Shadow of the Hegemon (Shadow, #2)

May 07, 2011

Stephen rated it

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Shelves: audiobook, award-nominee-locus, 2000-2005, military-fiction, science-fiction, children-behaving-badly, war-sff, humans-rule-the-galaxy, political-fiction

5.0 stars. Sometimes love is not a strong enough word so I am going to borrow from Woody Allen, "I LURVE THIS BOOK!!! This is my second favorite book in both Ender series (behind only Speaker for the Dead). In fact, like Speaker for the Dead, I thought this book significantly surpassed its predecessor, Ender's Shadow which I loved by the way.

This story takes place in the latter half of the 22nd century (so my poster above is for the 2208 elections), soon after the...more

5.0 stars. Sometimes love is not a strong enough word so I am going to borrow from Woody Allen, "I LURVE THIS BOOK!!! This is my second favorite book in both Ender series (behind only Speaker for the Dead). In fact, like Speaker for the Dead, I thought this book significantly surpassed its predecessor, Ender's Shadow which I loved by the way.

This story takes place in the latter half of the 22nd century (so my poster above is for the 2208 elections), soon after the end of the Formic (aka Bugger) War when all of the gifted children of the Battle School that fought under Ender have returned to Earth. Upon their return, these gifted warriors all become instant national treasures in the eyes of their respective countries who want to use their vast expertise in strategy and tactics to assist them in the global war that they know is coming. It seems once the threat to humanity has been eliminated, people are going back to thinking of their own petty dreams of power...typical.

Ender, whose very presence on Earth was seen as too much of a destabilizing force, has agreed to be sent into exile to avoid a global fight over the use of his abilities. Personally, I think he should have shown up with his mates and kicked the idiots in power in their collective, narrow-minded asses, but that's just me.

Anyway, soon after their return, the former members of Ender's Army or “jeesh” are kidnapped and an attempt is made upon Bean's life. I won't give away any spoilers, but from this point forward the plot unfolds as a massive, complicated version of the board game "Risk" with moves, countermoves, alliances, betrayals and some absolutely stunning battle maneuvers with the end prize for all of this being global domination.

The scope of this book is amazing, but the best part about it is Card's writing and his attention to detail. Especially impressive is the dialogue between the various gifted characters (most notably Bean and Peter Wiggins) and how authentic it sounds. This certainly belongs among the elite installments of the Ender series and I give it my HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!

Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
(less)

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Nov 15, 2011

Seak (Bryce L.) rated it

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Shelves: audio, 2011, sci-fi

I enjoyed Shadow of the Hegemon but not nearly as much as Ender's Shadow, the first in the Shadow series.

I don't know, and I had this same problem after finishing Speaker for the Dead (Book 2 in the main Ender series), but I just feel like this series is getting beat to death. I'm not the only one right? As good as these sequels are, I still think Ender's Game (with possible addition of Ender's Shadow) should have been left that way, on its own, no sequels. I know, now I'm beating a de...moreI enjoyed Shadow of the Hegemon but not nearly as much as Ender's Shadow, the first in the Shadow series.

I don't know, and I had this same problem after finishing Speaker for the Dead (Book 2 in the main Ender series), but I just feel like this series is getting beat to death. I'm not the only one right? As good as these sequels are, I still think Ender's Game (with possible addition of Ender's Shadow) should have been left that way, on its own, no sequels. I know, now I'm beating a dead horse.

I still have to admit this is a good book. It's well done as always, and Bean is a great character. In Shadow of the Hegemon, we learn more about Petra Arkanian and Peter Wiggin and guess who's back, Achilles (pronounced in the French way - Asheel).

I know Achilles has only been the "bad guy" for two books, but I was already getting tired of him to be honest. His motivations for his evil are explained, but I'm tired of it and ready to move on to another threat.

Now that the alien threat is over, earth once again turns to its old ways - countries are back at each other and the best military minds in the world, the battleschool kids, are the prime currency.

Other than great plotting and highly believable characters, Hegemon delves into some deep topics from time to time that I found quite interesting to ponder; notions such as, What is living without children? and, What does it really mean to live? Card makes some good arguments about our duty to the future.

One last thing regarding the audiobook - it's extremely well done, if you're into that sort of thing. The typical voice actors come back (like Stefan Rudnicki and Scott Brick) for another Ender installment and they're superb as always.

Why Read the Enders Shadow Series?

So far it's been a great series, on the same level as the original series (at least as much as I've read - to Speaker). The characters are extremely well drawn and easy to care about especially since they're so intelligent - you just feel smarter yourself. I'm looking forward to Shadow Puppets.

4 out of 5 Stars(less)

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Jan 02, 2008

Missy Frederick rated it

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Recommends it for: Card fans, sci-fi readers, those who like books with moral complexity/well-developed characters

This is the second book I've read in the series in the same universe as the Ender Quartet. I read it basically in 24 hours, which speaks to its fast pace and readability. I'm starting to like this series possibly even more than the quartet. There are a lot of really interesting characters - the complex Bean, the ambiguous Peter, etc. Plus I really like the theme of genius kids who aren't cutely precocious, etc. This book deals a lot with military strategy, which doesn't tend to be my thing, but ...more

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Feb 22, 2009

Nicholas Karpuk rated it

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I'm tired of you Orson Scott Card.

Ender's Game was fun. Ender's Shadow was a similar kind of fun in the same setting. I had hoped Shadow of the Hegemon would follow the nifty character of Bean back to Earth.

It does.... sort of.

Have you ever met one of those nerds who owns multiple editions of Risk? Who had complete DVD series spanning half a wall that's entirely about World War 2? Who owns board games relating to a single historical battle? That's how Card see...moreI'm tired of you Orson Scott Card.

Ender's Game was fun. Ender's Shadow was a similar kind of fun in the same setting. I had hoped Shadow of the Hegemon would follow the nifty character of Bean back to Earth.

It does.... sort of.

Have you ever met one of those nerds who owns multiple editions of Risk? Who had complete DVD series spanning half a wall that's entirely about World War 2? Who owns board games relating to a single historical battle? That's how Card seems to roll these days.

This book scrapped the idea of character development entirely. We don't learn much about these characters we didn't already know. Card even acknowledges that the story is essentially RISK set in a near future.

I don't like RISK, I'm not interested in strategy. I enjoyed the earlier Ender books because I like the pacing and the characters. None of that is left here. We get a book where India feels like Thailand feels like North Carolina. He seems to preoccupied to bother with atmosphere or storytelling. None of the characterization or physical detail got through in this volume.

Maybe Card should stick to alien worlds and invented environments? Most of the last two books I read took place in a fictional battle school in space. Perhaps I should double back and read "Speakers of the Dead" instead of pursuing my current path.

The trouble is that Card appears to have become a bit of an ass in his old age. There's some really obnoxious political editorializing that goes off the rails in a few instances. I might not mind this as much in a political thriller, but this story is set 200 years in the future. The fact that his opinions are rather toxic and hostile does not make those moments go down any better.

Card has misread his audience. He assumed we all care as much about military history, strategy, and tactics as he does. The shift in priorities made this volume drag.

"Ender's Game" was a fast paced work of economic prose and it's sad to see how bloated and self-absorbed his style has become 15 years later. I'll probably stick to the stuff he wrote in the Reagan era.(less)

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Dec 06, 2008

Eric rated it

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I didn't enjoy this one as much as Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow. As in those two, the plot and action were just backdrop. The book was really about people deducing what other people were thinking. In the previous books, this was used for character development and I enjoyed it. In this one, it seemed like the author used it more as a gimmick. Rather than use it as a tool to accomplish something else, he just trotted it out to do tricks over and over. It accounted for most of the book and got ol...more

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Mar 13, 2011

Peter added it · review of another edition

Now I remember why I stopped reading science fiction: I grew up, that's why. I read this on holiday as it was one of only a few English language books in the hotel. Pretentious, overblown, ridiculous. Those words don't even begin to cover it. Maybe I am being unfair to the genre, although the pompousness of it all rang a bell from science fiction that I have come across in the past. However this book is ludicrous in its portrayal of politics and military planning. Its plotting is confused and no...more

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Nov 01, 2011

Maureen E rated it

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Shelves: scifi

Opening: "Dear Admiral Chamrajnagar: I was given your idname by a mutual friend who once worked for you but now is a glorified dispatcher--I'm sure you know who I mean."

I've been reading through the Ender and Bean books recently, because I never finished and I wanted to. I love the first books in both series and find them resonant on a deeper level than just cool scifi.

With Shadow of the Hegemon, I found my reactions to be quite different. While I was reading, I...more

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Jun 15, 2011

Critical Mind rated it

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Shadow of the Hegemon is the sixth chronologically written book of the Ender's Game Series, the first sequel of Ender's Shadow (book five). Orsen Scott Card is an indisputable literary genius, and to critique his book is to dabble the black arts. Flawless characterization and storytelling is expected, and again, Scott Card weaves and stuns with each keystroke. Therefore, expect this 'review' to be only the most humble quibble and sigh.

Shadow of the Hegemon follows the storyline of Bea...moreShadow of the Hegemon is the sixth chronologically written book of the Ender's Game Series, the first sequel of Ender's Shadow (book five). Orsen Scott Card is an indisputable literary genius, and to critique his book is to dabble the black arts. Flawless characterization and storytelling is expected, and again, Scott Card weaves and stuns with each keystroke. Therefore, expect this 'review' to be only the most humble quibble and sigh.

Shadow of the Hegemon follows the storyline of Bean and the rest of Ender's jeesh after the end of the Formic War. Following the known facts from previous (chronologically written) books, more was expected along the storyline of Peter, whom we know becomes a great political figure as the Hegemon. Instead, the story is almost usurped by Petra Arkanian; 'Hegemon' revolves around Petra's kidnapping and Bean's well-plotted endeavors to rescue her (perfectly setting up the scene for the next book, Shadow puppets).

This is because of one of Card's greatest assets: his humility toward his inner circle of wise readers. Hegemon's afterward explains how a wise reader changed the scope of the book by suggesting (in an early manuscript) that the kidnapping plot of Ender's jeesh was too easily resolved. Card responded by extending the conflict of Petra's storyline, therefore changing the account of the entire book which ultimately spilled the expanding story into the next book, Shadow Puppets. Petra carries her part of the story superbly-- a perfect trade off for deviating from what we expected from Hegemon's title.

Which brings me to Peter Wiggin, our Hegemon. Although Scott Card has stated that the order of reading the Ender Series matters little, with the exception of Xenocide and Children of the Mind (http://www.hatrack.com/faq/003.shtml), I must make the case for reading 'Hegemon' after Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. Shadow of the Hegemon illustrates the classic struggle of deciding between the better of two evils, in this case, between Achilles de Flandres and Peter Wiggin. Except, it's an obvious choice. Achilles makes another chilling bow in 'Hegemon' as Bean's arch nemesis with a terrifying performance as the resident sociopath and psychopath, the all around bad-guy. Peter, however, makes a mild case as a contending antagonist. Not only is he unconvincing as the barely-better villain, reading 'Hegemon' before the above mentioned books aggressively dilutes the shocking and genius plot twist in Children of the Mind.

Lastly, our hero, Bean. Within a single chapter, we are reminded ten-fold why we love Bean. While the scope of the Formic War in Ender's Shadow may have been arguably riskier, Hegemon deals with War on earth which strikes closer to the reader's heart, and Bean is just as confident and reassuring. Never are we left with the mediocre feeling that Bean is smart for smart's sake; Card grows this character with craft, balancing Bean's brilliance with an equally trying plot reeking of the despicable Achilles. Bean carries this book with his irresistible aplomb while Card continues to branch his Ender's Series with their two distinct story lines and unique tones.

Conclusion: Never are we left with the feeling that the author is wringing the last drops from his previous success; Hegemon proves possible that the limits of literary mastery can be shattered, yet again.

4 Stars, and only because of the 5 Stars I must reserve for 'Speaker of the Dead'. Because 'Speaker' outranks Amazon's star system. (less)

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Jan 16, 2011

Leonid rated it

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I hope I can finish this book. I liked the Ender quartet and Ender's Shadow too much not to try. Yet it is difficult to actually believe the same person wrote Shadow of the Hegemon and the others. Ender’s Game is a fun fast paced book of adventure while the other three books in the Ender quartet borderline on genius. The formulations of issues of xenophobia are uncanny in SFTD, Xenocide, COTM and integration of Christian beliefs into the mix yield an unparallel argument for empathy being central...more

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Dec 29, 2010

Allen rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Shadow of the Hegemon is the second novel in the "Shadow" series, which details the adventures of Bean, Ender's right-hand man during the second Formic Wars. Shadow of the Hegemon details the time after Ender defeats the Buggers, when each nation attempts to harness the talent of the Battle school students and use these children to provide strategic insights that will help these nations take over the war. One by one, the battle school trainees who were part of Ender's "jeesh"...more

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Sep 25, 2010

Duffy Pratt rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction

This book moved along at a pretty good clip. It was easy to read and kind of entertaining. I like Bean. So it was OK.

Except that it was really pretty terrible. All the Battle School kids are back on earth and they are basically shunted away as being "just" children. That means that all the kids who won the war for mankind's survival now have subordinate roles. And that's just fine.

But then there's Achilles. He got into Battle School, and was there for a c...moreThis book moved along at a pretty good clip. It was easy to read and kind of entertaining. I like Bean. So it was OK.

Except that it was really pretty terrible. All the Battle School kids are back on earth and they are basically shunted away as being "just" children. That means that all the kids who won the war for mankind's survival now have subordinate roles. And that's just fine.

But then there's Achilles. He got into Battle School, and was there for a couple of weeks. He got kicked out and sent to a mental hospital because he has this slight problem that he's a sociopathic serial killer. So naturally, first Russia and then India and then presumably China put him near the top of their power structure and allow him to get them into major wars and to negotiate critical non-aggression treaties. The adults thus all trust the proven sociopathic killer with no track record of competence, while they all seem to mistrust the Battle School vets?

Somehow, in his incredibly annoying afterward, Card seems to justify all this by the examples of other great men like Alexander and Napoleon. (I may have Card's position wrong. I couldn't bear to do anything but slightly skim this afterward. It read sort of like the end of War and Peace. Mercifully not as long, but also seemingly devoid of content. For me, all it showed is that perhaps Card is even more arrogant than his main characters.) But Alexander was the son of Philip of Macedon, and the student of Aristotle. There's a reason he was leading armies. Napoleon may be a better example, but he at least proved himself in some engagements. By contrast, Achilles sole claim to fame was that he was thrown out of Battle School and into a mental hospital.

Finally, this thing takes place at least 100 years in the future. There's space travel, communication faster than the speed of light, etc... It's supposed to be science fiction. But for all practical purposes, there's no science fiction in it at all. Here, I give Card a pass, because it's pretty clear that he's just not interested. And yet, I still have a problem with it. The Battle School environment in Ender's Game and in Ender's Shadow is pretty cool. But in terms of how things work, it's really hard to square that environment with the state of technology here on Earth, which is pretty much straight from the mid-nineties. And it's also troublesome because they do have instant communication, not restricted by the speed of light. Thus, if Ender could command the fleet in the fight against the Formics, then he and Valentine could also at least have some contact or input into the Earth's events. Instead, its just ignored.

Yeah, this book was OK, but I'm no longer excited to continue the series. Maybe someday.(less)

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Aug 29, 2010

Chad Warner rated it

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Recommends it for: fans of Ender's Game

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

I was underwhelmed by Ender's Shadow, but this book was much better! The characters are more fully developed, and we learn more about their thoughts through their conversations and internal dialogues. There are plenty of action-packed scenes that quicken the story's pace.

This book takes place after Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, when the kids from Battle School have returned to Earth. Now that the threat of the Buggers is gone, the nations have begun vying for political and militar...more

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Aug 11, 2010

Lionel rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction

The follow up to Ender's Shadow, this unfortunately showcases Card's tendency to write sequels for the sake of growing a successful franchise, even when the stories don't quite merit it. This is not a bad book, but it suffers in comparison to its predecessor.

Again, this book showcases many of Card's strengths: internal character monologoues reveal mostly well developed characters with psychological foibles; moral and religious discussions/debates; strong young adults. But, as wi...moreThe follow up to Ender's Shadow, this unfortunately showcases Card's tendency to write sequels for the sake of growing a successful franchise, even when the stories don't quite merit it. This is not a bad book, but it suffers in comparison to its predecessor.

Again, this book showcases many of Card's strengths: internal character monologoues reveal mostly well developed characters with psychological foibles; moral and religious discussions/debates; strong young adults. But, as with the first book, Bean, by design, can't be as good a character as Ender (whose shadow does indeed hang over this and the following books, despite Ender himself being completely absent), and he just doesn't resonate with me as much as Ender did. Furthermore, the stage on these remaining Shadow novels has been expanded, and Card doesn't do as well on the large scale as he does with the small. The politics, intrigue, and wars just aren't as interesting as they would be in the hands of writers like le Carre, Ludlum, or Clancy. They just come off as a bit too pat. And the genius children card is just too overplayed. There was a good reason for it in Ender's Game, a reason that required the protagonists to be as young as they were. But now, back on Earth, we're in an environment where there should be several decades worth of Battle School grads on the world stage. Yes, Ender's jeesh had the benefit of working with Ender, and maybe that gives them an unexpected edge. But they shouldn't be *that* much smarter than everyone around them. Older Battle School grads do have more experience than they do, and at least some of them must be as smart as the lesser members of Ender's jeesh, and presumably the best of those former grads will be in positions of power at this point in time. And we shouldn't have to be reminded as often as we are that they're smart. And finally, Achilles just isn't that great a villain.

That all comes across as a bit harsh. The book *is* a page turner, and its entertaining enough. Its simply not up there with Card's best.(less)

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Mar 18, 2010

Adam rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a solid follow up to Ender's Shadow and in my opinion I think Bean is becoming a much more interesting character than Ender was. This book is more or less what I had hoped the follow up to Ender's Game would be like. I can't quite give it four stars but I would call it three and a half.

The kids from Battle School have been sent back to earth (all except Ender) and their home governments want to use them to create military might and political advantage. But before that can ...moreThis was a solid follow up to Ender's Shadow and in my opinion I think Bean is becoming a much more interesting character than Ender was. This book is more or less what I had hoped the follow up to Ender's Game would be like. I can't quite give it four stars but I would call it three and a half.

The kids from Battle School have been sent back to earth (all except Ender) and their home governments want to use them to create military might and political advantage. But before that can really happen most of the battle school kids that fought with Ender are captured by Achilles, the psychopath from Ender's Shadow. Bean narrowly escapes being killed and has to attempt to rescue the remainder of Ender's army and Petra in particular who is one of Bean's few friends.

Apparently in the interim between Ender's Shadow and Shadow of the Hegemon Russia has broken Achilles out of the mental institution he was in and wants him to command their army. In the meantime Peter Wiggin (Ender's older brother) is still attempting to become a world power behind the scenes.

In the long run Peter does come to power and of course Bean is triumphant but there were some things that troubled me about this book.

In Ender's shadow Achilles starts out as a ruthless street urchin who can easily bully or coerce people into doing the things that he wants. He is able to kill without remorse and does so to anyone that has ever seen him weak. In Ender's Shadow Bean outsmarts him in spectacular fashion. But in this book all of a sudden Achilles is convincing world leaders to put aside centuries of grievances to his own political gain. I was just not convinced that the kid from Ender's Shadow who was a believable tormentor to Bean could suddenly be capable of convincing India and Pakistan to join forces or to make India sign a nonaggression treaty with China. He simply wasn't that smart or persuasive in the first book.

When Petra is captured she seems like she gives up too easily. She is smarter than Achilles but assumes she isn't which was really bothersome. I just kept waiting for her to come to her senses and kick his ass and escape. In the end she has to rely on Bean when I think she would be perfectly capable herself.

Finally, I know this is called Shadow of the Hegemon but Petere Wiggin who becomes the Hegemon is in it way too little. I think he would have had the resources to crush Achilles at anytime. It's implied that he does and he chooses to wait but I don't buy that he would. I hope that in the next book of this series they set up a better villain for both Bean and Peter, someone that would be a challenge for them to overcome, not someone that you feel like lucked into being in a position of power at all.(less)

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Feb 08, 2010

Noelle Blackmon rated it

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The war against the Buggers is won, and the child military geniuses have been home for a year. War is about to break out on Earth, and Achilles, the villain from Bean's past who somehow managed to easily escape from prison and take over the Russian empire while all of them were sitting at home waiting for something to happen to them, captures what remains of Ender's jeesh: all except for Bean, who he supposedly kills.
At that point the book was still good. I thought Bean would try to rescu...moreThe war against the Buggers is won, and the child military geniuses have been home for a year. War is about to break out on Earth, and Achilles, the villain from Bean's past who somehow managed to easily escape from prison and take over the Russian empire while all of them were sitting at home waiting for something to happen to them, captures what remains of Ender's jeesh: all except for Bean, who he supposedly kills.
At that point the book was still good. I thought Bean would try to rescue everyone, they would sabotage the military's plans from the inside, and so on and so forth. I thought there would be actual danger involved, actual interesting material for me as the reader.
I was wrong.
Within a chapter or so, all the conflict is resolved when Achilles lets most of Ender's jeesh go. All except one. Guess who...Petra! (I don't know why Orson Scott Card did that. Achilles captured the most valuable Battle School graduates there were, he could have used them to win the war and take over the world, and it would have given the novel a purpose and Bean a goal. Instead he...lets them all go. For no reason. And this is the guy in control of Russia?!)
I mean, it's just ridiculous. Orson Scott Card sacrificed most of the plot's believability--and my interest--just so he could set up a romance between Bean and Petra. Not only is that extremely creepy--he's, what, ten years old, and she's fourteen!--there's no spark between them. None. I, as the reader, just didn't care what happened in this book.
Also, this book was far too political. We wanted to read a book about how Bean, Petra, and the rest of Ender's Jeesh would cope with life on Earth after being war heroes, and living in Battle School for so long. The kidnapping thing was fine. But after that everything went stale. I really think that Card should have written a nonfictional political book expressing his own feelings on issues, instead of taking these beloved characters from Ender's Shadow and using them as mere vehicles to get his point across. He should have let another author write it, or he should have completely rewritten it before publishing it...something. I read the rest of the series too, and there was no improvement over this one. I think I'll stick to Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, thank you very much. (less)

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Jun 06, 2011

John Shaver rated it

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A very smart, engaging read--though without the mass appeal of its predecessor, Ender's Shadow, mainly due to Card's decision to drop virtually all the sci-fi aspects, as well as to cut down on the amount of action contained in the story. What you end up getting is a lot of political intrigue and strategizing...like one of those alternate history novels, but taking place in the future. This would be a very difficult novel to pull off, seeing as how most of the characters in the story are geniu...more

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Feb 27, 2011

Kyriakos Katsamakis rated it

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Kyriakos Katamakis
Period 6
English 3
3-1-10
Shadow of the Hegemon Review
This science fiction book is a sequel to Enders Shadow. In this book all of the battle school graduates return to earth except for Ender so countries won’t fight for his military genius. A little after they come back to earth all of Enders unit is kidnapped except for Bean, who is the main character, to be used as strategists for world...moreKyriakos Katamakis
Period 6
English 3
3-1-10
Shadow of the Hegemon Review
This science fiction book is a sequel to Enders Shadow. In this book all of the battle school graduates return to earth except for Ender so countries won’t fight for his military genius. A little after they come back to earth all of Enders unit is kidnapped except for Bean, who is the main character, to be used as strategists for world dominance by Achilles, who is the antagonist. The book is about Bean and his friend Sister Carlotta, who is a nun, trying to free all the kids taken by Achilles. The point of view is told from Beans perspective.
While imprisoned one of the kids, Petra, sends an encoded message to Bean that reveals that the Russians are helping Achilles. Bean then goes to Peter and asks him to write an article on Achilles under his pseudonym, Locke. When it is published it reveals Achilles for the crazy and ruthless killer he is and all the kids are released, except for Petra. Achilles takes her to India where he already has a position of power. But he is secretly working for China and convinces the Indian army to invaded Thailand with most of its forces leaving India wide open for a Chinese invasion. Bean goes to Thailand to stop the invasion by training 200 of their soldiers in special operations. While trying to stop the Indian invasion Bean meets an Indian girl named Virlomi, who became friends with Petra while she was being held captive, and tells Bean that Achilles is planning to betray India. Bean not only has to stop the Indian invasion, but also stop the Chinese betrayal, all while trying to save Petra.
There are many types of conflict in this book. The first is man vs. man. We see this with Bean and Achilles. They are each other’s worst enemies. Achilles tries to get Bean killed by trying to blow up his house and Bean is always getting in Achilles way by foiling his plans. We also see man vs. self. When Bean gets a message from Sister Carlotta that reveals that he was created in the lab and has to sacrifice most of his life for his genius he starts to constantly think about death and life and love and lost. The last conflict is man vs. society. We see this when Bean is trying to stop the Indian invasion of Thailand.
The theme of this book is clear and reoccurs in the previous books, and that is to not underestimate children just because of their age. We see that these children are some of the smartest in the world. Some of them are able to change the public view of things, like when Peter wrote the article reveling Achilles. They also come up with brilliant military tactics that make other countries want them on their side for upcoming wars.
Some reoccurring motifs in this book are about religion and life and death. Bean thinks about life and death when he gets the message from Sister Carlotta. Also when Sister Carlota dies from a Chinese SAM and also when Bean almost dies from his house blowing up. There is also the war that many have died from in an attempt for world dominance. Religion is brought in b Sister Carlota. On numerous occasions she talks to bean about god.
The writing style is easy to read but you have to look back and try to understand what it is actually being said. “It might not be gravity that holds us to earth,” said Sister Carlota, ‘but rather an unknown outside force with similar properties.”
This book is very fun to read and hard to put down. I recommend this book to anyone whole likes war type books, but also to read the two books before this one to fully understand it.
(less)

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Dec 30, 2010

Kate rated it

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Shelves: fiction, own

This actually deserves a 3.5 rather than a 4. Hello Goodreads! Give me half stars!

I'm tearing through this series at a rate of about one a day, which must mean something. I'm following the two storylines in parallel chronology (ish, as they move at different rates of speed), by which I mean that I've read Ender 1, Bean 1, Ender 2, and now Bean 2.

I like the Bean storyline because it deals with things that seem very real: the problems left behind on Earth after the globalizing...moreThis actually deserves a 3.5 rather than a 4. Hello Goodreads! Give me half stars!

I'm tearing through this series at a rate of about one a day, which must mean something. I'm following the two storylines in parallel chronology (ish, as they move at different rates of speed), by which I mean that I've read Ender 1, Bean 1, Ender 2, and now Bean 2.

I like the Bean storyline because it deals with things that seem very real: the problems left behind on Earth after the globalizing external foe has been defeated. The politics are interesting, and I've enjoyed Card's handiwork in taking the far-seeing concept he used in the mid-80s (communication via "the nets") and carefully sculpting it into the real internet in these books, written in the 2000s. Bean is an interesting character to follow in his development, becoming almost likable in this book.

In SotH, Card gives us not one but three strong female characters. His lack of interest in female characters in Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow bugged me, but I knew that it wasn't a matter of discrimination - they just didn't fit in the Battle School world. (Although why NOT...?) Here, Petra gets her turn as an (admittedly largely passive) hero, as does another female Battle School graduate - and the meddling nun, Sister Carlotta, plays a central role in both the action and the emotional landscape. Strike that - there were FOUR strong women in this book. Mrs. Wiggin pleasantly surprised me here, although I found that Peter's character in this book was unconvincing as a future leader of the world.

Ender's Game, and to a lesser extent Ender's Shadow, was a blockbuster space opera movie. Speaker for the Dead was more like Medicine Man: quieter, contemplative, nature-y, with sparks of plot-driving action and intrigue to give Sean Connery a chance to act dramatic. (Although Ender isn't Connery at all. I actually keep picturing Card himself when I try to imagine an adult Ender; I wonder how much that corresponds to his relationship with his creation.) Shadow of the Hegemon is neither of those things; it's never going to win an Oscar. It's more of a Nicolas Cage political action-thriller with zooming helicopters and tense phone calls and ridiculous feats of computing derring-do. It's a James Bond movie with cartoonishly wicked bad guys and the femme fatales who betray them through seduction.

Is it as good as the books that came before it? Not at all. Is it entertaining? Definitely. (less)

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Mar 17, 2011

Oomaf rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay, so after reading Ender's Shadow, I kind of knew that these books were going to take a different route. I defend Ender's Shadow, because despite people relegating it to a fairly low, pulpish level, there was character growth, and it added a lot more depth to the story of Ender. The intelligence of the children you could set aside, because you knew what was going to happen in the battles and it became a character study.

This book, I gave a three, because it was entertaining to rea...more

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Oct 26, 2008

Batmanintraining rated it

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Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

I read this in Fiji, it was one of the only books that looked interesting when I ran out of reading material. I didn't mind starting in the middle of the series, Orson gave enough background, but it was just bad.

The dialog was just terrible it was always two people judging how smart they were to each other, VERY TIRING. Super boring read, but I had burnt through the 4 other books I had brought with me, so I didn't have much choice.

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Jun 02, 2011

Kat rated it

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Shelves: sci-fi

Partly the lower rating is because a novelized game of Risk isn't really my thing, and also because the writing in this installment of the Ender/Shadow series felt a bit sloppier written than Card's usual. There was a lot of repetition of information, sloppy exposition and the like, which could have been done more gracefully. Also, it seemed (having read Ender's Shadow just before this book) that Card decided to make some tweaks to his characterization of Bean and Petra, which were not necessa...more

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Feb 19, 2011

Rollie rated it

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Shelves: favorites, perfectly-rated-books

God! I‘d been having an Orson Scott Card’s books marathon these last few weeks. So far, since there is nothing left of his books in my hand that I haven’t read yet, I’ll have to take a pause reading his books and resume till I find his other books then—especially the sequels of this book.

After checking the rating details of this book on Goodreads, I found out that I belong to those people who are twenty-two percent addicted at this. Unfortunately, since before reading a book, I always...more

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Mar 21, 2009

Ami rated it

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Now back on earth, Ender's "jeesh" from the war against the buggers tries to adjust to life as children, rather than war heroes.
A year after they return to earth, each of them is kidnapped one by one; except Bean, who is the target of murder.
Achilles is behind the kidnapping and eventually lets them all go (thanks to Bean and Peter Wiggen), except Petra. Achilles tries to use Petra is his quest for world domination. Bean has the task of saving Petra and humanity at the sam...more

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Jul 24, 2008

Greg rated it

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Shelves: little-city-book-sale-2008

I got through three books of the original Ender Wiggin series before the returns really began diminishing. Ender's Shadow, a reboot of the series from the POV of a supporting character of the original book, intrigued me, and I found it about as engaging as the original Ender's Game. Here, Card's geopolitics just aren't doing it for me, and I'm not all that interested in the foreshadowed romance between Bean and Petra.

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Jul 07, 2011

Sean Pagaduan rated it

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Recommends it for: scifi buffs, people who don't read too much but want to go through a decent book

Compared to other scifi/fantasy books, Orson Scott Card's Ender series is pretty good. I've read three of the four on the Ender series (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide), and two from the Shadow series (Ender's Shadow and this one). Shadow of the Hegemon doesn't totally ruin the series like Xenocide did, and the characters all seem true to themselves and are developed decently. Besides that, the book is marred with the usual flaws: unrealistic intelligence for young teenagers, writin...moreCompared to other scifi/fantasy books, Orson Scott Card's Ender series is pretty good. I've read three of the four on the Ender series (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide), and two from the Shadow series (Ender's Shadow and this one). Shadow of the Hegemon doesn't totally ruin the series like Xenocide did, and the characters all seem true to themselves and are developed decently. Besides that, the book is marred with the usual flaws: unrealistic intelligence for young teenagers, writing that gets melodramatic at times. The book thankfully doesn't have the ridiculously long start-up time that Speaker for the Dead had, and it doesn't have the even more ridiculously tedious history of Xenocide.

Remember that throughout this story, Bean, Petra, Achilles, and Suriyawong are all supposed to be like, 14 or 15. Peter Wiggin is supposed to be 20. And throughout the story, they're taking over the world, outsmarting the highest officials, turning countries against one another for personal gain, etc. They're all supposed to be tactical geniuses who can almost perfectly predict their adversaries' and their friends' movements. The problems are obviously (1) that their ability to manipulate governments is just ridiculously unrealistic; and (2) their ability to understand each other on a quite frankly almost supernatural/telepathetic level is totally unrealistic.

It's unrealistic on a bad writing level. Everyone seems to have the same vocabulary ("matériel" is a surprisingly common word hundreds of years from now, I guess), the same sense of humor, the same pace of talking, etc. It's a problem that's characteristic of the rest of the series, but it's still a problem.

Orson Scott Card's also a huge fan of doing really dramatic paragraphs.

Like this.

These are just technical flaws, though. The story's character development is decent; the plot is decent; the themes developed are ok. It's a good book by scifi standards, but there isn't too much scifi going on, and there isn't really anything groundbreaking here.(less)

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Dec 23, 2009

Sabrina Kowal rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 11, 2011

Joy rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 26, 2010

Flannery rated it

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Shelves: swords-and-lasers, audiobooks, kcls, read-in-2010, series-enderverse, i-want-to-go-to-there, ya-space-quest-o-mine

Honestly, if I hadn't read the third book in this series out of order and enjoyed it, I don't know that I would've continued the Shadow series. There were just so many things about this audiobook (and book) that annoyed me. Now, I know that a lot of OSC's religious views (and misogyny) come out in his books but this is the first one that has really annoyed me. A lot of his characters always "seem to know what is best" and it is frustrating to listen to. In addition, this particular aud...more

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Feb 09, 2009

Mckay chandler rated it

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this book is pretty cool. being the sequel to the greatest orson scott card book of all time: ender's shadow, which is the completion to ender's game which is the 2nd best book i've ever read. it is about a genetically altered human boy genius named bean who's house explodes while he is on a vacation in his homeland of greece. When they come back to their vacation home, they find it demolished and begin looking for a suspect which is, of course, bean's arch nemisis achilles. There are a couple p...more

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Sep 21, 2007

Emile Janse rated it

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Recommends it for: sci fi

one of my favorite books. this book is about what happens after Ender and the genii (plural of genius, yes I'm a nerd) have defeated the buggers and are coming back to earth. They are all kidnapped to lead wars against the other nations and the story brings back an interesting bad guy.

highly recommended book. Time for WW3

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Shadow of the Hegemon (Shadow #2)

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