Ok, so I broke down and read this stupid novel, after learning that the Ender’s Game screenplay is going to be partially based on it. To my surprise, it’s actually quite good…had no idea that OSC still had it in him.
I especially liked the beginning scenes with Bean & the other street urchins eeking out a living in Rotterdam; though I was slightly pissed, because it totally mirrored a sci-fi novel idea that’s been running in my head for years…oh well, what can you do.
It was also lots of fun to flip between ES and EG during the scenes contained in both novels. Kinda cute how OSC explained away some of the contradictions, although I did notice one glaring error – in ES, Dragon Army had 15 veterans, but in EG there were only ten.
What really got me was [and this is the Heavy Spoiler stuff, and I hate boxes, so final warning to all] learning that Bean was a genetically engineered mutant, with a life expectancy of 25, and not only that, he had a biological twin brother (not a mutant) at Battle School. Very touching to watch Bean & Nikolai become close friends, completely ignorant of their blood-bond.
But…I’m pissed. I was so looking forward to the ending, to see Nikolai’s reaction when he learns Bean is his brother, and the reunion with their parents, and of course Bean growing old (and BIG) and dying at an unnaturally young age. And it all came down to just TWO BORING PAGES, which was little more than Bean’s dad telling his mom, “Oh, I forgot to tell you something Sister Carlotta said…” What a gyp! OK, I guess OSC wanted to leave Bean alive for a possible sequel, I can live with that buuut…WHAT ABOUT BEAN & NIKOLAI??? How hard would it have been to add another chapter or two about their relationship??
I just got Hegdymongie but haven’t read it yet. You are the second-- no, wait, the third (one was a real life person, the other a poster, we all know all you posters are just figments of my imagination) voice in my head that told me this book was not that good,NoClueBoy.
I’m still gonna read it, though.
Not for very long. In Shadow of the Hedgemon, Bean leaves with Sister Carlotta on a mission. In Shadow Puppets, he is with Petra. It’s disapointing. I HATED Shadow Puppets, though, and would avoid it if you don’t want to see Bean’s personality and character do a complete turnover.
For what it’s worth, I have read and enjoyed all of the Ender’s Game series and the first two books in the Bean series. The only thing I haven’t gotten to yet is Shadow Puppets but I’ll get there eventually.
The political intrigue and the day to day (sometimes minute to minute) details of the interpersonal power struggles among the “kids” is what made up most of the last two books.
Card writes good action and fairly good emotion, but he’s not good at what he’s trying to do now with the Ender/Bean series. Remeber how bogged down with details you felt at the end ofXenocide?
Now, Children of the Mind was good, so i retain some hope for future good Ender books.
There was a neat bit with Peter’s parents that I liked…
At the end?? HA! I got about 1/3 through that book and threw it away. “Impenetrable” is too kind a word to describe it.
Before Xenocide was written, I’d heard time and again that OSC was holding off on writing the 3rd book, because, in his words, he “wasn’t old enough yet.” I guess his publisher got tired of waiting and offered him a lot of money.
Guess I’ll have to read SOTH anyway, when I find time. Sucks that the Nikolai/Bean thread was left hanging out to dry, esp. since I really wasn’t fond of Bean’s character anymore by the end of ES. Maybe I’ll write up some fanfic or something…
This was my introduction to Card, actually. Good book but the beginning and even the middle were tedious at times. It finally got me thoroughly into the story near the end and… well, it ended.
