Shadows in Flight: 5 (The Shadow Series)

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However, they grow at a specified rate, and never stop growing, until their heart cannot pump blood to the body. Bean is in his mid-twenties, and he knows he has only one or two more years before he dies. His kids refer to him as Giant, not Dad or anything else, as they do not socialize at all with him.

Bean is permanently living in the cargo bay of their ship, as he is near 13 feet tall, and cannot live in the cabins. When they finally come across an Earth-like planet, they find a Bugger colony ship in orbit. When the three kids board the ship of the extinct species, their future changes entirely.

Bean, Carlotta, Cincinnatus, and Ender have until they are around 26 or 27 years old before they die because of heart failure. The three kids are pooling their intelligence to find a cure for their disease with only limited advice from their father. When they reach the Bugger ship, they go to their father to find out what to do.

He tells Cincinnatus to take the ships smaller pod called the Puppy and circle, and dock with the ship. Bean believes that all of the Buggers are dead and that this will be just an empty ship with a few corpses. Cincinnatus retreats back into the Puppy and returns to the starship. He tells all of them to board the ancient ship, as there might be something on board that might help them. The three kids mount a full scale reconnaissance mission into the Bugger ship. First, the Shadow series followed the life of Bean, and his intelligence, which separated him from the rest of humanity.

Because he was so different from everyone else, his problems were extremely unique, and were captured perfectly by Card. Also, Card provided large amounts of suspense, so you never knew what was going to happen. This was followed by extremely significant action that kept the reader engaged. The ideas Bean has for his kids is admirable, finding new things gives you a new sense of hope for the characters. There was also some humor in the book, while sometimes rude and other times compared to complex things, it was still amusing.

Jun 20, John Keegan rated it it was ok. It's almost ridiculous to call this a true novel. It barely qualifies as a novella. Imagine taking a normal length Enderverse novel, cutting out all of the characterization and most of the plot details, and calling it a new volume in the saga. That's more or less what this book is, and it's ludicrous that the book is being sold at full price. Unlike the previous books in the "Shadow" arc, Bean might as well be absent, for all that his character does very much. He becomes important towards the end It's almost ridiculous to call this a true novel.

He becomes important towards the end, when one of the two major advancements of the saga takes place, and critical information is transferred to Ender. But one would think that this portion of Bean's journey would involve him a bit more. The vast majority of the book centers on Bean's three genetically altered children, the ones sent into space with him because they are destined to follow in his giant footsteps.

Sadly, the three children Ender, Carlotta, and Cincinnatus are all but defined by a single character trait each. The discovery of a derelict spaceship does lend itself to some Rama-esque exploration, but it's over just as it starts to get truly interesting. The rest is some surprisingly shallow world-building, as the surviving residents of the ship eventually tell their story to Ender a blatant homage to the actual Ender Wiggin, in fact.

This ultimately leads to the second major plot advancement, one that is all but relegated to an afterthought, despite its implications to the overall saga. And therein lies my disappointment with this story. Everything that happens could, and probably should, have been fleshed out in far more detail.

The characters needed a lot more depth, and the plot elements are glossed over so quickly that the net effect is lost in the rush to the inevitable ending. It leaves me a bit worried about what to expect from "Shadows Alive", the apparent final volume of the Enderverse saga, as it was originally planned to be part of this book. Perhaps "Earth Unaware", the upcoming prequel to the Enderverse saga, will renew my confidence, if it is a more substantial work. May 01, John Slife rated it did not like it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

No offense to Card, but this was a terrible book. I would like to add, before I move on, that the Ender series, both the saga and the Shadows series, are a collection of my favorite books of all time. So it is not that I am not a Card fan, it is just that this sucked. Basically, I don't even know why this was written.

It all seemed rushed and recycled. Bean's three children are yet another personification of Ender's, not even Bean's, personality. Which we got enough of in a b Alright, this sucked. Which we got enough of in a brilliant piece of work from Xenocide and Children of the Mind. Instead of getting a look into Bean himself, we got Ender again. Don't get me wrong, I love Wiggin more than Delphiki, but the amount of Ender's internal struggle with himself that I got from the Ender's Saga is enough. I know his personality inside out and backwards.

And although there is still a strong background on Bean, at the close of the last book he continued to surprise me and I wished for more insight onto his character, since there was another book. I was looking foward to this book tying in the two series, but it didn't really do that. Instead, it was somewhat independent from the two. Just a bunch of punk kids who were off in space doing their own thing. And the way he could have built the storyline of this book? Card failed at that, too. While I was looking for something philosophical like some of his other books, with a fun sci-fi twist that made me think, all I got was a basic storyline that built too fast and drug on too long with no new character work and poor Bean off lying around because his heart was failing.

Which he could have written a lot better as well. And Bean's death was so disappointing I don't even want to talk about it.

Editorial Reviews

Two of the greatest character's I've ever lived through died, one in a rather alright way Ender and one in the most disappointing over-too-quick deaths ever. It is a cut down version of the book with pretty pictures that I hated. Thank you, and good day. Mar 24, Mitch rated it it was amazing. Not so in this book. I would definitely recommend going for the Enhanced edition, the extra dialogue I think makes a difference. Readers of the Ender series. First off, the sci-fi element is grand. Wonderful detail concerning mechanical and biological systems, as well as logistical solutions.

Shadows in Flight - Wikipedia

Well written and easy to read and understand. That could be difficult to pull off, but I bought it. Some of the quips were funny. I'll stop counting now -- reading sci-fi stimulates my left brain. I have read most of the Ender series, so this installment made sense and ad First off, the sci-fi element is grand. I have read most of the Ender series, so this installment made sense and added an interesting and creative perspective.

There were a couple of explorations into the nature of language and mind -control that I loved. Adventure and space stories can be fun, but I'll give an extra cheer for those that teach me something or are thought-provoking. My criticism with the novel is that despite all the positive qualities, it still felt shallow and sketchy. For basic story-telling qualities alone, such as character development, etc, I'd give it 3 stars.

For example, the story starts with Ender, one of the genius children, then hops to the other two children, so we get to know them, which is fine.

However, the real owner of the story is Bean. Once the baton is passed to him, it becomes more interesting because he has the history and maturity. Artistically, right brain - is that you? I think the entire framework should have been from Bean. But then, who am I to criticize Sir Card? I can say, I liked the earlier Ender novels better because they had more meat in the present story, rather than in the back-story. If you liked the Ender series, you'll appreciate this installment, but don't start here.

Jan 16, Alex Tamayo rated it it was ok. This book had to be written, I get that. And I had to read it, not denying it, but it is so short, and really just such a I love the Shadow series. They are a very interesting departure from regular science fiction and feature one of the greatest science fiction characters I have ever read, but this book does the series an injustice. This may seem contradictory, but this ending was written solely to end the series. Sequels sho This book had to be written, I get that. Sequels should only be written if they achieve the same quality as the original, or surpass it.

Plot should not be the only driving point for a series, but Shadows in Flight was absolutely written to wrap up dangling plot threads. What happened to Bean in space? What about his children? These questions are answered, but to no new meaning. And I stress meaning, because old themes were rehashed here, not shed in a new light, put with a new spin, or turned on their head.

No, the significance of genetic engineering, a short life span, and disease were already established long before this. There's only one strong reason this was written: But, unfortunately, I haven't read those books, as should be assumed, so I don't care. Dec 07, Denise Eggleston rated it really liked it Shelves: I won this book through Goodreads First Reads. I've entered more of the giveaways than I care to admit, and this was my first win.

My only problem; this is Book 5 of a six part series. I have never read the first books or even the Ender's Game books also by Orson Scott Card that preceded this series. So, I read synopses of each book on Wikipedia, which gave me enough background to understand what I was reading. Despite my ignorance of Card's arguably most famous books, I still enjoyed reading it.

The story opens on a spaceship driving away from Earth near the speed of light.

Its inhabitants are Bean and his three children. Each of the four have been genetically engineered to have beyond genius intelligence. Unfortunately, the altered gene, Anton's Key, causes giantism. By now, Bean is too big to fit in the living spaces of the ship and lives in a cargo hold. Bean believes his time is limited and knows he must get his children to somewhere they can work on reversing the giantism. As I said, I enjoyed reading it.

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In fact, it was a very fast read. I recommend it, but you'll get more out of it, if you read the first blasted books. View all 12 comments. Feb 14, Christie rated it it was ok. I wasn't sure if this was the book that was supposed to tie the Ender and Shadow serieses together.

I could not get into it at all. How am I supposed to imagine the character if I have no idea how tall he is, since that seems to be his defining feature? Especially due to the size difference between himself and his small kids. Definitely a wrap up. Jan 17, Patrick rated it liked it Shelves: Lots of spoilers here, though I leave out some specifics. I have to admit to very mixed feelings on this one. I wanted more Bean.

I can see why Card had to mostly move on to the lives of the children. So it's bittersweet to get the bits of Bean perspective we do. This was definitely not what I expected--a character study of immature geniuses trapped on a small ship. I hadn't expected Bean to be so big and trapped in the cargo hold to stay alive.

I just hadn't expec Lots of spoilers here, though I leave out some specifics. I just hadn't expected the typical Card aggressive, arrogant, and wise-cracking characters to appear in his isolated 6-yr-olds. It's fascinating, probably realistic in the meta-sense of prolonged time in an enclosed space facing your own mortality and not receiving typical love and nurturing will probably cause some weird quirks to personalities, but extreme in my view as to the specific flaws, hurts, and plans of the characters.

But I'm likely naive when it comes to psychoses, so who knows? I liked that we had one strong sense of the kid named Ender right away and through his viewpoint Carlotta and Soldier, but those views were challenged and proven shallow very naturally through the plot movement. I don't know if I like any of the kids The stark isolation and focus on four characters growing up there was unexpected, fascinating, and vaguely disappointing--probably just because of expectations.

It's a great first half of the book. I loved the new information about past knowledge from the larger world we had taken for granted. I can see that Card's hands are tied in creating further contact between Bean or his children because of the already existing Ender series. Ender or Jane would have thought about Bean if they had any inkling of what was going on with him.

But maybe they could have contact with new, weird Ender-soul Peter? I was convinced this plot line would lead to an explanation of how Star Congress developed the geniuses with OCD condition central to the plot of some of the other books, but now I'm not sure. Maybe the mentioned side research lines back on Earth led to that rather than something a Bean kid directly did? And I'm still mostly convinced that Volescu somehow got away from the colonists and started the Descoladores, but I can see it accidentally or roguely coming from Bean descendents after the end of the book.

It's short and I think Card meant to tick people off with the abrupt ending. There are some sexual comments on the 2nd or 3rd page. Later discussions reveal some of the concerns as relevant, but it's jarring coming from 6-yr-olds. Like many of Card's characters, these kids regard sexuality as supposedly witty banter material just like everything else.

Mar 12, Christina rated it it was ok Shelves: The kids are, of course, as brilliant at 6 as Bean was at their age. But they're growing bored with being trapped in a space ship. There is quite a bit of disconnect between this book and the previous one. The third-person narrator talks quite a bit about how Bean had promised Petra h "Shadows in Flight" was probably the book I enjoyed least in the Shadow series.

The third-person narrator talks quite a bit about how Bean had promised Petra he'd do this or that with the children. But he made no such promises in "Shadow of the Giant. Maybe they had some conversations over the ansible after the ship was in space, but the epilogue of "Shadow Puppets" where we learn what happens to Petra makes no reference to that. The children, though brilliant, don't understand parenting and why Bean raises them the way he does. One of the boys, Cincinnatus or "Sergeant" is so bored he begins to plan to murder Bean.

Then they come across a strange space ship near a potentially habitable world. Sergeant gets the military adventure he's looking for and Bean finds what he hopes will be a home for his children. And that's where I begin to say "WTF?! And that Hive Queen lied to Ender? And there might be other Formic ships out there? And now Bean's kids are going to help the Formics survive? Did Orson Scott Card lose his mind? Sep 25, Caroline rated it it was ok Shelves: Mainly - where's the rest of it? Original set of sequels to Ender's Shadow , also referred to as: Shadows in Flight The Shadow Works by Orson Scott Card.

First Meetings A War of Gifts: An Ender Story Children of the Fleet Ender Wiggin Formics Jane. The Tales of Alvin Maker. The Tales of Alvin Maker comic book, Lovelock Rasputin TBA. Empire Hidden Empire Pathfinder Ruins Visitors Retrieved from " https: American science fiction novels Ender's Game series books Novels set in the 27th century Tor Books books. Pages to import images to Wikidata. Views Read Edit View history.

This page was last edited on 13 August , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Shadow of the Giant. First Meetings in the Enderverse Ender's Game. War of Gifts Mazer in Prison. A Young Man with Prospects. Mazer in Prison The Polish Boy Ender's Game Alive The League War A War of Gifts War of Gifts Shadow of the Giant A Young Man with Prospects Earth Unaware , Earth Afire.

A War of Gifts , First Meetings. The Authorized Ender Companion: Card makes the important point that there's always more than one side to every issue. Fans will marvel at how subtly he has prepared for the clever resolution. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? Ender's Shadow explores the stars in this all-new novel Read more Read less.

Audible book Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to the Audible book with Whispersync for Voice. Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Ender in Exile The Ender Quartet series. The Second Formic War Volume 1. See all Editorial Reviews. Product details File Size: January 29, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention shadows in flight shadow series orson scott scott card enders game bean and his children shadows alive enhanced edition speaker for the dead short story science fiction ender and shadow hive queen shadow of the giant ender series anton key character development enhanced version children of the mind felt like.

Showing of reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. No spoilers, safe to read The good part of this is that it gives you more insight into key factors of the entire Ender World that are not delved into anywhere else to say more would give spoilers so suffice it to say I found that aspect interesting. Beyond that the book was very narrow in scope, not deep. I would like to see a deeper and more epic follow-up to it again, I can't go into that more or it would be a spoiler.

It's a novella, nearly short story in length and that, along with the narrow scope, was a bit disappointing. But well written, and if you read the first four, well, you might as well read the fifth, even if just for the reason that it fills in the blanks on a few things. Certainly not the same type of book as the previous ones in the series which I was not expecting. But overall I really liked it.

Yes, but not a major problem in my mind.

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It is the latter in this case so much so that you can appreciate the novel in many different levels. And how different they are from the way we would do them. Instead of thinking in terms of what a human would assume, are instead fresh insights on how aliens would actually accomplish things, including architecture and engineering.

Shadows in Flight

Basically all these themes and more in a book that many here diss as being too light or shallow, which is just plain wrong. Many people seem to want long books just for the sake of extending their entertainment time instead of getting the full value of a good story regardless of length. This novel is not only concise but gets to the point without the fluff most other books waste your time with.

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