At first I wasn't sure I was going to like this book when it started, but after awhile I was absolutely absorbed into it. I am happy we were allowed to get a glimpse into the lives of Bean and his kids. Their little adventure and the finding of an old Formic colony ship was very cool. The interactions with the Formic's answered alot of questions about their race which haven't been touched upon in the other books. It was nice to see that Bean had a plan from the beginning for these kids and he was able to see it into fruition. The ending is tragic but at the same time fitting. I am so looking forward to the volume which ties this into the main Ender series.