Ender's Shadow
Parallel novel to Ender's Game from Bean's perspective.
Ender's Shadow is a 1999 parallel science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. It depicts events from Ender's Game through the perspective of Bean, a supporting character. The novel was shortlisted for a Locus Award in 2000.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Orson Scott Card
- Cover artist
- Lisa Falkenstern
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Series
- Ender's Game series
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Publisher
- Tor Books
- Released
- September 1999
Facts from the source article.
Plot summary
Around 2170, Bean, a homeless child in Rotterdam, escapes an illegal genetic engineering lab as an infant. Near starvation, he joins a band of street children led by nine-year-old Poke by offering advice: recruit an older bully to protect younger children at a soup kitchen. Poke chooses Achilles, a bully with a bad leg; Bean recognizes Achilles as dangerously intelligent but cannot change her decision. Achilles manipulates the group, gains trust, and eventually kills Poke.
Bean's exceptional intelligence and determination attract Sister Carlotta, a nun recruiting children for the International Fleet's war against the Buggers. She secures his admission to Battle School despite official resistance. There, Bean overcomes his small size and youth, scoring record highs on mental tests, and is constantly compared to Ender Wiggin. He uncovers secrets about the school while Sister Carlotta investigates his genetic origins.
More in Characters
Elsewhere in Ender's Game
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