Ender's Shadow (Shadow, #1) (Ender Saga)

by Orson Scott Card

[empressbrooke]

This book is a testament to Card's talent and skill. Since it runs parallel [b: Ender's Game|375802|Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1)|Orson Scott Card|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408303130l/375802._SY75_.jpg|2422333] and even shares some of its scenes, it ran the risk of being redundant. However, not only does seeing Game from Bean's eyes bring an entirely new meaning to Ender's story, but it builds Bean's background and fills in the time at the Battle School after Ender's departure.

One thing that impressed me was Card's handling of the Fantasy Game. In Game, a good portion of the book was spent on Ender playing it and the adults analyzing what his choices meant. Rather than rehashing it in Shadow, Card chooses to have Bean refuse to play it and shows us what the adults make of that refusal. I thought it was a particularly brilliant choice that kept the book fresh.

Bean's view of what Ender thinks of him is especially surprising after reading Game. I never got the sense in Game that Ender shares these views, so it was interesting to see the differences in their thoughts.

After spending some time with the rest of the Ender books, I'm especially eager now to go back and read Bean's series to see what sort of person he becomes after Battle School. Even though the title suggests he is only a shadow of Ender, Bean is even more fleshed out than Ender was.