In this book the author takes a supporting character from an incredible story and develops another incredible series.
Bean, the unsuspecting little boy, has a past that starts out with him escaping from a lab by hiding, as an infant, in a water tank at the back of a toilet.
Then to the streets of Amsterdam, where he survives the gangs of homeless kids who have a code of their own for survival.
Here he meets a very dangerous character who he manages to not get killed by but it's not over between them.
Finally he ends up in Battle School, in space where he meets Ender.
Even Ender doesn't know the potential of Bean.
You read about this meeting in the book Ender's Game but in this novel,Ender's Shadow, you get the story of Battle School from Bean's viewpoint.
The author, Orson Scott Card, does it again in this story.
He creates a character that is so captivating that you can't turn away from this book.
Bean has so many abilities that, while not supernatural, they are super.
Again, this story delivers in the Orson Scott Card way, and the sequels are superb.
Bean turns out to be one of the smallest, most powerful characters I've ever read about.
The conclusion of this book is so surprising it's astonishing.
There are 3 sequels.
And each one is another piece of the puzzle that is Bean.
It is quite an unpredictable sequence of events that takes us from a small boy to a man of surprising stature and leadership.
All and all this book is a very, very good read as are the sequels.
I would recommend it to any Sci Fi fan.