He casts quite the shadow

So I was already a leeeetle behind on my reviews, then I went on a trip where I ended up spending about 12 cumulative hours in an airport or on a plane, and finished four more books. So now I’m really behind, and about to flood the main page in an effort to catch up. Apologies!

First up: the audiobook I finished prior to leaving town. I’ve been working my way through Orson Scott Card’s Shadow Series, which focuses on the genetically-modified military commander, Bean, whose genes have granted him supergenius, in exchange for giantism and death at an early age. Shadow of the Giant covers his last few years on the planet, as he and Peter Wiggin (along with other Battle School grads) attempt to use their brains and armies to create peace on Earth under the office of the Hegemon. We also watch Bean and Petra attempt to recover their stolen babies, implanted as embryos in the wombs of eight or nine women, who then scattered across the world.

Like the previous two, Shadow of the Giant focuses pretty heavily on military action and strategy. I’m starting to get a little bored of it, to be honest, but it’s not Orson Scott Card’s fault that I’ve been listening to this series without a break for weeks now. I’m starting Shadows in Flight now, which is a very different kind of book, as well as the last one in the series (for now?). Still, I love Petra and Peter (and the ending of