'Ender's Shadow' by Orson Scott Card

Reviewed by: Ed (Wyrmtongue, Oct. 2000)

This novel is set at the same time as 'Ender's Game' and tells the story of Bean, one of Ender's lieutenants in the original book.

The story opens on the streets of Rotterdam, where Bean is living rough. Found by a nun he is entered into battle school and rapidly proves to be a very capable soldier; indeed much of Ender's success can be attributed to Bean. Bean then goes on to take part in the final battle against the Buggers, although he is the only one who figures out that it is not a game they are playing but real life.

This is an excellent book that is just as good as the original, and it clears up a number of points raised about who and what Bean is. The book also raises interesting questions about increasing human intelligence through genetic engineering and shows that Ender was not as infallible as the original book would lead you to believe.

We have several books by Orson Scott Card in the icsf library, please see the database for more details.