Shadow Puppets
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

The third novel in Card's re-presentation of the saga of Ender Wiggins from the vantage of Ender's strategist Bean opens with the hegemon of Earth, Ender's brother Peter, having the psychopath Achilles rescued from his Chinese captors, and Bean and Petra going into hiding. The plot threads are complex: the Chinese still rule Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, and India, where a grassroots movement works against them. Peter and his parents must flee the hegemony compound when they discover that Achilles, despite efforts to monitor him, is making progress in supplanting Peter as hegemon. Bean and Petra arrange parenthood through in vitro fertilization, which they hope will prevent transferring to the children the genetic alterations that made Bean a genius and that will kill him. Achilles steals some of the embryos, however, and Bean determines to rescue them and kill Achilles. A far-flung, pan-Islamic shadow government, of which the Chinese and Achilles are unaware, springs Bean and Petra from hiding, enlisting their assistance in preparing war against the Chinese. Angst haunts the proceedings, what with Peter sinking into depression after Achilles outsmarts him and Bean's more wrenching agony over whether he is human. Once again, Card keeps the action, danger, and intrigue levels high; maintains consistency of characterization from Ender's Shadow (1999) and Shadow of the Hegemon (2000); paves the way for further Ender-Bean developments; and leaves his readers eagerly awaiting them. --Sally Estes

Fans of Cards bestselling Ender series will be delighted with this tale of teen empowerment (following 2001s Shadow of the Hegemon), as the Battle School brats cope with life after the war with the Formics. Peter Wiggins, now leader of the worldwide Earth government, the Hegemon, makes a tactical error when he authorizes the rescue of his archenemy, Achilles, from the Chinese, only to discover Achilles, dangerously insane, is a Trojan Horse. Peter, along with his parents, must flee the planet temporarily, only to discover plots within plots at the site of the now dismantled Battle School. Meanwhile, Bean, accompanied by his wife, Petra, comes to terms with his body: he wont stop growing, and hes doomed to a short life. He and Petra seek out the man who manipulated his genes in order to have him create children without the same problem, only to have the embryos stolen. Bean and Petra race against time to try to rescue their unborn children while keeping Peter apprised of world events. Into this mix, Card tosses in a war, Chinese expansionism, unrest in India and a dangerously unfettered Achilles. The political becomes the personal in a final showdown between Bean and Achilles. These teens play for keeps: the world is their stage, with Battle School grads in key positions of power in China, the Muslim world and India, all ready to work together to create world peace. Card discusses important topics here"the nature of the parent-child relationship; the roles of love and service"that are implicitly part of coming of age. (On-sale Aug. 19) Forecast: A $300,000 national marketing campaign, including advertising on the Sci-Fi Channel and print advertising targeted to college and military publications, should ensure a run on bestseller lists. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In the aftermath of the war against the alien insectoid Formics, the people of Earth experienced a period of unity under the benevolent rulership of the Hegemon Peter Wiggin, brother of war hero Ender Wiggin. As the fragile political peace erodes and internal wars threaten to erupt, the child-warriors of the Battle School now young adults skilled in the arts of leadership and politics struggle to bring about a new kind of peace despite the efforts of traitors in their midst. The sequel to Ender's Shadow and Shadow of the Hegemon continues Card's visionary future history with a story of men and women thrust too early into positions of power. The author's thoughtful storytelling and compassionately moral characters make this a good addition to most sf collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Card's child-warrior saga (Shadow of the Hegemon, 2001, etc.) goes on . . . and on. The brilliant child-warrior Bean has helped the equally youthful essayist-advisor Peter Wiggin become Hegemon, but it's a title with little power, carrying influence only within enfeebled America and Europe, and the struggle to direct the soul of the world continues. Their adversary, the megalomaniac Achilles, having befriended and betrayed Russia and India in turn, has guided the Chinese to conquer India and Indochina. Now Bean and Peter receive word that the Chinese have lost patience with their psychotic ally and have arrested him. Peter, believing that he can both dominate their foe and learn from him, arranges to capture Achilles-and soon Achilles is pretty much running the Hegemony. Bean, withdrawing from Peter's side, agrees to start a family with his Battle School graduate companion, Petra, stipulating that none of the offspring carry Anton's Key in their genes: the twist that both makes him a genius and dooms him to an early death. Knowing that Achilles will attempt to kill them both, and steal their embryos, Bean seeks refuge with a powerful, friendly Muslim, while Peter's parents endeavor to persuade the stubborn, willful Hegemon that his position is precarious. The usual welter of plotting, maneuvers, repartee, and philosophy. Unfortunately, much of it has the feel of a primer on how to grow up-and Card is much less endearing when he's writing for children rather than about them. $300,000 ad/promo

The third novel in Card's re-presentation of the saga of Ender Wiggins from the vantage of Ender's strategist Bean opens with the hegemon of Earth, Ender's brother Peter, having the psychopath Achilles rescued from his Chinese captors, and Bean and Petra going into hiding. The plot threads are complex: the Chinese still rule Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, and India, where a grassroots movement works against them. Peter and his parents must flee the hegemony compound when they discover that Achilles, despite efforts to monitor him, is making progress in supplanting Peter as hegemon. Bean and Petra arrange parenthood through in vitro fertilization, which they hope will prevent transferring to the children the genetic alterations that made Bean a genius and that will kill him. Achilles steals some of the embryos, however, and Bean determines to rescue them and kill Achilles. A far-flung, pan-Islamic shadow government, of which the Chinese and Achilles are unaware, springs Bean and Petra from hiding, enlisting their assistance in preparing war against the Chinese. Angst haunts the proceedings, what with Peter sinking into depression after Achilles outsmarts him and Bean's more wrenching agony over whether he is human. Once again, Card keeps the action, danger, and intrigue levels high; maintains consistency of characterization from Ender's Shadow (1999) and Shadow of the Hegemon (2000); paves the way for further Ender-Bean developments; and leaves his readers eagerly awaiting them. ((Reviewed July 2002)) Copyright 2002 Booklist Reviews

Set in Battle School when Ender is still young and in training, this novelette featuring Card's most famous character is a telling parable expressing the need for faith, traditions, and caring about your family. At the school, not only is religious observance banned but so is the expression of national cultures, for learning how to battle the buggers is paramount, precluding any differences among the boys. After one homesick boy leaves a Sinterklass Day gift in a friend's shoe, rebellion spreads, and gifts from Santa Claus quickly appear all over the school. Though the school staff thinks it's all a fad that will disappear, the ante is upped when Muslims begin to pray during times when they aren't in class. A crackdown ensues, ending the mutiny. Still, what has happened engenders a sense of community. The characters are as well realized as in all the previous Ender novels. A timely though minor addition to the Ender canon, best suited to the series' many fans. Copyright 2007 Booklist Reviews.

In the aftermath of the war against the alien insectoid Formics, the people of Earth experienced a period of unity under the benevolent rulership of the Hegemon Peter Wiggin, brother of war hero Ender Wiggin. As the fragile political peace erodes and internal wars threaten to erupt, the child-warriors of the Battle School now young adults skilled in the arts of leadership and politics struggle to bring about a new kind of peace despite the efforts of traitors in their midst. The sequel to Ender's Shadow and Shadow of the Hegemon continues Card's visionary future history with a story of men and women thrust too early into positions of power. The author's thoughtful storytelling and compassionately moral characters make this a good addition to most sf collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Can you celebrate Christmas and battle aliens at the same time? The author of the best-selling Ender series answers the question in this holiday novella.

Fans of Cards bestselling Ender series will be delighted with this tale of teen empowerment (following 2001s Shadow of the Hegemon), as the Battle School brats cope with life after the war with the Formics. Peter Wiggins, now leader of the worldwide Earth government, the Hegemon, makes a tactical error when he authorizes the rescue of his archenemy, Achilles, from the Chinese, only to discover Achilles, dangerously insane, is a Trojan Horse. Peter, along with his parents, must flee the planet temporarily, only to discover plots within plots at the site of the now dismantled Battle School. Meanwhile, Bean, accompanied by his wife, Petra, comes to terms with his body: he wont stop growing, and hes doomed to a short life. He and Petra seek out the man who manipulated his genes in order to have him create children without the same problem, only to have the embryos stolen. Bean and Petra race against time to try to rescue their unborn children while keeping Peter apprised of world events. Into this mix, Card tosses in a war, Chinese expansionism, unrest in India and a dangerously unfettered Achilles. The political becomes the personal in a final showdown between Bean and Achilles. These teens play for keeps: the world is their stage, with Battle School grads in key positions of power in China, the Muslim world and India, all ready to work together to create world peace. Card discusses important topics hereóthe nature of the parent-child relationship; the roles of love and serviceóthat are implicitly part of coming of age. (On-sale Aug. 19) Forecast: A $300,000 national marketing campaign, including advertising on the Sci-Fi Channel and print advertising targeted to college and military publications, should ensure a run on bestseller lists. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Card returns to his Hugo and Nebula award–winning Enderverse saga (after 2005's Shadow of the Giant ) with a heartwarming novella for the holidays. When Zeck Morgan, the young son of a puritanical minister, qualifies for admission into the International Fleet's Battle School, he is brought to the school against his will. Citing his pacifist religious beliefs, Zeck refuses to participate in any simulated war games, but when he sees a Dutch student give a friend a small present in celebration of Sinterklaas Day, he reports the violation of the school's rules against open religious observation and sparks an uproar over religious freedom and the significance of cultural traditions. Meanwhile, Zeck becomes a pariah until series hero Ender Wiggin finds a way to show him the real meaning of the holidays. Exploring themes of tolerance and compassion, this story about stuffing stockings is, fittingly, a perfect stocking stuffer for science fiction fans of all ages. (Nov.)

Adult/High School –Set in a war-torn future, this novella moves from the series hero to Zeck, son of an abusive fundamentalist preacher. His phenomenal abilities for memorization and judging a situation make him an ideal candidate for the International Fleet's Battle School, an academy that trains boys to be brilliant military leaders in an ongoing interstellar war. Despite his mental aptitudes, Zeck proves an unwilling pupil when he refuses to participate in battle simulations, claiming them to be against his religion. These beliefs make Zeck a pariah within the school, pushing him to cry foul when he sees two Dutch students quietly celebrate Christmas–or Sinterklaas Day–by exchanging satirical poems. This kicks off a cultural revolt, pitting students of different religions against one another and against the school in the name of religious freedom. Ender himself plays a small but pivotal role by confronting Zeck and forcing him to deal with the dark issues of his past. Sci-fi purists may be let down by the lack of technology and big-scale military drama that Card is often associated with, but readers looking for a short tale dealing with issues of cultural conflict, religious freedom, and personal discovery will have much to enjoy. Card's well-imagined characters take this story to places that are both moving and satisfying.–Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA