Ender's Shadow

At Battle School, Bean quickly realizes that the teachers are watching one student above all: Andrew Wiggin, called Ender. Instead of competing with him, Bean studies him, the school and the adults who run it, uncovering secrets about the war and about himself. As Ender's army is formed and the stakes rise, Bean becomes the quiet strategist behind some of the most important moments in the original story.

Card pulls off a difficult trick: revisiting a famous novel without simply repeating it. Familiar scenes take on new meanings when seen through Bean's eyes, and the book adds layers of political and ethical complexity to the world of Ender's Game. Bean himself, cold and calculating at first but gradually capable of loyalty and love, is a fascinating hero, and his early life on the streets is gripping.

Some scenes of violence among street children are harsh, and readers unfamiliar with Ender's Game should read that book first. It has a slower opening than its predecessor, but rewards patience. Some readers even end up preferring it to the original. About 469 pages in the Tor mass-market paperback.