Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card
Bean has taken to the skies with his three children. Bean’s children share his unfortunate physical deformity but an extremely advanced intellect as well. They search for a cure for their physical condition – one that will preserve their genius IQs. On their journey through space, the dysfunctional family comes across a mysterious ship that seems to be Formic. And what lies inside the adrift ship could be the key to their future.
Shadows in Flight is the sequel to Shadow of the Giant, continuing Card’s epic Ender’s Game series with the offshoot Shadow saga. While it is not necessary to have read Shadow of the Giant, it does give background on Bean and his earlier adventures. Reading Ender’s Game and the other earlier novels are necessary to fully understand the alien Formics and their “history” with humanity. But I believe all science fiction fans should read the classic Ender’s Game anyway.
This is one of Card’s shorter novels at only 240 pages, which made for a quick, easy read. While Bean’s children are not all that likeable or relatable in the beginning, their adventure is fast-paced and completely engrossing. Science fiction fans will enjoy this latest installment, full of drama, suspense, alien life, and one highly dysfunctional family.
I finished this and honestly was a little disappointed. I was really hoping for a reunion btw Bean and Ender. They gave a rough idea of how big Bean was at this point but a pic probably would have been cool to see.
I think the overall series should end here, unless the children return to Earth.