The Last Shadow
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- Create Date：2023-01-13 08:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Orson Scott Card
- ISBN：0765344149
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Orson Scott Card's The Last Shadow is the long-awaited conclusion to both the original Ender series and the Ender's Shadow series， as the children of Ender and Bean solve the great problem of the Ender Universe—the deadly virus they call the descolada， which is incurable and will kill all of humanity if it is allowed to escape from Lusitania。
One planet。
Three sapient species living peacefully together。
And one deadly virus that could wipe out every world in the Starways Congress， killing billions。
Is the only answer another great Xenocide？
One planet。
Three sapient species living peacefully together。
And one deadly virus that could wipe out every world in the Starways Congress， killing billions。
Is the only answer another great Xenocide？
Reviews
Daniel Pung
，
Not his best I've read almost all of the Enderverse books。I read this book more out of commitment than a desire to。 It was not his best and probably his worst。I gave it 2 stars because there was at least some more to the story。The impression I got is that this book was written out of a feeling of some kind of obligation to the fans of the Enderverse books and not out of desire or inspiration。Read it if you want to "finish" the series but don't expect anything good or even a real ending。 Not his best I've read almost all of the Enderverse books。I read this book more out of commitment than a desire to。 It was not his best and probably his worst。I gave it 2 stars because there was at least some more to the story。The impression I got is that this book was written out of a feeling of some kind of obligation to the fans of the Enderverse books and not out of desire or inspiration。Read it if you want to "finish" the series but don't expect anything good or even a real ending。 。。。more
Leighann
，
Good long-awaited wrap up of both the Ender and Bean Sagas。 I didn’t read the whole Ender Saga after Speaker for the Dead， but I caught up quickly。 Card wraps things up， but not TOO tidily。 It was satisfying without feeling forced。
Chris Slooter
，
4。5 stars。 It was great returning to this series after many years away。 Some new characters， some old。 If you think of it as a single book， it's maybe 3 stars but if you liked the other books in the series it's more rewarding。 4。5 stars。 It was great returning to this series after many years away。 Some new characters， some old。 If you think of it as a single book， it's maybe 3 stars but if you liked the other books in the series it's more rewarding。 。。。more
Jon
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A satisfying end to the series。
Ryan Dash
，
3 stars。 I liked the plot overall and the dialogue was usually witty and entertaining。 However， there were several significant flaws。 Some ideas required too much suspension of disbelief。 In particular， costless instantaneous travel lowered the stakes。 Minor characters were hard to distinguish， and I found Thulium’s development unconvincing。 The conclusion was acceptable。 However， the book itself serves as a weak capstone for the Enderverse as a whole。
Douglas Biggs
，
Boring。
Jonathan Puddle
，
Somehow the worst book in this entire series， yet I'm glad I finished it and am thankful it was pretty straightforward and didn't require much from me to get it done。 Oh well。 What's next？ Somehow the worst book in this entire series， yet I'm glad I finished it and am thankful it was pretty straightforward and didn't require much from me to get it done。 Oh well。 What's next？ 。。。more
Aleksander
，
I was expecting more action， but I'm still glad for what I received。 I was expecting more action， but I'm still glad for what I received。 。。。more
Rick Mcgarry
，
I had no idea he was still alive and writing。 I guess it's been about 30 years since I read Ender's Game。 I had no idea he was still alive and writing。 I guess it's been about 30 years since I read Ender's Game。 。。。more
London Summers
，
I have plenty I would want to say about the author， but this is not the time or place for that。Instead it is a place to examine how disappointed I was with this book。 The story doesn't really have anything interesting going on， and the extremely smart characters make terrible choice simply because they need to， in order to move the story forward。Overall I was bored， as not a lot happened， and nothing was resolved。 I have plenty I would want to say about the author， but this is not the time or place for that。Instead it is a place to examine how disappointed I was with this book。 The story doesn't really have anything interesting going on， and the extremely smart characters make terrible choice simply because they need to， in order to move the story forward。Overall I was bored， as not a lot happened， and nothing was resolved。 。。。more
James Jesso
，
Honestly， I don't really know。 [some almost-spoilers]This book is max 3 star， but it is the completion of 10 books that are all 4-5 star， so it felt like a 1-2 star read。Essentially， it is hard for me to tell if I was "meh" with this book because of the expectations I was holding， or if it just wasn't that good。 It certainly was a far， far cry from any of the other books in the series。 Mind you， I have not read Ender In Exile yet， so I can't compare to that one。It's not that the concepts were po Honestly， I don't really know。 [some almost-spoilers]This book is max 3 star， but it is the completion of 10 books that are all 4-5 star， so it felt like a 1-2 star read。Essentially， it is hard for me to tell if I was "meh" with this book because of the expectations I was holding， or if it just wasn't that good。 It certainly was a far， far cry from any of the other books in the series。 Mind you， I have not read Ender In Exile yet， so I can't compare to that one。It's not that the concepts were poor or that it didn't have some cool moments。 But there was also a lot of what felt focusing on mundane events and interactions between character that I assume were meant to help develop the characters， but just came off as long-winded and unnecessary。 Then the interesting points， and even the main climax， felt like that came quickly and dissipated quickly without much depth of story to hold them。 It was like putting the "emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble"I don't want to be too critical of Card here because it's not that it's a bad book， and providing a conculsion all the books that followed is not small feat。 It just isn't that great and， in the context of the rest of the series， I was left with a feeling of "meh"。 I read a review here where someone just suggested reading a summary of the book if you want to know what happened， and I don't think I would agree if you are a fan of the other books， but it's isn't a terrible suggestion either。 。。。more
Howell Murray
，
Tying up the many threads from multiple books written over more than 30 years is a challenging task at best。 That Card has done this is impressive。 That this book is somewhat disjointed is understandable。 We start out with the Bean grandchildren， get involved in their story， and then the techno-shade of Hyrum Graff appears。 This is a lot of fun。 But inevitably， we meet Peter Wiggin again， or the latest version of him。 I liked the Bean books better than the rest of the Ender books， so my disappoi Tying up the many threads from multiple books written over more than 30 years is a challenging task at best。 That Card has done this is impressive。 That this book is somewhat disjointed is understandable。 We start out with the Bean grandchildren， get involved in their story， and then the techno-shade of Hyrum Graff appears。 This is a lot of fun。 But inevitably， we meet Peter Wiggin again， or the latest version of him。 I liked the Bean books better than the rest of the Ender books， so my disappointment when the story turned more to Peter is my bias。 But everything more or less works out in the end。 。。。more
Par
，
3。75 Stars。 Overall， a pretty solid conclusion to the Enderverse。 There was quite a bit I wasn’t a fan of at first but kept an open mind and ended up enjoying most of it。 The dialogue and characters were great， as usual。 And the ending was pretty sufficient。 Enjoy！Quotes:- “It is not a mark of bad science， but of good science， when a conclusion is not rejected merely because it is obvious。” （p3）- “Sometimes you have to defeat yourself a little in order to maintain your independence。” （p8）- “They 3。75 Stars。 Overall， a pretty solid conclusion to the Enderverse。 There was quite a bit I wasn’t a fan of at first but kept an open mind and ended up enjoying most of it。 The dialogue and characters were great， as usual。 And the ending was pretty sufficient。 Enjoy！Quotes:- “It is not a mark of bad science， but of good science， when a conclusion is not rejected merely because it is obvious。” （p3）- “Sometimes you have to defeat yourself a little in order to maintain your independence。” （p8）- “They are an unpromising bunch， like the children of royalty throughout history。” （p10）- “The laziest way to make a stupid decision is to declare that a task cannot possibly be done… The most time-consuming way to make a stupid decision is to resolve to solve an insoluble problem no matter how long it takes。” （p25）- “It’s unsurprising that people who pride themselves on being smarter than everybody else are especially susceptible to ignorant arrogance。” （p29）- “Parents always think their kids are both the best and the worst。” （p30）- “It’s easier to stand alone when you know you’re right， but when all you really have are questions， standing alone is a terrifying position to be in。” （p34）- “What you’re familiar with always feels safe， even when it isn’t。” （p35）- “Logic alone is terrible for proving anything。 But it’s a splendid tool for exposing absurdities。” （p41）- “We all do whatever we please。 Which in some cases comes very near to doing nothing at all。” （p59）- “He knew this was a trick question designed to make him feel stupid and lost。 So he skipped the stage where he gave a stupid answer， and simply felt stupid and lost anyway。” （p94）- “Writing is not telling。 Only through the ears can a story be well told and be well heard。” （p196）- “Respect is always a pretense。 It begins as a game of pretending， and then as the players come to know each other， it can turn into real respect， or it can remain pretense forever， because nobody is worthy of it。” （p209）- “For reasoning based on guesses based on hypotheses based on doubtful premises， you’ve built a pretty elaborate structure。” （p219）- “Anyone can change the world。 But to change it for the better—that’s always the challenge。” （p228）- “Your fear is rational。 Fearless people are fools—and quite often dead fools。” （p239）- “It’s not a failure… It’s just the simple fact that until you think of a thing， you haven’t thought of it yet。” （p283）- “That is the most modest bragging I have ever heard， and the most boastful modesty。” （p308）- “Power is worthless without boundaries and the self-control to respect them。” （p310）- “Then he thought of all the amazing things that were bound to happen in the future， and he felt a stab of regret that even if he lived to be old， he would only see a tiny portion of the future， and would die before anything ended。 Because it would never end。” （p310） 。。。more
Joshua Thompson
，
I don't recall ever reading such an anti-climactic conclusion to a book series。 Let alone a book that was touted to conclude TWO different book series。 I'm utterly disappointed that this 11 month journey through the Ender's Game and Shadow series books ended so poorly。 I don't recall ever reading such an anti-climactic conclusion to a book series。 Let alone a book that was touted to conclude TWO different book series。 I'm utterly disappointed that this 11 month journey through the Ender's Game and Shadow series books ended so poorly。 。。。more
Daniel
，
Not really worse than Children of the Fleet， which I rated highly， so I gave this 3 stars。It also got 3 stars for nostalgia since these characters/universe have been in my head for 23-24 years now。The characters aren't what I remembered them as， but the characters we know from before aren't really the main characters。The story， plot， setting， characters， and develop make this book read as a young adult novel。 There is no violence or intense feelings that used to be present in Card's writing。 It Not really worse than Children of the Fleet， which I rated highly， so I gave this 3 stars。It also got 3 stars for nostalgia since these characters/universe have been in my head for 23-24 years now。The characters aren't what I remembered them as， but the characters we know from before aren't really the main characters。The story， plot， setting， characters， and develop make this book read as a young adult novel。 There is no violence or intense feelings that used to be present in Card's writing。 It seemed like a jumble of sci-fi and past Card troupes smashed together。I wish the virus， the planet， the other species all had a more graceful and thoughtful end。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Meh？ It was pretty weird and was more true to the concepts and themes of the Ender series than the Bean series。 I was not a fan。 Lots of family politics rather than international politics （although some of those too）。 I kinda wish I'd gotten it at the library instead of buying it。 Meh？ It was pretty weird and was more true to the concepts and themes of the Ender series than the Bean series。 I was not a fan。 Lots of family politics rather than international politics （although some of those too）。 I kinda wish I'd gotten it at the library instead of buying it。 。。。more
Mark
，
Worst of the Shadow books。 Would skip upon a re-read
Finn Christo
，
An incredible waste of time， fan fiction dressed as completist entry。 Insulting to everyone that has been on this journey for so long， for shame OSG， for shame。
Brman85
，
I mean I love this universe。 Have read and reread the two series a couple of times。 This kept my attention enough to get through it （hence the second star） but by the time I got to the end i can safely say that this is pretty bad。 The story is ridiculous and all over the place。 The characters are ridiculous and all over the place。 The other books conclude okay enough where I can just ignore this one moving forward if I want。
Linda
，
A fun book to listen to。 I have enjoyed my forays into the "Enderverse。" I like Card's writing and his characters。 Brains and wealth don't always lead to happiness。 Although this is "the conclusion" to the series about Ender， Bean and their various posterity， it didn't really seem conclusive。 The Ender/Bean books are thought-provoking and this one has its moments。 Being a bird-lover， I enjoyed the Keas and Ravens as sentient species。 It's not Card's best writing， but it was a great diversion fro A fun book to listen to。 I have enjoyed my forays into the "Enderverse。" I like Card's writing and his characters。 Brains and wealth don't always lead to happiness。 Although this is "the conclusion" to the series about Ender， Bean and their various posterity， it didn't really seem conclusive。 The Ender/Bean books are thought-provoking and this one has its moments。 Being a bird-lover， I enjoyed the Keas and Ravens as sentient species。 It's not Card's best writing， but it was a great diversion from stresses of life， and hopefully this book won't be his last。 。。。more
Oraly
，
Nostalgia and news interesting plots and characters。 It was a good ending to the story。
Ben Dawson
，
Ender's Game was the first book I read for myself and it totally changed my life and opened my eyes to what reading was。 I have since read a majority of Card's books like the Ender series along with the Shadow series and Formic War series。 These books have built an amazing Sci-Fi world with awesome characters。 I don't know if this will be the final book， but it was a good addition to the series。 If you have read any of the Orson Scott Card books， I highly recommend this book。 Ender's Game was the first book I read for myself and it totally changed my life and opened my eyes to what reading was。 I have since read a majority of Card's books like the Ender series along with the Shadow series and Formic War series。 These books have built an amazing Sci-Fi world with awesome characters。 I don't know if this will be the final book， but it was a good addition to the series。 If you have read any of the Orson Scott Card books， I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Jennifer Harriss
，
Not as unsatisfying as some of the other books in the saga， but nowhere near as engaging as， say， Ender's Game or Speaker of the Dead。 Not as unsatisfying as some of the other books in the saga， but nowhere near as engaging as， say， Ender's Game or Speaker of the Dead。 。。。more
Pauline
，
I loved the first few books of what is now known as the Enderverse， but the later ones have been disappointing。 I'm not even sure which ones I may not have bothered to read。 Since this is the last one， I figured it would be good to see where it all ends。 It's an OK book， but I'd never have become a fan of Card's writing from reading this。 I loved the first few books of what is now known as the Enderverse， but the later ones have been disappointing。 I'm not even sure which ones I may not have bothered to read。 Since this is the last one， I figured it would be good to see where it all ends。 It's an OK book， but I'd never have become a fan of Card's writing from reading this。 。。。more
Anthony
，
Two things。 It pained me to continue supporting this man's books。 I loved the world and characters he created before I learned how hateful he is。That aside， I waited so long to finish these stories， and I'm sure that expectation built up played a role in me being disappointed， but when I look back at all the books in both series， I remember such interesting ideas being explored and twists that left me in awe。 This book never reached those heights。But the biggest criticism wasn't the plot or the Two things。 It pained me to continue supporting this man's books。 I loved the world and characters he created before I learned how hateful he is。That aside， I waited so long to finish these stories， and I'm sure that expectation built up played a role in me being disappointed， but when I look back at all the books in both series， I remember such interesting ideas being explored and twists that left me in awe。 This book never reached those heights。But the biggest criticism wasn't the plot or the ending， it was the dialogue。 My biggest issue was that the ultimate evolution of Card's cast of characters was some two dozen people who all desperately wanted to be the smartest person in the room。 And I mean every character without exception， treated every exchange like a chess match。 Cover to cover， this book was filled with the most exhausting， circuitous， obnoxious dialogue imaginable， with each character seemingly trying to reach forward three sentences ahead to make sure they outsmarted whoever had the misfortune of talking to them。I wanted so much to be in awe again， and have an ending that I truly felt laid to rest these storylines that has been left open for so many years， but instead this book left us with unresolved plotlines， unresolved character progression， and so many things that feel like they exist to leave room for more books， rendering the promise of a true ending worthless。 。。。more
S Modi
，
A reunion of beloved characters on a quest to solve the origins of the deadly descolada virus。 While Bean's descendants are mostly intolerable （see my rating of "Shadows in Flight"）， Card always sees the possibility of massively talented children to do great things， if they are given an appropriate environment with boundaries that guide them to kindness rather than arrogance。 He also speaks of inter-species dependence and the wisdom of knowing when to share information and knowing what skills sh A reunion of beloved characters on a quest to solve the origins of the deadly descolada virus。 While Bean's descendants are mostly intolerable （see my rating of "Shadows in Flight"）， Card always sees the possibility of massively talented children to do great things， if they are given an appropriate environment with boundaries that guide them to kindness rather than arrogance。 He also speaks of inter-species dependence and the wisdom of knowing when to share information and knowing what skills should not be passed on。 He also shows that our worse tendencies can be tempered with love。 While there any many things in this book that are highly convenient plot devices - instantaneous travel around the cosmos， infinite funds to buy whatever technology is needed， and Jane being an all-powerful backup in case anyone fails （without her knowledge and benevolence， none of this plot would be possible） - there are enough interesting comments about science and importance of connection to keep you reading。 Slightly anti-climactic as the end to this tremendous series， but still an enjoyable read。 。。。more
Michele
，
I must be living in a hole because I didn't know about the authors anti LGBTQ views。 Regardless this was an insufferable book and an inconsistent audiobook。 I would not reccomend it。 I must be living in a hole because I didn't know about the authors anti LGBTQ views。 Regardless this was an insufferable book and an inconsistent audiobook。 I would not reccomend it。 。。。more
Dj Fullen
，
Such a great finale to the Ender series and the Shadow series！！！ It’s been so long since the other books came out， and I’ve enjoyed the prequels that came out but this was what I really wanted！
Brian Skinner
，
I like Orson scott card audiobooks because most of the books are dialogue between characters。 He has very little description of the setting or the characters。 This is quite a complicated book because some character have multiple identities。 Also since I read the other books years ago it is sometime hard to remember what happened in the past。 I really liked the plot and there was quite a bit of humor。 The audiobook has multiple narrators which was kind of haphazard。 I wish they had just had Stefa I like Orson scott card audiobooks because most of the books are dialogue between characters。 He has very little description of the setting or the characters。 This is quite a complicated book because some character have multiple identities。 Also since I read the other books years ago it is sometime hard to remember what happened in the past。 I really liked the plot and there was quite a bit of humor。 The audiobook has multiple narrators which was kind of haphazard。 I wish they had just had Stefan Rudnicki read most of it and then occasionally have other narrators。 。。。more
Scott Smith
，
I just finished it and I wish I never read it。 I tried not to have any expectations going into it and I was still let down。 Card seems to have rushed through it to just finish。 I didn’t bond with any of the newer characters and felt like the story was thrown together similar to a musicians last album with a record label they hate。 The magic is gone and it really sucks that the characters were treated this way in the last few books。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Last Shadow
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Last Shadow&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Last Shadow&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0