Ender's Shadow
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| Author | Orson Scott Card |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ender's Game/Shadow |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Released | October 1, 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover/Paperback) |
| Pages | 384 (Hardcover) 480 (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-312-86860-X (Hardcover) ISBN 0-8125-7571-7 (Paperback) |
| Preceded by | Ender's Game (Parallel novel)/Children of the Mind (Published) |
| Followed by | Shadow of the Hegemon (Chronologically/Published) |
Ender's Shadow is a 1999 parallel novel by Orson Scott Card with a plot covering the events in Ender's Game from the point of view of a supporting character named Bean. This book was originally titled "Urchin", prior to release.
[edit] Plot summary
Bean, the main character in the book, is an orphan living in the hellish streets of a future (roughly 2170 A.D.) Rotterdam, after escaping as a toddler from an illegal genetic engineering laboratory. There, the scientist Volescu turned Anton's Key, which means Bean's body will never stop growing - including his brain - until a premature death around the age of twenty. His incredible mind, creativity, and determination bring him to the attention of Sister Carlotta, a nun recruiting children to fight a war against the Buggers. Being hyper-intelligent but extremely small, Bean's experiences in Rotterdam are all based on his need of food, including joining a small gang of children and setting up a system in which they can all receive nourishment at a local soup kitchen, bringing attention to himself. At the training facility, Battle School, Bean meets Ender Wiggin, upon whom the fate of the world has been rested. From hacking through the system's computers, to helping Ender learn how to lead, Bean becomes Ender's ally.
He also makes friends with an older boy named Nikolai Delphiki who is drawn to Bean because of their similar looks. It is soon discovered, through Sister Carlotta's research, that the two boys are actually genetic twins, except for Bean's genetic enhancements. Sister Carlotta manages to ensure that Bean will get to live with Nikolai and his parents after the war.
This story takes the reader through Bean's experiences in Battle School and shows how Bean, though seemingly peripheral in Ender's Game, is much more important to the fate of Earth than he originally seems. In addition, the book depicts the first of Bean's encounters with Achilles, a prominent antagonist in following books about Bean. At the very end of the story, Ender leaves on a colonization ship and never returns. Bean, however, finally meets his loving parents, and prepares to take his place on the stage of global politics.
Ender's Shadow is the first of a series that includes Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and Shadow of the Giant.
[edit] External links
| Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series | |
|---|---|
| Ender Quartet | Ender's Game | Speaker for the Dead | Xenocide | Children of the Mind |
| Bean Quartet | Ender's Shadow | Shadow of the Hegemon | Shadow Puppets | Shadow of the Giant |
| Additional books | Shadows in Flight | Ender in Exile: Ganges (working title) |
| Short stories | First Meetings: "The Polish Boy" | "Teacher's Pest" | "Investment Counselor"
Intergalactic Medicine Show: "Mazer in Prison" | "Pretty Boy" | "Cheater" |
| Books | Characters | Concepts | |
