Card Mines Ender Universe For Sequel
Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card continues dipping into the well created by the wildly successful Ender's Game. Shadow Puppets is book number seven in this now classic science fiction universe, but Card has written them out of order so that prequels are mixed in with novels told of the original timeframe, but with a different point of view. Frankly, the whole thing is getting muddier as Card tries his hardest to further plotlines that he boxed himself into a corner with when he removed Ender from future action by writing Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide as the first sequels to Ender's Game.
Still No Ender
Shadow Puppets, the sequel to Shadow of the Hegemon, is set in the period immediately following the Bugger War. Bean, the tactical genius born with a mutated genetic structure that will kill him young, is one of Earth's leading military leaders. The events of Shadow of the Hegemon brought him to work with Ender's brother, Peter, a cold and calculating politician who now holds the title of Hegemon, but is simply a figurehead trying to stop events in Asia from overwhelming the world.
Petra, Bean's love, is also present throughout Shadow Puppets after she was introduced as a major character in the preceding book, but there is still no sign of Ender except when he is referred to by the other characters. Given the events in the first two sequels, Card has written himself into a box. Ender can't show up because he is busy on an interstellar trip.
Achilles does show up, however, and Shadow Puppets can best be described as the climax of his long battle with Bean. Given Peter's habit of being oblique, Bean's descent into self-pity and Petra's constant nagging, Achilles is the character who seems most alive, albeit evil.
The Plot In Exactly One Hundred Words
Bean is Peter's military leader, but with scarce resources and influence. The Hegemon's influence has been reduced to only a portion of the world, and the rest of the world is being manipulated into a new world war now that the Buggers are gone. Bean's army captures Achilles, but rather than kill him, Peter attempts to subvert him to strengthen the hegemony. Despite all the military maneuverings, Bean leaves to start a family with Petra, taking extra precautions that their fertilized embryos will not carry the genetic mutation that led to Bean's tactical genius until they face Achilles again.
What Works Well
Card once again does a terrific job describing a future world that does not become dated or impossible by current events. Writing on his site, Hatrack.com, Card, said of Shadow Puppets, "The war in Afghanistan was still going on and I didn't know how things were going to turn out. Yet the novel, which takes place in the future, had to take into account the history of relations between Islam and the West... Basically, I left the implication that there had been multiple wars between Islamic countries and the west in general, and that way I didn't have to specifically say what had happened with ours."
I used to believe that Card's best talent as a writer was in creating children's characters that seemed to offer a true glimpse of childhood. Lately, however, I have become increasingly impressed with his grasp of the political and religious interactions that frame our world and how they might be viewed in the future. I discussed the same trend when I reviewed Shadow of the Hegemon when I noted it was, "Seemingly torn straight from today's headlines, Card addresses the cultural issues well."
There are also some interesting opinions on Bean's condition that could lead some readers to a healthy debate over bioethics.
What Doesn't Work As Well
The overall Ender universe is getting a little thin, a common ailment for most series. Saving the world once makes a thrilling book. By the time you do so the third or fourth time, things are a bit humdrum. Action and suspense are present, but neither is especially thrilling and seem formulaic.
The Bottom Line, Dog Earred Pages and All
As with the other books, Ender fans continuing the series will want to continue reading. There is absolutely no reason, however, for new readers to pick this up without at least reading Ender's Game and Shadow of the Hegemon. If you can squeeze Ender's Shadow in between those two, you've got yourself a nice little four book series, including this story. That may be a lot to ask for from new readers, but skipping Ender's Game to read this is like substituting a microwaved hotdog for a meal at a fine restaurant.
Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. Do not read these books out of order. You'll only confuse yourself or certainly have a less enjoyable experience.
2. It may be time to stop mining the Ender universe for stories. Card is an accompished writer with other series and some terrific standalone works.
3. Watching Bean and Petra learning to be adults was fun for a chapter or two. Then it stopped being an Ender story and started being something else.
4. There are some interesting thoughts raised regarding Bean's condition -- good stuff to mull over.
5. Card does a fine job writing a not-too-distant future that manages to avoid being conflicted with current events.
