Ender's Shadow

Rating:
Summary: A Heartwarming Story
Review: When I first looked at the cover, I thought it was very interesting and eye catching. First of all, the cover was dark, and had big silver 3-D letters that said the title, and the authors name. Then, I read the back which was interesting as well, filled with good comments, and a little bit about the book, not giving the whole thing away, yet leading you on.
The book is about how a little intelligent six-year-old kid on the streets by a nun named Sister Carlotta, and is put in a special school called Battle School where they are trained to fight off the Buggers (aliens). There he meets Ender and Nikolai which become his very best friends, and together Ender and Bean both very smart help do something good for the Earth.
I like the book becasuse it has a heartwarming ending, and i feel like all the problems that were mentioned in there were solved. I also liked the book because of the characters. Nikolai is my favorite, because he seems like a nice guy, and he is very kind to "Bean" who is little, but very smart, and sometimes people make fun of him. Yet no matter what, if Nikolai is there, it seems as if he will protect "Bean." That's why I liked this book so much, and I give it 4 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Ender's Shadow Review
Review: The old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover. " should be followed, but not all the time. I picked this book because of the cover mostly anyway. It looked very interesting, with a dark cover and silver 3-D lettering, which is to me, very eye catching. I noticed it at once when my older brother was reading it. I asked him about it, saying the title slowly. He said it was good, and that I could borrow it once he was done.
The main character of this book is named Bean. Bean is some sort of super child who is six, and has perfect memory and is really smart. After he is introduced, the story leads to Bean being taken off the streets of Rotterdam by Sister Carlotta, a nun. She tests him and then sends him to a place called Battle School. Bean is fed there, and becomes a leader to fight the buggers, which are alien invaders. Also, he meets two friends, Nikolai and Ender Wiggin.
I liked this book a lot because it's mostly about the future and what happens. I also like it because of the characters. Bean and Ender are my favorite... What also interests me is how they talk about bullies, street life, and soup kitchens, which is something I never knew about. I've finished the book now, but I'm looking forward to reading other books by Orson Scott Card.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful return to the time of _Ender's Game_
Review: _Ender's Shadow_ takes us back to the off-world school so many of us loved reading about in the first novel of the Ender series, and focuses on a fascinating character there, Bean. Card largely glossed over Bean in that first book, but upon reflection, realized what an interesting character he could be.

We learn of Bean's difficult childhood, natural leadership skills, and overwhelming genius throughout the book, as Card guides us through suspenseful and brilliant-wrought sequences. Some of the passages may be unlikely, or at times bordering on the overdone, but overall, this is a very satisfying book, that teaches us a lot of what went on "behind-the-scenes" in _Ender's Game_. Those who loved _Game_ will likely also love this book, even if they haven't read the entire series. Similarly, it stands on its own as an entertaining novel, though having the backstory from _Game_ surely helps with some of the unspokens.

Highly-recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Ender
Review: There's nothing I could say that wouldn't be repeating Karina.

To the point: If you're thinking of reading this but hesitate because you've already read "Ender's Game," that's a huge mistake. This one is even better.

Rating:
Summary: Who knows what Shadow lurks in the hearts of men?
Review: Though I didn't enjoy Ender's Shadow as much as Ender's Game, it was still a satisfying read (I'm sure Ender is closer to my fantasy self than Bean). Though it had been sufficiently long since I read the first novel that I wasn't able to make detailed comparisons, I like the idea of retelling a great story through the eyes of a different character. I felt that Card tried at first to recast Bean as the hero and then backpedalled later, introducing flaws into his character and overemphasizing the point that Ender remained the tragic, but still primary, hero. Had he planned to do both books before starting the first novel, the effect would surely have been more powerful, but it none the less resulted in engaging, enjoyable fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelivable
Review: It really shouldn't have been called Ender's Shadow. It's unfair. And even from this start we start to realize how unfair life is with little Bean, the main character.

This story is about the poorest person of the world. A child who doesn't even have a name. Never anybody called him anything, who is in the verge of starvation and never received as much as a hug. Someone whose first and every single day in this world was about surviving. We are bound to feel extreme sorrow for a baby who is spared of being killed by hiding in a toilet, who as a toddler has to survive hiding and eating scraps in the street. So smart as to teach himself to read before being 4.

And despite all that, it shocks you all through that he doesn't ever feel self pity. Bean is just what we call "pro-active". He sees the situation, learns everything there is to learn from it and immediately reach conclusions and analyze every possible path of action and acts upon it with the minimal use of resources. Bean is really someone who can observe everything and know people, he is a strategist.

He is just pure magic. His acts are always of great consequence even in his city and then in the political destiny of Earth.

In him there is the seed of greatness. He was born to be something higher, despite at the beginning we are led to think he has no moral, and he really is a stranger to mankind in many ways, he is just a human being. A person who really doesn't know himself, but at the most basic level does love himself and that's what makes him go on.
And for God's sake. He is just a child!

I am sorry I went on about Bean, in fact the book is SO enthralling that you forget it is just a story! There lies it wonderful power and makes it unforgettable. The characterization is superb. The writing more than intelligent, probably one of the smartest and quickest books I've ever read. A challenge for the reader. The writing is understandable and very enjoyable, the knowledge behind the plot is admirable. And all this makes it a stand alone to die for.

Now, of course, it's not a stand alone. It belongs and is inextricably knotted to Ender's Game. There is another wonderful layer to explore. I must say I loved so much Ender's Game but for me, it is now just a background for Ender's Shadow. Here is where we learn that we and Ender were really fooled all the time and failed to see what was really going on around, why and how. Bean just figures it out by himself in such a logic and smooth fashion that would make Sherlock blush. He is really a good competitor in the game of life. It's funny but more than sci-fi, this is a psychological study. We reach so deep into every other character in the story as we couldn't have imagined in Ender's Game. There is no comparison possible, but it's of course an flawless and genial accomplishment of Scott Card to reach such different results with the same argument. This unforgettable and almost unbelievable.
I have learnt a lot from it. I think it is a classic and could be easily a must-read in schools. It will teach compassion, leadership, and strength.

I give him six stars out of five. And that's not all, I also give Bean a place in my heart forever.

Rating:
Summary: Not a classic, but pretty darn good
Review: Card returns to the world of his classic Ender's Game from the viewpoint of another character, the small, young Bean. This would seem to be a transparent chance to milk the franchise some more, but the book manages to be impressive. It adds much background to Bean, not just telling the same story from a different viewpoint but going to different times and places to tell a different story. Even when it's the same story, it's interesting to see it from Bean's viewpoint, particularly since he's even more insightful about the situation than Ender and figures out that the battles are for real long before Ender does. It's not quite as strong a book as its predecessor (which is no insult), but remains worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read, despite minor problems
Review: This tale is as compelling as Ender's Game. It has characters that we quickly care about and which are very interesting. The plot moves quickly and deftly. And can anyone write with the lyrical speed of Orson Scott Card? The pages fly by, his writing is so naturally skilled.

There are a few problems with the book that are only worth mentioning briefly, for you should read this book. First, the character of Bean chooses to sneak around so much that it got a little illogical. He is a rebel for no apparent reason but for his experience growing up on the streets of Rotterdam. It got to be so that wasn't enough. Second, this book is a bit more trite than Ender's Game. There are a bit too many contrived scenes where kids say just the right, wise things.

But please read the book. These weaknesses are easy to overlook, but they will prevent the book from winning any awards.

Rating:
Summary: Ender's Twin
Review: Orson Scott Card wrote Ender's Shadow to be a partner or parallel novel to Ender's Game. The story of Ender's Game is told again through the eyes of an orphan from the streets of Rotterdam. This child is given the name Bean by Poke, the crew boss of an orphan gang. Bean is found be Sister Carlotta, a nun who works for the International Fleet. The I.F. is searching for gifted children to train into commanders for the human fleet. These children would then be used to fight the Buggers in the oncoming war. Bean scores close to perfect on the entry exams and is sent to Battle School, a space station training facility. Bean is smarter than any other kid in Battle School. He soon finds himself in Dragon Army with Ender Wiggin as a commander. Ender is a brilliant commander and leads Dragon Army to victory in the Battle Room. Ender and Bean are promoted out of battle school and sent to FleetCom, an asteroid. There they are put through a series of battles on a simulator. Orson Scott Card writes a great sci-fi novel with a flowing plot. He ties humanity's struggle against the Buggers with an orphan's struggle for survival and acceptance. Card has not lost his touch for writing a great novel. Even readers who don't usually read science fiction will enjoy the action and gripping plot in this book. I would recommend this novel to everybody who likes sci-fi and even some who don't.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I picked this book up the day before yesterday, and I finished it this morning. Terrific book. It made me remember how much I love sci-fi and I am definitely going to pick up OSC's other books.

However, as someone said before, if you have just read Ender's Game and it is still fresh in your mind, a majority of this book would be redundant. I was lucky enough to have had a good amoutn of time pass before I read this, so the story was fairly foggy in my mind, and I was able to enjoy it more. Nonetheless, you shoudl definetely get this book.