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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
I hadn't read any of the Vorkosigan books in many years so I was a little nervous that I would be totally lost. Between all the various reading orders and novellas theres a lot to keep track of, but I love how the books seem to explain all the needed backstory. As soon as I started reading, all the names flooded back and what an enjoyment it was. For the most part the tech doesn't feel that out of date, though some things(nobody knowing what anyone looks like) do feel a little strange.
I can’t begin to express how much I love this series so far!
I don't think it's possible to get enough of Miles Vorkosigan.
It's great to follow him as he grows -- as so many of us, NOT in the directions that people suspect. Miles is just so wildly GRANDER than all of us and has such amazing adventures, and yet... at the same time... his personal story arc is something so many of us can identify with. Underneath all the intrigue and space battles and adventure is a story about finding your place in the world and learning just who you really are.
It's great to follow him as he grows -- as so many of us, NOT in the directions that people suspect. Miles is just so wildly GRANDER than all of us and has such amazing adventures, and yet... at the same time... his personal story arc is something so many of us can identify with. Underneath all the intrigue and space battles and adventure is a story about finding your place in the world and learning just who you really are.
Another great Vorkosigan book. This one is about Miles just after graduation.
Solidly enjoyable, with a killer first act (makes sense, as it was published separately as a novella). Kind of lost me with some of the twists as it went on but still a great time. Also had the best villains out of the Vorkosigan books I've read so far.
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe -- quite possibly -- this is more of a 4.5. I loved the story, I adore Miles (and the rest of the characters), and I love the writing style. Bujold makes this science fiction completely accessible for sci-fi newbies like me, and I assume (based on the people I see reviewing it) also interesting for those with more depth in the genre.
There were a few things that irked me - like how everything always falls exactly into place for Miles; how she just sort of skimmed over the battle part; etc. But overall, I think this is one of the best series I have going right now. I love the relationship between Miles and his father, and his developing friendship with the Emperor. I love the humanness of the story.
The extra .5 is for the narration. I listed to this on audio and thought it was exceedingly well done. I'm torn between wanting to read them myself so I can devour them quickly and wanting to listen to them all forever so I can hear this narrator's work. We shall see!
There were a few things that irked me - like how everything always falls exactly into place for Miles; how she just sort of skimmed over the battle part; etc. But overall, I think this is one of the best series I have going right now. I love the relationship between Miles and his father, and his developing friendship with the Emperor. I love the humanness of the story.
The extra .5 is for the narration. I listed to this on audio and thought it was exceedingly well done. I'm torn between wanting to read them myself so I can devour them quickly and wanting to listen to them all forever so I can hear this narrator's work. We shall see!
Please note: my three star rating is not an aspersion on the book's quality, just a measure of how much I enjoy this book relative to the rest of the series. It's all very smart and well executed (obviously, if it won a Hugo), just not as much fun as THE WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE, and more full of the kinds of characters I find more exasperating than compelling (*cough* Cavilo *cough*). Also, the final battle depends on a lot of elaborate tactical strategy that I find I simply can't picture in my mind, so I end up skimming it and having only the vaguest idea of what's going on. But I love Miles, and Gregor, and the brief bits we get of That Idiot Ivan (whose uncanny ability to innocently say the worst possible thing at every turn never ceases to make me giggle), and the foreshadowing of Simon Illyan's role in later books (especially MEMORY, which is one of my favorites). And being occasionally bored and impatient with this particular story didn't prevent me from tearing through it in less than two days.
Miles is at it again!
Freshly graduated from the academy, Miles's first posting is in an isolated polar base where they send people they'd rather just forget about
This book reminded me somewhat of Shards of Honor, at least in its structure. Both books can be divided neatly into two - each portion having its own separate plot, its own resolutions, its own setting. But, at the same time, the events of the first come back to become integral to the events of the second. So in both books, we get two distinct novellas that complement each other. In this case, we get Miles at the polar base, and then Miles in space and far, far away from home.
Warrior's Apprentice came with something of a wakeup call. It's all fun and games as Miles gallivants around the universe having adventures, until responsibility starts hitting him in waves - first the danger to himself, then the danger to his friends and crew, and then the danger to the entire political system of Barrayar.
In The Vor Game, we get a somewhat wiser, more jaded Miles. He's not much older, but he has a better understanding of his responsibilities, and of how badly his actions can harm others. Even better, we get to watch, from his perspective, as the Emperor Gregor goes through the same lesson.
It's this negotiation of danger (especially as the spheres of danger come into conflict with each other) that makes this book so interesting.
Freshly graduated from the academy, Miles's first posting is in an isolated polar base where they send people they'd rather just forget about
This book reminded me somewhat of Shards of Honor, at least in its structure. Both books can be divided neatly into two - each portion having its own separate plot, its own resolutions, its own setting. But, at the same time, the events of the first come back to become integral to the events of the second. So in both books, we get two distinct novellas that complement each other. In this case, we get Miles at the polar base, and then Miles in space and far, far away from home.
Warrior's Apprentice came with something of a wakeup call. It's all fun and games as Miles gallivants around the universe having adventures, until responsibility starts hitting him in waves - first the danger to himself, then the danger to his friends and crew, and then the danger to the entire political system of Barrayar.
In The Vor Game, we get a somewhat wiser, more jaded Miles. He's not much older, but he has a better understanding of his responsibilities, and of how badly his actions can harm others. Even better, we get to watch, from his perspective, as the Emperor Gregor goes through the same lesson.
It's this negotiation of danger (especially as the spheres of danger come into conflict with each other) that makes this book so interesting.
