Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), Scott Brick (Reader), Gabrielle de Cuir (Reader) "You think you've found somebody, so suddenly my programs gets the ax?..." (more)
Key Phrases: other toon leaders, flash suit, pig list, Sister Carlotta, Battle School, Ender Wiggin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ender's Shadow is being dubbed as a parallel novel to Orson Scott Card's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender's Game. By "parallel," Card means that Shadow begins and ends at roughly the same time as Game, and it chronicles many of the same events. In fact, the two books tell an almost identical story of brilliant children being trained in the orbiting Battle School to lead humanity's fleets in the final war against alien invaders known as the Buggers. The most brilliant of these young recruits is Ender Wiggin, an unparalleled commander and tactician who can surely defeat the Buggers if only he can overcome his own inner turmoil.

Second among the children is Bean, who becomes Ender's lieutenant despite the fact that he is the smallest and youngest of the Battle School students. Bean is the central character of Shadow, and we pick up his story when he is just a 2-year-old starving on the streets of a future Rotterdam that has become a hell on earth. Bean is unnaturally intelligent for his age, which is the only thing that allows him to escape--though not unscathed--the streets and eventually end up in Battle School. Despite his brilliance, however, Bean is doomed to live his life as an also-ran to the more famous and in many ways more brilliant Ender. Nonetheless, Bean learns things that Ender cannot or will not understand, and it falls to this once pathetic street urchin to carry the weight of a terrible burden that Ender must not be allowed to know.

Although it may seem like Shadow is merely an attempt by Card to cash in on the success of his justly famous Ender's Game, that suspicion will dissipate once you turn the first few pages of this engrossing novel. It's clear that Bean has a story worth telling, and that Card (who started the project with a cowriter but later decided he wanted it all to himself) is driven to tell it. And though much of Ender's Game hinges on a surprise ending that Card fans are likely well acquainted with, Shadow manages to capitalize on that same surprise and even turn the table on readers. In the end, it seems a shame that Shadow, like Bean himself, will forever be eclipsed by the myth of Ender, because this is a novel that can easily stand on its own. Luckily for readers, Card has left plenty of room for a sequel, so we may well be seeing more of Bean in the near future. --Craig E. Engler --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

You can't step into the same river twice, but Card has gracefully dipped twice into the same inkwellAonce for Ender's Game and again for this stand-alone "parallel novel." The course readers will follow this time is of the superhuman child Bean. Raised on streets ruled by starving children's gangs, he was too weak, at age four, to hold peanuts in his hand, but ingenious enough to trick the other children into civilizing themselvesAand to keep himself alive. When his genius and uncanny understanding of individuals' motivations are discovered, he is sent to Battle School, where children learn to command fleets for the war with the alien BuggersAthe smallest kid ever to do so. Bean is not as perfect as Ender WigginAhero of the Ender Quartet, begun with Ender's Game and concluded with Children of the MindAbut he becomes Ender's ally. Though Bean is cold at first, the kind of child who weighs the costs of hugging the nun who saved him from the streets, he wants to understand the respect and love that Ender wields. Thus, Bean's story is twofold: he learns to be a soldier, and to be human. Devotees of the Ender saga will delight in the revelations about the formation of Ender's Dragon army and about the last of Ender's games. Though newcomers to the series may miss many of the novel's points, the wonders of Battle School and flashsuits and children's armies should keep them turning pages. As always, everyone will be struck by the power of Card's children, always more and less than human, perfect yet struggling, tragic yet hopeful, wondrous and strange. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (December 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812575717
• ISBN-13: 978-0812575712
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (649 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #185,829 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Ender's Shadow Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Legend Continues, November 17, 2000

By A Customer

Every few years, a book comes along that burns into the very core of the reader, leaving memory of the book for many, many years to come. When ENDER'S GAME first appeared in the mid-80's, the groundbreaking novel did more to turn legions of "mainstream" readers into sci-fi fans. The gripping human drama in that Hugo & Nebula winning book left many of us stunned and wowed.

While some many have followed Mr. Card's foray into the further adventures of Ender Wiggins through the sequels, I personally couldn't get through SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD and decided to abandon the further life story of Ender. And when I saw that a "parallel" novel of ENDER'S GAME was published, I thought to myself, "Well, Mr. Card is selling himself out. Talk about rehashing."

Then as fate would have it, I picked up ENDER'S SHADOW anyway about a week ago and began reading a few days ago. By page 2, I was hopelessly lost in the world of Rotterdamn, where the 2-year old Bean begins his political maneuvering, leading to murder, lies and powerplay by various memorable characters. Forget SURVIORS. The truth about human nature and its various social manifestations are in ENDER'S SHADOW. The reason why ENDER'S GAME was so successful was that, despite its background as a SF story, it was really about believable characters that you cared about. ENDER'S SHADOW does that, too, and by the end of the book, you're sad that you'll have to say goodbye to your imaginary friends.

From the backstreets of Rotterdam, through the Battle School, then to the final simulation game that signals the end of the war between human and buggers, we see the transformation of Bean, from the secretive, emotionless, distrusting schemer to a full-fledged leader of soldiers.

For those who think SHADOW might be rehashing old story, read the book and see how perfectly it fits into the GAME. While events are the same, Ender is only a pivoting point for Bean, the lead character. They say that the journey isn't the destination; it is the journey itself, the road by which you arrive at the destination. The story here is the road where you walk with Bean, where the now-old surprise ending of the GAME is not the point.

For those who have never read ENDER'S GAME, you might want to read that first, but frankly, even without that first book, you'll thoroughly enjoy this one. But, again, frankly, you'll be mad at yourself in the end because, 9 out of 10, you'll wind up picking up that first book immediately.

Is ENDER'S SHADOW equal to ENDER'S GAME? Probably not. But what can equal the power of the first book? ENDER'S SHADOW is almost as good, and will not disappoint. Don't take my word for it. Go ahead and read it.

106 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maybe Urchin would have been better..., May 11, 2000

By	Matthew Vanhouten (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ender's Shadow (Hardcover)

Card, in the acknowledgements, voices his wish to have named the book Urchin, only to be trumped by the marketability of the name "Ender". So in a desire to sell books, his publishers convinced him to force everyone to look at Bean, and at this novel, through the eyes of their love for Ender and Ender's Game. That was a mistake.

It seems that the Ender aficionadoes out there judge Card a standard by which he himself set. For them, every other book must meet or at least approach meeting the acclaim of Ender's Game, otherwise it is a dismal failure. To anyone fitting this description, please read Card's masterpiece, "The Worthing Saga". I think you may finally be able to tear yourselves free from your Ender obsession and be able to recognize that Card is a very talented and engaging writer even when he is not writing about Ender Wiggin. Then perhaps you can return to "Ender's Shadow" with an open mind.

"Ender's Shadow" is a well-written, substantial book in it's own right. The development of Bean through his precocious street life to the final battle reveals a depth and complexity beyond even his hyper-brilliant mind. This is not a novel about a "superkid" as a reader below says. This novel dives into a child's psyche to discover what lies bare at the center of all of us. There is no question as to Bean's ability. His infallibility of mind leaves no excuse for any fallibility of character. Card is hopeful about human nature and exemplifies with Bean the possibility of benevolence even in a world of vacuous and deceptive morality. Card's little urchin from Rotterdam stands tall enough on his own and casts a shadow so large that a comparison to his commander is not necessary. And so it is with this book and its "parallel".

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful---as good as Ender's Game, April 17, 2001

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

If you loved Ender's Game, I can say you will definitely love Ender's Shadow. Orson Scott Card's concept of a parallel novel is brilliant. These two books fit together incredibly well.

Ender's Shadow focuses on Bean, one of the members of Ender's Dragon Army. If you read Ender's Game, you'll remember Bean, who was the small soldier that Ender saw as a younger version of himself. Bean was more brilliant than any other of Ender's soldiers. His size and his brilliance form the basis for Ender's Shadow--along with a lot more.

The events from Ender's Game are repeated in some places in the novel, but from Bean's viewpoint. This "Rashomon" style of story telling is always exciting--you get the story as told by two different participants and witnesses to the same events.

We also get two important new characters here; Sister Carlotta, a feisty, brilliant nun and Achilles, Bean's nemesis and all-around nasty guy.

The opening chapters that describe Bean's first years are some of the best writing Card has ever done. Bean's early life in Rotterdam just about made me want to cry. I loved the wider perspective on Bean and Ender and the other members of the Battle School. The twists of plot, the surprises and the interactions of the characters are gripping. I couldn't put Ender's Shadow down. Along with Ender's Game, it's on my list of top ten favorite science fiction books of all times.