Shadow Puppets

Though the conclusion tied everything together, this book felt a bit all over the place compared to previous efforts. There's still the overhanging theme of global conflict between nations, but a lot of time is spent on Bean and Petra's blooming romance and then the potential of Bean's children. This definitely makes the second half more exciting, especially when things actually happen, but after an intriguing opening the plot's first half seems to lose all wind. Card also has a style of writing that glosses over days and weeks in sentences, which here I felt could have been expanded upon with some more visual or character description. The story jumps around from character to character, and this is where things get exciting, but unforunately there seems to be a layer of separation between the reader and the protagonists Bean and Petra. Most longstanding plot threads are finally resolved, particularly those with Achilles and Peter, and the ending pushes the Shadow saga in a new direction - hopefully a faster-paced, exciting and descriptive one.

In my opinion, this book has too much politics and war, and too little science fiction . . . but maybe that's the type of book you want. Frankly, the idea that children could be genius commanders in war is not really believable.

Another good book in the Ender's Shadow series. This book picks up where shadow of the hedgemon left off. My only complaint is that Card seems a bit more preachy/judgmental in this book compared to his relative neutrality of his previous ender books.