Rating: Summary: SIGH Review: What a huge disappointment. Ender's shadow was a great read. Shadow of the hegemon was an utter waste of time. Im an avid Orson Scott Cart fan, but with the exception of the Alvin Maker series, he's not the greatest sequel writer.
Rating: Summary: Keep your fingers crossed.... Review: Ender's Game is of course the fantastic book that started it all and remains one of my very favorite books. I also thoroughly enjoyed the completely different but still good "speaker for the Dead" which continued the Ender story. Unfortunately, from there, the Ender series spiralled down until I began to just pretend that the later books had never been written. It was with trepedation that I picked up Ender's Shadow, Card's return to the original characters from Ender's Game, but it was excellent and Shadow of the Hegemon is no different. In it we follow Ender's Classmates as they become involved in the conflict on Earth following the Buggers' defeat. Many of the great characters are still there, and it's enjoyable to explore these heroes, while stil seeing the awe and love they hold for their own hero, Ender. I flew through this book and am keeping my fingers crossed for the next in the series.
Rating: Summary: a great book Review: Really cool. I love the issues Card brings up in this book. The action is nice too. It has depth, it has sorrow, it has victory, it has defeat, and it has drama- everything a book needs!
Rating: Summary: A very nice book Review: A very nice book. Definitely one of the best Orson Scott Card books yet. Shadow of the Hegemon is all about Bean, and how he manipulates the world through Peter, how he runs from Achilles, and how he finds out that he'll die very soon, due to the key that was turned in his brain. This book is action-packed like Ender's Game, but it's also philosophical, like Children of the Mind. It's definitely worth reading, and if you liked the Ender series, you'll like this book.
Rating: Summary: Promising continuation of Shadow series Review: Where Ender's Shadow was a new twist on the same story, "Hegemon" begins a completely new story, with two more books to come. In Hegemon Card continues with the story of Bean, also focusing on Peter Wiggin and Petra. While we are reminded of the connection to the Ender story, this is mostly new territory -- a story that explores human nature, cultural values, world politics, and confict. The story hits closer to our reality because it is only a few hundred years in the future and takes place on Earth. As usual, Card writes an engaging story and develops the characters well. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Shadow series.
Rating: Summary: Card Does It Again Review: Orson Scott Card has done it again ladies and gents. From going back into Bean's past (as you would have read in Ender's Shadow) to the heroics of Bean and the other Command School children. This O.S.C. book is based after Ender has left Eros (end of Ender's Game) where Bean and the other Command School children are being kidnapped by different countries to prepare themselves for an overlearing war that may be ahead for them. Bean proves once again to be even more clever than the great Ender Wiggin himself. Bean seems to be able to overcome ANYTHING ,as long as it is for his survival. The plot is overwhelming and I couldn't drop the book down for a second. It is as great as Ender's Shadow was when it was published. Achilles returns once again for you "evil minded people". "Shadow of the Hedgemon" has shown that even a brilliant child can create chaos. Go ahead and grab this book if you're a vivid Ender fan. It is a must have.
Rating: Summary: Good Review: The book is good, but not as good as Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead or even Ender's Shadow. The plot of the book is pretty much this: Shadow of the Hegemon describes the battle for dominance of the superpowers back on Earth. All countries involved in the conflict aspire to utilize the services of their most brilliant subjects - the strategic geniuses from the Battle School. Some countries realizing the enourmous importance of those kids are even willing to assassinate them, or kidnap them in order to gain monopoly on the best military minds in the world. Achilles, Bean's archrival, has his own agenda - kill Bean and Bean's friends from the Battle School that severely humiliated him. To accomplish that Achilles is trying to gain control of the most powerfull army in the world. In the meanwhile, Ender's older brother Peter, hiding behind his made-up identities on the net, attempts to gain political support that will enable him to begome the Hegemon after revealing his identity. Shadow of the Hegemon starts really well, then somewhere loses its flow and credibility, and at one point deteriorates to an action sci-fi. Having said that the characters in the book are perfectly sharp and crisp. There is a very interesting twist involving Ender's, Peter's and Val's parents. Another line that adds a lot to the plot is Bean's struggle against time (those who have read Ender's shadow will know what I mean). Overall, Shadow of the Hegemon is definitely worth reading, as long as you don't expect of it the greatness of Ender's Game. It is suspenceful, well written and allows one to reunite with the favorite characters one more time.
Rating: Summary: Card is desperate Review: What was Card's intention in writting this book? To make money, I suppose. But while this is most writers intentions, you can tell Card's desperation in this book. He should have stoped writting about the Achiles character in Ender's Shadow, but he does so again in this book, with guarentee that he'll be in the sequal to this. The Bean character was strong enough to hold "Enders shadow" together, but he came across as an unhuman like character. In some respects the book is satisfying, but not enough for me to recommend it to anyone.
Rating: Summary: Shadow of the Hedgemon Rules!! Review: This book is just as good as any of Card's others. It has the same ingenious writing style, captivating plot, and incredible creativity. I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: Summary: Kids rule the world. Review: As always, I am amazed at the levels OSC writes his books on. On the first level, this book is about child geniouses who have enough control on earth that they can get into ruling positions. Not only do they rule countries, but they vie to rule the world. Although this makes for interesting reading, it has other levels to add value. On another level, this book shows the personal introspection that we should all attempt as we try to understand all the hard questions in life. Forays into our on consciousness to try to understand ourselves are not common, but they are vital. Another aspect is the struggle we sometimes face between choosing what we believe to be the lesser of two evils, when life has us trapped. Bean did not know what he should do, support a power hungry despot to save a loved one. Or try to do it alone and possibly fail. Although none of us may face a choice of such magnitude in our lives, we are faced with difficult decisions, and wisdom alone guides us through them. This book was a terrific story and a good read, with value in the deeper levels as well. It took place in a world with several factions struggling for dominance, much like the game of risk, a favorite of mine. ...
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