott Card's skill at recognizing emotions. The book goes in depth into the human psyche and presents characters with tough contemporary problems. There are many examples in the book where the book explains the troubles happening through the brains of the characters. The book also combines intuition with political and military strategy. So again, I recommend this book to mature readers because of the incredible plot and the in-depth knowledge of the author.
Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: First off I'll say that there were a few good parts to this novel, but overall I found it to be a disappointment. Even if the rest of the book wound up being half decent, the whole premise which this particular story was based on was asinine. I couldn't believe the scenario Card used was the best he could come up with to have Achilles escape from China. Why would you try to make use of someone you know is a psychopathic killer, and who's connections probably have already been used up, when you already have working for you three other so called genius who have already beaten this guy? And then, even if you get this psycho to work for you the way you wanted him to, which is at best a long shot, you would still lose out because the other geniuses you already had working for you would leave. It just didn't make any sense. Also I thought the story line of using Achilles as the main villain had already run it's course in the last novel. By using him again here it seemed like Card ran out of ideas for an arch rival for Bean and rather than think of a new twist he just reused an old one. It also seemed that he just wrote this novel to set up future ones to come, which overall I don't have too much of a problem with, since there may be some promise in them, but it's a shame he couldn't have spent more time in properly working on the current one first.
Rating: 
Summary: Read It
Review: I love "Ender's Game" "Ender's Shadow" and "Shadow of the Hegemon", so I couldn't wait to read this. I really enjoyed the story, except some of the military strategy descriptions got a little boring. I couldn't put it down and was sorry when it ended.
Rating:
Summary: Repetitive, dull.
Review: With Ender's Game being among my favorite books alongside its three sequels (Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind), I went into the Bean series with high hopes, and have had them continually dashed by repetitive stories. Shadow Puppets is not a long book, but Card seemed to have trouble keeping the narrative flowing smoothly. "Bean saw that he had grown a lot, and that made him sad." Card makes Bean's size his primary character trait. Granted, physical size is one of the main themes of series, but his descriptions are long, repetitive, and boring. Card also has a habit for bringing in characters and discarding them without a moment's notice. Ex-battleschoolers from around the world are brought in, but I never really care what they're doing. They're not developed, not special. If they die, get hurt, or betray the cause, I couldn't care less. Additionally, Bean's romance with Petra seems forced and unnatural. A certain youthful awkwardness is fine, but Petra's motivation for her undying love for Bean, want for his child, and nonchalance of his impending doom is not explained. Why does she want this child so much? Why does she love this cold, heartless person? And where is Peter? Ender's scheming older brother was by far the most interesting character in the previous book, (though that suffered, to a lesser degree, from many of of the same problems this one does) and he barely appears in this book. If you haven't already, pick up the "Lusitania" trilogy after you finish Ender's Game. Don't waste your time. If anything, read Ender's Shadow, which is a reasonably interesting parallel novel to Ender's Game. Beyond that, however, Card has given us an overblown yet cold melodrama.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Way to Spend an Evening
Review: Orson Scott Card has written both good and bad novels. Picking up a new Card novel is always a risky proposition. Which Card will show up? _Shadow Puppets_ lurks in the gray middle-ground between Good Card and Bad Card, but thankfully it's shaded more towards the Good side of the spectrum. _Shadow Puppets_ is the third in a series of novels that are roughly parallel to Card's original Ender story. _Ender's Shadow_ tells the story of Bean, a major character in _Ender's Game_. _Shadow of the Hegemon_ takes place after _Ender's Game_. Ender has left Earth permanently and Bean and the rest of the Battle School cadets have taken positions of prominence in Earth's post-war government. _Shadow Puppets_ is a direct sequel to _..Hegemon_. Bean's nemesis, Achilles, is a global bully who delights in war and terror. Achilles wants revenge and manipulates his friends and enemies to get it. Meanwhile Bean's intriguing story continues. In _...Hegemon_ we learn that Bean is a genetically modified human. He is super-intelligent and will grow taller and taller until he dies at a young age. Bean falls in love with Petra, another former Battle Schooler. They decide to have children, but Bean doesn't want to curse his children with a lifestyle identical to his own. Consequently, much of the novel is spent trying to find a way to free his progeny of the burden. The novel is written in Card's typical straightforward style. It is easily readable and will appeal to teenage readers. If you've read and enjoyed the previous Ender novels (and particularly the two immediately preceding this one) you will want to purchase _Shadow Puppets_.
Rating:
Summary: Card at his best
Review: Orson Scott Card is always best when writing about the trials and tribulations of children and now young adults. Overall, you can't put this on a par with Ender's Game -- but what other efforts rate that high? Shadow Puppets takes Bean into early adolecense in a world [distorted] by the Buggar war. Scott tries to pull a surprise ending - ok, but not his specialty. It's definitely worth the effort if you like Card's other works.
Rating:
Summary: A Seamlessly Integrated Sequel That Can Be Enjoyed By All
Review: For more than two decades, Orson Scott Card has been drawing high critical praise for his twofold genius in weaving consistently clever futurist tales for young adults and infusing them with a deeply felt but gracefully expressed sense of morality. No argument from this reader: both traits are solid gold in the fevered and flashy universe of science fiction. But last month's release of SHADOW PUPPETS --- a continuation of the Hugo and Nebula award-winning ENDER'S EARTH saga, whose genetically enhanced super-kids have enthralled readers since the late '70s --- brings to light another key strength that die-hard fans might not even notice anymore. It's Card's uncanny ability to craft a seamlessly integrated sequel that can still be enjoyed by someone who just happened to pick it at random off the shelf; someone who may know the author's name from other collections or contexts but who didn't necessarily read either the inaugural ENDER'S GAME a generation ago or ENDER'S SHADOW, the immediate precursor to this volume. Believe it or not, this is a big issue in contemporary sci-fi and fantasy writing, and Card is among the surprisingly few writers who've successfully grappled with it. Just think: how many times have you delved into a good story only to find the characters are suddenly speaking "insider" language and are motivated by issues that remain vague or totally mysterious when you most needed to be in the loop? Or perhaps you've eagerly picked up the sequel to a favorite novel but gave up after plowing through so much what-came-before that the plot bogged down to a crawl. Yes, it's all about imaginative counterpoint, and SHADOW PUPPETS more than repays the occasional mental acrobatics required to keep up with the wild, weird and poignant adventures of another generation of super-kids. Julian ("Bean"), Petra, Peter, and the complex "baddie" Achilles, dance around a cluster of colorful supporting characters who all trace their creative lineage back to the first Battle School tales that launched the series. This time, instead of going to war against multi-limbed insectoid space aliens, Card's key characters (true to habit, they were bit players in previous episodes) are caught up in a maze of Earth-bound international political espionage and shifting balances of power. Saving Planet Earth was a stellar piece of cake compared to sorting out its post-crisis governmental messes! But within all the global intrigue and alliance-making that sets the grand structure of SHADOW PUPPETS, Card gives his characters fascinating personalities and emergent personal lives that gravitate toward some very "old-fashioned" values --- mending parent-child relationships, family building, future planning for an uncertain world, private spirituality, public religion. While never overbearing, Card's steadfast Mormon faith comes through in this centuries-hence technically sophisticated world, where God has become an absence that each figure, in his or her way, tries to fill. And we are given some moving glimpses of that fulfillment, one of them being a beautifully drawn portrait of a young Muslim man suddenly chosen to restore the ancient Caliphate. Card's competent understanding and deep respect for Islam is a definite bonus in these reactionary post 9/11 times. For anyone feeling that science-fiction has tended to starve out spirituality, the minor but poignant character of Alai is almost worth the book's cover price on its own. So where is the ENDER'S EARTH saga headed? Without giving too much away, the plotline that's sure to rebound from SHADOW PUPPETS into Card's next series title involves the continuing relationship between Julian and Petra in their ongoing quest to start a "normal" family and reverse a potentially fatal genetic trait that has resulted in Julian growing to gigantic height. As with the half-dozen or so previous volumes, however, one can be pleasantly certain of encountering more fast-paced action, smart and terse dialogue, supple imagery, cynical world-wise (or world-weary) characters, and mature, probing reflections on the true meaning of life in an intentional universe ...
Rating:
Summary: Convoluted Cruise Control
Review: It's so difficult to explain what's kept me coming back to Orson Scott Card. Ender's Game, arguably his finest work, is much different from other books in the series, particularly in the way it approaches the relationships between the main characters. In Ender's Game, the primary focus was on the young Ender and his ultimately tragic relationships with the people around him. It's this, that I believe that drew so many to this series, a morality play built in the framework of excellent sci-fi. With his parallel series, he seemed to start off with the same formula - telling the story of Bean, whom Card developed into a deep and dynamic character with Ender's Shadow. Bean's survival, and indeed, how he thrived was a interesting and well concieved piece of work. Shadow of the Hegemon followed, and it took a much different direction than what many of us expected. More political in nature, it focused on Earth and its changing social and political movements after the Formic defeat. Different, but I still enjoyed it, and more importantly, it laid the groundwork for a deep and rich sequel. Sadly, this is not to be. Card's on autopilot, seemingly paid by the word, rather than the depth and enjoyability of his plot. The burgeoning romance with Petra is thrown together, with little to no build up, and the subplot involving Achilles and Bean's "children" is irritating at best. In fact, it's hard to even see why Achilles is in this book, other than the reconciliation of his conflict with Bean. Card should be shamed with how little he's put Achilles to use here - one of his most original and interesting characters ends up becoming an afterthought, and the final resolution between the him and Bean is one of the most anti-climactic in recent memory. The book throws characters into the mix seemingly at random, which acts to stymie the development of existing characters, save perhaps Mr and Mrs. Wiggin. Any other character development, however, is confusing and not well-thought out. The Bean of this book is nothing like the Bean of Ender's Game, or Ender's Shadow, or even Shadow of the Hegemon. It's just wrong - like the book was written by someone else. Adding this to the already tenuous grip on reality that this series began broaching with Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets doesn't inspire anything more than disappointment, and can even perhaps be called "laughably bad." A promising series of books derailed.
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