Find Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7 at Amazon

Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7

Foremost amidst these whiz kids is the brilliant Bean who, in Shadow of the Hegemon, rescued his comrades from his nemesis–the dastardly Achilles. Now, the down-but-not-out evil talent is again scheming towards international domination and retribution versus the irrepressible Bean. It’s up to Bean and his newfound love, Petra, to outwit the young psychopath and save the world. Meanwhile, the other Battle School children are called to serve again as an expansionist China threatens the stability of post-Bugger War Earth.

Shadow Puppets is, for better or worse, incisively what readers have come to suppose from Card. There are thought-provoking musings on geopolitics, war, courage, arrogance, good versus evil, and the conception of children wise beyond their years dealing with grave responsibility. Unfortunately, galore of these furnishings are looking a little frayed around the edges, but fans will take delight in an exciting, fast-paced plot and a suspense-filled conclusion. –Jeremy Pugh

From Publishers WeeklyFans of Card’s bestselling Ender series will be delighted with this tale of teen empowerment (following 2001′s Shadow of the Hegemon), as the Battle School brats cope with life after the war with the Formics. Peter Wiggins, now leader of the global Earth government, the Hegemon, makes a tactical error when he authorizes the rescue of his archenemy, Achilles, from the Chinese, only to discover Achilles, dangerously insane, is a Trojan Horse. Peter, along with his parents, will have to flee the planet temporarily, only to discover plots within plots at the internet site of the now dismantled Battle School. Meanwhile, Bean, accompanied by his wife, Petra, comes to terms with his body: he won’t stop growing, and he’s doomed to a short life. He and Petra seek out the man who manipulated his genes in order to have him manufacture children without the same problem, only to have the embryos stolen. Bean and Petra race versus time to undertake to rescue their unborn children while keeping Peter apprised of world events. Into this mix, Card tosses in a war, Chinese expansionism, unrest in India and a dangerously unfettered Achilles. The political becomes the personal in a final showdown amongst Bean and Achilles. These teens play for keeps: the world is their stage, with Battle School graduates in key positions of power in China, the Muslim world and India, all ready to work together to construct world peace. Card discusses necessary topics here, the nature of the parent-child relationship; the roles of love and service, that are implicitly part of coming of age.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library JournalIn the aftermath of the war versus the alien insectoid Formics, the humans of Earth experienced a amount of time of unity underneath the benevolent rulership of the Hegemon Peter Wiggin, brother of war hero Ender Wiggin. As the fragile political peace erodes and internal wars threaten to erupt, the child-warriors of the Battle School now young adults skilled in the arts of leadership and politics struggle to fetch with regards to a new kind of peace in spite of the attempts of traitors in their midst. The sequel to Ender’s Shadow and Shadow of the Hegemon proceeds Card’s visionary future history with a story of men and women thrust too early into positions of power. The author’s thoughtful storytelling and compassionately moral characters make this a good addition to most sf collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Most helpful customer reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
Cast a Giant… Shadow?
By Patrick Shepherd
The spectacular Ender’s Game and its very good to excellent sequels established Card as a major SF writer. With Ender’s Shadow, he came close to matching the brilliance of the original story. Then came Shadow of the Hegemon, with its focus on Peter Wiggin and Achilles, and it seemed like all the power, originality, and dramatic tension faded away, leaving only a shadow to lay across your mind. This latest work is neither as good as Ender’s Shadow nor as mundane as Hegemon, but rather somewhere in-between.

Here we find Bean growing beyond the norm, symptomatic of his genetic flaw that will eventually kill him while still a young man. And growing in other ways, as his relationship with Petra finally flowers under her tenacious insistence. This is probably the best part of this novel, as we see sides of the two that have not been in great evidence in the prior works. And we get some small looks into the thoughts and characters of some of the other Battle School graduates, mainly Virlomi, Han Tzu and Alai, each of whom contribute some major items towards Peter and Bean winning their current battle with Achilles. The Wiggin parents emerge from obscurity and are revealed to be (unsurprisingly) very intelligent and (surprisingly) quite forceful. All good things…

So where does this book fail? The main failure is Peter Wiggin himself. For a man who could sway world opinion with his exacting, careful logic as Locke and browbeat everyone into emotional frenzy as Demosthenes, Peter is depicted here as a remarkably stupid, arrogant, and emotional teenager. Achilles, the demon, remains almost totally offstage, providing little room for dramatic confrontations, and what ones there are come off as almost anti-climatic. And finally, the circumstance that draws Bean back into the struggle between Peter and Achilles was totally preventable, a very sad and uncharacteristic lack of foresight by both Bean and Petra. These items do much to kill any major excitement in this work, even though the major (world) battle could have formed a taught political and military thriller.

Is this book readable? Certainly. Card is still an excellent writer. His prose, descriptions, and dialogue (especially the back-and-forth between Bean and Petra) are all well formed and his moral insights flow from the premise of the story. But this one just doesn’t have the edge-of-the-seat tension, the incredible insight into human character that have been the hallmarks of his best work.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
A Marginal Book From A Great Author
By A
As soon as Shadow Puppets entered stores I ran out and bought it. I’m a huge fan of Orson Scott Card and the Ender series. Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow were my all-time favourite books.

But while Ender’s Game was spectacular, Ender’s Shadow great, and Shadow of the Hegemon good, I thought Shadow puppets was way below my expectations.

Everything felt tired, boring, and predictable. As with the later books in the Ender series, It seemed as though there wasn’t enough plot to stretch across the pages.

Bean and Petra’s characters seemed to change radically from Shadow of the Hegemon and Ender’s Shadow with no explanation. I also was disapointed in the dialogue. People said things rather abruptly and for no reason. Bean and Petra’s romance also seemed very awkward with no excitement at all.

And where was Achilles? His great chapters with Petra made me forgive some of Shadow of the Hegemon’s boring parts.

But as a loyal fan, I still give it 3 stars because it kinda satisfied my longing for another Ender book. It’s great for fans, but I wouldn’t really recomned it.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful.
Satisfactory, but perfunctory, conclusion(?) to ‘Bean’ saga
By Patrick L. Randall
I put a question mark next to the word conclusion in the title of this review because it’s not clear if “Shadow Puppets” is the final book in the entire ‘Ender’s Saga’ (‘Bean sub-saga’). A large number of issues are resolved in this book, but others are still left up in the air. At the present time, there is listing or information about any future episodes in this series. So, for the time being, I will assume this is the last book. If it is, despite seeming loose ends, it would make a satisfactory conclusion.

“Shadow Puppets” should probably be the end, though. Much like the last portion of “Xenocide” and all of “Children of the Mind” in the original ‘Ender’s Quartet’, Orson Scott Card seems to be running out of steam with these characters. Card still displays his gifts of representing human interactions, but “Shadow Puppets” has less ability to stand on it’s own. Unlike “Ender’s Shadow” and, to a slightly lesser degree, “Shadow of the Hegemon”, you absolutely have to have read the previous books in the series for “Shadow Puppets” to have any true meaning. Whereas “Ender’s Shadow” and “Shadow of the Hegemon” were connected by similar characters, yet told different stories (much like “Ender’s Game” and “Speaker for the Dead”), “Shadow Puppets” merely continues the storyline from “…Hegemon”.

To summarize, Peter Wiggin has achieved his long sought after goal of becoming the Hegemon, but the title carries little power with it in the wake of a large Chinese invasion throughout southern Asia, and subsequent assumption of the position of Earth’s premier military power. These actions were set in motion by the psychotic Achilles before his true nature came to light and he was placed under arrest by the Chinese government. Peter sees his only true way of thwarting the Chinese and restoring prestige to the office of the Hegemon is to rescue Achilles from prison and put him to work for the Hegemony. Think that, despite Achilles manipulative skills, he can control him, Peter mistakenly compromises his own security and drives away many of those who served him, including Bean and Petra.

During their self-imposed exile from Hegemon, Bean and Petra try to find ways to undermine the Chinese and Achilles while also dealing with a burgeoning romance and Petra’s desire to have children by Bean before he dies of his genetic disorder. While it is somewhat interesting to read about Bean and Petra’s romance, it is still somewhat dry. It’s not impossible to conceive of this happening, as they are both probably 16 years old at this point and far older in many other ways, given what their early years consisted of. Yet, there’s not really any spark to the relationship. It seems to the reader as if they are having this romance because they feel that it’s something that they should do, not because there is any passionate romantic feelings sparking between them. It can’t carry near the same weight as the personal interactions and tender romance that took place in “Speaker for the Dead”. That example is just thrown in as a perfect representation of Card’s ability to convey human emotion. It’s not quite as well-crafted here. It’s not bad, though, so the reader still has some emotional investment in these two.

There are other elements of “Shadow Puppets” that are quite interesting. For the first time in all seven of the “Ender’s” novels, the reader gets a chance to truly see the personalities of Theresa and John Paul Wiggins, the parents of Peter, Ender and Valentine. A great deal of time is spent on Peter’s reluctant interaction with his parents and his eventual acceptance of their advice as relevant and appreciated. They come across as so much more than the bland, inattentive parents that readers were first introduced to in “Ender’s Game”. In addition, there are interactions with many other former Battle School students. Alai and Han Tzu are just a few of the names who play major roles in the events that shape this novel.

On the whole “Shadow Puppets” was a good read. If there are more books on the horizon, then all the better. However, if this is where the series ends, then so be it. It’s not a bad way to go out.

See all 149 customer reviews…

Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7 Pic

Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7 Image

Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7 Pic

Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7 Image

Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7 Picture

Shadow Puppets Ender Book 7 Pic

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod at Amazon

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod

How to classify the extraordinary Edward Gorey? Artist? Writer? Dark humorist? What when it comes to Dramatist? It was in Theatre that Gorey’s public career started and finished. As a postwar Harvard University student, he and his friends Frank O’Hara, Alison Lurie, John Ashbery, and others invented the legendary Poets’ Theatre. After winning a Tony Award on Broadway for Frank Langella’s Dracula, Gorey left New York for Cape Cod. From Woods Hole to Provincetown, he wrote, designed, and directed a scintillating set of “entertainments” starring local actors and his own troupe of handmade puppets. Chief producer of Gorey’s plays was his friend and neighbor Carol Verburg. Now she tells how he did it. From “The Helpless Doorknob” and “The Gilded Bat” to “Horror at Hamstrung Hall” and “Porptiga,” she chronicles Gorey’s adventures in drama, puppetry, opera, and even (briefly) acting.

Review”…An overview of Gorey’s theatrical involvement from Poet’s Theatre at Harvard to Broadway…to Provincetown and Theatre on the Bay, then onto Cotuit…to Gorey’s final, sad days in April, 2000… For all it is slightness of heft, it is packed with detail and clear or deep perception into Gorey the playwright, conductor and performer.” –Goreyography

“It isn’t often that you wish a piece of writing in regards to the theater was longer than it is. . . Invaluable facts and intriguing tidbits in regards to a sinfully neglected portion of Gorey’s career. . . From the late 1980s until his death in 2000 Gorey produced over two dozen theatrical pieces based on his stories and illustrations.” –The Arts Fuse

About the AuthorCarol Verburg is best known as a playwright, director, and author of best-selling books including Ourselves Among Others, Making Contact, and The Environmental Predicament. The regular producer of Edward Gorey’s plays on Cape Cod, Verburg likewise directed various plays of her own, including Lady Day in Love and The Whistling Pig, as well as the initial workshop of Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle and the unofficial U.S. premiere of Peter Shaffer’s The Gift of the Gorgon. Her most recent book is Croaked: an Edgar Rowdey Cape Cod Mystery.

Most helpful customer reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Waiting for Gorey…
By Glen Emil
Weighing in at thirty pages, “Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod” is deceptive in its brevity. For all its slightness of heft, its packed with detail and insight into Edward Gorey the playwright, director and performer, as he crafted such classics as `Heads Will Roll & Wallpaper` and `The White Canoe’. “Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod” begins to fill an enormous void which surrounds Gorey’s theatrical oeuvre. It’s a great start, and I come out feeling like an insider. Beginning with an overview of Gorey’s theatrical involvement from Poet’s Theatre at Harvard to Broadway (both on & off), Verburg spends the most time in Cape Cod, to Provincetown and Theatre on the Bay, then onto Cotuit, to Gorey’s final days in April, 2000.

I’m using this as a segway to Verburg’s new mystery Croaked: an Edgar Rowdey Cape Cod Mystery, about a writer of small, creepy little books turned detective…
– G. Emil

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Very Slim Pickings
By Wallypug
I hope that this slim pamphlet doesn’t preclude someone else at some point writing about Edward Gorey’s gloriously singular theatrical career on Cape Cod. Excluding the production photographs, programs and posters leaves roughly 15 pages of text, a quick and highly insubstantial read. Beyond providing a rough chronology of Gorey’s productions on the Cape, and tidbits on his approach to writing/directing/designing for the stage, Verburg adds little insight either to the man (perhaps impossible in the case of such an enigmatic character) or the plays.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
One of the actors likes it
By Eric H. Edwards
I didn’t think of writing a review until it occurred to me that it might be useful to have the perspective of someone who was involved with the plays as an actor(and puppeteer). Edward was so happy to be writing and doing these “entertainments” and plays. The book covers in brief his Cape Cod career with theater. He was able to develop his own version of things so that fans who came would see both consistent “Gorey” and surprising investigations into his interests(obsessions?). Ms Verburg’s book serves as an appetizer and an anchor for the history of this theater. The variety is bewildering, the time span is about thirteen years, and Carol saw almost all of it. I did see all of it(I wasn’t in the casts of the Provincetown works, but those of us who were in the upper Cape crew usually sat with Edward for those, with one exception((when he was on stage))). The book serves as an introduction, a primer of Edward’s peculiar theater, and has some great photos to give a sense of the visual structure that Edward preferred. Ms. Verburg’s style is informative but intimate, an insider’s narrative. She knew what Edward was doing, saw the projects through, and now we have her first look back. We can only hope for more, and as one reviewer desired, more detail and who knows, maybe a sense of what it all means…or what it doesn’t mean. The book is a gem for those of us who did the stuff and should be a decent memoir for the audiences who experienced the most radical theater to be done on Cape Cod (that sounds so funny and provincial). I don’t think you can be disappointed by this book.

See all 3 customer reviews…

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod Picture

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod Photo

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod Picture

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod Pic

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod Image

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod Photo

Look For Metallica Master Puppets Bass Guitar at Amazon

Look For Puppets Everyday Materials Barbara Buetter at Amazon