Review by goad3w (2006-01-19)
I am a big fan of the overarching Enderverse and am quickly drawn into all of the novels. This one was no different. Bean is the main character here and he has emotionally grown since we last met him in Ender's Shadow. As he and the other battle schoolers return to Earth, a sinister villain from Bean's past begins to gather all of these great minds to himself as weapons that he can use to gain worldwide control. Bean aligns himself with old friends and new friends to wage a strategic defiance against his old enemy.

This book is merely part of a greater story, so only reading this book will not be 100% fulfilling, but Card's writing style and the characters are enough to make a reader want to stick around. What makes this book hard to read, as the 6th in the Ender series, is that it is missing Ender. Bean and Card make you feel that gap, but they do not celebrate it, they mourn it and it adds to the overall depth of the characters and the understanding of the situation on Earth that these extrordinary people are placed in. The Ender series and Shadow of the Hegemon are great reads for all ages.

Review by Sergio (2003-03-10)
This book needed more action, a lot of moves, but nothing was acomplished at the end.