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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Orson Scott Card was trying to fit Bean's story around the events that happened in Ender's Game and - to me - it seemed a little contrived at times. I didn't like Bean until the end of the book because there was nothing likable about him. His character is too cold and calculating.
Good addition to the story
This is a nice refreshing point of view to the Ender story. I'd give it 3.5 but will round up to 4.
This is a nice refreshing point of view to the Ender story. I'd give it 3.5 but will round up to 4.
I like the idea of telling the story from a different character's perspective. I like the idea of finding out where Bean comes from, and watching Battle School through his eyes. I just didn't like Bean as much as I wanted to. He was too off-the-charts for me to really empathize with him.
Of course Ender's Game had its novelty, which made it all the more amazing, but Ender's Shadow was really good, too, told from Bean's point of view. I very much liked this one, and am glad that I switched over to Bean's parallel series of the books rather than continue Speaker of the Dead and the other sequels.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the greatest science fiction book ever written.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had low expectations for this book. It's the story of a supporting character in a story that had already been told in Card's Ender's Game. This book is proof that Orson Scott Card is a phenomenal writer. It's an amazing story, deep, passionate, full of pain and hope. It gives the entire series additional depth and meaning, and the Biblical allusions make it even more of a classic. Card is an author I'd have people who despise genres read, to understand the depth and creativity and complexity that's possible.
adventurous
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[4.5] Rounding down due to author bigotry. A rare "sequel" to match intensity and complexity of the original while still telling a compelling unique story of its own. It absolutely couldn't stand alone as its own novel, but it's also not trying to do that and leans into the reader already being familiar with the first book.
Ender's Shadow is a testament to Orson Scott Card's ability as a novelist. Going into this book you know its the same story and Ender's Game but from a different perspective. Learning the story from Bean's side seemed more to complete the story than repeat it.