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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
I thought I wasn’t going to like this as much as I did. I think maybe I was prejudiced by the idea of parallel novels because many of the ones I knew of were clearly cash grabs to keep a trendy (mostly YA) series going while it still had steam (Twilight, Divergent etc). Also, Ender’s Game is so brilliant and has such a nostalgic place in my heart that I was worried this would sully it in some way. But surprisingly, they kept these two separate enough to make each stand alone and yet both novels feel richer for the multiple perspectives. Bean was a more interesting character than I expected. I also think I was going into this expecting it to be kind of the long, drier, philosophical musing style of Card’s later work in the Ender Quartet (ie Xenocide). Thankfully, this reminded me more of the Ender’s Game style action and intrigue than the later philosophical works. I have a feeling based on both the way this one ended and the reviews I’be read mentioning later works in this series that the Shadow books will also delve into the weirdness that plagued later Card novels, and probably by the time I make it to The Last Shadow (the novel that “ties up everything in both the Ender and Shadow series”) it’ll be just as odd as others have described. But I went into read this thinking I might just do the first novel of this series to see a bit what it was like, maybe gain some new perspectives on Ender’s Game and that would be it, no more Shadow books. Now I think I’ll stick it through all the way to the end for both of these series. Some weirdness definitely showed up in this one (man, what was with all the references to farting and fart related things? Is that what Card thinks kids talk about all the time?) and knocked it down from 5 stars, but overall I was pleasantly surprised at how well this kept my interest. Pacing was great, the character of Bean and his heritage and the way he “played” the game of Battle School plus figured out the shocking plot twist of the original Ender’s Game novel early, all this was really worth the read.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it's great and doesn't use Ender's story any more than its needed.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A student recommended this to me, and he did not lead me amiss. This a beautiful companion book to Ender's game, complimenting it rather than serving as a sequel to it. The story happens during the same time as Ender's Game, but focuses on Bean, one of the key kids to fight in his army. But rather than just going lockstep with the first one, Card does an excellent job making Bean a hero on his own, quite distinct from Ender. There are pivotal times where his path intersects with Ender, but Ender is not central to this novel - it is truly Bean's growth and progression that we care about. And like Ender's Game, this is a fast, engrossing read. Took me basically one day to read it.
Oh, and even more so than Ender's Game (I think) this science-fiction story includes a fair about of references to God and Christianity, which is to be expected considering the author. But isn't heavy handed about it, it is just part of Bean's world. It is actually refreshing to read a story where the false dialectic between science and religion/spirituality is ignored.
Oh, and even more so than Ender's Game (I think) this science-fiction story includes a fair about of references to God and Christianity, which is to be expected considering the author. But isn't heavy handed about it, it is just part of Bean's world. It is actually refreshing to read a story where the false dialectic between science and religion/spirituality is ignored.
Ender’s Shadow is everything I wanted Speaker for the Dead to be. I normally don’t find any point in a retelling of a book from the view point of a different character, but this one works. This is partly because so much of the story happens parallel to Ender’s Game, but does not necessarily cover the same events or characters. The book is from Bean’s perspective and it just works. I’ll remain optimistic on what Card can do with the rest of the series, but I have a feeling battle school is the best he can do.
También un libro revisitado ya por 3a ocasión. Se sostiene por sí mismo, no requieres haber leído Ender's Game para comprender la historia o disfrutarla.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Might be my favorite book I’ve read by Orson Scott Card. If you have read Enders Game and enjoyed, read this book, so interesting to see everything from Beans point of view, and Card did a wonderful job creating an amazing backstory for Bean. Loved this book excited to read the rest of the series!
Okay, so maybe I'm a sucker for hearing the same story from a different point of view because what interests me most is how different people perceive things differently, but I think even if I had never read Ender's Game, I would give this book high marks. Bean's version of the story is great on it's own. Reading from the point of view of a character that no one in the story trusts really lends weight to the idea that even villains think they are heroes in their own stories. The other thing that this story did, I thought, was show how the greatest, most well known people need support, and that those supporting them have their own full lives, too.