Shadow of the Giant 
asked by perfectstorm on October 31, 2006 12:08 PM
Bean's past was a battle just to survive. He first appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else. He knew he could not survive through strength; he used his tactical genius to gain acceptance into a children's gang, and then to help make that gang a template for success for all the others. He civilized them, and lived to grow older. Then he was discovered by the recruiters for the Battle School.
For Earth was at war - a terrible war with an inscrutable alien enemy. A war that humanity was near to losing. But the long distances of interstellar space has given hope to the defenders of Earth - they had time to train military geniuses up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School. That story is told in two books, the beloved classic ENDER'S GAME, and its parallel, ENDER'S SHADOW.
Bean was the smallest student at the Battle School, but he became Ender Wiggins' right hand, Since then he has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he and his wife Petra yearn for a safe place to build a family - something he has never known - but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies - old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth. To find security, Bean and Petra must once again follow in Ender's footsteps. They must leave Earth behind, in the control of the Hegemon, and look to the stars.
For Earth was at war - a terrible war with an inscrutable alien enemy. A war that humanity was near to losing. But the long distances of interstellar space has given hope to the defenders of Earth - they had time to train military geniuses up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School. That story is told in two books, the beloved classic ENDER'S GAME, and its parallel, ENDER'S SHADOW.
Bean was the smallest student at the Battle School, but he became Ender Wiggins' right hand, Since then he has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he and his wife Petra yearn for a safe place to build a family - something he has never known - but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies - old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth. To find security, Bean and Petra must once again follow in Ender's footsteps. They must leave Earth behind, in the control of the Hegemon, and look to the stars.
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This is a fitting conclusion to the Ender/Shadow series thus far, although there is clearly an opening for more if Card chooses to continue. It's great to get *some* closure to the story we've been reading about through 8 or so books.
reviewed by potato on November 27, 2006 11:13 AM
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Card obviously wrote this book with today's current conflict between the primitive Islamic world and the more advanced western one in mind.
In the book, America, tired of its open border policy and Islamic terrorism, has completely shut down ALL traffic in and out of the country... isolationism.
In the book, Islam continues its terrorism; the torturing and killing of "infidels" and the murdering of those that no longer want to follow Islam.
In the book, it says that only when Islam accepts that not everyone wants nor needs to follow their fanatical belief system will it truly be a religion of peace.
In the book, the French, Italians, English, Americans, etc., have all seen that they made a big mistake allowing those of the Islamic faith to take such strong root in their countries.
I start the above paragraphs with "in the book" because I was afraid some would read it as commentary on the world today.. it might be, but not by me.
This novel not only is a great sequel to the Ender/Bean series, but is very topical.
I love this series...
reviewed by harrypotter on November 28, 2006 6:42 PM
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This latest installment in the "Enderverse" set by Orson Scott Card is a pleasure to read, and is more meaty then any of its predecessors in the "Shadow" subseries. Certainly, fans of the Ender books will find lots to enjoy with Card's typical fast pacing and interweaving of characters. The difference with this book is that Card seems to make a more genuine effort to interrelate several stories and to put real historical precedent behind his plotlines. In addition, he uses religion as a source of conflict while paying attention to both the religions themselves and how they are perceived by outsiders. Religion is a subject that most sci fi writers avoid, but Card successfully weaves it into the fabric of his universe.
The plot (which will make little sense to those that aren't regular readers of the series): Han Tzu, Alai, and Virlomi have risen to become the heads of state of China, the unified Muslim world, and India, respectively. These three battle school grads are brilliant soldiers, but still young and inexperienced in everything except fighting. India is occupied by the Muslims, China is still partly occupied by the same group, and both are chafing for revenge. Throw in the mechanations of Peter Wiggin, the Hegemon, and your have the makings of a major World War. Instead, Peter tries to steer the course towards peace. He uses his influence as the Hegemon (a position with little real power) to try to bring peace, while Caliph Alai tries to bring his Islamist fanatics under control to prevent any more bloodshed in India. Peter's secret weapon is, of course, Bean the Giant, Ender's closest lieutenant in the Bugger War, whose genes have been altered to produce a new race of super-humans.
Card's gift is to present and see many sides of an argument. While the more fanatical Muslims are rampaging through India, for example, Caliph Alai is trying to preach peace and brotherhood to his battle-hardened troops. The parallels with today's society are obvious, and it adds relevance and interest to the book.
Of course, this analysis I've just written is quite dry, and the book is anything but dry. The pacing and action are well written, and the plot has more twists and schemes than his earlier books. One of my objections to earlier Shadow books was the implausiility of the plots. In this present book, everything that happens rings true. While Speaker for the Dead remains the high-water mark for the Ender series overall, this book is certainly a worthy successor and is the best of the Shadow subseries (so far!).
The plot (which will make little sense to those that aren't regular readers of the series): Han Tzu, Alai, and Virlomi have risen to become the heads of state of China, the unified Muslim world, and India, respectively. These three battle school grads are brilliant soldiers, but still young and inexperienced in everything except fighting. India is occupied by the Muslims, China is still partly occupied by the same group, and both are chafing for revenge. Throw in the mechanations of Peter Wiggin, the Hegemon, and your have the makings of a major World War. Instead, Peter tries to steer the course towards peace. He uses his influence as the Hegemon (a position with little real power) to try to bring peace, while Caliph Alai tries to bring his Islamist fanatics under control to prevent any more bloodshed in India. Peter's secret weapon is, of course, Bean the Giant, Ender's closest lieutenant in the Bugger War, whose genes have been altered to produce a new race of super-humans.
Card's gift is to present and see many sides of an argument. While the more fanatical Muslims are rampaging through India, for example, Caliph Alai is trying to preach peace and brotherhood to his battle-hardened troops. The parallels with today's society are obvious, and it adds relevance and interest to the book.
Of course, this analysis I've just written is quite dry, and the book is anything but dry. The pacing and action are well written, and the plot has more twists and schemes than his earlier books. One of my objections to earlier Shadow books was the implausiility of the plots. In this present book, everything that happens rings true. While Speaker for the Dead remains the high-water mark for the Ender series overall, this book is certainly a worthy successor and is the best of the Shadow subseries (so far!).
reviewed by bigben on November 29, 2006 6:06 PM