Product Description
The War is over, won by Ender Wiggin and his team of brilliant child-warriors. The enemy is destroyed, the human race is saved. Ender himself refuses to return to the planet, but his crew has gone home to their families, scattered across the globe. The battle school is no more.
But with the external threat gone, the Earth has become a battlefield once more. The children of the Battle School are more than heros; they are potential weapons that can bring power to the countries that control them. One by one, all of Ender's Dragon Army are kidnapped. Only Bean escapes; and he turns for help to Ender's brother Peter.
Peter Wiggin, Ender's older brother, has already been manipulating the politics of Earth from behind the scenes. With Bean's help, he will eventually rule the world.
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Amazon.com Review
Orson Scott Card finally explores what happened on earth after the war with the Buggers in the sixth book of his Ender series, Shadow of the Hegemon. This novel is the continuation of the story of Bean, which began with Ender's Shadow, a parallel novel to Card's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender's Game. While Ender heads off to a faraway planet, Bean and the other brilliant children who helped Ender save the earth from alien invaders have become war heroes and have finally been sent home to live with their parents. While the children try to fit back in with the family and friends they haven't known for nearly a decade, someone's worried about their safety. Peter Wiggins, Ender's brother, has foreseen that the talented children are in danger of being killed or kidnapped. His fears are quickly realized, and only Bean manages to escape. Bean knows he must save the others and protect humanity from a new evil that has arisen, an evil from his past. But just as he played second to Ender during the Bugger war, Bean must again step into the shadow of another, the one who will be Hegemon. In Shadow of the Hegemon, Card can't help but fall back into old patterns. But while the theme is the same as in previous books--brilliant, tragic children with the fate of the human race resting on their shoulders--Shadow of the Hegemon does a wonderful job of continuing Bean's tale against a backdrop of the politics and intrigue of a fragile earth. While the novel is accessible, new readers to the series would be wise to begin with Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow. --Kathie Huddleston
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 A Humble Quibble for an Excellent Book
Shadow of the Hegemon is the sixth chronologically written book of the Ender's Game Series, the first sequel of Ender's Shadow (book five). Orsen Scott Card is an indisputable literary genius, and to critique his book is to dabble the black arts. Flawless characterization and storytelling is expected, and again, Scott Card weaves and stuns with each keystroke. Therefore, expect this 'review' to be only the most humble quibble and sigh.
Shadow of the Hegemon follows the storyline of Bean and the rest of Ender's jeesh after the end of the Formic War. Following the known facts from previous (chronologically written) books, more was expected along the storyline of Peter, whom we know becomes a great political figure as the Hegemon. Instead, the story is almost usurped by Petra Arkanian; 'Hegemon' revolves around Petra's kidnapping and Bean's well-plotted endeavors to rescue her (perfectly setting up the scene for the next book, Shadow puppets).
This is because of one of Card's greatest assets: his humility toward his inner circle of wise readers. Hegemon's afterward explains how a wise reader changed the scope of the book by suggesting (in an early manuscript) that the kidnapping plot of Ender's jeesh was too easily resolved. Card responded by extending the conflict of Petra's storyline, therefore changing the account of the entire book which ultimately spilled the expanding story into the next book, Shadow Puppets. Petra carries her part of the story superbly-- a perfect trade off for deviating from what we expected from Hegemon's title.
Which brings me to Peter Wiggin, our Hegemon. Although Scott Card has stated that the order of reading the Ender Series matters little, with the exception of Xenocide and Children of the Mind (http://www.hatrack.com/faq/003.shtml), I must make the case for reading 'Hegemon' after Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. Shadow of the Hegemon illustrates the classic struggle of deciding between the better of two evils, in this case, between Achilles de Flandres and Peter Wiggin. Except, it's an obvious choice. Achilles makes another chilling bow in 'Hegemon' as Bean's arch nemesis with a terrifying performance as the resident sociopath and psychopath, the all around bad-guy. Peter, however, makes a mild case as a contending antagonist. Not only is he unconvincing as the barely-better villain, reading 'Hegemon' before the above mentioned books aggressively dilutes the shocking and genius plot twist in Children of the Mind.
Lastly, our hero, Bean. Within a single chapter, we are reminded ten-fold why we love Bean. While the scope of the Formic War in Ender's Shadow may have been arguably riskier, Hegemon deals with War on earth which strikes closer to the reader's heart, and Bean is just as confident and reassuring. Never are we left with the mediocre feeling that Bean is smart for smart's sake; Card grows this character with craft, balancing Bean's brilliance with an equally trying plot reeking of the despicable Achilles. Bean carries this book with his irresistible aplomb while Card continues to branch his Ender's Series with their two distinct story lines and unique tones.
Conclusion: Never are we left with the feeling that the author is wringing the last drops from his previous success; Hegemon proves possible that the limits of literary mastery can be shattered, yet again.
4 Stars, and only because of the 5 Stars I must reserve for 'Speaker of the Dead'. Because 'Speaker' outranks Amazon's star system.
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The Shadow
In truth no matter how good this book may be it is not ever going to gain the same level of popularity that Ender's game has. Personally I like where these books go as they give a in depth look at the other children from battle school and what they return home to. If you were a fan of the Ender's Game and want to know about the characters that remain behind after Ender leaves this is a pretty good read. HOWEVER be warned that you will never be able to look at Ender's Game in the same light again.
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 Book is great, but the Audio recording is lackluster
I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
I, however, did not enjoy the audio presentation. There were several voice overs where the narrator voice was over written with a different voice. The last track on each CD was blank. I am not sure if this was by design. I had the impression that there was missing material. I listen to many books on tape, many where the books author is Orson Scott Card and I have never had issues until this particular book.
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Unforgettable characters ( mainesfwriter )
Ender Wiggin and his sister, Valentine, have left Earth on the advice of their older brother, Peter. That's a good thing, because the other former Battle School "students" who were part of Ender's jeesh, who fought to victory against the insectoid alien Formics, are kidnapped shortly after this book opens. They are still children - the oldest are in their early teens - and that makes them even more valuable to the captors who want to use their tactical expertise in wars of nationalism. For that ancient scourge is rampant once again, now that Earth no longer needs to be united in order to fight the Formics.
Voluntarily working with those who have kidnapped Ender's jeesh is Achilles, an orphan recruited for Battle School by Sister Carlotta. Achilles didn't last long in Battle School because Bean, the most brilliant student of all, recognized him and got rid of him. For Bean was also an orphan on the streets of Rotterdam, and Carlotta also recruited Bean. What's different about Achilles is that he's a serial killer. And now the lives of Bean's dearest friends are in that mad young man's hands...including the life of Petra, the only girl in Ender's jeesh and the closest friend Bean has ever had.
Politics bore me, even when they are part of a future universe lovingly created by a master storyteller. This book's plot revolves around politics. I enjoyed it thoroughly nevertheless, because its characters never take a back seat to its plot. Peter Wiggin, who in his 'Net identity of the mysterious "Locke" can sway opinions and influence events all over the world. Carlotta, the nun who takes the risk of loving someone else's child as if he were her own. The Wiggin parents, whose religions (yes, that word definitely must be plural) put them at odds with the world in which they must live their lives and rear their children. Petra, who failed Ender during the final battle and can't forgive herself. And Bean himself, this tale's hero, a pint-sized military genius who never had a chance to be a child - not even before Battle School, to which children went at 5 or 6 years old because only a child's unfettered creativity could hope to defeat the Formics...these characters are unforgettable.
Fun even for a reader who hasn't been exposed to the rest of the "Enderverse" books!
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Not Free SF Reader ( bluetyson )
Bean, the Brother, and the woman.
Card continues to explore his Enderverse, and this time the story is set after the war, and on Earth as Bean and Peter become deeply involved in the politics and plots of the time.
Nasty conspiracies for all.
Not as good as some of the others, but still a good book.
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