Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5)
by Orson Scott Card
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Book Summary Information
Author: Orson Scott CardBrand: Books
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-05-19
ISBN: 0765342405
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Starscape
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780765342409
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5)
Book Review: The Great Debate
Summary: 5 Stars
The great debate goes as follows: Did Orson Scott Card ruin Ender by publishing "Ender's Shadow"?
No, he did not. Many people point out (and quite accurately) how Card has given a new dimension to the Ender Saga. But the real issue with many fans is that he seems to have ruined Ender's legendary status by showing that, unfortunately, he really wasn't the best after all. But I disagree. In fact, I would say it does the opposite.
The book is told from Bean's perspective, so naturally, you are reading Bean's thoughts. Quite a few times, Bean commentates on the fact that he is "better" than Ender and "smarter". But here's the catch:
1. Yes, Bean IS smarter, but he isn't "naturally" smarter (I won't elaborate more in fear of spoiling some of the book), so that takes away from his impressiveness. It's the same as Barry Bonds breaking the home-run record by using steroids- you're impressed, but ultimately, you realize it wasn't natural. Aren't you more impressed with Hank Aaron (the previous record holder from decades ago), who was naturally the way he was?
2. And NO, Bean was never "better" than Ender. That is the beauty of novels; you can interpret them as you will. Though J.K. Rowling stated that she imagined Dumbledore as gay, I never did, and I never will. Unless it is explicitly stated, you can interpret it how you want. But of course, in relevance to "Ender's Shadow", that very thing DID happen (it was explicitly stated). The problem is is that Bean never proved himself to be the best, and the only times in the book when he is recognized as "the best" is by himself. He is ultimately aspiring to be Ender, but he can't be. He is not as good.
3. There are moments when, as reading, you will think, "What??? Ender didn't do that? It was Bean?" or "Bean is better than Ender??" But remember that even with all this, Bean recognizes that Ender is the best when be becomes mature enough. Whether Bean "chose" this or "did" that is besides the point. Ender was simply the best. Besides his genius, he had an unbelievable ability to lead (which is something Bean never could do). So you have to ask yourself: Even with all these revelations, was Bean REALLY better than Ender?
Bean= Smarter by a small margin(though something is not normal here), cold-hearted, inability to lead, etc.
Ender= Genius (but not as "smart"), loving, the best leader of all-time, etc.
To me, it's like comparing apples to oranges; Ender is better. If you judge strictly by intelligence- no matter how the individual gains that intelligence- then Bean is the better man. If you judge by everything, Ender is still your man.
Summary of Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5)
Welcome to Battleschool.
Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to pound your skull into pulp for a scrap of apple. If Bean has learned anything on the streets, it's how to survive. And not with fists. He is way too small for that. But with brains.
Bean is a genius with a magician's ability to zero in on his enemy and exploit his weakness.
What better quality for a future general to lead the Earth in a final climactic battle against a hostile alien race, known as Buggers. At Battleschool Bean meets and befriends another future commander - Ender Wiggins - perhaps his only true rival.
Only one problem: for Bean and Ender, the future is now.
Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to pound your skull into pulp for a scrap of apple. If Bean has learned anything on the streets, it's how to survive. And not with fists. He is way too small for that. But with brains.
Bean is a genius with a magician's ability to zero in on his enemy and exploit his weakness.
What better quality for a future general to lead the Earth in a final climactic battle against a hostile alien race, known as Buggers. At Battleschool Bean meets and befriends another future commander - Ender Wiggins - perhaps his only true rival.
Only one problem: for Bean and Ender, the future is now.
Ender's Shadow is being dubbed as a parallel novel to Orson Scott Card's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender's Game. By "parallel," Card means that Shadow begins and ends at roughly the same time as Game, and it chronicles many of the same events. In fact, the two books tell an almost identical story of brilliant children being trained in the orbiting Battle School to lead humanity's fleets in the final war against alien invaders known as the Buggers. The most brilliant of these young recruits is Ender Wiggin, an unparalleled commander and tactician who can surely defeat the Buggers if only he can overcome his own inner turmoil.
Second among the children is Bean, who becomes Ender's lieutenant despite the fact that he is the smallest and youngest of the Battle School students. Bean is the central character of Shadow, and we pick up his story when he is just a 2-year-old starving on the streets of a future Rotterdam that has become a hell on earth. Bean is unnaturally intelligent for his age, which is the only thing that allows him to escape--though not unscathed--the streets and eventually end up in Battle School. Despite his brilliance, however, Bean is doomed to live his life as an also-ran to the more famous and in many ways more brilliant Ender. Nonetheless, Bean learns things that Ender cannot or will not understand, and it falls to this once pathetic street urchin to carry the weight of a terrible burden that Ender must not be allowed to know.
Although it may seem like Shadow is merely an attempt by Card to cash in on the success of his justly famous Ender's Game, that suspicion will dissipate once you turn the first few pages of this engrossing novel. It's clear that Bean has a story worth telling, and that Card (who started the project with a cowriter but later decided he wanted it all to himself) is driven to tell it. And though much of Ender's Game hinges on a surprise ending that Card fans are likely well acquainted with, Shadow manages to capitalize on that same surprise and even turn the table on readers. In the end, it seems a shame that Shadow, like Bean himself, will forever be eclipsed by the myth of Ender, because this is a novel that can easily stand on its own. Luckily for readers, Card has left plenty of room for a sequel, so we may well be seeing more of Bean in the near future. --Craig E. Engler
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