This is my third 'ender' book this month and I'm fully obsessed. I skimmed the first 70-ish pages of this because it was boring Earth stuff, but once they got onto the ship it was just as fun as Ender's Game.

Should really be read in tandem w/ Ender's Game, actually. I consider the two as one book.

WE ARE SO BACK!!!!

Ender’s Shadow: Better than expected - Ender’s Game from Bean’s perspective
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
Ender’s Game was a SF book so successful and critically acclaimed that it launched Orson Scott Card’s career for decades to come. In fact, it’s fair to say that the story of Ender Wiggins is one of the most popular SF novels the genre has ever produced, to the point of getting the full-budget Hollywood treatment in 2013 (grossing $125 million on a budget of around $110-115 million) with A-listers such as Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley, but receiving mixed critical reviews.

Not one to miss a commercial opportunity, Card has returned the favor, producing a whopping 15 Ender-related books with more in the works apparently. I read Ender’s Game (1985, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards) at the perfect age for that book, in junior high school and overlapping with the character’s ages. In fact, it’s fair to say that the book launched my love of SF after having mostly read fantasy such as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN, etc.

I quickly went on to Speaker for the Dead (1986, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards again) and was deeply moved by its examination of the ethics of Ender’s actions in the first book and subsequent attempts at redemption. However, I found the follow-up Xenocide (1991) a bit dialogue heavy and didn’t ready anything else by him for over two decades including the fourth Ender novel Children of the Mind (1996).

In fact, I was quite surprised to discover the cottage industry Card has built around Ender during that time, when I finally re-read Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead 30 years later. I thought Ender’s Game held up well as a fast-paced but thoughtful military SF yarn, but Speaker for the Dead became fairly tedious with all its anguished moralizing. Maybe my reaction is more about how I have changed since my innocent days of youth.

In any case, I’m not so enamored of Ender’s Game that I feel obligated to read 15+ sequels and spin-offs, etc. However, having read a number of reviews, many readers claim that Ender’s Shadow (1999), essentially a re-telling of Ender’s Game from Bean’s perspective, was surprisingly good. Although it is part of a series known as THE SHADOW SAGA, following the stories of major characters from Ender’s Game such as Bean, Peter, Petra, Achilles, etc.

I've read THE SHADOW SAGA gets much more into the political and military intrigue back on Earth after Ender prevails over the alien Buggers, and I have to admit I’m not that interested in that direction (and reviews I’ve read have been fairly negative too). Ender’s Game captured readers’ attention, especially YA readers, because the story was about a lonely 12-year old military genius who had to survive Battle School, prove his leadership skills against older kids and the manipulative generals in charge of him, and beat an implacable alien fleet with only his tactical ingenuity. It’s easy to get pulled into his story and so it makes sense to revisit it, but only if you have something new to add and not just rehash it.

So I was hesitant to try Ender’s Shadow but I was drawn into the story of tiny Bean trying to survive on the mean streets of children’s gangs in Rotterdam in in 2170. At the opening, Bean is supposedly just 4 years old and starving to death. Despite being almost too weak to put food to mouth, he manages to convince a small street gang led by female boss Poke to keep him alive by giving them critical survival tips to gain entry to food kitchens and stave off older bullies. Bean’s special skills and behind-the-scenes influence on the entire power balance of the street gangs brings him to the notice of Sister Carlotta, who runs one of the food shelters but also is a recruiter for the IF (International Federation) that is looking for promising candidates for Battle School.

Against all odds, tiny Bean excels enough to get picked for Battle School, where he intersects with the famous storyline of Ender Wiggins. It’s unlikely that readers will come to Ender’s Shadow without having first read Ender’s Game, so Card has to achieve the difficult goal of giving us a fresh look at the events of Ender Wiggin’s time at Battle School from Bean’s perspective, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that he pulled it off quite well.

Bean is a very different character from Ender. He is a child-genius that has grown up on the streets with only one goal — to survive at all costs by using his wits and tactical skills to manipulate stronger people around him, both children and adults, but remaining behind the scenes and avoiding the notice of powerful enemies. So while Ender is constantly under the spotlight and is forced to prove his leadership again and again, Bean stays in the shadows, carefully gathering data on the other commanders in battle school, the trainers, and the generals who think they are controlling events. He surreptitiously helps Ender when he can, but sometimes makes crucial mistakes that actual expose Ender to potentially fatal danger.

Eventually Bean’s tactical skills become apparent to the other children, but it is Ender’s leadership that captures their hearts and loyalty, not Bean. So there is the emotional dynamic of love/jealousy with which Bean observes how Ender can control those around him, and even when more credit for tactics in the battle simulations should be given to Bean, it is generally Ender who gets the accolades.

At the same time, the intense and unrelenting pressure of Ender’s success in the games is also a burden that Bean can only observe from outside, unable to share the cross that Ender bears each day. As the games get more relentless as the generals accelerate the pace, knowing that the real battle with the Buggers at their home world is rapidly approaching, it is Bean who seems most aware of the real situation, and Ender who is withering under the pressure.

I was impressed with how exciting the story remained even when I knew in detail what was going to happen. Card managed to give the reader new angles that make us reexamine the same events with greater emotional depth and understanding of the greater context of the story. Card called it a “parallax” story, and it’s something that might have failed in lesser hands. I think after having written so many books about Ender over the years, Card has a deep knowledge of the characters, storyline, and universe, and also what appeals to fans.

The audiobook is an all-star production featuring Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki, and Gabrielle de Cuir. They provide a level of dramatic range to the characters that really enhances an already-compelling story. Ender’s Shadow is a great companion piece to Ender’s Game, so give it a try.

I'm going to review the whole Shadow Series as a whole instead of rating each book individually. I had a difficult time enjoying this series. It was partially psychological--I really liked the Ender's Game series, and had a hard time seeing it in a different light. Other people may not have this hang-up. But my main problem is that this is written in later-Card style. His style has become a lot of dialog, almost like you're reading a play, and it's very hard for me to throw myself into sheets of conversation with no mental break. Ender's Shadow isn't so bad, but as the series progressed I found I cared less and less. I don't think I even read the fourth book even though it's sitting on my bookshelf.

Va de un comienzo titubeante a un final que cuesta soltar. La idea de narrar la historia de El juego de Ender desde otro punto de vista me resulta una forma bastante artificial de seguir exprimiendo el personaje. De hecho, las partes más interesantes del libro son las que se desarrollan más cerca de Ender.
En general el personaje de Bean me resulta bastante artificial, y el intento de dotarlo de un pasado, con sus cargas emocionales, es de lejos la parte más floja de la historia. Cuanto más se adentran en las motivaciones del personaje más falso parece, mejorando mucho cuando renuncia a buscar motivaciones y se centra en narrar la acción dentro de la Escuela.
Eso sí, me han entrado unas ganas enormes de volver a leerme el libro original.

4.25 stars

I first read this when it was new-ish. Already a big fan of Ender’s Game, I read the two books back-to-back. That was cool; I recommend that.

Bean gets his own series, starting here. He is known for being small and smart, but he has a huge backstory that is gripping and mysterious. Pacing is right on; characterization is great, even for the minor characters; it’s just done very well.

I did the re-read on audio. Scott Brick is the main narrator, but there are about half a dozen others for the short scenes with adults. It also included Card discussing how the Ender’s Game movie was finally made. (I remember him saying years ago that it wasn’t being made because all the producers wanted Ender to be an older teen with a love interest, which would of course destroy the story. So I was kind of surprised that it actually got made.)

Some mild crude language; no swearing | No sexual content | Some violence, possibly disturbing

When I heard of the idea of a "parallel novel" I was suspicious. The idea of retelling Orson Scott Card's science fiction classic from another character's point of view struck me as suspicious at best. Nonetheless, I loved Ender's Game so much that I was drawn to give it a try.

I'm so glad that I did. The book is fantastic. The first part of the story details Bean's adventures fighting to stay alive as a waif competing with the brutal street thugs of futuristic (last 22nd century) Rotterdam. It chronicles the events that lead to his discovery by the International Fleet's battle school administrators as a possible future commander of the human fleet in the war against a hostile alien race.

During his training at battle school, he's developed as a complex and new character that is nonetheless consistent with the character as seen in the original novel. Bean's super-intelligence is traced to its historical origin, and you see many ways in which it impacts events in the story that weren't apparent from the other point of view. The new perspective makes the events interesting all over again, and brings new excitement to the battle to save the human race.

If this experiment in writing is successful, you really ought to be able to read either this novel or Ender's Game first. My wife tried that experiment and it worked. The novel stands alone, and can be followed by Ender. We both liked this novel just a little better than the original but thought that reading them both was complimentary.

2013 re-read: It was fantastic all over again! I can't wait for the movie (adapting both this and Ender's game, making for a "buddy movie") later this year.

2016: Read this with the kids this year. They loved it and we had a lot of fun, but seeing my comment from above, this time I'm a lot less thrilled at the prospect of seeing the movie with them now that we've read this and Ender's Game. The difference is that I've seen the movie. :-) It isn't terrible. It's just not great.

'Ender's Shadow' was published in 1999 and serves as a parallel novel to Orson Scott Card's 1985 classic 'Ender's Game.' ⁣
With a carefully crafted structure, Card captures the initial voice of the original work with fluent exchanges between characters and stylistic descriptions. ⁣
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Fully committed to the Rashomon act of storytelling, Card offers differing perspectives to a story already well known to readers. Being wary of overlapping redundancy, Card takes precautions with the narrative, fully aware that he must bring in fresh concepts before these two stories officially meet at intersecting lines. While honoring what came before it, 'Ender's Shadow' manages to deliver newfangled lore to create alternative reactions and understandings of the work that is nearly fifteen years its predecessor. ⁣
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While being featured in 'Ender's Game,' main protagonist Bean is given an extensive examination here, answering some of the mystique initially surrounding him. Working as a foil to Ender Wiggin, Bean offers a grittier version of the story as he is in possession of traits, struggles, and personal history that was irrelevant to the original story. With tactical and analytical insights on top of a deeply personal internal struggle, Bean's voice echoes throughout the work arguably making this the most psychologically satisfying book of Card's bibliography. In 'Ender's Game,' Card explores the vulnerability of children in the hands of those in authoritative positions. 'Ender's Shadow' shows how impenetrability some "followers" can be when threatened with manipulation. ⁣
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'Ender's Shadow' provides a clearer understanding of a classic work of militaristic science-fiction. It achieves the ultimate goal of any continuation of a series and that is that it enhances the enjoyment and importance of the story that came before it. Two novels with essentially the same themes and results but with different approaches. Card was masterful here, displaying every bit of his strengths as an author, never finding himself derailed and only adding to the complexity of his own world.

While Ender's Game taught me that reading is fun, Ender's shadow is my favorite book (and series) in the Ender Universe. Ender may be the hero the universe needed but Bean is the most powerful weapon the universe had. The down and dirty story of an orphan child who had to learn to survive on his own at the age of four and looked on the world in contempt is just the hero I needed to re-introduce myself to Card's work.
I read this book back when I worked at Barnes and Noble and would sneak reads behind the cash register when the store was slow/would get most of my reading done on breaks and lunch. I didn't particularly feel guilty either because most of the time I was never relieved for my breaks anyway.
Bean decisiveness, cold-hearted calculating nature, and minuscule stature really created the perfect contrast for a world in danger and a military in dire need of a savior. He is easily one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, and writing this review now makes me feel the urge to re-read the book.

Ender's Shadow is the same story as Ender's Game, its just from a different perspective. Ender's Shadow is about a boy named Bean who has been living a confusing and hard life on the streets. His life soon changes when the IF accepts him into Battle School because he is extremely smart.
If you enjoy action, adventure, drama, and mystery you'll love this book, because it has all of that and more. I enjoyed this book greatly, and I loved reading it. I would most likely recommend it to friends that have not read it.

Since Ender’s Game is my all time fav, so is this. ❤️