Rating: 
Summary: The Adventures of the Second Tier Hero
Review: A young boy from meager beginnings has grown up thinking he is less than average. Suddenly, this poor kid finds his secret destiny. Why, not only is he more than average, he is the best in the world. Then he is taken to a magical school where he excels, but others resent his talent. He finds allies and enemies, and learns a lesson or two about life. Sound familiar? It should. This is the plot for Ender's Game, Harry Potter, A Wizard of Earthsea, and numerous other genre books. It is an enjoyable scenario which we all can secretly relate too. Now, with Ender's Shadow we get the same story from a different perspective. A young boy from meager beginnings has grown up thinking he is the best in the world. Suddenly, this poor kid finds his secret destiny. He is taken to a magical school where others resent his talent, and he resents the talents of others. He is only second best. And he is not happy about it. I completely enjoyed Ender's Shadow. It is not the book that Ender's Game is, but it openly declares that in the title. A second tier story about a second tier hero. It is still worth a read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Sequel that eclipses the Original!
Review: Having read and enjoyed Ender's Game thoroughly in 1985, it was with a combination of hope and skepticism that I started Ender's Shadow. My hopes were surpassed. In fact, re-reading Game after having read Shadow made me feel like Shadow was the real original, and the Bean developed there was just making a few cameo appearances in Game. Mr. Card has outdone himself!
Rating:
Summary: A very well written parallel version to Ender's Game.
Review: This book was not written for entertainment only but also for another important view to Ender's Game. The idea that he presented that Bean was more intelegent than Ender was a complete supprise to me but I do agree that this is nessacary ellement. The way he makes you feel for the children is a important way to get the reader involved in the story. Those people whom I know that have read this book have informed me that it is as good if not better than Ender's Game and I fully agree. I reccomend reading this book if you are in for either entertainment or if you just like to read Card. The way he made this book a parallel version and to avoid repeating the same information in Ender's Game takes creditable skill and that is what Card has. A very well written book!
Rating:
Summary: It just keeps coming
Review: I loved this book because(besides the new perspective) it gave the reader all the missing gaps from Ender's game. It told us what happened on Eros, the bickering between the higher-ups when it came to decided who would lead, and so much more. I highly recomend reading Ender's Game before-hand because Ender is the main part of the story, or read it soon after Shadow. This is a hreat book for all ages!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I never thought there would be another work by Orson Scott Card that would match "Ender's Game". "Ender's Shadow" did. It was a very interesting twist reading the story from Bean's point-of-view. I'm sure that Bean's character will be in future novels by Card. I can't wait. Both the book and the audio book are worth more than the price.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy parallel story to one of the greatest books ever!
Review: When I first saw that "Ender's Shadow" was a reality, I was the only person I knew (sadly enough) to purchase it. I read it slowly so as to absorb everything. It is, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating, wonderful, intelligent books I have ever read. In my mind, it ranks right alongside the god-like first novel, "Ender's Game," which I decided to pick up and read again with the emergence of "Shadow." "Ender's Shadow" begins on the streets of Rotterdam, with Bean as the smallest, yet most intelligent person in the world, and goes on to take us out into the cold darkness of space, where he attends the infamous Battle School, and meets the boy that he is so often compared with--Ender Wiggin. Not wasting time to find out exactly why he is so much like Ender, Bean slyly learns everything that he can about the school, the students, and the teachers. He refuses to be psychologically profiled by the Fantasy Game on the school desks, and Colonel Graff is becoming less patient with Bean. Despite his intelligence, he is a security risk, and is able to take very little information and propose dramatic theories that usually turn out to be true. Sooner than later, Bean is taken into the Dragon Army with Ender as his commander. They are quite distant at first, but soon they become very close when the battles start to wear Ender down to his last nerve. Bean's quick ability to learn, despite his small body, wins over the toon leaders in Dragon Army, and becomes one of the most trusted and highly ranked soldiers on the team. Just when everything seems to be falling into place, everything falls out of place, with the appearence of the dreaded Achilles at Battle School. The immediate danger to Bean is clear, considering Achilles is a serial killer and he has a personal grudge against Bean. Page after page, I was absorbed into this story like I haven't been in a long time. The kind of absorbing story that I haven't experienced since I finished "Children of the Mind," Card's last Ender novel. "Ender's Shadow" is not an attempt to cash in the the success of "Ender's Game" (can't wait for the movie), but it is a story that--even if we didn't know it--needed to be told. And Orson Scott Card tells the story of Bean with more intensity and intelligence than any co-writer ever could have brought to this novel. Bean is a character that should never be forgotten. He and Ender are practically synonymous in my mind, as well they should be to avid Ender readers. I made it clear to all of my classmates in school--even though they didn't have a clue about the story--that "Game" and "Shadow"--as well as "Speaker For the Dead," "Xenocide," and "Children of the Mind--are the most important pieces of literature I have ever read, and I feel sorry for anyone that refuses to pick them up and learn about these extraordinary characters that added a little something to my life.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading, but pales in comparison to "Ender's Game"
Review: I genuinely enjoyed reading this book, and I would not consider myself a sci-fi fan to any degree. To write a parallel novel is truly a daunting task. How does one provide enough detail without getting repetitive? The view from Bean's perspective was well done. I thought Card captured the emotionally starved voice of Bean's thoughts very well. For example, the way he calculated situations like Sister Carlotta's hug when he departed for Battle School. Bean's story fills in alot of gaps that cannot be seen through Ender's experiences, particularly after the children arrive at Eros. I enjoyed the insider perspective on the administrative power struggle over whether Bean or Ender should be the chosen one. Card states in his preface that it was his belief that Shadow could be a stand-alone novel. I would beg to differ. Reading Shadow without the benefit of reading Ender's Game would take a great deal away from the book. Despite the fact that I read Ender's Game less than a year ago, and I could have used a little bit more of a refresher on details like a description of the Battle Room or a description of the overall organization of Battle School, particularly from Bean's matter-of-fact perspective. I appreciate Card's sparing us the details of each battle game from "Game," though. The Bean/Nickolai plot I found a little contrived. It was just a little too convenient that they were in the same launch group to Battle School. I would recommend reading this novel after Ender's Game, but before Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind.
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Summary: the neverending game
Review: Here are the three truths of Orson Card: 1) He is a cracklingly sharp mind whose characters exude intelligence almost without volition 2) He is a writer who doesn't know when to stop and who (unlike Thomas Wolfe) has no editor smart enough and strong enough to tell him when enough is enough 3) He is a Mormon and a family man and a boy-lover...a most uncomfortable combination and one he has never been able to be honest about. Not to his readers and probably not to himself. So... where does`ENDER'S SHADOW' fit? 1) Ender's shadow, Bean, is more intelligent than Ender himself. Nature and nurture (or spectacular lack thereof) have combined to make him almost superhuman -- and yet still human enough to tug at the heartstrings of any who still possesses such antiquated equipment 2) The brilliantly executed counterpoint on the original makes this point irrrelevant here. Even the vastly different `Speaker For the Dead' truly advanced the tale of tortured Ender in a fascinating fashion. And that was enough. Had Card been fortunate enough to have a Maxwell Perkins to edit him, he would have been advised to cease and desist as of the end of that fine work. Alas for him, he did not. 3) Orson, Orson, when will you finally come clean? When will you write an honest work that (unlike the Enders and the Alvins and the Songmaster and Lost Boys) asserts that your tender feeling for boys does you credit and not shame? Hint: ask your son for advice. If he is half as smart as you are he has seen through you long ago. Recommendation: don't miss this one. It is a classic-to-be, well worthy to be set beside the original.
Rating:
Summary: A book that stands alone
Review: Let me first state that I have never read "Ender's Game", though I very much intend to now, so when you read this review please realize that unlike many of the other readers I came into this book with no preconceptions of Bean's character or any of the events that take place. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is for you to decide. I only picked this book up because I was really desperate for something to read and it happened to be sent to me by one of the various book clubs I subscribe to. I hadn't gotten through the first chapter before I was hooked. I didn't get anything done for two whole days because my every free moment was spent being absorbed into Bean's world. Bean's character just comes alive to you in a way I don't think I've ever experienced before. I really love a book that makes you think and this book deals with some really interesting issues, like what it means to really be human, and wether savagery and civilization are really that drastically different. Card did an absolutely wonderful job with this book no matter what anyone else says. And I am telling you that from a purely objective standpoint this book is good enough to stand on its own and well worth your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: A parallel novel - the concept works - excellent!
Review: I read Ender's Game, the first book in Orson Scott Card's Ender saga, a couple of weeks ago and found it compelling reading. The book was by turns exciting and tragic, and Card's writing style was brief and to the point, focussing on the characters and messages within the story without falling into the trap of excessively descriptive prose to pad the book out. This made Ender's Game one of my favourite books of all time, and I eagerly awaited the sequel (Speaker for the Dead) to appear in my local library. However, Ender's Shadow (Card's latest novel in the saga), was available first and I desperately needed to read another of the series. This book is a parallel novel to Ender's Game, set in the same time period and featuring the familiar settings of Battle School and Command School, as well as most of the original characters. This time the story is seen through the eyes of Bean, a frighteningly intelligent and perceptive boy who has had to fend for himself living rough on the streets of Rotterdam since the age of 9 months! (He is no ordinary child). His sharp mind and will to survive against all odds are soon noticed, and like Ender he is rushed through Battle School as the threat of the alien invasion draws closer. The character of Bean contrasts Ender perfectly - his early years on the streets have made him calculating and without emotion. It is fascinating to see his attitude to Ender change as the story progresses and Bean realises and accepts the part that he will play in the war against the alien race. He learns the meaning of love, trust and loyalty, and finds that he has, after all, got a soul. Anybody who has had to struggle in life and felt that they were "different" will relate to this aspect of Bean's character. Much of the story concentrates on Bean's thoughts and unfailing sense of logic and tactics, making Bean's character probably better defined than Ender's, but I somehow cared more about Ender because he was ridden with guilt and regret at the tragic end of Ender's Game. In contrast, Bean's conscience is clear at the end of the "Bugger War" (he doesn't have to live with the consequences) so the reader feels much less pity for him. In this respect, the conclusion of this book has less impact. In brief, Ender's Shadow is another classic which can be read immediately after Ender's Game - reading the saga in this order probably has its benefits, as it is rewarding to have the first novel fresh in your mind. "Shadow" explains many events and actions of the characters from "Game" but you have to bear in mind that "Shadow" is seen from Bean's perspective and opinion. Ender's Shadow has pages that are almost cloned from Ender's Game but are new and fresh because of Bean's outlook, and these are expertly handled. This book didn't quite have the impact on me that Ender's Game did, but I still cannot recommend it highly enough. Now on to Speaker for the Dead!
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