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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
I liked this book more and more as I read it. It was really interesting to see the story of Ender's game from bean's perspective. At the same time, I didn't always buy the explanations for why bean was never given more credit or recognition in the original story. But I loved Bean's emotional growth and see a worthy antagonist in Achilles. Ultimately, it made me love Ender even more than I did before, which was the opposite of what I expected when I started reading. I thought it would make me like Bean more than Ender. But they're just different- Bean is so remarkable and brilliant, but I just love Ender's compassion and the way he can truly inspire his soldiers. It was an enjoyable read. I may tackle the sequels at some point when there are fewer books on my docket.
I’m surprised by how much I liked this book! I didn’t find it exhausting at all even though I read Enders Game for the first time so recently
I almost liked this one more than I liked Ender’s Game. I’m still deciding which one I liked better.
It’s basically the same story but told from Bean’s point of view.
It’s basically the same story but told from Bean’s point of view.
This book has stood the test of time. It's one of those rare combinations of a work that is both compelling from an intellectual standpoint while also maintaining an unceasing grip on one's attention. A brilliant (in my opinion) delve into the human psyche and that ever-so-delicate position of second-in-command. Bean is the Grant to Ender's Lincoln, the Leo to his Bartlett. As someone who sees themselves as destined to be the guiding voice of some great spark, I continue to enjoy this book each time I read it.
Not quite as good as Ender's Game, but as it's the same story told from Bean's point of view I guess you can't get too creative with it.
I liked it but I personally felt it took away from my experience of Ender's Game.
Full Review here: https://fledglingadultblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/29/enders-shadow-by-orson-scott-card-spoilers/
Full Review here: https://fledglingadultblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/29/enders-shadow-by-orson-scott-card-spoilers/
there is an author's preface that says you don't need to have read Ender's Game to read this book, and i emphatically disagree. much of the narrative would not make as much sense if you didn't have the fuller context. maybe the author said that in the hopes that people wouldn't re-read or compare too closely between the two, because there are a lot of inconsistencies in the world-building as well. in Ender's Game it's such a huge deal that he's a third child, because there are overpopulation laws. but in Ender's Shadow Bean is one of hundreds of children living feral on the streets...like yes they are in different cities/countries but does that fully explain it? in Ender's Game, religion has been outlawed especially in battle school. in Ender's Shadow there are mentions of different people openly practicing different religions, even Alai saying his prayers when in Ender's Game, his whisper of "salaam" to Ender is specifically said to be a covert way of clinging to a religious identity he is not allowed to openly share. again, which is supposed to be the state of the fictional world at this time? also, Bean talks about the buggers being a hive mind like halfway through the book, but i thought that was something that Ender only figured out later, and that definitely wasn't common human knowledge until Speaker for the Dead? whatever. the most interesting parts of this story were the ones that didn't align with the narrative we already knew; the streets of Rotterdam, the search for Bean's origins, the speculation about how much genetic manipulation is required to produce something that isn't 'human' anymore. the main reason i even read it was because when i got to the end of Children of the Mind, the author's note said that the question of what happened to the other species on the planet Lusitania was revealed in the Shadow series. so, i guess i will either just wikipedia the answer or at least wikipedia which book(s) i have to read to get the answer, because there are like ten freaking books in this series and they are not good enough to justify reading in their entirety, imo. i did appreciate that the audiobook narrators were the same as the ones that voiced the Ender's Game series, but it doesn't look like my library has rest of the Shadow series in audiobook, not even digitally, otherwise i might consider half-listening to more of the books in the background while i did other things.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am just starting the Shadow Series, having very recently read all of the Ender quartet. While Ender's Shadow follows the same story line as Ender's Game, it truly is a unique and separate book. I enjoyed how different Bean was from Ender; Card definitely did a great job of creating a new, unique and just-as-intriguing personality in Bean. While Ender is a master of human nature, Bean begins as someone completely clueless in this area, almost not human. Bean is simply an extremely intelligent survivor. I found much pleasure in following Bean as he began to better understand human nature and learn from Ender. Bean was able to see his weaknesses, accept them, and try to improve them, which is a difficult thing for most people to do. I don't believe that Bean takes away any of Ender's appeal, despite how much he helps Ender without Ender knowing it. Rather, I believe that Bean's story helps to illustrate how everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and that recognizing that is the only way we can understand ourselves and others, and live harmoniously in a society of incredibly social beings. I think an important message of this book, and perhaps of the entire Ender's series, is that that no matter how much we disagree with society/the general public, shrinking away from it and avoiding it is of no use. Naturally, we are social animals, no matter how much we may want to deny it and say we don't need anyone. But everyone knows, or one day will have a moment when they realize that that having someone care for you that you also care for perhaps brings us our greatest joy in life. Those who deny this either feel lonely and don't want to admit that they need people (I felt like this almost my entire life), have never had someone care for them, have found love and lost it, or perhaps have some other reason. But eventually, if you haven't realized it already, disregarding or rejecting other human beings isn't going to make anything better. We need to embrace our differences; our weaknesses; our insecurities; if we really want to see an improvement in the world. We are too smart too act so stupid and to deny what we are and how we need to act as a species to survive without destroying our home. Bean is brilliant, and I am happy to see how see how his story develops as he continues to grow.