The twenty-third book I read since May 2008 is:
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
***** Note: Spoiler Alert!! *****
I think Card learned a lot in the 14 years between the original publication of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. I read Ender's Game earlier this year, and I thought it was interesting but flawed, with little explanation of why Ender was the chosen one and a sudden ending that caught the reader completely by surprise.
This novel encompasses the same time period as the earlier one, but is told from the perspective of a different character, a friend of Ender's (and comrade in arms) named Bean. And this time there are no real questions as to where Bean came from, we are given nearly a complete history and see him grow from a street kid to a key player in the war to save Earth. And given Bean's agile mind and ability to get information he shouldn't have, the reader also knows some of the behind-the-scenes discussions and the ending that was too sudden in the first book is less jarring this time.
In other words, having Bean as your narrator helps because he figures out enough to keep you in the loop but there is even more tension because you understand the stakes this time.
I also found the writing flowed better and the story came through the action and less from long monologues or talky conversations. Some of it came from the latter, but those sections worked because you could see Bean out-thinking the other person and sifting through the words for new nuggets of information.
I had my doubts about reading this so soon after the first book, but I'm glad I did. It nearly cracked my Top 5 list (at right), though I didn't like it quite as much as Oscar Wao.
Worth the read, perhaps even best read before you read Ender's Game.
- Scott
13 years ago
