Plcut, dar nu atât de incitant ca primele dou volume ale seriei.In ciuda intrigilor pe care le-a esut în favoarea Chinei i care au condus la cucerirea Indiei de ctre acesta, Ahile este întemniat. In acelai timp, încercând s medieze conflictele militare care macin planeta i amenin echilibrul precar de dup încheierea rzboiului cu "furnicile", Peter Wiggin devine Hegemonul Pmântului, un titlu ce îi ofer mai mult prestigiu decât putere. Dup ce afl c Peter plnuiete s-l elibereze pe Ahile din mâinile chinezilor pentru a-l aduce în faa unui tribunal internaional, Bean i Petra se hotrsc s se ascund, încredinai c acesta îi va urmri rzbunarea.Temându-se c modificarea genetic ce a declanat uluitoarea sa dezvoltare intelectual va fi transmis împreun cu toate consecinele ei i copiilor si, Bean refuz la început propunerea Petrei de a-i întemeia o familie, dar accept pân la urm s se cstoreasc cu ea, cu condiia ca toi embrionii viitorilor copii s fie testai pentru Cheia lui Anton. Dar nici Ahile nu st degeaba în acest timp, reuind s acapareze Hegemonia, s-l determine pe Peter s fug pe o platform spaial i s captureze cinci dintre embrionii lui Petra i ai lui Bean. And so the fun begins.Spre deosebire de volumul precedent al crui accent cdea pe situaia geopolitic global, Umbra Marionetelor îi urmrete îndeaproape pe Bean, Petra i Peter. Bean, al crui timp se scurge încet, încet i încerc s îi gseasc elul, folosul vieii, Petra, a crei evoluie ca personaj m-a întristat i Peter, adolescentul care înc încearc s se elibereze de umbra succesului fratelui su. Mi s-a prut puin deplasat ideea de a-i defini pe oameni prin urmaii lor, de a reduce scopul întregii existene la procreare. Perspectiva creat de Orson Scott Card asupra lumii islamice dup ce a trecut de extremismul religios este destul de interesant, mai ales in contextul actual.3.5

As with the Ender series, the third entry in the Shadow series is not quite as good as the first few. It is still a lot of fun though if you're willing to look past a few classic OSC-face-palm moments. The occasional bouts of slight misogyny or vague homophobia completely ruin OSC's books for some, and that's a real shame because, in my opinion, the moments of brilliance far outweigh the gaffes. There is a lot to love about this book.I firmly believe that this man has a good heart and means no wrong, but he is from a different era and draws from a lineage of authors who were far more blatant in their misogyny. The fact is that he creates some outstanding female characters and had the bravery to include gay characters and some reflections on motherhood, despite knowing full well that it would safer and more politically correct to steer well clear. He may have missed the mark just slightly in the eyes of some of his readers, but his willingness to discuss controversial topics is good for a genre that at times seems exhausted, scared, and a bit too careful.

The single worst reading experience of my adult life.If you're like me and blissfully ignored Orson Scott Card's personal politics and enjoyed both the Ender and Shadow series, your ignorance ends sharply with Shadow Puppets. Card's views on homosexuality, abortion, and Muslims are not only apparent, but central to the plot line, despite no relevance to the previous books. And what makes it even more unbearable is that after going out of his way to fit all of these into Bean's story, very little even happens in the book at all. It's completely devoid of action, and don't get me started on the George Lucas-esque romance dialogue.I was tempted to stop reading, but I finished it just to confirm what I already knew. There was no redeeming aspect to Shadow Puppets, just unrecognizable characterization, overwrought dialogue about battle philosophies for battles that never take place, and lots of preaching. I don't care how many of his beliefs you agree or disagree with, none of those things had a place in this story, and it is sadly the last book I will read in the Enderverse.

I read this book in one day (granted, while travelling) so it was good enough to not want to put it down. While it wasn't amazing I am definitely interested in the characters and their arcs. However, I did feel that the writing was a bit heavy handed, childish, and preachy at times. I'm not reading it for the author's craft (if you want that, go run get The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss) but to see where everyone ends up. Ultimately this is the 7th (? wow) book I've read by OSC and it feels like things are getting weaker. However, I'll probably stick it out and read the next one.

I gave up on this book about halfway through. I seem to recall saying I'd give up on the Shadow books after the last one, but this was loaned to me, so I have that comfort at least.This book is uncomfortably fixated on breeding. The opinions espoused on passing on genetics in this book rival the weird rantings from Xenocide when it comes to sheer needless ranting. Unfortunately, this book lacks the solid plot buried beneath the blather.Card is still playing a game of Risk with world powers, and so little is done to properly develop these characters that at times only the names remind me that there's been a change in scene. A big chunk of the plot is about Bean breeding. So essentially it's a discussion of teenagers having children. I can't help but find this disconcerting. Card has gone from a ranting Neocon throwing his opinions into a story where they didn't necessarily fit straight into creepy old man territory. Seeing as I've already read the two award winning books he wrote roughly two decades ago, it feels like a fine time to call it quits on this particular author.