Rating: 
Summary: Classic Revisionist History
Review: Reading Ender's Shadow, I imagined Orsen Scott Card as a slippery criminal defendant, abiding by the strict letter of the law, while at the same time, almost completely violating its spirit. In this case, the "strict letter of the law" is the text of Ender's Game, and Card is careful not to directly contridict anything that happenned in that earlier work. Within this unalterable framework, however, Card has managed to dramatically change the meaning and significance of much of what went before by radically re-imagining the role of one of the former supporting players--Bean.Forget everything you thought you knew. Apparently, Bean was one of the central figures in the war against the Buggers (possibly THE central figure). But don't feel bad if you didn't realize this after reading Ender's Game; there was no way to realize it, of course, because when Card wrote that earlier work it simply wasn't true. This is classic revisionist history. Contrary to what Card says, Ender's Shadow does not "complement and fulfill" Ender's Game, it alters it in a number of fundamental ways. I should say that I am not against the idea of what Card tried to do with this novel. Indeed, I was excited about the prospect of revisiting the characters and events of Ender's Game from a new perspective, and I was excited about the prosapect of learning more about Bean. But Card apparently felt that this wouldn't be enough. If he was going to write about Bean, then Bean should be more important. What he came up with, which as I said is not directly inconsistent with Ender's Game (except in one or two minor places), is flatly inconsistent with the spirit of that great work. I think on some level, Card realized that what he was doing was diminishing the role of Ender himself, so he goes out of his way to reassure us in passage after passage that Ender is still the "real" hero, that Ender is still a genius and brilliant military commander, but frankly, I wasn't buying it. To use a movie parallel, Aliens was a true sequal. It picked up where Alien left off, then added to and enriched the story. Alien 3 was a disgrace. It wasn't "inconsistent" with the previous films, but threw away everything that was meaningful. Now Ender's Shadow isn't as bad as Alien 3, mind you, but you get the idea. To sum up, if you loved Ender the way he was, and have cherished Ender's Game as I have for so many years, take my advise: read this book, by all means, but then put it on the shelf and forget about it.
Rating: 
Summary: It was pretty good, but. . . . . . .
Review: I absolutely loved Ender's Game, and while Speaker and Xenocide were some of the best books i've ever read, they just weren't the same as Ender. Andrew just doesn't have the same appeal. Ender's Shadow was good, giving new insights of the original book, but Bean sometimes makes Ender look incredibly dumb. Even though they are both brilliant. Some parts make you take another look at the Battle School, and you're amazed at what's there. i'm not going to say it stank, like some people have,and i enjoyed reading it, but the quality of the plot just isn't the same as Ender's Game, even though the plots are almost the same. Strange what different characters can do a book, isn't it?
Rating:
Summary: As compelling as the first...
Review: ... but of course not quite as good- but if like me you read Ender's game years ago, it will be a joy to rediscover that story with a fresh new perspective. Any fears I had that Card were cashing in were dispelled- or rather if I were to think like the calculating Bean- it does not matter whether it is a moneyspinner or not, the end result is masterful. Just do not read this book before the original! It would be like watching The Phantom menace before Empire strikes back and discovering the truth about Vader- the power of Ender's game would be lost. Ender's game stands out in a way that we cannot expect any sequel to do- but Card's "Urchin" is the sequel that we all wanted.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Great Book from Card
Review: Card is the BEST author ive ever read. The people who are able to read a book more then once will LOVE this book. Those people who can only read a book once probably wont but i recommend this book to almost anyone and they have all thanked me. I cant wait to see the next book he comes out with
Rating:
Summary: First book in the saga?
Review: Damn this book! HOw dare Orson Scott Card write a book that would deprive me of sleep and precious TV viewing time. I read Ender's Game and fell in love with it immediately. My mother told me to read Ender's Shadow before reading the rest of the books in the saga. Therefore, i read one right before the other. Orson, I forgive you for your mistakes. They're not important enough to detract from the overall brilliance of the book. In Ender's Game I cried from terror and in Ender's Shadow from happiness. I have never before experienced such profound emotional responses to any situation represented in a book. Only the most gifted authors can accomplish such a difficult task. Personally, I think that all of the books in this saga should be reprinted. Ender's Shadow and Ender's Game should be fused into one book. Enders Shadow as part 1 and Ender's Game as part 2. Ender's Shadow should go first, or at least read first, because it gives an objective viewpoint of what is going on. In this book we can also learn why certain things happen and who causes them. THis way there is more incentive to read Ender's Game. We know from a third person how Ender is viewed by his peers. THis way in order to learn more about Ender we have to read the other books. Since Bean is not focused upon in the first book we do not feel the need to pursue him. HOwever, this is not the case with Ender in Ender's Shadow. This way, we also know how certain actions reflect upon the supposed star of the saga, Ender. THis method of organizing the saga should also be used to maintain a continuity of events. On a personal note, if you read this Orson, tell us more about Bean. What happens to him? DOes he face the wrath of Peter because he betrayed Ender. We would love to hear more about Bean. HE still has a few years to live. HOw big does he get? FOr all of you who are wondering whether or not to read this book: YES.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: "Bean is no Ender." "Bean can't beat Ender." "_Ender's Shadow_ is a rehash of _Ender's Game_." It was _Xenocide_ that began to drive *me* mad (I am in the process of sending it off to a used bookstore). I loved _Game_ and _Speaker_. And _Shadow_, IMHO, is the best among them all. Why? Well, for one, it's good to have a look at a character that had been practically ignored by Ender in the original novel. I hate to break the news to you, friends, but all of the kids at battle school had brains, personalities, etc, and not all of them were stupid. Even when compared to Ender. (For God's sake, they're geniuses!) It may be a hard to have Ender "humanized" (if you will) by having Card use a point of view as intelligent and productive a character. In the beginning, Bean is no leader, and throughout the novel he is just as vulnerable as Ender is at some points. Both boys have to learn to be what they were not at first, have to look at their lives in different ways. There are always those "outshone" by others, and I love it that Card has taken the time to study relationships between them. Let's face it, people, Ender wasn't the only one who got the gist of things. And Bean probably wasn't the only kid to have been in another's shadow at Battle School. I look forward to _The Hegemon_ and the Petra novel. :) I think Card has boosted up the Ender Saga at last.
Rating:
Summary: It didn't need to be a book.
Review: When I finshed the book I wondered when exactly Mr.Card jumped onto the Financial Bandwagon. I've read a lot of Mr. Card's books, and none of them stank of money like this one. I think we loyal fans were suckered, and that disappoints me. While I considered Ender's Shadow a decent read, it couldn't compare to Ender's Game. Not only that, but Ender's Shadow was unnecassary. I say this because a short story could have sufficed to tell the story that Mr. Card told in this book. I suppose for someone who hasn't read Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow would be an okay read. But as an avid fan, Shadow was a dissapointment. I expected a crisp, new story since it was from a new perspective. Instead it was the same story, just chewed up and regurgitated by Bean. I guess I expected better from Mr. Card. This is the first time he's ever dissapointed me with any piece of his writing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book.
Review: Card did a great job of weaving this story into Ender's Game. I was skeptical at first; expecting a mediocre book at best. I was pleasantly surprised. He did a great job of telling a different story without contradicting Ender's Game. Not as good as Ender's Game; but certainly worthy of purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Worth a Whole Pot of Beans
Review: I checked this book out at the library - thanking the gods I found it there - and now I must buy it. I loved it. My favorite sci-fi books are all by Card; in fact, one of the first sci-fi books I read was "Ender's Game," a book I've recommended to every reader of sci-fi or fantasy I've since met. How wonderful to revisit Ender's early world, to have a new perspective. And having read the original work (and therefore knowing the "surprise ending") didn't detract at all from my enjoyment. In fact, I was able to focus more on the characters because I knew the seriousness of the "game" going in. I hope Card will revisit these characters again, and take us all along with him.
Rating:
Summary: A must read if you've enjoyed Ender's Game
Review: When I first saw that this book was released, I was thinking that Card was trying to revive a dead series (A great series which was so brutally killed by the disappointing "Children Of The Mind"). Boy was I wrong. Card has managed to do one of the hardest things - To write a complete novel into the gaps left by Ender's game, without too many conflicts. And he did an amazing job at that. The book is a real page-turner, just like the original, the character is very believable, and the story adds much to the original Ender story, so don't use "I already know what happened" as an excuse. Bean have some insights that you must've missed when reading the original Ender. If you liked Ender, this is a must for you. It's a great book, shadowed only by the greatness of the original.
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