Shadow of the Hegemon

Jacket art by Lisa Flakenstern
Jacket design by Carol Russo Design

By Orson Scott Card

Release Date: January 2001 (First Edition)
December 2001 (First Mass Market Edition)
Buy It Now

Description: Shadow of the Hegemon is preceded by Ender’s Shadow and is followed by Shadow Puppets.

“The Formic War is over, won by Ender Wiggin and his team of precociously brilliant child-warriors. The enemy is destroyed, the human race is saved. Ender himself refuses to return to the planet, but his crew has gone home to their families, scattered across the globe. The Battle School is no more.

But with the external threat gone, the Earth has become a battlefield once more. Nations wish to reassert their sovereignty. The children of the Battle School are more than heroes; they are potential weapons that can bring power to the countries that control them.

One by one, all of Ender’s Dragon Army are kidnapped. Only Bean escapes, and he turns for help to Ender’s brother, Peter, who has already been manipulating the politics of Earth from behind the scenes. With Bean’s help, he will eventually rule the world.”

Book Length: 451 pages (Tor mass market edition)

Awards and Achievements: Nominee: 2002 Locus Award
2001 New York Times Bestseller

Reviews: “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….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.” -Publishers Weekly

“The characterizations are first class, and the fast-paced action features one hair-raising episode after another… Readers will be completely enthralled.” -Booklist

“As are all Card’s books, this one is strangely moving. Although Shadow of the Hegemon has the bones of a simple thriller, Card’s ability to evoke character- especially the character of children essentially raise by each other while continually under siege- makes these books seem not like fiction but like family stories, tales of what our relatives endured in a world too close to our own.” -San Jose Mercury News

“The author’s graceful storytelling and engaging cast of youthful characters add an extra dimension to an already gripping story of children caught up in world-shaking events.” -Library Journal

“The novels of Orson Scott Card’s Ender series are an intriguing combination of action, military and political strategy, elaborate war games and psychology.” -USA Today

“Bean comes out mostly, though not entirely, from Ender’s shadow in this fast-paced, stand-alone sequel to Ender’s Shadow, which picks up a year later after the Battle School kids have all been returned to Earth.” -Locus

Shadow of the Hegemon is an ideal book with which to start your science fiction year.” -Rocky Mountain News