Both and excellent read and listen

The Ender series is one of my favorites and Ender's Shadow is a worthy entry. The audiobook brings the title to life with strong narration, but make sure you read/listen to Ender's Game first.

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Detracts (slightly) from Ender's Game

I really enjoyed seeing the story from another perspective and to get more insight into Battle School. There were some parts of the book that really added and improved Ender's game. However, overall I felt the book detracted from the original Ender's game.

Bean's character comes across too similar to Ender's especially when he enters Battle School. The main differences are that Ender is empathetic and has leadership skills, whereas Bean is more intelligent but finds it difficult to relate to others - these differences don't come across with enough impact, certainly not in how the characters think or (largely) act. Many of the key themes and challenges that both characters face are very similar; coping with being judged by their size and age, their need to survive at any cost, their battle against the teachers and facing a tormentor from their youth who haunts them throughout their time in battle school. The way they deal with these issues feels too similar, the outcomes are often the same, the thought process of the characters: way too similar. When you hear Bean's story it almost feels like a rehash of Ender's - not a story about a distinctly different character. The closeness of the narrative makes it feel like Ender's outlook and the challenges he faces are less unique and less special. Ender's eventual "triumph" in the war feels less of a feat - because it feels like Bean could have done it had he been a little bit older with better social skills.

The other major flaw is Bean's and Ender's relationship - the relationship feels very different in this book - and only so much can be attributed to a different view point. Some of the dialogue between Bean and Ender is atrociously retrofitted - Bean who comes across as naive in comparison to Ender in Ender's game, is actually revealed to have far more information of the inner workings of the school. So when they talk to each other what was once a sincere conversation in Ender's game, we discover - in Ender's Shadow - was the result of Bean being sarcastic or tongue tied "Can't he tell I'm being sarcastic?", "Does he think I don't know that?". I found that very annoying - in Ender's game Bean is one of the few people who Ender actually confides in - and these special moments are somewhat spoilt by the revelation that where Bean appears earnest and sincere - he's actually being told things he knows already or is acting flippant and sarcastic. If Bean's personality was slightly different in Ender's Shadow we could have had an alternative interesting and plausible viewpoint on their conversations, but Bean's personality (in Ender's Shadow) is just incompatible with those conversations. It doesn't work.

With all that said, I would still recommend this book - I really enjoyed revisiting Battle School and parts of Bean's storyline are very interesting.

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Absolutely Fantastic.

I loved Ender's Game, This runs extremely well alongside it. performance of each is great and easily flows from one character or group of characters to another. The way that it is narrated explains the story well, the characters and the images. I know it says that it does not matter in which order you listen tomorrow read these to books, but I personally think that you get the greatest impact if you read/listen to Ender's Game first.

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Bean is just as interesting as Ender

I was worried about reading this book. I loved the Ender series so much, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to the space station and relieve the story in case it was ruined. I did not have to fear. The story is just as thrilling, if not more so, from Bean's point of view.

This isn't a retelling of Ender's Game. This is fresh new material. You won't be bored and you will still be surprised when the cards fall. It also reveals a whole new nemesis who is just as terrifying as the buggers.

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The most like for like sequel to Ender's Game

I read the Enderverse game in close to publication order and Ender's Shadow is much closer to Ender's Game than any of the first sequels (the Speaker series). If you want more of Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow is your best bet.

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1 person found this helpful

Bean's Story is a compelling aternative to Enders

Where does Ender's Shadow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high. If you like Enders game, this will be an interesting book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bean and then Petra. Its good to see Bean again having liked his character in the original Enders Game.

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Good story but not as good as Enders Game

What did you like most about Ender's Shadow?

The desperate struggle of a boy who feels totally abandoned and alone to stay alive and win at everything he does.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Good narrator

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, not as gripping as Ender's Game

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Brilliant version

I didn't particularly enjoy this book when I read it. But this is an example of how excellent narration can improve the whole audiobook experience. The different voices are excellent and work well together, adding an extra dimension to the book and making me wish my commute home from work took longer. I don't know how this was recorded but the quick interchange between voices at times sounds very real as though they were having a direct conversation. The occasional use of music adds to the atmosphere.

This book is a perfect example of what an audio book should be and I hope that the same excellent production is in place for the rest of the Ender series of books.

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3 people found this helpful

Brilliant

This was really my first audiobook and whilst initially it took a little getting used to the style I really enjoy it. It is a fantastic listen for anyone that has heard or read Ender's Game, and is a brilliant book both as a companion and in its own right. The voice acting did its job well and was dynamic enough to keep you listening throughout, being suited for the wide range of emotions and situations in the book. I loved it and this has made me want to get the rest in the series in audiobook form (even though I already have the hard copies!). The convinience was brilliant and it was fantastic to be able to effectively 'read a book' whilst doing something else physically. I would wholeheartedly recommend this for people who like their science fiction with philosophical questions that are not proposed to the reader in an abstract manner but rather are fundamental questions whether fighting a war in space or living in the 21st century, and who like science fiction that is clear but still complex though never needlessly so - the complexity is to a level appropriate for the characters, never unbelievably so in the universe Card had established. It is fantastic!

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Fantastic!

I was very worried that it would be a reflection of Ender's Game. It was not. Bean is such a complex, interesting character that having an opportunity to listen to his story. Very well read. As thrilling as Ender's Game and though we lose the impact of the Xenocide at the end, realizing that there was much more going on than what we saw through Ender's eyes was thrilling. 10/10 would recommend.

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