Rating: 
Summary: an amazing piece of literature
Review: This book was an amazing masterpiece that skillfully wove together the story contained with "Ender's Game". Personally, I felt that it was much more moving and that the story of Bean, a big fan favorite, was hard to put down. Other than Robin Hobb's "Farseer" trilogy, there is no other book that astounded me with the masterful telling. It is a must have, and I am sure that many will agree with me that after finishing this book, there was no other word for it than "Wow".
Rating:
Summary: A 5-star read!
Review: This book is a wonderful addition to the Ender series. This book follows up on Bean- a person who has Anton's Key turned inside him. This book is a great book to cuddle up with and to enjoy. Even if you do not like science-fiction, it is a great book by a very good author, Orson Scott Card.
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Summary: Bean's Game
Review: I just finished reading this book and I must say that it is one of Card's best works. The way it was written, combining the unique characters with amazing backdrops leads to an amazing tale.This book starts where Enders Game began. It starts with Ender's lackie, litle Bean, struggiling to survive on the streats of Rotterdam. Eventually he makes his way to Battle School to meet his opponent and friend, Ender Wiggin. This is a spectacular story that is on my greatest books of all time list. Bean and company finaly hit the big time. I would demand that any fan of science fiction read this astounding novel.
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Summary: Uncle Orson's Parallel Novel to "Ender's Game"
Review: There are very few examples of "parallel novels," and I must confess that when I think of such things it is Tom Stoppard's play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," which parallel's "Hamlet," that first comes to mind. Anne McCaffrey plays around with it to a limited extent in several of her Pern novels and there is a book out about Ahab's wife, but neither of those is trying to do what Orson Scott Card attempts in "Ender's Shadow." It is rare indeed when the original author decides to go back and cover old ground from a new perspective. But then as most of us well know by now, Uncle Orson does not disappoint his legion of readers. The title character is Bean, who was introduced in the original novel as even younger and smaller than Ender Wiggin when he first arrived at the Battle School. The Bean of "Ender's Shadow" does not conflict with the character as originally presented in "Ender's Game," but certainly there is little to suggest in the first book of the true extent of Bean's abilities. There was the definite notion that Bean was closest to Ender in terms of being the chosen one, but it was a sketchy idea at best. The strength of this book is how Card expands Bean's character, developing the idea that Bean, the production of an illegal genetics experiment, is the main competition for Ender and perhaps the only viable alternative. It becomes clear early on that Bean is smarter than Ender, maybe smarter than anybody else in the world. However, what is in doubt is whether that awesome intelligence is enough to make him the best choice to lead the Earth's forces against the Buggers. Again, as in the entire Ender series, the question of "humanness" comes into play because of the genetic experiment that resulted in Bean's birth. As always, Card wants to explore this issue in terms of actions and behaviors rather than physical forms and structures. In his forward Card tells us that he wanted to write "Ender's Shadow" so that it would not matter to the reader which of the two parallel works they read first. In the abstract he has certainly succeeded in this regard, but of course they should be read in the "proper" order simply because it is this newer novel that better informs us of what happened in the first rather than the other way around. When Card actually does cover a scene from "Ender's Game" one of the things I really appreciated was how he could give added significance to dialogue from the first novel (the best example of this is Bean's "The gate is down" during the battle at the Bugger's Homeworld). For those who always liked "Ender's Game" as the first and best of the Ender novels, this one is certain to be their next favorite work in the series.
Rating:
Summary: -Adding on to the best-
Review: WOW! now that was a goood book! At first i must say that i was a bit bothered by the point how Bean was so smart and he took away from Ender. But as the story goes on, Ender still is the leader, smart as he was, adn everyone still respects him. Bean is a great contribute to Ender, and in the end becomes a great person. The story flows smoothly with Ender's Game, and, in my opinion, just makes the story 10 times better. It unfolds the whole story, goes in depth, bringing in more action and interesnt. Don't get me wrong, Ender's game was still GREAT! It is just that this adds on greatly. I don't read much, but when i found the Ender's game seriese, i loved it. When i foud Ender's shadow, I was soo excited. The thing was, i was even better then i thouhg. Anyways, read the book, you'll love it. HAVE FUN!
Rating:
Summary: Good Things Come In Small Packages
Review: Ender's Shadow was written to be a parallel novel to Ender's Game. Once again Orson Scott Card dazzles readers with a fast paced sci-fi thriller that you could not put down even if you wanted to. This book begins and ends around the same time as Ender's Game. Ender's Shadow, however, tells the story not of Ender, but of his right-hand man, Bean. In this work Card reemphasizes that you can't judge a book by its cover. Or should I say a boy by his size. In this book, just like in Ender's Game, the little guy battles for success and the respect he deserves. This seems to be the underlying theme in many of Card's works. Nobody expects much out of the little guy; but when you read this book you cannot help but be surprised by the actions taken by Bean to ensure his survival. Ender's Shadow is a must read for anyone who has read Ender's Game. It is a must read for anyone who loves sci-fi, for that matter. You cannot just read this book; you are forced to experience it. Card writes with such a style that we feel as if we are Bean and everything that happens to him happens to us.
Rating:
Summary: Good Things Come In Small Packages
Review: Ender's Shadow was written to be a parallel novel to Ender's Game. Once again Orson Scott Card dazzels readers with a fast paced sci-fi thriller that you could not put down even if you wanted to. This book begins and ends around the same time as Ender's Game. Ender's Shadow, however, tells the story not of Ender, but of his right-hand man, Bean. In this work Card reemphasizes that you can't judge a book by its cover. Or should I say a boy by his size. In this book, just like in Ender's Game, the little guy battles for success and the respect he deserves. This seems to be the underlying theme in many of Card's works. Nobody expects much out of the little guy; but when you read this book you cannot help but be surprised by the actions taken by Bean to ensure his survival. Ender's Shadow is a must read for anyone who has read Ender's Game. It is a must read for anyone who loves sci-fi, for that matter. You cannot just read this book; you are forced to experience it. Card writes with such a style that we feel as if we are Bean and everything that happens to him happens to us.
Rating: 
Summary: Super-Bean
Review: I sadly found this book a great disappointment. Ender was portrayed as an especially gifted boy.. a one in billion. Card now feels that he has to make Ender look ordinary next to his latest hero. It was a case of 'too good to believe' for me. I love Card's portrayals of special people.. Ender, Alvin.. they're people you would like to be.. or at least have a ton of fun watching grow and learn through challenges. But this book was a step too far. Bean is never really challenged.. it's almost as if he has this magic power that can make any problem go away. The effect is that you end up not caring because you KNOW the magic power will appear on the next page and just wash the problem away. I'd rather go read Ender's Game again.
Rating:
Summary: Weekend Read.
Review: This book is a sequel, of sorts, to Ender's Game. Instead of discussing events after this novel, it discuss the Earth|Bugger war from the perspective of "Bean" one of Ender's generals. Actually the fifth book in this series, it is the best sequel to date and, in some ways, actually rivals "Ender's Game." Indeed, in the introduction, the author admits that the original sequels were for a different audience, then Ender's Game. Why? If you write a successful book, shouldn't the sequel focus on the fans which made the first book successful? More insulting, Mr. Card seems to believe that, because more children enjoyed his first book then the sequels that the sequels had a "mature" focus. No Mr. Card the sequels were focused on a different audience, not a more sophisticated one. Thankfully, in Ender's Shadow the author recognized his mistake and finally writes a sequel to Ender's Game worthy of the original. In Ender's Shadow the book traces the life of "Bean" from the streets to the stars. A homeless three year old, Bean fought with other children for trash, just to live. Finding allies in the street, however, he began to thrive - as much as possible in that enviorment. A warning, some of the scenes here are intense. For example, Bean is beaten up by a bigger child who makes him throw up. This child then eats some of the vomit. Eventually, Bean is discovered by a Nun who sends him to battle school. His scores, his talents are even highter then Ender, but Bean came a little too late. In addition, he may not be human. Back on Earth, the Nun searches for the truth even as his teachers argue about his suitability for leadearship. Like Ender, Bean has trouble and trials in battleschool. We learn, as well, that he had some special connections to Ender, that even Ender did not know. As a sequel, this novel rivals the original. Which story you like better will probably depend on which you read first. I loved Ender's Game. Ender's Game has a little bit more humor in its pages, a softer edge. Ender's Shadow is a bit more harsh. As such, I prefer Ender's Game. Again, both are excellent. Ender's Shadow is highly recommended, especially for people disappointed with the original sequels. I now look for to the next book, which I believe is already out.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but...
Review: If it stood alone, I would give this book full marks. The trouble is, that when viewed as a companion novel to Ender's Game, this book has severe defficiencies. The actual events from the two books match up perfectly, but the motivations are all wrong. It was an interesting undertaking, but when it comes down to it, the beauty of Ender's game was that it was all Ender, it was his genious and his intelligence that saved the day. To try and change things around so that suddenly, all of the credit goes to Bean is just ridiculous. Aside from that though, I think that this book was wonderful. It clarified many of the unclear points in Ender's Game. (especially a lot of the symbolism) and I think its worth reading, just because it almost reaches genius, but never quite gets there. I look forward to the next book.
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