Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card Book Review

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card Book Review

Welcome back to Dragon Army Books! My name is Dustin, and in preparation for the final book in Ender's Saga, *The Last Shadow*, which is coming out at the end of this year, I am reading and re-reading the entire catalog related to Ender and Bean. 

The story began with *Ender's Game*, and so far, I have read and reviewed *The Formic War*—both the first and the second series associated with those—which has led up to *Ender's Game*. The key-chord novel, which I recently finished reading and reviewing, brings me to today's topic: my 5th or 6th reread of one of my favorites in the saga, *Ender's Shadow*.

*Ender's Shadow* is a parallel novel to *Ender's Game*. It takes place a little before and in conjunction with the events in *Ender's Game*, but from a completely new perspective. 

The story focuses on Bean, a character from *Ender's Game*, although he doesn’t really appear until late in the original novel. In *Ender's Shadow*, we follow Bean, an orphaned boy on the streets of Rotterdam who is barely surviving. He is only two years old at the beginning of the book, malnourished and close to death. In desperation, he joins a street gang of other orphaned kids just to survive.

From there, Bean manages to make a few friends—and a few enemies—but his brilliance, intelligence, and the way he interacts with his peers and the adults they meet at food kitchens keep him and his friends alive. 

This intelligence eventually attracts the attention of a nun named Sister Carlotta, who takes Bean and some other intelligent kids under her wing. She begins to teach and train them, seeing if they might be suitable candidates for Battle School. Bean is selected and soon finds himself launched into space, no longer hungry or starving. He joins armies, meets Ender, and the rest is history.

A parallel novel like this must be extremely difficult to write. You’ve already told the story once, so retelling it from a different perspective without just repeating the same events must be challenging. In *Ender's Shadow*, we do hit some of the same key moments and battles as in *Ender's Game*, but not all of them. 

It could easily feel like a retelling or a money grab, but this novel is far from that. *Ender's Shadow* offers an entirely new story with new characters, and for the most part, it’s done just as well as *Ender's Game*.

There are a few areas where it falls a bit short, though. For example, where Ender had Bonzo Madrid as a foil, Bean’s counterpart is Achilles, a kid he met on the streets of Rotterdam. The resolution of their conflict isn’t as powerful or meaningful as Ender’s with Bonzo; it feels a bit rushed and flat. 

Another minor issue is that Bean is portrayed as being more intelligent than everyone around him. The novel softens this by allowing Ender to maintain his central role, but sometimes, Bean’s jokes or sarcasm lead to key decisions made by others, which is a bit of a hard sell. Still, these are nitpicks in an otherwise excellent novel.

I wouldn’t encourage anyone to start with *Ender's Shadow*. The impact is much stronger when you already know the story from *Ender's Game*. I’d always suggest reading *Ender's Game* first, then *Ender's Shadow*, and deciding where you want to go from there. *Ender's Shadow* sets up the rest of the Shadow series, while *Ender's Game* only sets up Ender’s story.

Personally, I’m planning to read both series. It’s another five out of five stars from me. Some of that might be nostalgia, but I still think it’s an excellent book. I love the character of Bean, his story, and his interactions with Petra, Dink, Sister Carlotta, and others. 

I’m really excited to dive back into the Shadow Saga, which used to be my favorite, even more so than Ender’s continuing story. But, as I’m older now, my feelings might change.

Did you read and enjoy—or maybe hate—*Ender's Shadow*? Or are you ambivalent about it? Let me know in the comments below. Let’s talk about this parallel novel to one of my favorite books of all time,

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 THANK YOU SO MUCH