Reviews

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold

grayjay's review

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4.0

When his orders and funds are delayed, Miles finds himself stationed on Earth in his military capacity while trying to keep his double life as Admiral of the Dendari Mercenaries a secret. His life is further complicated by a budding romance with his Dendari bodyguard Ellie Quinn, and made more dangerous by the appearance of an actual double trying to usurp his life in a bid to take down the Barrayaran Empire.

I enjoyed this episode more than some others as it featured many scenes of Miles at his best: trying to talk his way out of danger.

voxlunae's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This one was fun! 

ksenia_'s review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

biblio_popins's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Està bé, a estones un pel avorrit, però al menys surten personatges nous i noves trames, que sempre va bé. 

gabliotecaria's review against another edition

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adventurous funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

karinlib's review

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4.0

I am loving these books.

piazelda's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

kitsuneheart's review

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5.0

After a major battle, Miles and his Dendarii Mercenaries dock at Earth for personnel and ships to get a little repair. After checking in with the Barryaran embassy, Miles proceeds to hurry up and wait for payment from the Imperium, taking every stopgap measure he can to avoid bankrupting his little army.

But the money never comes, and little hints of old revolution from the takeover of Komarr begin to surface about the son of the Butcher of Komarr. Miles has to figure out where his cash has gone, and whether he can trust the embassy in the first place. Jumping between the persona of Miles Vorkosigan and Admiral Naismith is hard enough when he's got a long space journey to adjust, but now he must do so between one room and another, and on a planet where there are people looking to get one over on him in BOTH his personas.

It's times like these Miles wishes there were two of him to take up the slack. Sigh...if only....

I feel like this book is the one that begins the golden age of the Vorkosigan Saga, for me. Our second-to-last major character has arrived, and two of the biggest conflicts of the series are presented: Komarr and Mark. Miles begins to face down some of the legacy made by his father, forging his own place in history books.

Continually fantastic as the series is, you're going to enjoy this book just a bit more than average, so get ready to devour this in one sitting!

ricksilva's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Mercenary admiral Naismith, AKA Barrayaran noble and intelligence agent Miles Vorkosigan brings his mercenary fleet to Earth for some repairs and recuperation, only to find themselves short on finds. Placed in the unusual position of having to function as both of his identities in the same city, Miles invents a story of having a clone. Then an actual clone shows up. Cue the mayhem.

This started a bit slow, although the glimpse of Earth (the origin of the human species, and now primarily a tourist destination), and the surprisingly interesting details of the finances behind the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet were some nice details to keep my interest. 

The character who will become Mark Vorkosigan is fairly rough here, and will wait for Mirror Dance to really get a true spotlight, but the character work on Miles more than makes up for that. 

The wackiness of the climactic battle is loads of fun, and the story has an absolutely great ending line.

eve_prime's review against another edition

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4.25

This one's set almost entirely in London (although our characters don't actually get to see much of London).  Miles acquires a surprising new relative, and we also meet one of my favorite secondary characters, Duv Galeni.  It's not quite as fast-paced as some, and I like that we get to see Miles adapting to new information and making solid choices.