Shadow of the Hegemon

Although not insurmountable, jumping into the Ender series with this book will present challenges. ENDER'S GAME, ENDER'S SHADOW, or SHADOW OF THE GIANT would provide rich background on the characters as well as the events at play. In any case, this story of an attempt at world domination is intriguing. The professional cast of narrators returns to this series. They provide a narration that is crisp, clean, and multidimensional. Each member of this well-matched team presents a thread of the story from the perspective of one of the main characters. The storytelling flows between them smoothly, and the distinct voices assist the listener in relating to the characters. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 1, 2001
This fine follow-up to Ender's Shadow features that novel's hero, Bean (now a young man), wrestling with Card's trademark: superbly real moral and ethical dilemmas. In a world between wars, filled with ambitious countries jockeying to carve up their neighbors, the children of Battle School are the strongest asset a nation can possess. The greatest of the children, "Ender" Wiggin, has gone off to colonize a new world. The second best, Bean, is hunted by a young psychopathic genius, Achilles, who schemes to conquer Earth with the aid of Ender's soldiers. Peter, Ender's brother, who was too ruthless to make it to Battle School, also works to rule the planet, but through more peaceful, political means. Bean must decide if becoming Peter's shadow and guiding him to become Hegemon will help defeat Achilles, and if one boy's megalomania will make a better world than another's. Children playing at war as if it were a game recalls Card's most famous work, Ender's Game, which won both a Hugo and a Nebula award. The complexity and serious treatment of the book's young protagonists will attract many sophisticated YA readers, while Card's impeccable prose, fast pacing and political intrigue will appeal to adult fans of spy novels, thrillers and science fiction. (Jan. 2) Forecast: Card is immensely popular; this is one of his best novels. Like Ender's Game, it will soar on genre lists and should flirt with, and perhaps woo, regular lists. Tor will ensure this through a $300,000 ad/promo campaign including a nine-city author tour.

After all the child prodigies of the world return to their homelands from "Battle School" (where they are taught every aspect of strategic warfare, a madman kidnaps these "national resources" to achieve world domination. David Birney, Scott Brick, and Gabrielle De Cuir are outstanding together; all having spectacular pace and emphasis on characters emotional dialect. Though their lack of accents to accompany the multi-dialects that encompasses this all-global story does seem to waver away from the text. Told from the perspectives of two former students and the future Hegemon (all under aged), the narration is directed as being told from mostly children where De Cuir truly shines. S.B.P. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine