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Seth's Reviews > Ender's Shadow
Ender's Shadow (The Shadow Series, #1)
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This is the simplified version of Ender's Game for the kiddie set that can't handle rich characters with moral ambiguity, moral introspection, and character growth.
Card does great work teaching people how to re-imagine stories from different viewpoints and with different motivations in his workshops. It's a shame that he didn't demonstrate it here.
Instead, we get Bean (a great character in the original story) as a classic Mary Sue, a wish-fulfillment character with all of Ender's skill but none of his angst or growth around it. Even the adults who spend the first book walking a delicate line trying to save Ender from their own work fall down at Bean's feet and beg him to save them from their own inadequacies.
The one limitation he has, and I'm not kidding, from his genetically engineered childhood where he was found in a toilet tank, is that he is so smart, so physically developed, and so gosh-darn what the 6 year old reader wants to grow up to be that he's going to die young. Except, of course, you know he's not. Because Mary Sues do die young, but he obviously won't.
We have more sequels to milk, after all, and not enough uberkinder to go around.
Skip this. Do your local child a favor and don't let them read it. If they want to read pablum, let them read fun pablum, at least. This book should come with insulin.
Card does great work teaching people how to re-imagine stories from different viewpoints and with different motivations in his workshops. It's a shame that he didn't demonstrate it here.
Instead, we get Bean (a great character in the original story) as a classic Mary Sue, a wish-fulfillment character with all of Ender's skill but none of his angst or growth around it. Even the adults who spend the first book walking a delicate line trying to save Ender from their own work fall down at Bean's feet and beg him to save them from their own inadequacies.
The one limitation he has, and I'm not kidding, from his genetically engineered childhood where he was found in a toilet tank, is that he is so smart, so physically developed, and so gosh-darn what the 6 year old reader wants to grow up to be that he's going to die young. Except, of course, you know he's not. Because Mary Sues do die young, but he obviously won't.
We have more sequels to milk, after all, and not enough uberkinder to go around.
Skip this. Do your local child a favor and don't let them read it. If they want to read pablum, let them read fun pablum, at least. This book should come with insulin.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
August 30, 2007
– Shelved
December 4, 2007
– Shelved as:
crap
December 4, 2007
– Shelved as:
young-adult
September 9, 2010
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
September 9, 2010
– Shelved as:
sf-f-h
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Samuel
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rated it 4 stars
Apr 19, 2010 09:53PM
Have to disagree with this entirely. Oh, and spoiler: in the later books, he does die young. It's a riveting, though slightly unbelievable story. Well worth your time, if you liked Ender's Game at all.
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I disagree completley also. The fact that Bean's character is so great is only due to the fact that Ender is such a great charater. Telling Bean's story just shows that Ender isn't the smartest kid ever as Orson Scott Card led you to believe in Ender's Game.Also: The idea of Bean dying young is a good way to create a form of limitation for a seemingly unlimited character; but you also have to look at the religious significance as the novel points out.
You can't look at this book as the same story from another perspective, you have to look at it as a different story with an already created character. Bean's story should be highly involved with Ender's story, but not the same.
How is the kid who can't form real connections with anyone a Mary Sue? Bean is limited and gets things wrong throughout the book despite his intelligence (like the ansible; the floor plan of battle school. etc.). He's not charismatic or well-liked like Ender and he's torn up over his 'failure' to save Poke. And what do you mean he's not going to die young? He's about seven years old when the book ends, so why even bother making such an inference? Again, Bean's limitations are his love-starved beginnings and his inability to empathize properly with others. Sister Carlotta and Nikolai are about the only people that can stand him... despite himself.
/rant
Oh wow. You have no idea what you're saying.
McKinzey wrote: "I disagree completley also. The fact that Bean's character is so great is only due to the fact that Ender is such a great charater. Telling Bean's story just shows that Ender isn't the smartest kid..."Ender was never the smartest. He was just the best. He made them love him.
Wow is all I have to say. I would hope that anyone curious about whether to read this book would disregard this review, just read the book, and draw their own conclusion because I am quite confident that it will be different from this person.
Couldn't disagree more - this was actually my favorite of the series!
I too, disagree. The entire book Bean is an offset, socially awkward character who cloisters himself in his own mind. It isn't until nearly the end of the wars that you start to feel empathy toward Bean and all he does.
First: I agree with all of you!9th: I'm really embarrassed I read that whole review.
Word for excruciating word.
Lol deliberately inflammatory?
James wrote: "Lol deliberately inflammatory?"Not intending to be inflammatory at all, actually. Just felt really, really let down by the book. A lot of people adore it (and some of them get pretty angry when someone disagrees with them), but I don't want to provoke anyone.
I generally enjoy most books I finish and try to find good points in any book. Sadly, this is one of a small number I couldn't. It's far from the worst, however.
The only things from this book that are simplifications of Ender's Game are the parts that are also in Ender's Game, and are thus not as important, because most people read that book first. If anything This book is more complicated than Ender's Game. It switches view points and settings frequently without much warning. Bean's thoughts are also slightly more difficult to follow than Ender's
Bean is also far from being "so physically developed." As I remember he scored very low on his physical tests (page 90), and he was very very small (pages 14, 59, 89 ...).
One thing that even if you hated the book you should have gotten out of it is that you should never make an assumption on incomplete data. What makes you think that one of the saddest facts in this book and the rest of the Shadow Series is completely false.
(view spoiler)
The absolute last thing that Bean is, is a Mary Sur character. He is a similar character to Ender but with a much more interesting perspective about how things function and his his analysis of everything is what makes him interesting. I don't think this was at all watered down - it was almost more complex at some points. It made me reimagine all of the characters I've come to know through Ender's prospective.
The absolute last thing that Bean is, is a Mary Sur character. He is a similar character to Ender but with a much more interesting perspective about how things function and his his analysis of everything is what makes him interesting. I don't think this was at all watered down - it was almost more complex at some points. It made me reimagine all of the characters I've come to know through Ender's prospective.
Agree. A character with superpowers to fix everything. Too perfect, to smart, staff and students are just in awe of Bean. I sincerely wanted to like this book. What I ended up seeing was OSC just trying to milk the Ender universe with a lazily written over-powerful character with zero faults because he wanted to move on to the next books. Thanks for expressing an unpopular opinion. I believe you are spot-on.
This is the exact opposite of the book! Anyone reading this review, do not let this be the reason to not read this book. Bean is not at all a Mary Sue character. His character development is noticeable, but at the perfect rate (not abrupt). He is nowhere near perfect, but in a fascinating and relatable way. He gives a whole new perspective on what we’ve come to know about Battle School.
I respect your opinion however I strongly disagree. This book is not a kiddie version/retelling of Enders Game considering that Bean does not meet Ender until half (give or take) the book is finished. In my opinion this book is more enjoyable than Enders Game. I love this book and strongly recommend it to fans of Enders Game.
