Years ago, Orson Scott Card wrote the book "Ender's Game" which told the story of a brilliant 9-year-old boy named Ender Wiggin attending Battle School whose shoulders supported all of humanity's hope of surviving alien invasions from the Formics, more commonly known as the "Buggers." Now, 20 years later, Card comes back with a parallel novel called Ender's Shadow telling the same story but following the poignant journey of Bean, a genetically-altered 5-year-old genius in a tiny body. Although Bean is only the main character in the retelling, he plays an important part in the futures of all the children at Battle School, especially Ender. Making crazy archenemies furious and filled with murderous rage, pretending to be a scholar to send scorching essays to influential political thinkers on Earth, and helping to revive comrades who had frozen from stress; it's all in a day's work for Bean, boy genius.
Bonzo Madrid hated Ender Wiggin with a passion, because they were commanders of competing armies in Battle School and because Wiggin was beating every army thrown his way.
Orson Scott Card at Life, the Universe, & Everythi...
Ender's Game
Card's webzineFinally fed up with Ender's constant victories, Bonzo gathered his groupies to find a Dragon soldier and beat him up to send a message to their leader. They picked Bean because he was the smallest and weakest, but Bean wouldn't take it lying down. "Don't you get it, Bonzo? The teachers have picked Wiggin. He's the best... He's smarter than you. And his soldiers are all smarter than your soldiers. The deck is stacked against you, Bonzo. You might as well give up now." That little outburst made Bonzo so angry he eventually got Ender alone with the intention to kill. When Bean got to the scene, Ender was walking away from a crowd of teachers hovering around the body of Bonzo Madrid...