Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card (spoilers)

There should be a party or something.  This book took too long to finish.  I didn't dislike it... I just happened to not enjoy it.  I don't think I ever realized there could be a difference between absolutely disliking a book and not enjoying one.  I have vehemently stated that I do not read books out of order.  That's just ridiculous to do so.  So, I was mildly irritated when the person who gave me Ender's Game recommended reading Ender's Shadow next.  Ender's Shadow is really just Ender's Game retold.  There are a few extra details and it clarified some situations that happened in Ender's Game, which is always nice.

Honestly, I did like Ender's Game.  I also enjoyed reading it.  Shadow, on the other hand...  I like it, but did not enjoy it.  The beginning and end were the best parts.  Once Bean hit Battle School, I felt like I was just muddling through the book.  Don't get me wrong, everything was written clearly.  It's almost as if Card got off tempo in the middle of the book and didn't pick up the rhythm again until after the students that composed Ender's command had left Battle School.  I wouldn't think that the difference in time between publishing dates would really make much difference, but I wonder if it does?

So, the parts I did like...  The beginning was fantastic, actually.  I do like the Bean character, quite a bit.  Granted, his intelligence did not make much sense at the beginning of the book.  It seemed a bit ludicrous until the explanation about Anton's Key.  But, I don't fully appreciate the manipulation of Bean's genetics to unlock his intelligence and dexterity.  Just feels a bit like deus ex machina to me... I know it isn't, but it has that same feeling of lameness.  Felt sloppy in comparison to Ender's Game, where the fiction was believable.  Ender's intellect is believable.  I mean, science can be pretty incredible, I know.  But, I still want it to be believable.  I don't want to feel the urge to argue with the book, or feel like it is a tad ridiculous.  No matter how advanced Bean's intelligence is, I still have trouble looking at him as a seven year old boy.  I had trouble at the beginning of the book when he is age four.

Ender's Shadow was published in 1999.  I really love the political and social implications within the end of the book.  They feel so accurate, so reflective of so much of what is wrong with our world.  Some quotes:

We are, when the cause is sufficient, insane.

And yet, we who command them, we children in these elaborate game machines, have no idea of their courage, their sacrifice.  We cannot give them the honor they deserve, because we don't even know they exist.