Shadow of the Hegemon (Shadow, #2)

May 07, 2011 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 end of the Formic (aka Bugger...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)

31 likes · like · see review

Nov 15, 2011 Seak (Bryce L.) rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 dead horse.

I...more 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 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)

14 likes · like · see review

Feb 19, 2011 Rollie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff

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 refer the...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2012 Leonid rated it 1 of 5 stars

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

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2008 Missy Frederick rated it 4 of 5 stars 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

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 22, 2009 Nicholas Karpuk rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 seems to roll these days.

This book scra...more 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 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)

9 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2008 Eric rated it 2 of 5 stars

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

4 likes · like · see review

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

like · see review

May 17, 2013 Seth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Orson Scott Card has a natural talent for stretching a novella into a novel. Pages and pages of dialogue simply regurgitate things we already know. Ideas and themes are thoroughly beat into your brain by sheer repitition. I find myself skipping entires pages without consequence because there is no content there. Between the fluff, however, is an engaging story. The consequences of sending all the student of Battle School back to Earth is fascinating and Card capitalizes on this. Poltiics and mil...more

like · see review

May 03, 2013 Sietze Dijkstra rated it 2 of 5 stars

Had mixed feelings about this particular installment. While the storytelling and pacing are certainly up to scratch, and Achilles is a wonderful, unpredictable villain, there's some glaring issues I would like to address.

First and foremost, the gigantic anachronisms. Massed infantry assaults and even air dominance campaigns were a thing of the past about 20-30 years ago. How are we to believe that this type of warfare is feasible in a 23rd Century, where you have ansible communications and gian...more Had mixed feelings about this particular installment. While the storytelling and pacing are certainly up to scratch, and Achilles is a wonderful, unpredictable villain, there's some glaring issues I would like to address.

First and foremost, the gigantic anachronisms. Massed infantry assaults and even air dominance campaigns were a thing of the past about 20-30 years ago. How are we to believe that this type of warfare is feasible in a 23rd Century, where you have ansible communications and giant space fleets, even if the Earth had been completely stripped of its resources for the Formic Wars?

But even if we are to take this huge leap of faith, and expect technology that is current or even outdated right now to be what we have then, the more serious error seems to be in the field of strategy. No one who isn't a complete hack would commit all his country's resources to an all-out assault on a weaker neighbor, with a much stronger power of uncertain allegiance massed near his borders. Not even Hitler did that, or at least not until he was forced into a war of atrition.

Then, as other remarked, there is the simplicity of geopolitics. An author who calls himself a lifelong student of history will have a hard time convincing me that this extends beyond what questions you might get at TV game shows, if he assumes so easily the formation of "power blocs" the Enderverse seems rife with in the 23rd Century. Especially the ludicrous notion of the Muslim world banding together and joining forces with the "Free World". The Muslim world never banded together in all of its history, ever, except maybe in shallow rhetoric towards Israel. China will even then have trouble controlling even its own citizens. Eastern Europe will never rejoin a Warsaw Pact unless they've been ruined by another World War, even though countries like Belarus might.

But most importantly, I am missing the Titos, the Maos, the De Gaulles, the Walesas of this world, the imperfections which makes the whole premise of a "power bloc" a simplistic and crude way of describing geopolitics, even in some near future. Add to that the apparent free flow of information, which did not exist on either side of the Cold War, and the whole house of cards becomes fragile indeed.

I hope the sequels, which I am going to try, make up for this apparent lapse in an otherwise strong and engrossing series. (less)

like · see review

Apr 21, 2013 Moriah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, favorites

I loved this book. I proudly proclaim that I stayed up until 7am to finish it. I found myself laughing out loud an inordinate amount of times, like the way my sister does before I tell her she is annoying. I didn't laugh at funny things said although "I also knocked you onto the floor, beat the goffno out of you, kicked you in your little kintamas, and made you think you liked it. Kill me tomorrow or whenever you want --my shoe going into your face, you can't take that away from me." -Petra Arka...more

like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Goodthelife rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. An enjoyable read, but by the end seemed to be drawn out. Fans of war, politics, and diplomacy may enjoy this book more than I did. It’s less action, more a game of “Risk”.

From Amazon.com:
Orson Scott Card finally explores what happened on earth after the war with the Buggers in the sixth book of his Ender series, Shadow of the Hegemon. This novel is the continuation of the story of Bean, which began with Ender's Shadow, a parallel novel to Card's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender's Game.
Whil...more

like · see review

Feb 08, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

back in '97 or thereabouts a friend mentioned that Orson Scott Card had followed Ender's Game with two sequels. I was vaguely aware of this fact. the friend said, "together many the two books, or was it three?, are worth the original Ender's Game." before reading any of the sequels, my response was only "i don't know if quantity makes up for quality." to some degree this is still the case. given the choice between saving "Ender's Game" or all of the sequels out of a burning museum (burning museu...more

like · see review

Jan 17, 2013 Long Le rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read the entire book series over the course of a month, so I find it kind of hard to remember where one book ends and which one begins. I've always been eager to hear the end of the story. What lies ahead for our beloved characters? I needed to know, and so partly because I had nothing else to do, and partly because I was eager for true closure I read on.

Peter seems so much more human than the books before led him on to be. He doesn't seem like any type of monster at all to be quite honest. Th...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2013 Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow and I picked up Shadow of the Hegemon hoping that Orson Scott Card would continue his pattern of brilliance and wit. And he did!

So many things in this book made me just fangirl: descriptions of the thought processes of various characters, the banter between extremely intelligent characters, interactions between world powers, children in positions of great power and their ability to understand the world and people and manipulate them fantastically -- I was...more

like · see review

Nov 07, 2012 Smcleish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally published on my blog here in April 2001.

Following on from Ender's Shadow, this novel is the story of what happened to the Battle School graduates of Ender's Game after their return to Earth. Since it covers new ground rather than paralleling Speaker for the Dead, it is a much more involving novel than Ender's Shadow.

It puts the antagonism between Ender's lieutenant Bean and serial killer Achilles against the background of political and eventually military manoeuvring as the unity of f...more

like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 Joe rated it 1 of 5 stars

This sci-fi novel tells part of the story that was started in the novel "Ender's Game". Specifically, the part of the story that this novel tells is the boring part.

The original "Ender's Game" was a metaphorical warning against militarism and homophobia. It's an interesting book. If you're thinking of reading Shadow of the Hegemon and haven't read Ender's Game, you should definitely read Ender's Game first. And then skip Shadow entirely.

The main character of this book isn't actually in the novel...more

like · see review

Aug 10, 2012 Eric Herboso rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: soft-science-fiction

Bean's portion of the Ender Saga continues with a complex political struggle for power between countries of the future. While the book has its flaws, it nevertheless remains a fun read throughout, especially for anyone with existing knowledge of the cultural histories of the nations involved in the story.

However, in order to make it far more clear to the reader that battle school grads are extraordinarily intelligent, Card had to write almost all adults in charge as being stupid in comparison. F...more

like · see review

May 28, 2012 Jenny GB rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although this really isn't my area of expertise I really enjoyed reading all the political and military maneuvering in this novel. This is a great follow up to Ender's Shadow and fills in events that we only dimly heard about in Ender's novels. The novel begins with Russia kidnapping many of the battle school children under the direction of, who else, Achilles. The rivalry between Bean and Achilles drives the novel with Achilles attempting to gain more and more political influence by befriending...more

like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 John Strohm rated it 2 of 5 stars

Listened to the audiobook. 2 stars for the book, one for the audio production.

First, the audio production: After the excellent production of Ender's Shadow, this book returns with the same actors, but gets everything wrong. The volume is too soft. Many of the actors mispronounce "hegemon" and in some places this is crudely dubbed over by a different actor! Achilles' name is pronounced inconsistently throughout. The music is terrible and too long. Overall, it sounds like a high school project and...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Maureen E rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 enjoyed the book and it pulled me...more

like · see review

Jun 15, 2011 Critical Mind rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 Bean and the...more 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 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)

like · see review

Dec 29, 2010 Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

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" who helped him defe...more

like · see review

Sep 25, 2010 Duffy Pratt rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 couple of weeks. He got kicked out and sen...more 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 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)

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2010 Chad Warner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 military supremacy,...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 11, 2010 Lionel rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 with the first boo...more 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 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)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 18, 2010 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 really happen...more 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 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)

like · see review

Oct 01, 2012 Serina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Serina by: Katie

Shelves: high-school

I like it so much that I put off all necessary school work until 9:30. Yay.

Again, many thought-provoking themes throughout the books to contemplate on. (Satyagraha! Learned that in yoga!)

Bean's character development is very profound, which can be shown especially in his final decision about Achilles. I also see Petra in a very different light; she, too, has her soft sides. Hooray for Virlomi to have done the right thing valiantly. There are so many beloved characters in this book that I cannot n...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 06, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 geniuse...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2011 Kyriakos Katsamakis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 dominance by Achilles, who is the antagonist. The book is about Bean and his friend Sist...more 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 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)

like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Class of 2014: Shadow of the Hegemon	1	3	Mar 27, 2013 08:47pm
Is it just me...	2	46	Nov 27, 2012 10:43am

title link	preview: Shadow of the Hegemon
avg rating	preview: Shadow of the Hegemon Goodreads rating: 3.86 (31679 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9534.Shadow_of_the_Hegemon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316130837l/9534.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9534.Shadow_of_the_Hegemon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card[/url]

Shadow of the Hegemon (Shadow Saga #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (26)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Orson Scott Card

Books by Orson Scott Card

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Shadow of the Heg...

Quotes from Shadow of the Hegemon