"The novels of Orson Scott Card's Ender series are an intriguing combination of action, military and political strategy, elaborate war games and psychology." - USA Today

Julian Delphiki grew up being called Bean, because he was so very small as a child. But within that tiny body was a mental giant. He was the smallest and youngest student at the Battle School, but he became Ender Wiggin's right hand.

Since then he has grown to be a power on Earth. He serves the Hegemon in the terrible wars that have followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. But within his genetically modified body is a ticking time bomb - Bean has never stopped growing; from the tiny, brilliant strategist, he has grown to be a giant in body as well as mind. Soon, he will not be able to survive in the gravity of his home world.

Soon, he will have to make a terrible choice.

"Card's latest installment in his Shadow subseries does a superlative job of dramatically portraying the maturing process of child into adult....  Now, as young adults in command of human armies pitted against each other in messy conflicts with no cleat solutions, Bean's old cohorts must help create a peaceful future for Earth after they're gone."  - Publishers Weekly (starred review)