Ender's Shadow

Rating:
Summary: Buy two, make a friend. (g)
Review: Never have I made a buying decision quite so quickly as the moment I snatched my copy of "Ender's Shadow" from the shelf, less than a second after I saw it. I think I left skid marks on the way to the register.

I'm now on my fourth reading... and, I think, over my jealous protection of Ender's reputation (anyone who's read it probably had the same reaction over that darned half percentage point... ha!)

"Ender's Shadow" is wonderful, especially apon re-reading - since the first time, you'll try to read everything in terms of how it fits into Ender's story. It does indeed stand on its own - and how!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I can always go back and read "Ender's Game" over and over (which is exactly what I suggest after you read this novel). But here, Card has clearly made a success out of something that has rarely ever been done; told the story through a different character than the original. And it wasn't focused on Ender (if you've read the first book), though he plays a large role. We get to see many things revealed that were never told before, things concerning Ender's success and much of its coming about through Bean (previously unknown to us), and how Bean really compares to Ender. We also learn Bean's story from beginning to end, where he came from, what it took to get into battle school, what his greatest conflicts were, and his ever constantly changing relationship with and opinion of Ender. It is very interesting to see this story told through another character, even if it doesn't completely focus on the story we know. It is certainly well worth owning.

Rating:
Summary: Far superior to the Ender's Game Sequels
Review: Too many things I want to say... This is a very good book, almost as good as Ender's Game. It looks like Card must have struggled with how to make Bean stand as his own character without deprecating Enders legend as the only superchild. Overall, I think the results are quite good in that Bean struggles with a very different set of issues and limitations (I actually found Bean easier to relate to) from Ender while still fitting a similar profile.

Argh - I could write for a long time, but the short answer is that this is well worth buying. Check Card's website to read the first few chapters if you are in doubt...

Rating:
Summary: Decent follow up.
Review: Ender's Game, while a limited work, really excited me when I read it the first time. It crackled with wonderful energy, and was driven by a clever plot. Now we return to this world from a different point of view, and while it was an entertaining book, I found it just falls a little flat.

Rating:
Summary: Card at his best (and that's saying a lot!)
Review: If you liked Ender's Game (a multi-award winner) you will devour Ender's Shadow! Like Card's best, it is a riviting psychological and philosophic tale, told through the medium of Sci Fi.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing
Review: I'll tell you why it was disturbing. When I read Ender's Game, I knew I'd never find another book of the same calibre, and as I went on to read the rest of the Ender Quartet, I realized Card was a master of his art.

Then he wrote Ender's Shadow, which as others have stated gives Bean credit for several things we all took for granted were Enders brilliance. Reading these things, I got just a little annoyed, but I took a deep breath, settled back, and immersed myself into Bean's life.

Perhaps in forcing myself to finish it, Card again enabled me to grow once more, and as I reread Ender's Shadow, I know it will take its place in my heart, right next to Ender's Game.

Read it, Card again is golden.

Rating:
Summary: It is as good as Ender's Game
Review: Card has outdone himself on this book. I could not put the book down and finished it within the first day. It clears up a lot of things in Ender's Game, but remains its own book. It is a must read book. I have read all of Card's workds and this is one of the best. It is amazing.

Rating:
Summary: The SF Master at his best
Review: Orson Scott Card (OSC) has done it again, retelling Ender's Game (EG) to a tee. With the story of Bean, OSC has dotted the 'i's and crossed the 't's of EG as well as given us some extra insight to the teachers operation. The first part, Bean's life in Rotterdam, is by far the most interesting part of the book. While the Battle School brings back the memories of EG, ES doesn't approach the suspence we saw during the story of Ender. Interesting twists stopped me from closinng the cover however. I recommend this is anyone who likes a well written story, reading Ender's Game suggested but not required.

Rating:
Summary: Bean, like Alvin, is too perfect to believe.
Review: I really enjoy Orson Scott Card's fiction, especially the Ender's Game series. However, he tends to overload his lead characters with superhuman abilities. In Ender's Shadow, this process happens too fast, and we never can appreciate the development of Bean's personality. We don't get to see him learn and grow the way we did with Ender in the first book. And while, as always, the world Card creates is engrossing in the tiny details, we've seen this one before, and it's not enough to carry the story. I would recommend reading "Lost Boys" or "Saints" instead, and saving your money on "Ender's Shadow."

Rating:
Summary: A+
Review: I don't often give out 5-star reviews, but this is an exceptional book. It was a brilliant idea to write this book. Bean's story is fascinating. The reader gets a broader view of the whole story than in 'Ender's Game'. For instance (I'm not going to give away the plot) the flashing light on Bean's control panel.

There's not much more I can say that hasn't been said already. Buy this book. It's one I'm proud to have on my bookshelf.