September 29, 2001 (12:00 AM) ( link )

Two-thirds of the way through Ender's Shadow. This is not a bad book, but as I was reading it I was struck by how much less gripping it is than Ender's Game was. Even on a rereading, Ender's Game could keep me up all night, and the ending—despite being completely familiar to me—was still heart-rending. Unless something amazing happens in the last third of Ender's Shadow, I seriously doubt that it'll approach the level of its predecessor.