Rating: 
Summary: Nothing Particularly Original or Exciting
Review: With Mr. Card, you either love him or you hate him, and most of the reviews of this book are in the 4 to 5 star range. But I couldn't finish this book. Card is beating the same dead horse over and over again: talented, but abused children rise up to best their betters (grown-ups) and win the day. However, I couldn't help but get the impression that Card's just writing to fulfull a contract or to wring as much blood out of the Ender turnip as he can. I never believed that these characters were children, nor could I get into their plight. I think I've out-grown Mr. Card's universe (as well as his turgid writing style). Mr. Card is writing pulp now. Perhaps he will improve with his Biblical fiction. That seems to be where his heart is anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: It was great!
Review: I Have always enjoyed the way that Card has been able to tell a story. He does so in a way that captures your mind and makes you never want to set the book down. But, in this book he has outdone himself. I did not want it to end. He brilliantly shows a story from many different view points. Switching from person to person he has managed to give you enough information to make it great, yet keeps just the right amount of information from you to make you keep going. I am very excited to see what his next book will be. With one question in mind, can his next book live up to his new, higher standard?
Rating:
Summary: Flat story, bizarre afterword
Review: This book is a sore disappointment for those of us familiar with the Ender series. The characters are poorly developed and the plot has turned too predictable. The premise that humanity depends on a group of children no longer appears tenable--what appeared as a truly clever devise in "Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow" has now become implausible. Are we to continue to believe that 10 and 12 year old geniuses are capable of holding the respect of their 20 year old subordinates and of outsmarting the military high command? This just doesn't ring true.The "Afterword" in the book is downright bizarre. Card seems to have forgotten that he is writing escapist fiction--his ranting about how "America is now a nation in decline, and my people have little will to be well led" sounds like self-aggrandizing silliness. I'm surprised the editor allowed that in (a perk for a top selling author?). Card should stick to improving his craft (writing escapist fiction); if he can do that, perhaps the next installment will be back up to standard.
Rating:
Summary: didn't care about plot premise
Review: I simply did not care what happened on earth in terms of political power. I care about Bean and his Jeesh. (For the record, where did this bizarre terminology come from--it wasn't in the Ender books, was it?) I want to understand how Bean is going to deal with the real world, as well as his classmates. I don't care who is in power on earth. And I thought the handling of Peter's parents was absurd! Plus, the killing of Sister Carlotta was a waste. How did Achilles become so powerful? There is no clear explanation for this. It was a bad book. I hope the final 2 are better. Perhaps Card is out of ideas...
Rating: 
Summary: Contrived plot, implausible characters
Review: It has been many years since I finished reading the first 3 novels of the Ender Saga. While not without its high points, I was generally disappointed, though not surprised, with Shadow of the Hegemon. On the positive, Shadow has some interesting plot twists and some entertaining action/battle sequences. I agree with other reviewers in that it was nice to meet with Bean, Petra, and Peter again. However, shaping brilliant child minds to effect compelling military strategy as in Ender's Game is a profoundly different story than that of having children bend nations to their will. Card pushed the child prodigy notion well beyond the realm of the plausible. The author's machinations of events and plot were also clear throughout the story. The scheming and plotting of Achilles, Bean, and Peter were simplistic and amateurish. Instead of telling a story, the author is telling us -why- he's telling the story. In the epilogue, you are rewarded with a diatribe on American decline, history as story, and the failings of the Clinton administration as validation of your suspicions about Card's motivations. If you are enamored with stories of child prodigy, or looking to fill in your picture of Ender's universe Shadow of the Hegemon is OK. If you are looking for a powerful depiction of politics and intrigue in the SF genre, check out Frank Herbert's original Dune Chronicles.
Rating:
Summary: An Orson Scott Card fan says what he thinks about "Hegemon".
Review: I just want to start off by saying that I have read every single book in Card's ENDER series. He kind of dropped off with "Children of the Mind" and i lost a little interest in his writing, but when he wrote "Enders Shadow", I don't think i was into a book more. Now with "Shadow of the Hegemon", I consider this Card's best book yet. I bought it two weeks ago and I never put it down. He uses Bean alot in this book, but not as much as Petra. I think Bean will become a major player in Card's next book (in the afterword, he said to be writing another called "Shadow of Death"). Though the book probaably isn't a huge hit now, but I know a lot of people online and at school that this book will be read by all of them. This is a book for teenagers (like myself) and adults who have followed Card's writings or just a big sci-fi fan. This book will hopefully be a big hit soon.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing short of another masterpiece by Card
Review: As the title of this review indicates, this novel lacked nothing. Truly a worthy piece of the continuing Ender and Bean Saga. Card seems to have pulled away from the internal struggle of right and wrong that Ender so valiantly faced and has now clearly drawn the line between good and bad. Bean vs. Achilles. I waited patiently for this novel to be released and it did not let me down. I can only say that with at least two more books coming in the continuation of the story....I hope Card never lets these characters disappear.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing continuation of the Ender saga
Review: I wanted to like this novel more, but in the end it simply failed to make me care enough. Any attachment I felt towards the characters here (Bean, Petra, Peter) originated from previous books. Their actions here often seem geared merely towards advancing the plot; the plot, meanwhile, seems to exist only so that Card can play with the rise and fall of nations. His enthusiasm for global politics and strategy is evident throughout, but I wish he had put as much effort into bringing his characters to life. Card's heavy focus on politics and philosophy is all the more frustrating because of the potential in his characters. This is particularly true with Peter, a character that demands more attention than Card seems willing to give him. Why bother making him a point of view character and only use him in a handful of chapters, particularly given his importance? Petra is another character of whom I wanted to see more. What little I did see was uninspired. This untapped potential makes me wish Card had followed his original plan and allowed other authors to tell the story of Peter, Petra, et. al. So why did I give this novel as many as three stars? Despite the desire for more, I was glad just to see Bean, Peter, and Petra again. Also, Card's efforts with regard to history and politics is not without reward. It's just too bad that the nations in this novel are almost more well developed characters than the people.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Space Saga turns Mundane
Review: I followed the Ender series and now the Ender's Shadow series on audio. This is the first book I've been this disappointed with, and the first I've heard unabridged. Whenever I read abridgements, I worry I'm losing something. This time, I was desperate for an abridgement. So much so that I actually gave up reading it mid-book and prayed for an abridgement to appear. When none did, I finished it out, hoping it would get better. It did get better. But not by enough. Card repeats himself a lot, and is a prime candidate for abridgement. No wonder I didn't feel like much was omitted from the prior volumes I "audited" (my term for "listened to the abridgement of"). Structurally, I suppose, this book was a lot like Ender's Game. Not the ending, but the battles. But it's played out on Earth, not some fanciful space station. And it's played out with real countries and real issues of race, ethnicity, and protocol. I don't know about you, but I read sci-fi to escape from all of that. Our world has lots of problems, and sci-fi often comments obliquely about those problems through use of the problems of other societies. But largely this one was just a story about world politics, realistically in some ways, unbelievably in others, but most of all lacking the fanciful and so coming up dry. It did a few things with characters that I didn't like. I was sad about that. But I was more sad because of the very few options left to him about where to take this. The next book looks like it will be more of same, and I pretty much can guess who will end up married to who at the end, and why. Bleah. I wish, somehow, this were not so detached from the other series. Peter could use a healthy dose of chat with Valentine by ansibel. The first book in this series was great. I wish he'd rewrite this one, but he probably won't. I don't see any way to avoid reading this one just to get a sense of resolution. But don't have your hopes up for a lot more, unless you're a big fan of the art of military and civilian diplomacy and want to see it detailed for you like a how-to manual. 3 out of 5 stars, in sharp contrast to the prior books. Could definitely benefit from abridgement...
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Characters
Review: When beginning to read "Shadow" it appears to make some sense, yet as you go on, it becomes too improbable to believe. The way that these brilliant children can manipulate adults and gain such status is irrational. And it appears to not have occured to Mr. Card that there must of have been other generations of brilliant children, who are now grown adults, probably in positions of power. The theory of the child that is smarter than anyone else holds up with Ender, because he is the only one. And it holds with Peter and Valentine, because they are his siblings. And it manages to hold with Bean, because he is genetically engineered, yet the idea that all of these children are more brilliant than any of the leaders of the world, who have the benefit of experience, is ridiculous. And I don't believe in the idea that experience closes the mind, because Ender and Bean are both very "experienced," and yet still manage to look at situations with the same ingenuity.
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