Orson wrote this book after Enders Game as a way to see events through the eyes of others. He starts the book by saying it doesn't matter if you read it before or after Ender's Game but I think it should absolutely be after. This book is far more "complete", it reveals many angles that I think would spoil Ender's Game for anyone that hasn't read it. If you have read it this adds a rich layer of understanding on top, it makes you feel like a part of that world.

Absolutely amazing, one of the best books I've ever read.

Awesome

They say you could read this book without reading the first one and I guess you could. I just think you would be missing a lot of background.

I really liked this series. It is easy to read but detailed enough to keep you hooked.

The back story to Ender's Game. Another great character, Bean.

The entire Shadow series that follows Bean is as good as the Ender series.

I hesitated once I read some reviews that it was the same story as the original, but from a different perspective. Well I should not have because it was as good even almost better. The story is from a different angle and character and was brilliantly told. The intelligence behind characters combined with the main character of Bean is simply brilliant and entertaining. Glad that I picked up this book and will continue reading the others.

The beginning was a little too brutal for my taste but as the story unfolded, it had the same page turning capacity as Enders Game, and brilliantly told the story again from a parallel viewpoint.

Don't be fooled by the heading, this one is a great book by its own merit. It is a great page-turner indeed but Bean cannot be or beat Ender Wiggin in his game. Ender's Shadow is a good story very well told, however it has its ups and downs. First and foremost, for any reader who is captivated by the Ender Quartet, it is annoying to see too many things that make Ender Wiggin look like second-rank to a better and nicer genius, that is, to Bean. Ender, for many, is a god-figure, a never-do-wrong (though my favourite character is Peter Wiggin and not his kid brother and I dislike very much how Ender the Speaker had reacted to the resurrected Peter in the Xenocide). In that context, the book has parts that really make one think if OS Card really wanted us to hate Ender or that he does so himself after his name overshadows all the others, including Alvin Maker, surely the one of his fictional characters that he likes most. Secondly, Bean seems, most of the time, a project which went wrong while in development, and that Card's insistence to make him be very, very young -7 years old at the Command School is too young, really, perhaps one more year would make it more plausible- makes the story too much of a legend than a possible tale. Even Ender had to spend years to become where he was. So, with Bean so emphasised (OK, Ender's always better, and Bean admits to it, too, but then again Ender is a full 4 years older than Bean, too!). Besides that, the surrounding characters seem to be more detailed at parts, and the the school environment is given better. However, one must point out that some characters are too shallow to be true. Dap and Dimak are really bad caricaturisations of men in uniform and Achilles and Sister Carlotta also have not much work spent on them, though they are key characters. Especially Sister Carlotta is a mirror-image of the fat lady -whose name eludes me now- in the story of Jamie Teague (West) in the book Folk of the Fringe. On the other hand, compared to the realness of Bean, of Ender, and few others like Lighter, the others seem to be caricatures themselves; just there to fulfil a duty, and that makes the book less appealing than it could have become. I wish Card worked a bit harder on them. That is a deficiency I hope I won't see reading Shadow of the Hegemon. Overall, however, this is one book I'd recommend to anyone -even if they're from Rotterdam! Just don't expect to find another Ender in it, for there can be only one book that can face up to Ender's Game and it's Ender's Game.

Got one for my younger brother and one for myself.

First of all, I can't believe how cheap these are. They are hard cover, in stores would have cost us three times as much. Shipped with in a week, very impressed!

We finished the book with in 4 days, amazing read. If you enjoyed Ender's Game, you will love this.

Great buy

This sci-fi novel is basically Ender's Game as told from the point of view of one of his lieutenants, the boy known only as Bean. It tells of his early hard life struggling to survive on the streets of Rotterdam, how he is noticed by a recruiter for the International Fleet (the international military machine assembled to fight against the aliens called the Buggers) a nun called Sister Carlotta, his life at the Battle School space station training to fight in the war against the Buggers and how he becomes the closest confidant and right hand man of Ender Wiggin, the boy who is destined to lead humanity's fight against the Buggers. This was an excellent book and much more in depth than Ender's Game. Bean is an extremely intelligent character (apparently more so than a human being can be) because his genes were altered when he was conceived and a lot of the book is spent in Bean's head so you see just how intelligent he is. The first part of the book, set in Rotterdam, is very good, and you come to care for Bean and the supporting characters such as Poke and Sergeant, and we are first introduced to the murderous Achilles (who I understand will become Bean's nemesis across the rest of the Shadow saga (this was book one)). We then meet Sister Carlotta and Bean's educative process with her is illuminating. Most of the book, however, is set in the Battle School space station (although the book's climax takes place on an asteroid called Eros) and of most importance is the time that Bean spends in Ender's army, for this is when he grows the most as a character and comes to love Ender. I would have liked to see Bean make more friends during his time at Battle School, but nonetheless I really liked this book and it has a happy ending. The author Orson Scott Card claims in this book's foreword that you can read this book without first reading Ender's Game but in reality Ender's Shadow makes more sense if you read Ender's Game first. All in all, Ender's Shadow was an excellent book. Just make sure you read Ender's Game first.

Ender's shadow is an Locus award winning book from the award winning author Orson Scott Card, shows a different point of view from the best selling Ender's game Movie and book.

This book is classified as science-fiction and it holds true to it word without being one of those generic sci-fi books. The story takes place mostly in space on board a space station, and the problem and enemy are aliens from another planet. This may sound like sci-fi book but believe the book is not about the war it is about the story and the passion that it took to stand a chance in it as you see through the eyes of bean, a small boy with a big secret and get to know the other interesting, and complex children at the Space station. This book belongs to a series and believe me once you finish this book you will run to get the others. This book is another point of view and ideas then Ender's Shadow so I would suggest you read that book to get the full comparisons of these two very important and complicated characters.The book is not very easy to read but instead very enjoyable, the concepts and thoughts in this book are beyond most people's mind and figuring the problems and solutions bean faces is the most interesting and truly amazing things I find doing when reading these books. The solution the characters come up with are so brilliant that they inspire me to think they way these characters do. If you have read any of Orson Scott Card book you will not be disappointed with this one, it meets his high standards and beyond.

The very well known Ender's game book is very different compare to this one even though the characters are facing the same main problem which is why it is so amazing. While reading Ender's game I felt all of his problems and the weight placed on him and I felt many of his many emotions, but while reading Ender's Shadow I was able to see beans brilliant brain and just how smart he is while facing many problems alongside with the war like surviving in the first place. The plots of the characters are so different you would not even know that these characters are fighting against the same problem in the same place.

The plot of this story is what really touched me, because I could see it happening in front of my eyes with all of the detailed characteristics. The most important part of the plot is the beginning of the book, the story of bean and how he grew up in almost unlivable situations and survived and not only survived but thrived, this is a story of true passion and of true grit. The end of the book showed that same grit and passion, as bean goes against the aliens also known as buggers. As interesting as the plot of the book what the book is really about is very important. This book showed me that you should never give up even if it looks like you have no chance, you should never take what people think you are to heart because only you know what you are. This book also shows that success can only be achieved with grit, perseverance and determination. This message was seen throughout the book it it is truly inspiring. This is one of the greatest books I have ever read because it was so engaging and inspirational, I wanted to think like bean and be clever, smart, and never give up no matter what. After reading this book I looked at the world and at problems with a different lens, and this book has gave me or enhanced many amazing and successful traits. My brain was always thinking when I was reading this book and that lead for me reading for hours non-stop because of all the suspense and different ideas and ways. This book began with some sad scenes with glimmers of hope and that hope turned out to be one of the most amazing endings. The author is very gifted , he thinks so differently than other people that is amazing and out of this world, his thoughts and opinions alone sold me on this book. I recommend this book to everyone who thinks that they can't do anything or they are not successful, because this book is so inspiring that I think everyone has to read it and give it a try no matter the age. This book is amazing I encourage you to read it and its series, give it a try what's the worst that can happen, you read an amazing book that's the worst that can happen.

People who like sci fi or science fiction will love this book! Wonderfully written and very interesting! Highly recommended to everyone.

Per quanto sia generalmente più amato il libro del Gioco di Ender, io ho trovato questa prospettiva contemporanea diversa, del braccio destro di Ender, Bean, molto più entusiasmante e viscerale di quella di Ender. Per fare una metafora (non so se si dice così) direi che Ender's Game è come un PG13 per ragazzi, per quanto serio e violento, e Ender's Shadow un VM14 o anche addirittura 18. Il tono è oscuro e brutalmente sincero, e sa mettere paura senza neanche provarci, sarà perché Bean non sembra mai essere un vero e proprio protagonista, come lo era Ender. Bean è più un compagno di avventure che ti fa compagnia durante il viaggio.

La storia, poi, la trovo come una coronazione della trama stessa, dove Ender è la celebrità, e Bean il cavallo di battaglia. Credo che non si possa evitare questo libro se si legge Ender's Game. Sarebbe come fare le cose a metà. Ho letto diversi commenti di Card riguardo questa sua opera, e ha menzionato che ha pensato all'espansione più tardi, ma, essendo anche io scrittore alle prime armi, posso assicurarvi che spesso le storie si scrivono da sole, e si scoprono filoni di trama, o personaggi, che non si sapeva di avere. Io penso che Card avesse sempre avuto questa prospettiva di racconto nel retro della testa, mentre scriveva Ender's Game, e ci ha effettivamente pensato solo a cose fatte. E forse è stato meglio così. Sia mai che avesse scritto le due prospettive insieme, o addirittura fuso i due personaggi. Oh no no. Ci piace così com'è, vero?

Sì. Ci piace così com'è...

Ah... Da quanto ho gradito il finale di questo libro, ho deciso di non leggere nessun altro capitolo di queste saghe di Ender, almeno non per ora. Sono troppissimo soddisfatto per aggiungere carne al fuoco. Non la vedo come una cosa negativa, ma anzi, come segno di enorme apprezzamento in questi due romanzi.

Perciò non lasciare che il dubbio di leggere un'altra storia di bimbi che giocano a fare i grandi ti faccia scartare questo libro. Compralo immediatamente e leggilo, perché dentro c'è una dimensione abbagliante che ti lascerà sicuramente un macigno nello stomaco per una settimana. O almeno per me è stato così.

I really enjoyed this book, probably as much as Enders Game