Shadow of the Giant by orson scott card

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Wonderful!

This is the fourth book in the Ender’s Shadow series – and once again, is a book that can be read as a standalone novel.

This book in many ways continues the story of Ender’s older brother, Peter, attempting to (and getting closer to success) unite the world in peace – with Bean’s and Petra’s help of course. For me, this is also a much more personal story of Bean and Petra.

While the world politics continues in the background, Bean and Petra have found love, and – more amazing still – have decided to have children of their own. For understandable reasons, they opt for in vitro fertilization and end up with nine viable embryos. Bean and Petra immediately implant one and become excited (and terrified) at the prospect of being parents, especially as their child is likely to be a genius in its own right. Unfortunately, they discover soon after implanting the first embryo that their other embryos have been stolen. When no ransom is demanded, they realize the awful truth: Someone has stolen the embryos in the hopes of raising their own small army of indoctrinated geniuses that can be raised to become the new child-warriors the world is demanding. They must get their children back…

As always, Orson Scott Card’s writing is impeccable as is his characterization. And yep, I cried my eyes out at the end. Sigh. Great stuff!

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StaminaRose

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Orson Scott Card concludes his shadow series brilliantly in this novel, which details the search for Bean and Petra’s missing children and the onset of world peace under the Hegemon’s rule. Card takes us into the heart of Ender’s jeesh and the ambition that drives them. At the same time, he makes Peter somewhat more likeable as his true motives emerge.

The novel begins with a Chinese coup led by “Hot Soup,” resulting in him being crowned Emperor. Three key jeesh members now lead countries in rather close proximity, and all have aspersions of growth. Throughout the novel, Graff, Rackham, and Peter all encourage Ender’s army to abandon Earth and colonize other planets, pointing out the fact that if they do not, millions of soldiers will die in the scramble for supremacy.

At the same time, Bean and Petra are searching for the embryos stolen by Achilles and implanted in wombs throughout the world. We get only two glimpses into the mind of the woman who birthed the only unfound child. And, while the world domination comes to an end, the saga of these nonhuman children is left open, which will surely lead to another novel. I’ve found myself speculating just how far into the future space travel will make this confrontation; could it, perhaps, involve the great Ender himself? I am also interested in seeing what happens to Bean’s “alien” offspring. In short, as soon as the next novel comes out, Card has at least one buyer.

The story is fast paced and detailed. I love the fact that the solution to the problem of the Buggers has led to another problem on Earth. In short, the Battle School children, bred for a hunger to lead and an ambition for power, return to their homes and destabilize the world. But I also love the fact that the intelligence and ability to reason ultimately leads them all to the same conclusion.

Fast paced, powerful, and with a great story to tell, Shadow of the Giant keeps readers locked to its pages. The focus here is more on overall objectives and less on individual battles. Card has told yet another masterful tale. This story wraps up the life of the Hegemon, Peter Wiggin, and has humanized him. I have to wonder if it was the same story Ender might have written…but Ender’s tale was far shorter, as I recall. Either way, I look forward to learning what happens to Bean and his children, and whether young Achilles is ever found.

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amaanu01

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Shadow of the Giant is definitely my least favorite of the Shadow Series. I hate the way it ends. it is not badly written; I just hate the Bean/Petra resolution that Card decides on. The unification of the world under Peter Wiggin works for me. Sending the members of Ender's Jeesh to space makes sense. I am glad Virlomi comes to her senses. STILL I hate what happens to Bean and Petra.

Nevertheless, it is a well thought out conclusion to the series.

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trackmangas9

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Glad this was better than the last one. Still said "make babies" too much but had some more of the creativity that I like from him. Hot take: Volescu made the Descolada.

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APLpaca16

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Ha sido un poco decepcionante el final de esta saga o al menos de este arco argumental. Comenzó siendo muy prometedora con un personaje principal mucho más atractivo que Ender y la trama al estilo Risk donde los alumnos de la Escuela de Batalla gobernaban los distintos países de la Tierra me parecía perfecta. Pero tanto en el anterior como en este Scott Card toma unas decisiones que no me parecen las correctas y baja bastante el nivel. A los dos personajes femeninos más importantes los rebaja a meros floreros o toman decisiones sin sentido sin ningún motivo, a Bean le pone como secundario y todos los juegos de guerra que comentaba antes entre los países simplemente se esbozan o se resumen.

El final de Bean lo deja muy en el aire por si más adelante quiere retomarlo imagino, creo que hay más entregas y no sé si vuelve a aparecer pero no se merecía ese final.

Me parece mucho mejor saga la de Ender, más madura y enfocada a un público más adulto.

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d_2_HxH

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

The ending of this book was actually very sweet, and I am here for Petra and Peter as a couple, which I wanted for a while and definitely understand in a way I never understood Bean and Petra. But overall, this part of the story still lacked the really compelling plot that I wanted. It was a very long conclusion. And the fact that there's some random woman out in space with a genetically altered baby whose real identity she doesn't know and who is going to needlessly suffer because of the ignorance of his mother feels like an unfair and unnecessary loose end.

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llollcoolj

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Shadow of the Giant was much better than Shadow Puppets, but still not close to the first two books of the series. The basic plot of the last three books has been Battle School grads treating the world as their own personal game of Risk, which is so cool. But for whatever reason, some of the subplots just aren’t drawing me in as much, and some of the characters are getting really annoying. The Bean and Petra relationship felt kind of forced a few books ago, but just as I was starting to get used to it she tells Dink Meeker of all people that she’s still in love with him in an email, but not as much as Bean. Then after Bean goes off world to find a cure for his gigantism, she falls in love with Peter almost instantly, which is just ridiculous. And then at the end she says she loved him but never stopped loving Bean either, and I can’t keep up with all of it. There was Alai marrying Virlomi for reasons and then leaving in the night like three chapters later because he realized she’s actually crazy. Moral of the story, I don’t need the romantic subplots in this story (not that I don’t love them in other stories, because I really do) just give me the military genius of the greatest minds this world has to offer.

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