Rating: 
Summary: OSC a Shadow of Himself
Review: Even at his worst, OSC can write a page turning story. You have to slog through some poor chapters, but he keeps you interested. The problem is while you are reading it, you know it is nowhere near as good as his other work. It is derivative of his older work that it feels like a rerun in spots. Sort of like reading the 18th Xanth book. I love OSC and have read all his work. This ranks pretty much near the bottom of his work. It does not focus enough on Achilles, the antagonist to Bean. Focuses too much on the other battle school graduates that ally with Ender. It does have some focus on Peter, which is good, but it should have had more focus on him. The interesting characters in the story are Peter and Achilles, but he spends his time with Bean and Petra, who are not very interesting. The problem with focusing on the misc other battle school graduates that Bean meets in his travel is that every one of them must prove they are smart. To do so, OSC must invent some sort of scenario that proves that they are smart. For me, the twists provided did not sound logical at all and were not believable. Apparently, the world of the future does not have bulldozers or radar or spam filters, but you can travel on a rocket ship to a different world. The other problem is OSC outtake on the political climate of the world. It is not explained at all. For example, the main reason the world is in turmoil is because for some reason China wants to rule the world. No reason is given.Is there some mad leader in China wanting to rule the world? No, apparently there is a committee that rules China and they have determined that World Domination is the way to go. The book lacks any depth. OSC has gotten into the bad habit of having all his characters think the same and talk the same. He explains there every emotion versus showing the emotion. The ending also could have been so much better. I have several problems in how the ending could even have occurred. If you think about it a little bit, it does not make sense. The book is a mixed bag. In the end, I didn't like the book that much, however, I anxiously await any sequel that could be forthcoming.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not one of his best.
Review: Like another reviewer, I have also read everything written by OSC. I even read his weekly editorials. I like this book. OSC is by far one of the best writers out there with regards to pacing, dialogue, and, especially, true perceptions about the human experience that resonate with his readers' own experiences. My only complaint, I guess, is that I want him to write more about Peter. I like Bean, I just am more interested in Peter. Actually, the real truth is that I would really like to see OSC start something completely new and fresh. The Ender series is great but I think you can only take a series so far and then it loses some of its appeal. Its hard to top a previous work that has already reached the pinnacle. Just an opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Very good...but slightly flawed
Review: Like most people who are regular readers of O.S. Card's work, I read this book and immediatly sized it up against all his previous works. It's not exactly the way to go about reviewing a book, but in the case of a series such as this, it is somewhat inevitable that comparisons will be made against all the previous books.
I found Shadow Puppets to be quick paced, action-packed, and full of surprises that I wasn't expecting to see in any work done by O.S.C. It took me by surprise to see what he did with the relationship between Petra and Bean and i'm not sure that some of their responses held true to their character. I personally did not like this part of the book because I think it betrayed some of the integrity that Bean and Petra had before and replaced it with a somewhat out-of-character adolescent romance. Not to say that their relationship totally ruined the book (completly untrue!) but for me, it was an irratating portion of the book that I thought could have been handled in a better way.
Let me assure you that the positives far outweigh the negatives in this book though. If you are considering reading this book, you have more than likely read the previous 6 in this series and are wondering if you should go ahead and fork over the money to buy it now or wait till it comes to your local library or the shelves at half price books. If you have read all the books in this series, than you have probably already bought it or are about to no matter what the reviews say. If not, than I say it's a good investment and you should get it. It took me 3 hours to read and kept me up until 2 a.m. on a school night just to complete it because I didn't want to put it down. It was worth being sleepy the rest of the day just to have read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Shadow Puppets is a Must Have
Review: My father recomended me Ender's Game, and I loved it so much, that I have read all the books in his series, but I found that the Bean Books are far more interesting. Shadow Puppets is the continuing story of Bean's life on earth and the effects that the Anton's key has on him. This is better than all the others by far. If you read one book this year, make it Shadow Puppets!
Rating:
Summary: It's All A Matter Of Perspective
Review: Ok I actually have to say that I enjoyed this 7th book in the Ender's Series. Now I know a lot of people are compalaining and giving this book bad reviews but I think that they're looking at it in the wrong context. This book isn't for everyone. Just like Shadow of the Hegemon it's heavily concentrated in political/military matters more than sci-fi, in fact the only reason the book is even classified as such is because it's part of the Ender's Series. I happen to like that sort of stuff so these books were quite good to me. It really depends on the person. If you really liked Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind then you might not like these books as much. However if you have an open mind and just look at them for themselves then I think people wouldn't be so harsh on it. Now on to the book itself. Shadow Puppets continues the story of what happens on Earh after Ender. Peter is now Hegemon but with little power. Achilles is still at large, causing trouble. Bean and Petra develop a romance. A lot of political and strategic maneuvering with character interactions and developments. Overall I thought it was good book that continued the story arc. Finally and this is my own opinion, I wish too see more Peter!! In fact I think a whole book should be written with him as the main character. I find him far more interesting than Bean, who just doesn't appeal to me. The books would greatly improve if more time was spent on Peter but that's just me. Still I'll be reading the next book and the one after that(which I'll probably really like since I heard that Bean finally dies in the next book which therefore leaves room for more Peter).
Rating:
Summary: One for the Dusty Box in my closet
Review: I have read every novel and short story by OSC that I could lay my grubby hands on. OSC novels are a "must buy" for me. There have been some dissapointments, but over all he delivers the goods and Puppets has the goods: it's a page turner full of action, adventure and intrigue. It isn't terrible, but its weaknesses over power the strengths. I have two main gripes with Puppets... The whole novel seems rushed. OSC needs to take his time and write the book that all of us, his loyal fans, know he is capable of writing. I want an Ender and/or Bean sequel that is worthy of being placed on my shelf along side Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and Speaker for the Dead. Not placed in a dusty box in my closet with Xenocide and Shadow of the Hegemon. At least this sequel made it's way into the dusty box. Children of the Mind was traded at a used bookstore. Afterall, it wasn't that bad.
Rating:
Summary: Cast a Giant... Shadow?
Review: The spectacular Ender's Game and its very good to excellent sequels established Card as a major SF writer. With Ender's Shadow, he came close to matching the brilliance of the original story. Then came Shadow of the Hegemon, with its focus on Peter Wiggin and Achilles, and it seemed like all the power, originality, and dramatic tension faded away, leaving only a shadow to lay across your mind. This latest work is neither as good as Ender's Shadow nor as mundane as Hegemon, but rather somewhere in-between. Here we find Bean growing beyond the norm, symptomatic of his genetic flaw that will eventually kill him while still a young man. And growing in other ways, as his relationship with Petra finally flowers under her tenacious insistence. This is probably the best part of this novel, as we see sides of the two that have not been in great evidence in the prior works. And we get some small looks into the thoughts and characters of some of the other Battle School graduates, mainly Virlomi, Han Tzu and Alai, each of whom contribute some major items towards Peter and Bean winning their current battle with Achilles. The Wiggin parents emerge from obscurity and are revealed to be (unsurprisingly) very intelligent and (surprisingly) quite forceful. All good things... So where does this book fail? The main failure is Peter Wiggin himself. For a man who could sway world opinion with his exacting, careful logic as Locke and browbeat everyone into emotional frenzy as Demosthenes, Peter is depicted here as a remarkably stupid, arrogant, and emotional teenager. Achilles, the demon, remains almost totally offstage, providing little room for dramatic confrontations, and what ones there are come off as almost anti-climatic. And finally, the circumstance that draws Bean back into the struggle between Peter and Achilles was totally preventable, a very sad and uncharacteristic lack of foresight by both Bean and Petra. These items do much to kill any major excitement in this work, even though the major (world) battle could have formed a taught political and military thriller. Is this book readable? Certainly. Card is still an excellent writer. His prose, descriptions, and dialogue (especially the back-and-forth between Bean and Petra) are all well formed and his moral insights flow from the premise of the story. But this one just doesn't have the edge-of-the-seat tension, the incredible insight into human character that have been the hallmarks of his best work.
Rating:
Summary: fun yarn, but ...
Review: Fun yarn, but I had hoped by this time (3 books
into the sequel, para-quel, whatever you want
to call it) that the venerable OSC would have
made the connection between Bean's gigantism
and the giant whom Ender overcame in Ender's Game. I was expecting identity transfer via Jane + time
travel, but I have great faith in OSC's abililty
to surprise. Who knows, he may even bring back
those big Polynesian people in his underrated
Children Of The Mind to fill out that "Ender vs
giant" metaphor. Nonetheless, he's such a storyteller, I'm still
waiting, and will even buy the next hardback, hence
my 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Card's strong writing makes this compelling
Review: With Ender gone on a colony ship, the survivors of the battle school have returned to their native countries--and plunged the world into war. Peter Wiggins, the Hegemon and Ender's brother, wages a small-scale battle against the Chinese who have swallowed India and IndoChina and are now preparing for their next conquest. When he decides to rescue the brilliant murderer, Achilles, from the Chinese, though, Peter throws his own forces into confusion. Bean, the one child/man who most closely resembles Ender, together with his friend Petra, flee from both Peter and Achilles--they of all people know that Achilles hates most those who rescue him. While Bean and Petra flee through Europe and the middle east, their feelings for one another, together with their hormonal attraction, escalate. Bean fears to bring into the world anyone cursed with the strange mutation that gives him both his genius and the continued growth that will kill him before thirty, yet even he cannot resist the power of a determined woman. And Petra is fully determined to marry Bean and bear his children, no matter what the cost to herself. Although the Chinese seem dominant, with Europe and America cowed and Russia unwilling to rekindle the ancient rivalry, battle school graduates work to begin a resistance movement within India, and hope to strike back into China itself. Yet, with the Hegemon distracted and perhaps destroyed by Achilles, can the world find a force behind which oppostion can combine? Orson Scott Card is one of best Science Fiction writers ever, and SHADOW PUPPETS demonstrates the power of his writing. Although Bean's story is clearly secondary to the upcoming global battle, I was still compelled through the narative, unable to put the book down until I'd finished every page. The romance between Bean and Petra felt real, and Peter the Hegemon's gradual maturing was certainly gratifying. Fans of the post-Ender series will definitely want to read this one. China finally faces a unified opposition that threatens to give it a run for the money. Yet Card also plants the seeds for future trouble. Without an external enemy to unite around, can Earth avoid destroying itself in pointless war?
Rating:
Summary: A Worthy addition to the Ender series
Review: Shadow Puppets picks up right after Shadow of the Hegemon ended. Achilles has been rescued by Peter Wiggen, the current Hegemon, from China. Bean protests, and begins to move around, constently moving to stay out of Achille's hands. Petra declares her love for him, and they are married. In the meantime, Peter and his family discover that Achilles is beginning to manipulate the Hegemon government, forcing Peter to run as well.
Bean and Petra end up with Alai and his muslim forces, where they are planning an attack on China. Bean and Petra create several embryos to have a child, only to have the ones that were not implanted stolen by Achilles in an effort to lure Bean into his trap.
I found this to be as likeable as the other books in the series. Card does a magnificent job of creating a political crisis and shifting alliences that seem to be very simple. Achilles is back and causing more trouble. SPOILERS: I really liked the fact that he was killed by Bean, but It makes me wonder about what will happen in the next book. I also liked the fact that we revisited Battle Station. In Ender's Game, it was a military acadamy, but in Shadow Puppets it is a way-station for colony ships. What I didn't like about the book were a couple things. The first was Peter. He's the Hegemon in the book, but around his parents, he acts like he's five years old. His parents are also pretty immature as well, cracking dirty jokes around and about him.
Overall, a very good read.
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