This book finishes off the three part story of events unfolding on Earth immediately after Ender and his jeesh destroyed the “Buggers.” The Battle-Schoolers came back to Earth and chaos ensued. Yet again, I found the political and military wranglings and intrigues very interesting. The side plot of Bean and Petra seemed a bit forced and the dramatic swings of character attitudes and emotions just didn’t seem altogether realistic to me. Character development isn’t Card’s strong suit.



The story really picked up and drew me to the end of the book very well and I was about to give this novel four stars until Virlomi. The entire Verlome deluding herself into believing she was divine and leading an army of untrained and ill equipped men into war was patently absurd. As too was her abrupt realization of her errors and subsequent shame. This was just Card being lazy and a little too clever for his own good. It allowed him to quickly and conveniently bring the Chinese/Russian/Muslim conflict to a close and teach a moral lesson to boot. No muss, no fuss. This along with the odd attitude of Petra after Bean’s departure lost the fourth star for me and almost dropped this to a two star review.



Overall, the strength of the pacing of the main storyline drew me along and made me want to see what happened next. Card is a good story teller and if you ignor his somewhat flat characters and his sometimes odd and oversimplified plot moves, this is an enjoyable read. If you made it through Shadow of the Hegemon and Shadow Puppets, you’ll definitely want to read this book. And, like me, you’ll probably like it for some reason or another.

This 4th book of the Shadow series is the conclusion of what I consider a trilogy (2nd, 3rd & 4th books) and of the larger story of Bean, Petra, Peter, Achilles, and all of Ender's jeesh. It leaves at least two unanswered questions. One is the subject of the 5th book of this series, Shadows in Flight. The other is briefly covered in the 5th book of the Ender series, Ender in Exile.

This book seems long and it almost feels like OSC couldn't fit what he wanted into the second book so he added filler to justify an additional book. I say almost. There are two main threads: 1) Bean's family including the search for the missing babies; and 2) the war of the Battle School veterans. The first thread is the continuation of a love story, since Bean and Petra are already married. There are several touching moments. The second thread is as much about diplomacy, scheming and negotiation as it is about war, perhaps more so.

It occurred to me that I should tag this Fantasy because all of the political and military maneuvering is just that - fantasy, but not in the way people usually think of fantasy literature. There is an ongoing presumption that the military force with the best or most Battle School grads will be invincible regardless of equipment or army size. This is especially true where Bean is on one side or the other. Then this presumption is verified when battles are won in spectacular, almost miraculous ways. All generals who aren't Battle School are considered to be idiots and their actions confirm this also.

I complained in the middle books of the Ender series that there was too much philosophizing. There is some in this book, but not as much. There is also a great deal of tragedy mixed in with more optimistic outcomes.

I am surprised that this book has not received a lot of criticism from Muslims. OSC is brutal in describing radical Muslims. He has little good to say about them and the implication is that even 200 years in our future the radicals will still play a large role in the Muslim world, even more than they do today. There is even at least one statement that could be said to tie these negative aspects to the religion itself and not just the extremists. I could repeat several quotations spread throughout the book to support my view of OSC's presentation, but I won't. Somehow I don't think OSC would intend that conclusion, or at least he wouldn't confirm that it is his opinion. One thing is true. Paraphrased so as to generalize -- Until a religion "learns to let the door swing both ways and permit" adherents to decide to leave that faith without penalty then there is reason to reject that faith. Whether this criticism accurately applies to Islam is open to debate. Another conversation in the book goes further - a government cannot legislate faith or morality, especially not severe penalties for acts of immorality or lack of faith. These discussions follow acts of atrocities committed by an occupying army to enforce its moral and religious authority.

Mature themes: sex by a married couple is spoken of in oblique ways. A woman undresses to seduce a man. There are attempted murders and assassinations. There is war. There is a scene where the aftermath of an atrocity is videoed along with commentary condemning it. The atrocity includes children who were killed slowly by strangling while parents watched and then killing the parents. Other atrocities are briefly described.

Again, I am probably much too generous with 3 stars, but I'm blinded by OSC's mystique.

Finally finished with all the Ender's Books. I made the mistake of reading Ender in Exile before reading Shadow of the Giant. Don't make that mistake. A good portion of Shadow of the Giant is summarized in Ender in Exile. Even knowing a lot of the storyline I enjoyed this book!
It is really slow in places. There is so much strategy, politics and war games that didn't hold my interest as much as the relationship did.
This book actually made me cry near the end. I don't cry very easily especially while reading Sci-fi books but my mother's heart ached while reading parts of this book and the tears just came.
I think when the next and I think final book in the series comes out I will take the time to reread this series. Orson Scott Card is a phenomial writer!
Content Warning: This is Orson Scott Card so expect the normal language and content issues found in all his books.
http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot....

I liked this one better than the previous book.

I had to rate this book highly, if for no other reason than it moved me emotionally. It may be cheesy, but if cheese can get a normally callous guy like me to make water come out of my face, then it has to count for something.

This book dived more deeply into the emotional world of loving and losing, which I was frankly unprepared for. I'm used to happy endings.

Other than that, it focused a lot on a large set of characters which were all quite interesting. It was fun trying to work out the motives of all the characters and see how some always got their way no matter what.

The problem with creating such a complex web of events is that it is hard to conclude everything and seem realistic. Its as if the book was running out of pages, so everything magically gets better.

It is likely that I may come back to this book and read it again in the future. It was gripping enough that I finished it in just a few days.

Ok story but kinda dry. Disappointed that the Indian leader, after being brilliant, turned so stupid so the conflict could be resolved. Would have been a better story to see how war played out with each side lead by geniuses without any side making such dumb mistakes.

I thought Peter was portrayed negatively in the beginning of the book and then positively in the 2nd half (extremely positively at the end). After having the revelation about his parents in a prior book, he seems to be back to his old ways of discounting them.

The thing about Bean and Petra with Bean leaving seemed like a re-run of an argument that they had in the last book, but Petra never said "We already decided this!" That seemed wrong.

Virlomi is definitely a case study in believing your own PR.

Interesting thought of exporting the battle schoolers. The IF said that they were running out of money. Who paid for the additional colony ships?

Less meta-cognition than some others and I like that. It made it more story-like. Poor Petra -- 5 children that are essentially quintuplets and then 5 more children. I thought it was unfair to say that she liked her job as well as she liked her family. She was clearly grieving and in times of grief ANYTHING that keeps you busy can be valued, especially if it's something you don't have to be highly emotionally invested in.

Fourth in the Shadow sci-fi series and ninth in the overall Ender's Saga science fiction series and focuses on Bean and Petra and their desperate need to find all their children.

It's actual sequel is n  Shadows in Flightn (Shadow, 5; Ender's Saga, 12).


My Take
It's been so long since I read the start of this series and Shadow of the Giant has spurred me on to begin again. I remember when the first novel, n  Ender's Gamen, first came out. Fascinating. Too, too fascinating. And somehow, I got off track. I would seriously recommend reading from the start before beginning this story. I felt off-balance throughout the story since so much of the crucial moments leading up to this were made known earlier. I suspect that, perhaps, part of my confusion?, frustration?, was due to Card's writing style. I do not remember why Petra is so antagonistic?!

I'm glad that Card kept reminding us that Bean is only 16 with his nine children. He has such an adult manner in the story. Reasonable, since Bean was a child when he helped Ender end the war.

Dang, this story will just make you want to cry!

A wishful "mandate of heaven" (to borrow from Han Tzu) in which Peter's plan is to persuade every country in the world to join his idea of a united world. We watch its progress through the actions of each of the Jeesh as they maneuver with control over their native countries.

Randi is going to get a nasty surprise one day when she learns the truth about little Achilles Flandres, Jr. Card has an interesting assessment of Peter and what it takes to be Hegemon. Sadly, I suspect it's very accurate. And I doubt his like comes often.

Petra cracks me up with her address to Bean that starts with "O Father of the Balloon I'm Carrying Around Inside My Abdomen". Rackham made a comment when he made the offer to the Jeesh that made me laugh at first, and then made me cry: "If you hadn't spent your entire childhood playing war games, you'd actually know something. You're all so uneducated". I like Peter's comments about America and how it's shaping his own Constitution for the FPE as well...gives me some hope!

Oh, brother, the divorces in this story...one is good and the other...I just keep crying. Oh, I know Bean was right to do it as he did, but, still… The remarriage is not one that I expected. At all. Then there's Peter's last request of Ender. A nice little wrap-up of this story.


The Story
It begins with an intimate perspective on the troubles that are facing the members of Ender's Jeesh when Han Tzu receives an offer and the backup in case he rejects that offer.

We visit each Battle School graduate alternating with Bean and Petra's search for their in vitro children. It's a natural inclination to want your children around you and not scattered to the winds. But Bean's illness has made the search even more imperative. Graff and Rackham have made Bean an offer that may save the lives of those children who have inherited Bean's problem and Bean's approaching death makes it even more necessary to find the affected ones NOW.

Alai is brought to realize the extent of his power and his actions to change this only lead to reality even as he brings down those who oppose him, but it's Alai's marriage that is the death knell.

And still, Bean, is giving his all to help Peter in his project. His plan to unite the earth, the Free People of the Earth (FPE) while a new pair of essayists are at work swaying world opinion: Lincoln and Martel.


The Characters
Peter Wiggins, Ender's older brother, is the Hegemon while Ender and Valentine have been exiled. Theresa Wiggins is his mother and revolving around Peter, missing Ender. Members of Ender's Jeesh are all here: Han Tzu (Hot Soup) is almost persona non grata in China; Julian Delphiki (Bean); Petra Arkanian Delphiki is pregnant; Alai is now Caliph of the Muslims, but experiencing all the issues of member Muslim countries; Suriyawong is back in Thailand coping with defeat and occupation; Vlad is useless in Russia; Carn Carby is in Australia; Dink Meeker and Crazy Tom in England; Shen in Tokyo; Fly Molo in Manila; and, Dumper in South America.

While not a member of the Jeesh, Virlomi is now the acting goddess of India and using publicity beautifully to cause her fellowmen to rise up against the invading Muslims. Felix Starman is the prime minister of Rwanda. Anton has come back out of retirement to help Bean.

Mazer Rackham, a hero several times over, is back with International Fleet (I.F.) and manipulating politics. Again. With Colonel Hyrum Graff. These two are master manipulators and you won't see how very cleverly until the end.

Snow Tiger is the leader currently ruling in China. Ivan Lankowski is Alai's friend in Damascus.

Volescu is Bean's half-uncle and a bit of a mad scientist with no ethics who infected and disseminated the children. Ferreira is trying to track down everything Volescu did. The children affected with Anton's Key are Ender, Carlotta, and Cincinnatus; the normal children are Andrew, Bella, Ramón, Julian, and Petra.


The Cover
The cover is prophetic with Bean and Petra standing within a circle of buildings looking out at the starscape where he's about to be exiled.

I suspect the title is about how Bean used his brilliant mind to aid Ender in his aims within Ender's shadow, the shadow that Bean casts over all that he has accomplished on our world, the Shadow of the Giant.

Better than Bean #2 (Shadow Puppets) but still strange. Again, Card, what are you doing? With each book I read in the Enderverse, I am more convinced that you are only trying to make more money.

Bean #3: The teenage lover geniuses, Bean and Petra, go on a scavenger hunt across the globe to find their babies, racing against time as Bean's genetic disease slowly kills him. The rest of the world is embroiled in a showdown between their battle school classmates who rule India, China, and the Muslim world. Battle School kids are too ambitious! Their plans collapse and the world is ruled by Peter Wiggin, the Hegemon! Just like we figured would happen at the beginning of the Bean series!

I bought the whole Ender series at a garage sale for $3, so it's not like I'm highly invested in Card's descent into madness. I'm coming down hard on this series because it had so much potential to be something provocative and thought-provoking like Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.

I loved this entry. There was a fair amount of character development, and the plot moved smoothly. Reading the Bean subverse has changed my opinion of several characters.

Another great Bean book down. This one was without the solid and obvious villain that the rest of the series contained and I was curious how Card would fill that hole. So that was interesting to read how he did that. This book left me with the feeling of peace and closure that the other books did not. We finally got through what seemed to be the main story of Beans life after battle school, only it really isn't done I suppose. I kind of feel like reading "Ender In Exile" would fit nicely after this book, but oh well. I look forward to whats to come in the last few books.

Fitting conclusion to the main storyline for the Ender's Shadow series (I understand that Shadows in Flight still remains to follow this one). One of the things I find interesting about the Shadow series is that while I enjoy the strategic posturing and personal development, I find the digressions into philosophical debate over God, humanity, and the nature of right and wrong to be enjoyable themselves, which is an unexpected treat.

Card is good at tying up things in a way that is emotionally gripping. Some of these relationships have lasted for 4 books, and the sadness of losing some of these characters reminds me a bit of the (excellent) end of Tolkien's Return of the King, where even though all is well, things have been broken that cannot be healed, and everything eventually must come to an end.