The Last Shadow

Book by Orson Scott Card

The Last Shadow
First edition
Author	Orson Scott Card
Cover artist	John Harris
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Ender's Game series
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	16 November 2021
Preceded by	Children of the Mind, Shadows in Flight

The Last Shadow is a 2021 science fiction novel by American writer Orson Scott Card, part of his Ender's Game series. It links the Shadow Saga (the parallel companion series) back to the original Ender series. This book brings the two series back together, and wraps up some of the plot threads left dangling in Shadow of the Giant (the fourth book in the Shadow Saga). The events in the book follow those in Children of the Mind, the final book in the Ender series.^[1]

Card has said that he began writing the first pages of the novel while quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] The novel was originally set to be titled Shadows in Flight, but Card decided to swap titles with the fifth book in the Shadow series (released on 17 January 2012),^[3] which serves as a bridge to the final book. The concluding events of Shadows in Flight were initially planned for the first chapter of the final book, with working title Shadows Alive.^[4]

Ender's Game series

Chronology

In chronological order

Earth Unaware

Earth Afire

Earth Awakens

The Swarm

The Hive

The Queens

"Mazer in Prison"

"The Polish Boy"

"Teacher's Pest"

"Pretty Boy"

"Cheater"

Ender's Game

'Recruiting Valentine'

A War of Gifts

Ender's Shadow

'The League War'

Children of the Fleet

Ender in Exile

Shadow of the Hegemon

Shadow Puppets

Shadow of the Giant

Shadows in Flight

"Investment Counselor"

Speaker for the Dead

Xenocide

Children of the Mind

The Last Shadow

In publication order

Ender's Game

Speaker for the Dead

Xenocide

Children of the Mind

Ender's Shadow

Shadow of the Hegemon

Shadow Puppets

First Meetings

Shadow of the Giant

A War of Gifts: An Ender Story

Ender in Exile

Shadows in Flight

Earth Unaware

Earth Afire

Earth Awakens

The Swarm

Children of the Fleet

The Hive

The Last Shadow

The Queens

Chart

Short Stories

Novels

Comics

Audioplay

Film

First Meetings
(in the Enderverse)
(2002 (2003))

Ender's Game



Investment Counselor



The Polish Boy



Teacher's Pest

Formic Wars: Burning Earth (2011)



Formic Wars: Silent Strike (2012)

First Formic
War Trilogy

Earth Unaware (2012)



Earth Afire (2013)



Earth Awakens (2014)

War of Gifts
(2010)

Mazer in Prison



Recruiting Valentine



The League War



War of Gifts

OSCs InterGalactic
Medicine Show
(2008)

Mazer in Prison



Cheater



Pretty Boy



A Young Man with Prospects

Second Formic
War Trilogy

The Swarm (2016)



The Hive (2019)



The Queens (TBA)

Mazer in Prison (2005)

Mazer in Prison (2010)

The Polish Boy (2002)

Cheater (2006)

Pretty Boy (2006)

Teacher's Pest (2003)

Ender's Shadow
(1999)

^{[note 1]}

Ender's Shadow:

Battle School (2009)



Command School (2010)

Ultimate collection (2012)

Ender's Game Alive (2013)



Recruiting Valentine (2009)



The League War (2010)

Ender's Game
(1977)

Ender's Game
(1985)

^{[note 1]}

Ender's Game:

Battle School (2009)



Command School (2010)

Ultimate collection (2012)

Ender's Game
(2013)

Ender's Stocking (2007)



A War of Gifts (2007)

^{[note 1]}



War of Gifts (2009)

The Shadow Trilogy

^{[note 2]}^{[note 3]}

Shadow of the Hegemon (2001)



Shadow Puppets (2002)



Shadow of the Giant (2005)

Ender's Homecoming (2008)

A Young Man with Prospects (2007)

Ender in Flight (2008)

The Gold Bug (2007)

Ender in Exile (2008)

^{[note 2]}

Ender in Exile (2011)



Gold Bug (2010)

Fleet School

^{[note 4]}

Children of the Fleet (2017)



... (TBC)

Governor Wiggin (2017)

Investment Counselor (1999)

Renegat (2017)

Shadows in Flight (2012)



Speaker for the Dead (2011)



Gloriously Bright (1991)

The Speaker Trilogy

^{[note 3]}

Speaker for the Dead (1986)



Xenocide (1991)



Children of the Mind (1996)

Messenger (2018)

The Last Shadow (2021)

^ ^a ^b ^c The events of Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and A War of Gifts take place in roughly the same time period.
The events of A War of Gifts only take place during the time at Battle School).
^ ^a ^b The events of Ender in Exile and the Shadow Trilogy take place in roughly the same time period.
- First part of Ender in Exile (2/3) takes place during the Shadow Trilogy.
- Last part of Ender in Exile (1/3) takes places after Shadow of the Giant.
^ ^a ^b Note on the following (maybe not yet so common) Trilogies:
"Speaker Trilogy": Original set of sequels to Ender's Game, also referred to as:
- "Ender Quartet" (Ender's Game combined with "Speaker Trilogy"), also referred to as:
- "Ender Quintet" ("Ender Quartet" combined with Ender in Exile).
"Shadow Trilogy": Original set of sequels to Ender's Shadow, also referred to as:
- "Bean Quartet"/"Shadow Quartet" (Ender's Shadow combined with "Shadow Trilogy"), also referred to as:
- "Bean Quintet"/"Shadow Quintet" ("Bean Quartet" combined with Shadows in Flight), could be referred to as:
- "Bean Sextet"/"Shadow Sextet" ("Bean Quintet" combined with The Last Shadow)
^ Title is also mentioned in regard to a possible sequel for the film.

References

^ Peterson, Matthew (12 November 2009). "Orson Scott Card – Online Radio Interview with the Author". The Author Hour radio show.
^ "Maybe Some Good Will Come Out of This – Uncle Orson Reviews Everything".
^ Card, Orson Scott (17 January 2012). Amazon.com: Shadows in Flight (The Shadow) (9780765332004): Orson Scott Card: Books. ISBN 978-0765332004.
^ Card, Orson Scott (15 July 2011). "Hatrack River Forums:Shadows in Flight".

Works by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game series

Books

Ender Series	Ender's Game (1985) Speaker for the Dead (1986) Xenocide (1991) Children of the Mind (1996) Ender in Exile (2008)
Shadow Saga	Ender's Shadow (1999) Shadow of the Hegemon (2001) Shadow Puppets (2002) Shadow of the Giant (2005) Shadows in Flight (2012) The Last Shadow (2021)
Formic Wars	Earth Unaware (2012) Earth Afire (2013) Earth Awakens (2014) The Swarm (2016) The Hive (2019) The Queens (TBA)
First Meetings (2002) A War of Gifts: An Ender Story (2007) Children of the Fleet (2017)

Short stories

Other media

Comics
Film

Characters

The Tales of Alvin Maker
Books	Seventh Son (1987) Red Prophet (1988) Prentice Alvin (1989) Alvin Journeyman (1995) Heartfire (1998) The Crystal City (2003)
Other media	"Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow" (poem, 1989) Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker (comic book, 2006)

The Worthing series
Books	Capitol (1979) Hot Sleep (1979) The Worthing Chronicle (1983) The Worthing Saga (1990)

Other works
Homecoming Saga	The Memory of Earth (1992) The Call of Earth (1992) The Ships of Earth (1994) Earthfall (1995) Earthborn (1995)
Women of Genesis	Sarah (2000) Rebekah (2001) Rachel and Leah (2004) The Wives of Israel (TBA)
Mithermages series	Sandmagic (1979) Stonefather (2008) The Lost Gate (2011) The Gate Thief (2013) Gatefather (2015)
Mayflower series	Lovelock (1994) Rasputin (TBA)
The Empire duet	Empire (2006) Hidden Empire (2009)
The Pathfinder series	Pathfinder (2010) Ruins (2012) Visitors (2014)
Standalone novels	A Planet Called Treason (1979) Songmaster (1980) Hart's Hope (1983) Saints (1984) Wyrms (1987) Treason (1988) The Abyss (1989) Lost Boys (1992) Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus (1996) Treasure Box (1996) Stone Tables (1997) Homebody (1998) Enchantment (1999) Magic Street (2005) Invasive Procedures (2007) Bully and the Beast (TBA)
Story collections	Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories (1980) Cardography (1987) The Folk of the Fringe (1989) Maps in a Mirror (1990) Keeper of Dreams (2008)
Other works	Listen, Mom and Dad (1977) Ainge (1981) Saintspeak (1981) Eye for Eye (1987) Loom (1990) The Secret of Monkey Island (1990) The Dig (1995) NeoHunter (1996) Magic Mirror (1999) Robota (2003) An Open Book (2004) Ultimate Iron Man (2005) Advent Rising (2005) InterGalactic Medicine Show (2005) Hamlet's Father (2011) Firefall (2014)