Shadows in Flight
Ratings37
Average rating3.2
Disappointing follow-up in the Ender's Shadow series. I'll probably still read the final installment Shadows Alive anyway to see what happens. I can't say enough good things about both the Ender Quartet and the Shadow series, but I wish Card had stopped this series after Shadow of the Giant.
This story occurs years before some of the previously published works in this series - and the author uses some rather silly logic to explain why the secrets revealed in this book never impacted the events that happen in the other books.
Interesting short story that brings us one step closer to the end of the narrative of both Bean & Ender Wiggins story lines. Presumably, the next book (Shadows alive) will combine and wrap-up the last narratives in this Universe.
A short novella picking up years after Bean and his 3 ‘deficient' children have been hurtling through space. The opening was startling for me, but the children's individual personalities become much more fleshed out after the first chapters. There were also some (age-appropriate) space horror vibes from the abandoned alien ship they come across. Overall, whilst adding something new to the Enderverse/ Shadow mythos, I was left wondering where the story goes next whilst also not really feeling emotionally attached. It was a surprisingly emotional, if not short, ending for Bean. I was immensely dissapointed he wasn't reunited with Ender, particularly after his friend shows up in the Formic hive queen visions.
Short review: This is the fifth book in the Shadow series. Bean is in space with his three children, searching for a cure and a place to be. The story itself isn't bad. Probably a four star story. But the book is short. Card ends the book with a note about how he wanted to write a shorter story so it could be priced lower. Honestly I think most of the books in this series would have been better if they were this length instead of the full length. There was too much filler, not enough movement of the story. But the actual price is the same as a regular book. And the Kindle version only has an even shorter abridged version available. The full book will not be available until next year.
My full thoughts about the book are on my blog at http://bookwi.se/shadows-in-flight/