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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed The Vor Game much more than The Warrior's Apprentice, although it's hard to put my finger on why. I guess Miles' exploits didn't feel quite as improbable, although Cavilo is as absurd a character as you can imagine. A fast-paced page-turner, but still missing a lot of the charm that made Shards of Honor and Barrayar so good.
Listened to this on audiobook, and I wish now I had simply read it. I usually love Grover Gardner as a narrator but this time he just didn't do it for me - he read too fast and all the characters sounded the same. Not fair, because the Miles Vorkosigan books are great.
Really grateful that I started the Hugo challenge because it introduced me to Bujold. I think I’ll go back and read the barrayar series from the beginning. Miles’s mom sounds amazing.
slow-paced
I read this book fourth in the saga following Bujold's loose recommendation, and this is when the series and character really crystallized for me. Miles is a genius, a noble one, but he can also be a complete idiot. It's so fun watching him as he graduates, completely screws up his first assignment (though, granted, for good reason) and tries to juggle his other life as Admiral Naismith. I love his relationships with his parents and the Emperor (who is essentially his foster brother) as well as his mercenaries. A fabulous story with complex and interesting characters.
This book is almost two separate stories put together -
The first is Miles's first assignment out of the academy, a post as a weatherman in a desolate (and rather chilly) location. It is meant as a test to see if he can shake off some of his insubordination, and if he passes this test, he will be awarded a post on the Barrayaran military's newest ship. He deals with a mad superior and obviously (and unsurprisingly) fails the test.
The second part of the book places him back among his Dendarii mercenaries, as part of an assignment by Imperial Security's head, Illyan. While he succeeds in the spirit (one would say) of the orders his superior on this mission had, he gets himself into a rather complex political situation. I liked this book, because it was fast paced and pretty complicated in some parts, with more twists than any standard novel. I really liked the development of the emperor Gregor as well and I look forward to where the story goes after this book.
The first is Miles's first assignment out of the academy, a post as a weatherman in a desolate (and rather chilly) location. It is meant as a test to see if he can shake off some of his insubordination, and if he passes this test, he will be awarded a post on the Barrayaran military's newest ship. He deals with a mad superior and obviously (and unsurprisingly) fails the test.
The second part of the book places him back among his Dendarii mercenaries, as part of an assignment by Imperial Security's head, Illyan. While he succeeds in the spirit (one would say) of the orders his superior on this mission had, he gets himself into a rather complex political situation. I liked this book, because it was fast paced and pretty complicated in some parts, with more twists than any standard novel. I really liked the development of the emperor Gregor as well and I look forward to where the story goes after this book.
I do enjoy these, but I can't help thinking of how I would react to Miles if I were one of the people who is supposed to be in charge of him, and it's not good. He's a great character, but not the kind you would want to be or know.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as [b:The Warrior's Apprentice|61906|The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga, #2)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1170597854s/61906.jpg|2792]. In many ways it felt repetitive. But I do very much love Miles and will be reading more.