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Shadow of the Giant  By  cover art

Shadow of the Giant

By: Orson Scott Card
Narrated by: David Birney,Scott Brick,Full Cast
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Publisher's summary

The Ender Saga continues with Shadow of the Giant, which parallels the events of Ender's Game from a different character’s point of view.

Bean's past was a battle just to survive. He first appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else. He knew he could not survive through strength; he used his tactical genius to gain acceptance into a children's gang, and then to help make that gang a template for success for all the others. He civilized them, and lived to grow older. Then he was discovered by the recruiters for the Battle School.

For Earth was at war—a terrible war with an inscrutable alien enemy. A war that humanity was near to losing. But the long distances of interstellar space has given hope to the defenders of Earth—they had time to train military geniuses up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School. That story is told in two books, Orson Scott Card's beloved classic Ender's Game, and its parallel, Ender's Shadow. Now, in Shadow of the Giant, Bean's story continues.

Bean was the smallest student at the Battle School, but he became Ender Wiggins' right hand, Since then he has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he and his wife Petra yearn for a safe place to build a family—something he has never known—but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies—old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth. To find security, Bean and Petra must once again follow in Ender's footsteps. They must leave Earth behind, in the control of the Hegemon, and look to the stars.

THE ENDER UNIVERSE

Ender series

Ender’s Game

Speaker for the Dead

Xenocide

Children of the Mind

Ender in Exile

Children of the Fleet

Ender’s Shadow series

Ender’s Shadow

Shadow of the Hegemon

Shadow Puppets

Shadow of the Giant

Shadows in Flight

The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)

Earth Unaware

Earth Afire

Earth Awakens

The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)

The Swarm

The Hive

Ender novellas

A War of Gifts

First Meetings

Browse more titles in the Ender Wiggin series.
©2005 Orson Scott Card (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

“The novels of Orson Scott Card's Ender series are an intriguing combination of action, military and political strategy, elaborate war games and psychology.” —USA Today

What listeners say about Shadow of the Giant

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Enderverse

The Enderverse

This is my favorite science fiction series. The characters are easy to identify with, and you will find yourself sucked into this imaginary universe, nick named the Enderverse by fans.

Recommended order of reading (in my opinion): Ender?s Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind. Reading the books in this order will keep you interested and keep the story moving more naturally.

If after reading all of these wonderful books you are still itching for an Enderverse fix then read First Meetings. The list above is sorted by the Enderverse timeline. Meaning that the flow of events in the stories are uninterrupted. If you were to read the books in the order they were published, you would bounce back and forth in between time and few of the plot twists in future books would be revealed before you wanted them to be known. First Meetings, however contains short stories that occur both before and in between the list above within the Enderverse.

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76 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Another Good Story in the Series

Continues the adventures of Petra and Bean along with closure to the Hegemon story. Excellent performance by all the voices. Leaves the door open to more stories.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Another dose for the Enderverse Addicts

Unlike some who reviewed here, I followed the entire Ender story first and then backed up and started the Bean saga. But I'm finding the author's political views are starting to creep into his writing here. His promoting an anti-birth control logic that no doubt echos the writer's religous past, may put some readers off, but it's a minor part of the story. The rest of the book is not very sci fi outside of it being in the future with different governments. But it's a very good escape, none the less, into Ender's Universe with characters you can sympathise with.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Discreation Advised

When listening to this book one must keep an open mind and keep in mind that this is a work of pure fiction. With its depiction of certain races and religions this book might not be to everyone?s liking. But keep in mind again, Pure Fiction. Although if you are offended by racism and negativity to some religions you might want to skip this book.

I'm giving this book a low score because of its lack of intelligence. Sure the tactical and drama aspect of the book is good and I think it should be all about it but the fact that the line between good and evil is pre determined, carved in metal and a wall has been build to separate it makes the book mediocre. I could do without the prejudice, the drama and the story itself was fine.

At the end of it the entire book feels like mere filler between gapes of the previous and the next rather then a full story.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • L.
  • 10-10-05

Again, Totally Card

I usually hate "Companion Series" books, they usually seem to decline in entertainment value after the original book (Enders Game, in this case), especially when the original book seems to neatly end with no loose ends to warrant another book.

The Ender series is MUCH different, the "follow-up" books just keep getting better... The characters are well fleshed out (sometimes it seems a little too much time is wasted fleshing out a character, but it ends up being just the right amount of information you needed to know to keep up with the character's motivations further along in the book, or series).

If you liked Ender's Game, then the follow-up books are a "Must have", even if you think "How could they be better than the original"?

The unabridged versions are a bit long winded at times, but you get details that you NEED to have to keep up with the complex stories being woven.

Card says, "hearing" the books are the way he wanted them presented, and having several narrators in each book makes the audio books MUCH better.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it.

Kept me glued to it the whole way through. Very good.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent - Important part of the saga

Having read Ender's Game, Enders Shadow, Shadow of the Hegman, Shadow of the Puppets (not great)and now Shadow of the Giant in that order, I recomend this as an important and touching part of the series. There are some relegious parts that might not appeal to some;however, this should be read. You will not be disapointed.Am now off to Speaker for the Dead,Zenocide and finaly Children of the Mind. Will miss some of our friends however.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic Card

What can I say that hasn't been said about Uncle Orson's ability to capture the soul of his characters? In my opinion, that is the best thing about his work. They are so human and real and often tragic. It is apparent that Card really cares about these characters and lives in their world with them. He deftly brings the reader along for the ride.
This is a grand and beautiful story that stands on it's own even though it is a sequel. The plot is excellent. It is intricate, exciting and very well paced. For fans of the series, this will justify their devotion. But, this volume can be enjoyed by everyone for it's own sake. I couldn't put it down. The narration is excellent too. It adds immensely to the feeling of the story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Pretty Good, great reading

The naration is great. But the story doesn't have the same quality as some earlier books. It got better as it went on though.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Another solid title in the Enderverse

I came back to this series after a four-year break, and I'm glad I did. Not overwhelmingly brilliant like a couple of the books have been, but it was solid -- and left more to tell.

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3 people found this helpful