Rating: 
Summary: Cards latest Shadow of the Hegemon another Hugo Winner
Review: Card does it again this book ranks up there right with Enders Game! While Card's Speaker for the Dead and Children of the mind were more of a background to Enders Game his Shadows book do capture the adventure that I enjoyed so well in Enders Game.Shadow of the Hegemon is good reading from the first to the last
page as with Enders Game I managed to get through the book in 2
days. I truely enjoy Cards work with the Ender series. If you
truely enjoy science fiction you will enjoy Shadows of the Hegemon as well as any book in the Ender series. I wait for his next piece of work!
Rating:
Summary: Another Masterpiece
Review: Orson Scott Card has turned out another masterpiece in the Ender series. This book is unlike any of others. Taking place on earth, Bean winds up in a fight over the world and his beliefs. Before the end of the book he ends up with a new outlook on life.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull Read
Review: "Shadow of the Hegemon" follows up "Ender's Shadow" but lacks any emotional intensity or dramatic action to make it even an interesting read. Card's characters go through the motions of the plot like a bunch of robots, there's nothing interesting about established characters like Bean, Achilles, Petra, or Peter Wiggin and nothing interesting about any new characters either. The reader learns nothing new about anyone, which ultimately leads to losing interest int he story and its characters. Card prides himself on his knowledge of military and political history and that's just how this books comes off: a dull retelling of a history that has yet to be. He describes a game of Risk where the armies of India tire themselves out trying to conquer Southeast Asia and are in turn conquered by China, which could have been avoided if only India could have drawn a third cannon card to get more armies on the board. In short, if you've read Card's other Ender/Bean books then I suggest you read this just so you aren't lost, but buy a used copy, borrow it from the library, or get it from a friend. ... Also, in light of recent world events, I suggest avoiding the Afterword of the book where Card blasts the "immoral" attack on Afghanistan by the U.S. in 1998 and describes just why America "is a nation in decline". "Shadow of the Hegemon" does little enough to endear you to Orson Scott Card, but his opinions in the Afterword will make you like him even less so.
Rating:
Summary: Card trying to write like Card
Review: This book is a sad example of Card trying to write like Card. It doesn't even seem like the normal author in this tale. The characters are shallow, the plot is thin (and borring), and when the last page ends you are left wondering at the title...why was this book called "shadow of the hegemon" WHEN the hegemon (peter) is almost completly ignored. Yes he pops in once in a while and writes a few essays but there was never one momement when you even glimps what will make this man great. This book is nothing more then a poor chance at making money off of "Ender's Game." It falls flat
Rating:
Summary: Not up to snuff -- glad I waited for the paperback edition
Review: Shadow of the Hegemon does not live up to its predessor works. The book is loosely written and not as tight as Card's other works. You can skip the first 200 pages which is repetitive, predictable and simply not up to his standards. The remainder of the book is fine but it comes to a rapid conclusion with a number of sweeping paragraphs that wrap everything up with little imagination. The book reads more like a play-by-play account of the game RISK, something that the author points out in his epiloge -- it should have been the prologe. The characters are particularly flat and one dimensional -- a real disappointment given the earlier Ender books. Achillies is bent on taking over the world and killing Bean, Bean is bend on killing Achillies and the other characters fall on either side of this fence. Peter Wiggen while present in the book is really dealt with in a superficial way with a minor role. I know that Card returned to the Ender series after a long hiatus and Ender's Shadow is as good as Ender's Game. Unfourtunately this work reads like it was written as part of a multi-book publishing contract -- something he had to do but didn't have enough material for it. It could have been a terrific Novella or short story but it goes thin very fast when streatched into a novel. Overall a poor showing. I almost bought this book in hardcover after reading Enders's Shadow -- a very good book and highly recommended. But I am glad I only invested a few dollars in the paperback edition.
Rating:
Summary: Hegemon Review
Review: An excellent addition to the Shadow series. Although not quite as powerful as Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow, Hegemon is nonetheless one of Card's best works. The characterizations and setting is so well developed that the reader easily finds himself immersed in the storyline, despite the sci-fi aspects of the novel (children so bright that they hold the fate of the world in their hands). Card is one of the finest authors of the 20th and 21st centuries--and this is one of his best works.
Rating:
Summary: Orson Scott Card For President Of Deseret!!!
Review: First Of All......the "Ender" series is the best SF read of all time. After reading "Shadow Of The Hegemon" cover to cover nearly 6 times (I have apprx: 2 chapters left) in the past few months, I must admit that with every new book, I have new a new favorite. Shadow Of The Hegemon is now the #2 book in the series.....only because it would be morally wrong to place it in front of Ender's Game. I personally feel that the storytelling in "Shadow", eclipses at many points that of the original. It keeps you in suspense much like the "battle against the buggers" did in "Ender", but with more plot twists. But yet as always with Orson Scott Card, The Story NEVER Gets Lost In The Storytelling. Orson Scott Card Books Only Get Better With Every Read....And Re-Read, And Re-Read, Etc. Ps: I now have my wife HOOKED on the "Women Of Genesis" Series...Thanks Orson, For Writing About Something Dear To The Hearts Of So Many.
Rating: 
Summary: These characters will keep me coming back ...
Review: I pick up any book in the Ender series with great trepidation because Xeoncide & Children of the Mind were 2 of the worst books I have ever completed. Then Ender's Shadow blew me away - I loved it. So I started Hegemon with cautious hope. I was not disappointed. The book has a lot of good qualities. I enjoyed reading more about Bean, Petra, Carlotta and Peter. I thought the story moved at a good pace & was interesting. In fact, I must admit that I read the book nearly every free minute for a couple days until I finished it. As other reviews have mentioned, the book has flaws. It does have a bit of a "pulp" SF feel to it and some of the situations do stretch the suspension of disbelief to the limit. For example, much of what the villain accomplishes in terms of international alliances & betrayals was difficult to swallow. Having said that, the bottom line is that I couldn't put the book down for several days ! I am looking forward to the next installment in the series. I can't wait to learn more about what Bean, Peter & Petra do in the future (and maybe read more about the other Battle School kids). This is in sharp contrast to how I felt during Children of the Mind, where I totally lost interest in all the characters -including Ender !
Rating:
Summary: Card nearly pulls it off again
Review: Ender's Game. Definitely among my favorite of science fiction novels. In fact, the whole series holds a special place in my heart. Imagine my delight when I discovered Card's new line of Ender books was coming out. Faithfully I await(ed) eac new installment. Shadow of the Hegemon was the second such installment, after Ender's Shadow, and what a great installment it is, though it lacks the incredible appeal of Game and Shadow. Bean and his friends face up against the ruthless boy genius general Achilles again, but the plot - and the characters - jump around a lot. I found myself having trouble keeping track of Achilles' movements, and I was in his head. Besides that, I'm not a very politically-minded person, and politics abound in Shadow of the Hegemon. What makes it even more confusing is that it's an undulating sense of politics, besides which it is entirely fictional, being set in the future. So, confusing yet very satisfying, and capturing some of the music of the past books. If you're an Ender fan or a Card fan, it's a great read. If not, it's still good, but it will lack the extraordinary appeal of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. I'd stick with those first. (3.5/5)
Rating:
Summary: For the most part, unimpressive
Review: This book -- what can I say? It seems like the more of OSC's books I read, the less impressed I am with him as an author. This book strengthened that impression. For one thing, every single one of his characters sounds exactly the same. For another thing, I can honestly say that I didn't care about a single character in this book. I didn't really realize this until one Bean's friends died, at which point my main emotion was annoyance. It was a stupid and easily avoidable death.
Also, I don't know for whom this book was targeted. Original fans (except the diehards who think Card can do no wrong) are going to be annoyed, but newcomers will probably be confused. It is dry and tedious at times, with bleak overtones and a nifty little romantic angle that seems thrown in just for the heck of it. With that said, the book gets its two stars because of the insights it provides regarding the Wiggin parents. I reread those scenes (and only those scenes) at least twice because they were very, very good. So, definitely check it out of the library, buy it used if you want, borrow it from a friend. But, I would not recommend buying it new.
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