Orson Scott Card: Ender's Shadow

Penguin

$19.95

Review: Gilbert Wong*

This one popped out of the ghetto of science fiction and though it suffers from the traits of the genre (splashy cover art of a spaceship) the novel is an engaging tale - a "parallax," as the author dubs his bestselling Ender saga.

For those playing catch-up, humanity has found it is not alone in the universe. Trouble is the charmingly named Buggers are, as their name suggests, intent on being the one and only intelligent species. War ensues. The aliens are beaten off, but at great cost.

Earth unites under the International Fleet who prepare for the next invasion by forming battle school, a space station where the young elite potential military commanders compete in a process to find the military genius who will lead Earth's next battle.

The saga of that leader has already been chronicled. This is the tale of his offsider, the genetically engineered Bean. While the above scenario is straight space opera, Bean's tale, his struggle for survival as an orphan amid the street gangs of Rotterdam, followed by his ascent to battle school, is grippingly told.

The author says he was inspired by the development of his own children, and that is partly why the novel works as Bean and his cohort grow up to become warriors. The pyrotechnics of alien conflict are left in the background, replaced by an engaging psychological tale of children under stress.

* Gilbert Wong is the Herald books editor.