Rating: 
Summary: I love Card's stuff... usually
Review: This book just isn't up to Orson's standards. The first five chapters are very interesting, but the rest of it is just boring boring BORING. Unless you are really into world history (especially with Thailand and India and Pakistan and that whole area), or you are willing to put up with boring discussions about military operations that aren't very exciting in the first place, just wait for this book to come out on paperback.
Rating: 
Summary: Is Bean more interesting than Ender?
Review: This is the second of four books in the Bean series, the parralel novels to the Ender series.While the Bean books do not carry the heavy moral explorations of the later Ender series, they serve to flesh out many of the plot points only alluded to in the Ender series. I would also contend, that except for Ender's Game, the Bean series is the more entertaining and plot driven series. Card's study of world history shows through in his development of the military conflicts that plague Earth after the defeat of the buggers. He plays one nation against another very effectively. The reader is also given a glimpses at Ender's early family life. We meet his parents and see how the family interacts with Peter and Valentine. Finally, I'd like to say that I find the character of Bean much more interesting than Ender. While both are fantastic characters, Bean's background and his mark for death make the reader feel sympathy for Bean that we never feel for Ender. I simply feel more empathy for Bean, understand his motivations better, and just plain ole like him better. I can't wait for the final two books! -HawkeyeGK
Rating:
Summary: Let's get this straight
Review: Of course the novel is going to be incomplete! Of course Achilles is going on! do you not see that there is going to be another in the Bean series. This book is masterfully written. I have no more to say.
Rating: 
Summary: A Shadow of Things to Come
Review: First of all I need to say that Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are two of my all-time favorite books, not just in Sci-Fi but in any genre. I think that Ender's Game is a classic of Science-Fiction and every fan should read it. That is the main reason that I can't give this book 5 stars. It isn't as good as the previous two. This book isn't as much Sci-Fi as it is a political novel. This book could almost be dropped into present times. But even with these problems it's still a very enjoyable book. There were twists and turns in the plot and it got more into the lives of Petra, Achilles, and Peter. Some people that have written reviews of this book complain that this isn't a complete novel. If they have read the afterword they will know that there are two more books after this one to fully explain the story of Peter Wiggin's rise to power. I would definitely reccomend this book to any Sci-Fi fan, but I have to say that you need to read either Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow. I suggest that you read both.
Rating:
Summary: Parallel Ports
Review: I enjoyed reading Shadow of the Hegemon, mostly because it continued the story of Bean, and I love to know what happens after the story ends. I must confess that this book did lack the ultra-clear focus that drives Ender's Game, and, to a great extent, Ender's Shadow. It's difficult for an author to take characters out of an enclosed environment (such as the Battle School), spread them all over the world, and then tie their fates together. It was fun to read this book and try to match Ender's timeline to this book. Was Ender still on Eros? Was he on his way to govern the bugger planets yet? I was expecting Peter to be more prominent than he was, and for Peter's struggles to become Hegemon to actually BE struggles. The changing world order would have given the old Peter more opportunities to flex his muscles, especially since he was Ender's older brother and the great Locke. I thought Peter would be more ruthless about consolidating his power than he was. The title initially led me to believe that Peter was going to be manipulating Bean the way he would have manipulated Ender. Well, you can't have everything, and I'm glad that the Wiggin parents were finally given their due - they did seem rather too unremarkable to have reared three geniuses, didn't they? Altogether, an enjoyable read for Ender and Bean fans, and I hope the saga continues, but fighting wars is much more enjoyable than dealing with the fallout after the war is won.
Rating:
Summary: Card gets better with time.
Review: I found the book riveting and had trouble putting it down. This book rivals Enders Game, and is the best in the series since the original work was published. Card is at his best when writing about children. Excellent effort and a rewarding read.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY disappointing
Review: I liked "Ender's Shadow" enormously, I liked the whole idea of going back to the beginnings of Ender's story. Therefore, I started to read "Shadow of the hegemon" in a flurry of anticipation... only to realize, after a few pages, that I was BORED. I kept skimming through the pages like an impatient student who HAS TO read "Beowulf" for English 101, and wants to get it over with as soon as possible. The book is filled with ENDLESS discussions; the author creates artificial emotional confrontations, to hide the lack of action. He is a masterful, most accomplished puppeteer, but the fact remains that here, his characters are not REAL people, only masks. Card's philosophy, that exceptional individuals shape history, is carried here a little too far. Ender and Bean are, maybe, plausible, but really... the rest is too much. Just one example: what kind of government would let itself be manipulated by a psychotic little twit like Achilles? On the strength of his having spent once a few days in the space school. And the rest of the little geniuses are just as naively portrayed, and just as irritating. The ending is also disappointing; nothing really is finished and clarified. Peter is finally the Hegemon but the title has absolutely no prestige and real power; we don't know yet how he will change all that. The pathetic little villain, Achilles, is still alive. I assume there will be another book in the series to fill the gaps - I will certainly buy it, for I'm a huge fan of Card's, and hope for the best.
Rating:
Summary: Shadow of the Ender's Game
Review: I found this book much less appealing then Ender's Game. The character interactions are totally predictable, the fictional world geopolitical situation from the other hand totally artificial in order to bring Risk-like game to life. Still is good reading if you are Ender's fan.
Rating:
Summary: Ho-hum
Review: How can I break this to you gently... "Shadow of the Hegemon" lacks the raw conviction and the powerful equalizer of "Ender's Game" and its parallel novel. It is essentially a sequel to "Ender's Shadow", detailing the events that happened after Battle School was disbanded, the Formic War won, and the children sent home to rest on their laurels. It isn't even about Peter - he is dealt with in two chapters throughout the book - once when Bean meets him face to face, and at the very end, when he auspiciously rises to the lofty position of Hegemon. What "Shadow of the Hegemon" actually deals with is Achilles' struggle for world domination, and Bean's campaign to stop him. Unfortunately, since neither any longer relies on pure wits, but rather falls back on extensive connections and the military prowess of armies, the book simply ends up being a cheap political thriller. Few new characters are introduced, and the recurrent ones hardly have changed since the preceding pair of parallel novels. In addition, for a novel that takes place all over the globe, there is barely any sensation of change. The quality of characterization certainly fell since the previous book - I was at a loss to distinguish the characters one from another; they are all mere conveyances for whatever piece of philosophy Card is trying to put in. Even the resolution is quaint: though Peter assumes his post (no thanks to Bean), the Hegemon hardly has any discretion at all - it will take a sequel to show how Peter changes from a figurehead to a virtual emperor. Even the dastadly villain - Achilles - isn't dealt with with any measure of finality at the novel's end. Without a doubt, this is the worst entry in Ender's long-running saga so far.
Rating:
Summary: It felt incomplete
Review: I've been a huge fan of the Ender series since I read Ender's Game in 1988. I thought Ender's Shadow was possibly even better than Ender's Game. But I was disappointed in Hegemon. It just lacked the emotional punch of the best books in the Ender universe. Card says in the afterword that the book is like "a huge game of Risk," and that's the problem. The characters come off as game pieces being moved around the board. I also thought the various points of view dissipated the focus and impact of the book. The three main protagonists end up casting shadows on each other's stories. While reading about one character in a given chapter, it was hard for me not to wonder what was going on with the others at the same time -- particularly Peter, who figures heavily for a while but all but disappears in the latter stages of the book. The book felt too much like a "bridge" between Ender's Shadow and the next book, and I didn't think it held up well on its own. It just felt like something was missing -- which might be because this and the next book were originally conceived as one.
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