Rating: 
Summary: Great companion to "Ender's Game"
Review: As this book traces the story of Bean (one of Ender's friends in "Ender's Game"), the world of Battle School and the whole Ender universe is expanded greatly. The story is deftly crafted to fit nearly flawlessly beside the original book, and it is enlightening to get inside the heads of the other Battle School characters more thoroughly.I'd say definitely read "Ender's Game" first, if you haven't already, but this book can stand alone. My biggest problem with "Ender's Shadow" was that I nearly have "Ender's Game" memorized, so every tiny flaw or stretch was very blatant to me. I know many people, though, who love "Ender's Shadow" very much, and for whom this was not a problem. And I, even with this small problem, enjoyed the book very much. A welcome edition to the Ender Universe.
Rating: 
Summary: A great page¿turner, but it's still Ender's game.
Review: Don't be fooled by the heading, this one is a great book by its own merit. It is a great page-turner indeed but Bean cannot be or beat Ender Wiggin in his game. Ender's Shadow is a good story very well told, however it has its ups and downs. First and foremost, for any reader who is captivated by the Ender Quartet, it is annoying to see too many things that make Ender Wiggin look like second-rank to a better and nicer genius, that is, to Bean. Ender, for many, is a god-figure, a never-do-wrong (though my favourite character is Peter Wiggin and not his kid brother and I dislike very much how Ender the Speaker had reacted to the resurrected Peter in the Xenocide). In that context, the book has parts that really make one think if OS Card really wanted us to hate Ender or that he does so himself after his name overshadows all the others, including Alvin Maker, surely the one of his fictional characters that he likes most. Secondly, Bean seems, most of the time, a project which went wrong while in development, and that Card's insistence to make him be very, very young -7 years old at the Command School is too young, really, perhaps one more year would make it more plausible- makes the story too much of a legend than a possible tale. Even Ender had to spend years to become where he was. So, with Bean so emphasised (OK, Ender's always better, and Bean admits to it, too, but then again Ender is a full 4 years older than Bean, too!). Besides that, the surrounding characters seem to be more detailed at parts, and the the school environment is given better. However, one must point out that some characters are too shallow to be true. Dap and Dimak are really bad caricaturisations of men in uniform and Achilles and Sister Carlotta also have not much work spent on them, though they are key characters. Especially Sister Carlotta is a mirror-image of the fat lady -whose name eludes me now- in the story of Jamie Teague (West) in the book Folk of the Fringe. On the other hand, compared to the realness of Bean, of Ender, and few others like Lighter, the others seem to be caricatures themselves; just there to fulfil a duty, and that makes the book less appealing than it could have become. I wish Card worked a bit harder on them. That is a deficiency I hope I won't see reading Shadow of the Hegemon. Overall, however, this is one book I'd recommend to anyone -even if they're from Rotterdam! Just don't expect to find another Ender in it, for there can be only one book that can face up to Ender's Game and it's Ender's Game.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent companion to Ender's game
Review: First off, you'll need to read Ender's game first in my opinion, it sets the stage for Ender's shadow. You get more of an effect from the story, told from Bean's point of view, if you've already walked through it with Ender. However, this book has it's own excellence, that concentrates more on the events of the world, rather than the predicted bugger invasion. Another story told from the perspective of a small boy, which is really an interesting way to view the world. However card has a way of destroying stories with sequels, thus I refuse to read Shadow of the Hegemon. (Or any of the sequels of Ender's game.) However these two are very good.
Rating:
Summary: for those that couldn't get enough of Ender's game
Review: While not necessarily in the brilliant category of Ender's Game, Ender's shadow is nonetheless a wonderfully entertaining read. No fan of the original will be let down, you also won't feel the same sense of discovery. It may then come as ironic that I believe one should definitely not read this book without first having read Ender's game.
Rating:
Summary: Card shows remarkable ability
Review: Orson Scott Card deserves to be one of the most well-respected Science fiction novel writers of all time. He has won my heart over with the series with Ender, all four of them. I loved each one of them, even though each one got more confusing. "Ender's Shadow" is quite possibly much better than the many of Card's earlier works. Personally, "Ender's Game" was the ideal novel for me. The continuation of the Ender story just seemed to bore me out, but having the story told from a different perspective (Bean) truly gave me more insight. This is, however, mostly a replay of what happened in "Ender's Game". Those who have already read the novel might enjoy it more than those who have never picked it up. The only drawback is that I sometimes find myself missing Ender's character which I had loved during the original series. Bean just doesn't seem to be as brilliant in the sense. However, this book is a must-buy for anybody who is a returning fan of the series or somebody who has never heard of it. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: This book is a companion book to "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. This book follows the thoughts and actions of the character "Bean." When I first heard about this book I thought "well, Ender's Game was sure good, I think I don't really want to read the same story again from another point of view, but I'll give it a try." I am glad I gave it a try - Card is an excellent writer. The tale is NOT identical. It gives so much background of Bean, and tells many more tales and anecdotes of Bean. I felt as much a part of Bean's thought process as I had of Ender's thought process when I read Ender's Game. Reading about the Battleschool from a different point of view was also wonderful! Battleschool is a fascinating subject to read about.
Rating: 
Summary: Lets not get carried away....
Review: Without a doubt an intelligently assembled piece of work, gripping and well presented from the perspective of the story's central character, Bean. But my own perspective must be unique, since I appear to be the only reviewer so far who had not first read "Ender's game", and therefore I'd like to think I can judge the book without prejudice. Bean is portrayed as a survivor, unfeeling and brilliantly logical in facing the challenges bestowed upon him by life on the street and then in Battle School. Intellectually superior to Ender, except by his own admission as a tactician and leader. The villain Achilles, is dealt with satisfactorily but all too obviously to create a prelude to a sequel! The problem I had was with the book's realism. Genetically altered or not, I had great difficulty in picturing a 5 year old child displaying the maturity and experience highly successful adult, let alone learn or develop the skills to save the human race from an Alien threat. Even those not genetically tampered exhibit emotional maturity and resolve of an adult, and Card's only excuse for this is that they are gifted with unique intelligence. I am a firm believer that this book could not be translated to the screen with any ease, or success. I think imaginations may be somewhat stretched by seeing adult minds in the bodies of 5 year olds, assuming such could be acted seriously!
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying on all levels
Review: I'm what you might call a Library Reader. You know, the kind of guy that grows up going to the library for all his reading needs, and the type of person that never owns more than a few novels at the time. Ender's Shadow changed all that. I'm not a sci-fi fan by any means. I can't stand Star Trek; I haven't seen Star Wars; the Alien and Predator series bore me. I don't even like Dune. In fact, up until a few months ago, Ender's Game was probably the only true sci-fi work in any medium that not only interested me, but also captivated me. As Card says in the introduction to Ender's Shadow, Ender's Game is the story of a child's coming of age. It's something we can all relate to, and when it's mixed with a healthy dose of action, politics, and psychology, it stimulates all the areas of our minds. That's precisely the magic that Ender's Shadow recreates. This, the story of Bean, portrays his tragic beginnings as a starved child in the streets of Rotterdam, showing us his ability to overcome adversity with the power of his gloriously intelligent mind. Bean is far more intelligent than Ender ever was. He's truly gifted among the gifted, and Card's explanation of this and his parentage in a progressive subplot makes the tale even more gripping. Just where did Bean's brilliance come from? Who are his parents? What is Bean's role in the war against the Buggers (an antlike race apparently out to subjugate humanity)? Card seizes on that immediate difference between Bean's urchin background and Ender's picket-fence family, using that to steer Bean's story out from under Ender's Shadow (nice pun there, but it underscores how inappropriate this title is). But of course, Bean's history is a subplot. The main plot deals with how he survives and grows in Battle School. Like Ender's, his personal struggles are not academic, but rather personal and emotional. His is the story of a child that is forced to grow up far too quickly, with a mind far too calculating and oftentimes-cold to fit well in an emotional being's body. The way Bean changes from a cunning and conniving child into a warmer and friendlier individual in an environment that stifles personal growth just to create war commanders is artfully paced, and well done. I do dislike the resolution of the story, which seems a bit hollow (but then, there IS a followup to this novel). Since other people have spoiled this, I might as well mention that the revelation that Bean's brother was Nikolai Delphiki, who was also in his Launch Group, was too contrived and coincidental to be enjoyed. I'm not entirely sure that was necessary, since it didn't add a lot to the novel, other than to give it a cliché happy-family-reunites ending. But that criticism is a very small one. I loved Ender's Shadow so much that I actually re-read it immediately after finishing it for the first time. This is the only novel I have ever done that with. And to put it on another list of "firsts," Ender's Shadow is the first hardcover I ever purchased, instead of counting on the library to have the paperback. Not to sound overly dramatic, but this is something I want for my children.
Rating:
Summary: Certainly Card's finest book
Review: This is my favorite Orson Scott Card novel. Do yourself a very big favor, though-- read Ender's Game first. In the intro, Card says 'Shadow' stand on its own. It does, but 'Game' definitely supplements 'Shadow' and you will be let down by both books if you read them in the wrong order. I loved Ender's Game, but this book (which parallels 'Game' and follows one of it's characters, Bean) is better written and has a much more intriguing protagonist. I am absolutely amazed that some other reviewers of 'Shadow' thought this was somehow less of a book or simply an attempt by Card to 'cash in' on the success of Ender's Game. Ender's Shadow is a story on it's own. It's not as action-packed and you already know the main story line from 'Game' but that's not why you should be reading this book. It makes me think the other reviewers only read 'Game' for the action and somehow missed the real point completely...
Rating:
Summary: First class Card and a very good story!
Review: I am blessed with forgetfulness in my reading so that even though "Ender's Game" which I read long ago blew all of my fuses and became one of my most recommended and praised books, I retained just enough of the earlier story to have it add some real spice to this one. I must also say that even though I pretty well knew the expected ending to "Ender's Shadow, I thoroughly enjoyed this parallel tale. Bean is a fascinating character in his own right, and it was a pleasure watching him almost grow up in this book. Card's gripping action and fine portrayals of all of his players always leaves me wanting more. If you haven't yet read "Ender's Game" (say what????), do yourself an immense favor and get it now! I would definitely read that one before this later work. If you have read it, I would strongly recommend "Ender's Shadow" as an excellent provoker of memories of that book, but also one that stands up strongly for itself.
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