Should i read enders shadow

Speed of light, inertial frames, and all that. How does the biological clock really work in these contexts? Stewart New Member. Joined Dec 14, Messages Ehhh, I would advise NOT reading Xenocide or Children of the Mind, unlike Ender's Game favorite book ever and Speaker for the Dead that have quite good stories behind them the other two are almost completely preachy talk about theoretical science that always seems to work out.

I didn't like them at all and in the end it degraded the quality of Ender's Game for me. Shadow was quite good but again be wary of the sequel's because they seemed kind of too much when I read them.

Joined Mar 9, Messages It is certainly one of the most popular. JBL New Member. Joined Jan 14, Messages 7. I plan on reading all of the books, but I want to read them in the "correct" order.

Ouroboros Give me liberty! Joined Apr 10, Messages 1, Orson Scott Card has written quite a bit about how thematically different the various novels are. The newish novels dealing with Battle School and events after the defeat of the Buggers are a calculated return to the young adult military SF adventure that made the original book so successful.

More than just a return, I'd call them a re-hash and I think Orson Scott Card was very much chasing the money, as Lani suggests not a totally bad thing, because the new novels have pleased a lot of people in the process.

Originally I was going to say you should read all the books in sequence, because the first four books remain very strong in very different ways. But at the same time, there's no point in being a purist for its own sake, and if what you're after is super-intelligent child generals battling it out and whatnot then skip away. Go back to the middle trilogy a few years down the line and see what you think then. JBL : Read 'em in the order they're published in, and you won't go wrong.

The chronology jumps around a bit, but its still the manner they're intended to be read in. Last edited: May 8, They should also be read in order, and probably after the Ender Trilogy. Raven Um, the order is listed inside the books Tide I think Thomas and Zchantie are right, when presenting especially the Quintet beginning with Ender's Game the good order.

Hoping I was helpful That author is a real pleasure to read, but I must admit that I need to read the last additions. Orson Scott Card is a real model for any wannabe writer, with his efficient writing.

Thomas Thomas is right in the order of the series because that is the Ender quintet. The other books you see are additions that were made but the original series is in the order that Thomas put. So basically read the quintet and then read the additions. Jason First Formic War: 1. Earth Unaware 2. Earth Afire 3. Earth Awakens Second Formic War: 1. The Swarm 2. The Hive 3.

The Queens Ender Saga: 1. Ender in Exile 3. Children of the Mind Shadow Saga: 1. Shadow of the Hegemon 3. Shadows in Flight 6. Children of the Fleet Stand-alone novels: 1.

First Meetings in Ender's Universe Short story anthology 3. Ender's Way Short story anthology. Sofia I'm also trying to figure this out I'm going to try reading it like this, but there are a lot of different ways to read it! Reg Domaratzki I will offer two answers to this question. I'm hoping to find time to continue on with Ender's Saga. Not sure if this was my third or fourth read of Ender's Shadow. Couldn't believe I had never reviewed it or some of the other Ender books I reread this year.

So I really enjoyed this book, which is a parallel novel of Ender's Game. And if you're wondering, I would be on Team Bean. I prefer the Ender sequels, but Bean's story of Battleschool and the war with the Formics is more compelling than Ender's version in my opinion. Even though the protagonists are very young especially Bean , this novel connects lots of issues with good storytelling. View all 8 comments. Aug 11, Stephen rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , sfsite-reader-s-poll-top , multiple-award-nominee , award-nominee-locus , , science-fiction , children-behaving-badly , political-fiction.

Okay, now don't turn away thinking that this book is just a "re-telling" of the story of Ender's Game from the perspective of the character of Bean. Not at all. This is a completely different novel and there is little to no overlap in the actual events of Ender's Game.

It simply takes place at the same time as those events. The purpose of this story is two fold. First, we get to really know Bean who turns 4. First, we get to really know Bean who turns out to be a character as gifted as Ender and whose life story is absolutely fascinating.

Growing up poor and homeless on the streets in Amsterdam, Bean difficult early childhood is used as the backdrop to explore the Earth of Ender's Game and provide much greater detail of the socio-political-economic environment. I love that kind of stuff so I was in heaven. From there, we get to see Bean's recruitment into Battle School and watch the very different road he takes through the Formic or bugger War described in Ender's Game.

At the end, it feels like we have finally been told the complete story. This is a wonderful novel and the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in the Ender saga. View all 6 comments. Very impressed with how good this was. I count myself in the party that there shouldn't have been anything past Ender's Game like The Matrix and most any sequels Hollywood makes nowadays , but I have to admit this was great. While hesitant to pick this up, I had heard that the Shadow series is better than the original quartet, but I couldn't get away fro Very impressed with how good this was.

While hesitant to pick this up, I had heard that the Shadow series is better than the original quartet, but I couldn't get away from the feeling that it would pretty much be the same book. I'm glad I was wrong. The first quarter or so of the book takes us from Beans upbringing in the slums of Rotterdam as he barely survives on the streets through the child gangs and bullying to his discovery and entry into Battle School. Already, Ender's Shadow is completely different from Ender's Game.

Bean has obviously survived because of his immense intelligence, which not only rivals Ender's, but far surpasses it. The only problem is there is one other person on the streets who happens to have it out for Bean because of what Bean's done to him.

Achilles pronounced Asheel holds grudges like no one else, but also knows how to work the system, especially adults. Card is a master storyteller, even turning what is essentially the same story in Ender's Game into something new and unique.

Characterization is flawless and while Bean is a super-intelligent kid, he is in every way relatable to the reader. Let's be honest, kids can be brutal and Card understands this perfectly. Bean is able to out-think everyone at flight school from the kid commanders to the teachers and officers. He knows what will get him in trouble whether it's bullies or teachers, but he also knows most everything else that is going on in Battle School even those things the teachers don't want him to know.

Those things that make him a risk and have the teachers wondering whether he belongs. Audio Commentary There is a full cast for this one and Scott Brick, playing Bean, does an amazing job.

In fact there's not one bad performance and even the great Stefan Rudnicki plays a minor role Worth it just to listen to him.

At the end of the book, Card gives an afterword that mainly discusses the movie Ender's Game that he says will be a combination of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. This wasn't the original decision, but actually helped to cut down the script being able to play from both point of views. Card also mentions that once someone writes a book everyone starts asking when it's going to be made into a movie, to which he replies, it's already in it's perfect form, it's a book.

Too true! Sadly, this movie will probably never come to pass - I don't know how long these talks have been going on, but it's been a while. This is a great follow up or beginning to the classic, Ender's Game. It puts you right into the setting and mind of the main character and everything becomes real. Coupled with Card's writing, you can't go wrong - this is a great book.

Highly Recommended. View all 11 comments. When I read a description of a book summing it up as a retelling of a story from a different perspective, I groan internally and my interest wanes slightly. Ender's Shadow follows those exact lines.

We switch from Ender's perspective to Bean's, the brilliant dwarf child who serves under his command. What shocked me the most was how much more I preferred Bean's perspective. Ender grew up with a loving family and had a generally conventional outlook for a genius. Bean functions as a direct contradic When I read a description of a book summing it up as a retelling of a story from a different perspective, I groan internally and my interest wanes slightly.

Bean functions as a direct contradiction, having grown up in squalor with no family, a tiny body, and a brain capable of cutting through almost anything. Bean spends most of the novel slicing through the world of the Battle school at angles that give him vastly more information and awareness of the world than Ender possessed, and his angry, calculating view gives the story a much richer perspective.

The only issues arise from the few points where it directly intersects Ender's Game. Bean wasn't written with a great deal of depth in the original story, he qualified as a background character, and anytime his conversations with Ender come up, the interactions feel weirdly unnatural.

It's almost as if this larger, more multi-faceted Bean doesn't fit back in his original container. Despite what Card states in the introduction, you should not read this book first. Many bits of necessary exposition from Ender's Game are not reiterated here, and part of the fun derives from getting Bean's bird's-eye view of what Ender's witnessed from within the trenches. The score I gave this book should almost be the score awarded to the two books collectively, as I read them consecutively.

There's a reason Card wanted to movie adaptation to essentially be a combination of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. The two complement each other amazingly well. Feb 14, Kat Kennedy rated it it was amazing Shelves: sci-fi-alicious , kat-s-book-reviews.

Perhaps because I found Bean, as a character, more relatable in how he analyzes and views people and the world in general. He also felt more real as a character in that he is awkward and clueless and greatly flawed.

The pacing for this book is a little less smooth in comparison to Ender's Game. The plot, on the other hand, is a little better as you have a greater insight into the background workings of Ender's success. Graff and other characters come to life in a greater degree and have more personality and "air time". So too does Petra. Over all, I enjoyed this book.

View all 7 comments. Oct 19, R. Gold rated it it was amazing. While Ender's Game taught me that reading is fun, Ender's shadow is my favorite book and series in the Ender Universe.

Ender may be the hero the universe needed but Bean is the most powerful weapon the universe had. The down and dirty story of an orphan child who had to learn to survive on his own at the age of four and looked on the world in contempt is just the hero I needed to re-introduce myself to Card's work. I read this book back when I worked at Barnes and Noble and would sneak reads be While Ender's Game taught me that reading is fun, Ender's shadow is my favorite book and series in the Ender Universe.

I didn't particularly feel guilty either because most of the time I was never relieved for my breaks anyway. Bean decisiveness, cold-hearted calculating nature, and minuscule stature really created the perfect contrast for a world in danger and a military in dire need of a savior.

He is easily one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, and writing this review now makes me feel the urge to re-read the book. View all 3 comments. Mar 27, Chris rated it it was amazing Shelves: military , science-fiction , war , top-shelf. Not because it was necessarily a better book — though it is longer — but because the two books offer different views of the same events from two distinctly different perspectives.

Ender Wiggin is brilliant and empathetic, a boy torn apart by his own doubts and fears and driven to greatness by a government that sees him simply as a means to an end. It is only his ability to understand and come to love those around him that gets him through his trials, endure his isolation, and which ultimately allows him to put together the team that defeats the Buggers. Ender seems to be more human than human, and not in that ironic Blade Runner sort of way, but in a way which makes us want to see him succeed and do well.

When we meet Bean, Ender is using the same techniques of isolation and constructive abuse that were used on him, making us wonder if Ender will turn out to be just a copy of the adults who were tormenting him. We learn that Bean, like Ender, is brilliant, but he is also strong-willed and ambitious and takes well to the atmosphere of Battle School. He has to give up some of his essential humanity in order to save the world.

More brilliant than Ender, Bean learns to find his humanity. He has to learn to see people as people, rather than a means to an end or a puzzle to solve. We start out in Rotterdam, which has become a center of poverty and violence among rival gangs of street children. Bean, tiny and starving, manages to prove his worth to one of these gangs by suggesting strategies by which they can get more food and more respect.

He gains the attention of Sister Carlotta, a nun who is working for both God and the International Fleet, and she is the first to see his full potential as a student in Battle School. But in the course of trying to understand Bean, she learns that his origin is one of horror, and that his future is even worse. As a character, I liked Bean more than I liked Ender, possibly because on a scale of Complete Misanthrope to Bodhisattva, Bean and I are pretty close to the complete misanthrope end of the spectrum.

As we meet him, Bean views people as means to an end or as problems to be solved. That hyper-analytical way of looking at the world makes Bean a much more aware character than Ender as well.

So while Ender was exploring the computer fantasy game, Bean was crawling through air ducts in the Battle School. While Ender was researching the battles of the past, Bean was learning how to spy on his teachers. In the end, just as Ender is learning to put aside his humanity for the common good, Bean discovers a deep well of compassion that he never knew he had. Ender becomes more isolated, and Bean becomes more connected to others.

Most interestingly, many of the revelations that were revealed to Ender in his book were discovered by Bean in this one, which creates a whole different reading experience. As he noted in his forward, a dozen years passed between the first book and this one, and a person changes in that much time. He learned new things and gained new perspectives, and that naturally had a great influence on how he chose to write this story. Writers will always say that they write for the story, not for the fans, but every writer wants in their heart of hearts to have people love what they write.

Revisiting your most famous work and exploring a popular character brings great risks with it. Fortunately, I think Card succeeded with this book. And if you start with this one, let me know how it goes. I want to be the kind of boy you are, thought Bean. View 1 comment. Aug 30, Seth rated it did not like it Shelves: crap , young-adult , science-fiction , sf-f-h.

This is the simplified version of Ender's Game for the kiddie set that can't handle rich characters with moral ambiguity, moral introspection, and character growth. Card does great work teaching people how to re-imagine stories from different viewpoints and with different motivations in his workshops. It's a shame that he didn't demonstrate it here. Instead, we get Bean a great character in the original story as a classic Mary Sue , a wish-fulfillment character with all of Ender's skill but none This is the simplified version of Ender's Game for the kiddie set that can't handle rich characters with moral ambiguity, moral introspection, and character growth.

Instead, we get Bean a great character in the original story as a classic Mary Sue , a wish-fulfillment character with all of Ender's skill but none of his angst or growth around it. Even the adults who spend the first book walking a delicate line trying to save Ender from their own work fall down at Bean's feet and beg him to save them from their own inadequacies.

The one limitation he has, and I'm not kidding, from his genetically engineered childhood where he was found in a toilet tank, is that he is so smart, so physically developed, and so gosh-darn what the 6 year old reader wants to grow up to be that he's going to die young. Except, of course, you know he's not.

Because Mary Sues do die young, but he obviously won't. We have more sequels to milk, after all, and not enough uberkinder to go around. Skip this. Do your local child a favor and don't let them read it. If they want to read pablum, let them read fun pablum, at least. This book should come with insulin. View all 18 comments. Oct 19, Jared rated it it was ok Shelves: science-fiction.

This book tried really hard to ruin Ender's Game for me. The premise of the book is that Ender wasn't really the hero of his own book, but that his course was manipulated and prodded onward by an even greater genius, in the form of Bean, a member of Ender's army. Bean had a brutal upbringing on the streets, and somehow ended up in Battle School, where he takes over the computer system and runs everything by the time he's six. He ensures that Ender ends up saving the world -- without his help, En This book tried really hard to ruin Ender's Game for me.

He ensures that Ender ends up saving the world -- without his help, Ender would have failed. It was interesting to see the events of Ender's Game from a different perspective, but that's about the only positive thing I have to say about this book. Possibly the deepest theme element in the book is how Bean's interactions with Ender forced him to care about someone other than himself.

End of Bean's worries that he might not be human. It seems like Orson Scott Card also tried to pull in some elements of Alan Dean Foster's "Flinx" series, with the whole "genetically manipulated super-human with emotional insecurity" thing. Jan 28, Michael rated it did not like it Shelves: fiction. Ender's Game: There's this really, really smart kid, see, and he's lonely, and he has to do really hard stuff, and adults are mean. I can get with that.

Give me a break. I think Card is great but this is just ridiculous. I read Shadow of the Hegemon but quit after that. View 2 comments. Not one to miss a commercial opportunity, Card has returned the favor, producing a whopping 15 Ender-related books with more in the works apparently. Maybe my reaction is more about how I have changed since my innocent days of youth. At the opening, Bean is supposedly just 4 years old and starving to death.

Despite being almost too weak to put food to mouth, he manages to convince a small street gang led by female boss Poke to keep him alive by giving them critical survival tips to gain entry to food kitchens and stave off older bullies. Against all odds, tiny Bean excels enough to get picked for Battle School, where he intersects with the famous storyline of Ender Wiggins. Bean is a very different character from Ender. He is a child-genius that has grown up on the streets with only one goal — to survive at all costs by using his wits and tactical skills to manipulate stronger people around him, both children and adults, but remaining behind the scenes and avoiding the notice of powerful enemies.

So while Ender is constantly under the spotlight and is forced to prove his leadership again and again, Bean stays in the shadows, carefully gathering data on the other commanders in battle school, the trainers, and the generals who think they are controlling events. He surreptitiously helps Ender when he can, but sometimes makes crucial mistakes that actual expose Ender to potentially fatal danger.

As the games get more relentless as the generals accelerate the pace, knowing that the real battle with the Buggers at their home world is rapidly approaching, it is Bean who seems most aware of the real situation, and Ender who is withering under the pressure.

I was impressed with how exciting the story remained even when I knew in detail what was going to happen. Card managed to give the reader new angles that make us reexamine the same events with greater emotional depth and understanding of the greater context of the story. I think after having written so many books about Ender over the years, Card has a deep knowledge of the characters, storyline, and universe, and also what appeals to fans.

They provide a level of dramatic range to the characters that really enhances an already-compelling story. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a hard book for me to review without getting angry, so bear with me.