I really liked Shadow of the Hegemon, so I couldn't wait to continue the story of Bean and Petra in this book. This book doesn't contain as much action, and the story wasn't as compelling, but it does advance the story and fills in more blanks.

You can tell that Card is a political and military history buff, and he spends too much time explaining the war between China, India, Thailand, and other nations. At points, this seems to distract from the characters' stories.

In the first 2 books of this series, Bean was a cold, emotionless character. In this book, Petra helps him find purpose in his life. Bean and Petra continue their efforts against Achilles, and they're again aided by Peter, the Hegemon. Although Ender is barely mentioned in this book, his parents, John Paul and Theresa Wiggin, play a large role alongside Peter. I liked the witty conversations between the parents, and the way they interacted with their much younger but higher ranking son, Peter.

Other familiar characters in this book include Anton, Alai, Graff, and Suriyawong. Virlomi appears in a boring and unnecessary side story, in which she starts a grassroots campaign against the Chinese occupants of Indian villages.

Recommended for readers interested in following Bean, Petra, and Peter's continuing adventure on the post-Ender's Game Earth.