Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

4 reviews

valjeanval's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Like the first book in this series, this is a really good science fiction culture clash book that is somewhat marred by some dated and naive treatments of SA.

On the whole, Cordelia is one of my favorites of old school SF heroines. She is a scientist, an adventurer, a sometimes soldier, and in this book she is also a wife and mother, and she holds all these identities without sacrificing a one of them. Her impressions of Barrayar still ring as a commentary on our barbaric world today even thirty years later. God reading older science fiction can really show you how little has changed. Bujold is a great writer who balances political intrigue and action fairly effortlessly.

But again, it's hard to gloss over the way SA and mental health in general are treated. It feels like dated misunderstanding more than anything, but it definitely requires a big old content warning at the top not for any sort of graphicness but just for how casually it is treated. I don't think Bujold would write this way anymore, but it does dampen an otherwise wonderful adventure read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Classism, Grief, Sexual assault, Abortion, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence, Rape, and War

ellianderjoy's review

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Medical content

Moderate: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Torture, and Toxic friendship

blacksphinx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Ableism, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Biphobia, Medical content, Blood, War, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, Xenophobia, and Confinement

I truly cannot emphasize enough how much ableism is directed to people with physical disabilities by antagonists in this book. Additionally, this book contains a slur against intersex people (repeated twice).

pvbobrien's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Misogyny

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Biphobia, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexism, War, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Child abuse, Abortion, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Hate crime, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, and Suicide attempt