Ender's Shadow
Front cover
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| Author | Orson Scott Card |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ender's Game series |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
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Publication date
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September 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 379 (Hardcover) 480 (Paperback) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 41565235 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3553.A655 E58 1999 |
| Followed by | Shadow of the Hegemon |
Ender's Shadow (1999) is a parallel science fiction novel by the American author Orson Scott Card, taking place at the same time as the novel Ender's Game and depicting some of the same events from the point of view of Bean, a supporting character in the original novel. It was originally to be titled Urchin, but it was retitled Ender's Shadow prior to release.Ender's Shadow was shortlisted for a Locus Award in 2000.
Bean, the main character, is a homeless child living in the hellish streets of Rotterdam in roughly 2170 after escaping as an infant from an illegal genetic engineering laboratory. Highly intelligent and extremely young, Bean is mainly concerned with his need for food. He joins a large gang of children led by a girl named Poke and sets up a system in which they can all receive nourishment at a local soup kitchen. Specifically, the group gets a bully, Achilles (pronounced 'Ah-Sheel' [French Pronunciation]), to be their protector. However, Achilles is increasingly ruthless, protective, and methodical.
Luckily for Bean, his incredible mind, creativity and determination bring him to the attention of Sister Carlotta, a nun who is recruiting children to fight a war against the Buggers. At the training facility, Battle School, Bean's intelligence becomes apparent. Not only is he smarter than average, he is smarter than any other child at Battle School, including Ender Wiggin. Despite Bean's intelligence, Ender has been chosen to save humanity from the Buggers. Bean begins to uncover secrets and truths about the school and struggles to understand what quality Ender has that he does not, until he is assigned to draw up a "hypothetical" roster for Ender's army and adds himself to the list. At first, Ender does not appear to recognize Bean's brilliance, but time shows that he was grooming Bean as his tactical support, putting him at the head of an unorthodox platoon challenged to outthink the teachers who designed the game and defeat their attempts to tip the balance of advantages towards Ender's rivals.
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