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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I think I should have rated this a 1 star instead but couldn't bring myself to rate anything in the Enderverse so low. It was a really crummy ending to an amazing series. I was thoroughly disappointed from beginning to end. There was no climax, not much storyline, and not even much character building. It didn't seem like the same writer even as the other books. Very disappointing.
Maybe I liked this book so much because I'm partial to Bean and his story over the story of Ender, but I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was a quick-read, full of answers to questions I had after Book 4, and was a perfect end to Bean's story. Highly recommend this to anyone who has read the first four books in the series. You won't be dissappointed.
This latest addition to the Shadows series feels uneven. It starts out with the characters agonizing and analyzing everything, especially each other, so much that it feels tedious and heavy. Then the action starts, and things get glossed over. Bean and his children come to an agreement with some aliens, and it seems to happen mostly off-camera, so to speak. The book felt unbalanced, and when Card's characters start navel-gazing it's a real turn-off, and not just in this book.
I actually really loved this one, and I'm glad, as that wraps up my foray into the world of Ender's Game. I think that this had more to do with the order I read the books in than actual raw quality of this book, but I'm just glad to walk away from the series without wanting to throw it down in disgust or roll my eyes. Shadows in Flight is super short - my wife looked over my shoulder and commented on how big the font was, which I hadn't noticed. It only took a few hours to get through it. I think the review on the front of my copy that dubs the book more of a myth is accurate. Bean didn't necessarily feel like Bean anymore, but then again, no one has gone through more in this entire saga than he did. I didn't mind the end of the book, but if you had been waiting for a sequel to Shadows in Flight since the mid 2000s, I would absolutely not blame you for being utterly disappointed.
This book finally takes on a tone that is a bit more grounded. It doesn't have the "happy ever after" Card seems determined to include in every book. Bean's kids are kind of all over the place with their personalities, but Card reiterates the fact that they are 6 year olds with the minds of both children and genius adults that have only ever known life on a spaceship, so this makes sense. I thought the the main plot that turns up about 1/3 into the book was an interesting addition, and I'll be interested to see where it's taken in the final volume later this year. It does kind of undo the feelings that you get from a certain person and race's behavior in Xenocide and Children of the Mind, but again, it's an interesting addition to the story. If you've been holding the Lusitania Trilogy in reverence for the last 30 years, you might be bothered. I finished both of them within the last 2 weeks, so my opinions haven't had that long to set.
If you liked the main saga and Bean's story, then this should be a decent read for you. I'd suggest reading it after the four (five) Ender's books. I'll revisit the prequels at a future date when the last one is out and I have a little breathing room from the 13 books/stories I just read from this series in 6 months; I'll be reading Shadows Alive as soon as it comes out later this year.
This book finally takes on a tone that is a bit more grounded. It doesn't have the "happy ever after" Card seems determined to include in every book. Bean's kids are kind of all over the place with their personalities, but Card reiterates the fact that they are 6 year olds with the minds of both children and genius adults that have only ever known life on a spaceship, so this makes sense. I thought the the main plot that turns up about 1/3 into the book was an interesting addition, and I'll be interested to see where it's taken in the final volume later this year. It does kind of undo the feelings that you get from a certain person and race's behavior in Xenocide and Children of the Mind, but again, it's an interesting addition to the story. If you've been holding the Lusitania Trilogy in reverence for the last 30 years, you might be bothered. I finished both of them within the last 2 weeks, so my opinions haven't had that long to set.
If you liked the main saga and Bean's story, then this should be a decent read for you. I'd suggest reading it after the four (five) Ender's books. I'll revisit the prequels at a future date when the last one is out and I have a little breathing room from the 13 books/stories I just read from this series in 6 months; I'll be reading Shadows Alive as soon as it comes out later this year.
Still dragging on, and I could have finished this a lot quicker than I did. But, that said, it was nice to get a final book on Bean, so far, anyway.
Orson Scott Card continues to be one of my favorite authors. The characters in this particular book seem only incidental to the amazing ideas. While I'd say the character of Bean remained true to the previous books, he and his children were mostly vehicles for the concepts and discussions at which Card excels. There are so many interesting moral, technological, and scientific issues raised in this little book that I'm sure I'll have to read it again.
I really wanted more from this story. I bounce back and forth between a 3 and a 4 because it was good but I felt like it was missing something. I did cry at the end though! If you aren't familiar with Bean and his story you probably won't like thud book at all. If you are a Bean fan this is a must read. I'll happy to know how things have been for him.
fun to read. the end with achille's son was a bit disappointing. but the stuff on the spaceship was pretty awesome. poor bean.
That was absolutely awesome. Not a lot happened, but unlike the rest of the Shadow series--which I always thought was a bit too rough and tumble--we return to having enough action, enough mystery, but with a deep and resilient touch of personality alongside it, much as was provided by the Fantasy Game scenes, and some of the personal conversations in the original "Ender's Game". Plus, the nostalgic throwbacks to said first book were wonderfully done: inserted subtly without getting in the way of the storyline. Not sure how I feel about the Formics now though; my feelings are once again at balance point; but I see the intrinsic value of a set-up for the ending and blending of the two series, original and shadow. My favorite of the Shadow series.