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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold is the fourth chronological about the Vorkosigan family, excluding novellas. I have recently been rereading these and my last two reviews were of The Warrior's Apprentice and Mountains of Mourning. There have also been a series of discussion posts, which you can find here. This review will contain some spoilers for the earlier books, but nothing too major since this is a series of standalones. The blurb is a bit spoilery though. :-/
This is a book very definitely divided into two parts. They are linked and they are not equal halves, but the tone and setting and many of the secondary characters are different between them. The first half of the book takes place at Camp Permafrost, a crappy arctic training base that Miles is assigned to after he graduates from the military academy. I started reading The Vor game needing a laugh and while the opening section isn't maudlin, it's also not laugh-out-loud funny. It was compelling nonetheless and set up the second part of the novel. I can see why it was also published as a standalone story before the book's publication (in the afterword Bujold talks about the welcome fee from selling it to Analog as "Weatherman", but I found myself wondering how the ending would have worked...).
The latter two thirds or so of the novel takes place in space after Miles is transferred to ImpSec, the more covert branch of the Barrayaran military. The theme of Miles's insubordination continues as a somewhat dull mission becomes more exciting after a chance encounter and with the return of Admiral Naismith. This second part of the book was much funnier, with a lot of the humour coming from the reader (and Miles) knowing more about various social contexts than the characters in them. Much hilarity ensued, especially near the end.
This book stands alone quite well and I wouldn't ban someone from reading it out of order. That said, it does build on what has come before it, especially The Warrior's Apprentice, which sets up the Dendarii mercenaries, so I recommend reading at least that book first. In fact, my copy of The Vor Game is nestled inside the Young Miles omnibus, containing The Warrior's Apprentice, the novella Mountains of Mourning and then The Vor Game and a sizeable afterword, a worthy edition if you don't already own the novels.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
This is a book very definitely divided into two parts. They are linked and they are not equal halves, but the tone and setting and many of the secondary characters are different between them. The first half of the book takes place at Camp Permafrost, a crappy arctic training base that Miles is assigned to after he graduates from the military academy. I started reading The Vor game needing a laugh and while the opening section isn't maudlin, it's also not laugh-out-loud funny. It was compelling nonetheless and set up the second part of the novel. I can see why it was also published as a standalone story before the book's publication (in the afterword Bujold talks about the welcome fee from selling it to Analog as "Weatherman", but I found myself wondering how the ending would have worked...).
The latter two thirds or so of the novel takes place in space after Miles is transferred to ImpSec, the more covert branch of the Barrayaran military. The theme of Miles's insubordination continues as a somewhat dull mission becomes more exciting after a chance encounter and with the return of Admiral Naismith. This second part of the book was much funnier, with a lot of the humour coming from the reader (and Miles) knowing more about various social contexts than the characters in them. Much hilarity ensued, especially near the end.
This book stands alone quite well and I wouldn't ban someone from reading it out of order. That said, it does build on what has come before it, especially The Warrior's Apprentice, which sets up the Dendarii mercenaries, so I recommend reading at least that book first. In fact, my copy of The Vor Game is nestled inside the Young Miles omnibus, containing The Warrior's Apprentice, the novella Mountains of Mourning and then The Vor Game and a sizeable afterword, a worthy edition if you don't already own the novels.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
More rollicking space opera! By the end, I was a little weary of Miles ever getting captured and finding his way out, but patience is its own reward, I suppose.
Another reread. Love this book, and Miles is just perfect in it.
So, I enjoyed The Warrior’s Apprentice, and The Mountains of Mourning made me cry. How I would react to The Vor Game was anyone’s guess, but I knew that this last story in the Young Miles omnibus would not disappoint me.
Indeed, with this book, Lois McMaster Bujold hits it out of the park. I totally get why this won the Hugo Award in 1991. It is bold and brash but has a deeper psychological element to it, and the combination of these components results in an extremely entertaining work of character space opera. If The Mountains of Mourning endeared me to Miles Vorkosigan and Bujold’s bizarre feudalistic society of Barrayar, then The Vor Game proves that Bujold can do with Miles what she did with Cordelia in Shards of Honour.
This might be a backwards way to start a review, but I want to talk about the afterword to Young Miles first. Bujold provides a fascinating look at the genesis of the Vorkosigan saga and her career as a published author. She describes how the first Vorkosigan books obtained a home at Baen, and her experience preparing The Vor Game. At one point, she remarks how the book was stubbornly threatening to turn into a murder mystery set entirely on Kyril island, backing off only when she altered the contents of the mysterious package Miles finds from money to cookies. I understand that feeling, and I appreciate Bujold sharing such anecdotes. Much of what she says rings true and dovetails with my experience reading The Vor Game—and, ultimately, is that not some of the highest praise we can give an author?
Superficially, this novel is much like The Warrior’s Apprentice: Miles embarks on what should be a fairly straightforward journey, only to be drawn into an ever-increasingly complex and dangerous set of circumstances.
You cannot understand what it means to “raise the stakes” until you’ve read a Vorkosigan novel. Bujold did not invent the concept, obviously, but I think she might have perfected it (along with the related concepts of pacing and the dramatically ironical twist).
I could spend all day, and all night, counting the awesome number of twists, gambits, reversals, and stakes-raising that Bujold pulls off here. Let me just list, cryptically so as not to be all spoilery, a few: Metzov’s return and new lover; Miles finding Gregor (or should I say “Greg”?), losing him, and finding him again; the hilarious confusion of Cavilo and Metzov and Oser as they independently attempt to unravel Miles’ many and sundry identities; the sheer audacity of Miles’ plan culminating in the triumphant arrival of the Prince Serg.
The crowning achievement atop all this is Bujold’s pinpoint sense of humour. It’s not just that she manages to continuously and effectively raise the stakes: she’s funny while she does it. I chuckled throughout most of The Vor Game. I read the last 10% or so while on a plane ride home, and I had to work very hard not to disrupt my neighbours and contain my near-constant laughter. Some of the laughter was “funny-hah-hah,” but most of it was the laughter of delight—I giggled nearly uncontrollably at how Bujold portrays the reactions of people to the outcomes of Miles’ insane schemes.
Miles feels less like a Mary Sue in this book. I hope that’s the effect of The Mountains of Mourning on him: he still has that same “subordination problem” and the related, probably incurable, certainly terminal problem of not knowing when to stop—but now he has a sense of purpose. He knows why he schemes. And that’s what separates him from similarly clever, stunningly intelligent people like Cavilo—he can match her on her own playing field, but because he has a purpose, he has a sense of solidity that she can never have. Ultimately, that proves to be her undoing.
In addition to Miles’ creepy sexual tension with Cavilo, the second deeper, psychological aspect to The Vor Game is there in the title. Emperor Gregor turns up in an unexpected place, thinking suicidal thoughts. This catches Miles in a bind, because if he doesn’t somehow succeed—against all odds—in helping return Gregor to Barrayar, then there will be those who think he disposed of Gregor in order to place himself (or his father) on the throne. It’s so complicated! And meanwhile, we get to see how growing up as the emperor has affected Gregor, for better or worse.
I admire how Bujold manages to work these more serious themes into a novel that is, pacing- and plot-wise, a lighter and more fantastic work of fiction. That’s my bottom line: there was nothing boring about The Vor Game, no moment where I wanted to put the book down and do something else. I never had to push myself to keep reading. I never wanted to put it away! And I want more, more, more—oh look, another omnibus edition….
This is good stuff, people.
My reviews of the Vorkosigan saga:
← The Mountains of Mourning
Indeed, with this book, Lois McMaster Bujold hits it out of the park. I totally get why this won the Hugo Award in 1991. It is bold and brash but has a deeper psychological element to it, and the combination of these components results in an extremely entertaining work of character space opera. If The Mountains of Mourning endeared me to Miles Vorkosigan and Bujold’s bizarre feudalistic society of Barrayar, then The Vor Game proves that Bujold can do with Miles what she did with Cordelia in Shards of Honour.
This might be a backwards way to start a review, but I want to talk about the afterword to Young Miles first. Bujold provides a fascinating look at the genesis of the Vorkosigan saga and her career as a published author. She describes how the first Vorkosigan books obtained a home at Baen, and her experience preparing The Vor Game. At one point, she remarks how the book was stubbornly threatening to turn into a murder mystery set entirely on Kyril island, backing off only when she altered the contents of the mysterious package Miles finds from money to cookies. I understand that feeling, and I appreciate Bujold sharing such anecdotes. Much of what she says rings true and dovetails with my experience reading The Vor Game—and, ultimately, is that not some of the highest praise we can give an author?
Superficially, this novel is much like The Warrior’s Apprentice: Miles embarks on what should be a fairly straightforward journey, only to be drawn into an ever-increasingly complex and dangerous set of circumstances.
You cannot understand what it means to “raise the stakes” until you’ve read a Vorkosigan novel. Bujold did not invent the concept, obviously, but I think she might have perfected it (along with the related concepts of pacing and the dramatically ironical twist).
I could spend all day, and all night, counting the awesome number of twists, gambits, reversals, and stakes-raising that Bujold pulls off here. Let me just list, cryptically so as not to be all spoilery, a few: Metzov’s return and new lover; Miles finding Gregor (or should I say “Greg”?), losing him, and finding him again; the hilarious confusion of Cavilo and Metzov and Oser as they independently attempt to unravel Miles’ many and sundry identities; the sheer audacity of Miles’ plan culminating in the triumphant arrival of the Prince Serg.
The crowning achievement atop all this is Bujold’s pinpoint sense of humour. It’s not just that she manages to continuously and effectively raise the stakes: she’s funny while she does it. I chuckled throughout most of The Vor Game. I read the last 10% or so while on a plane ride home, and I had to work very hard not to disrupt my neighbours and contain my near-constant laughter. Some of the laughter was “funny-hah-hah,” but most of it was the laughter of delight—I giggled nearly uncontrollably at how Bujold portrays the reactions of people to the outcomes of Miles’ insane schemes.
Miles feels less like a Mary Sue in this book. I hope that’s the effect of The Mountains of Mourning on him: he still has that same “subordination problem” and the related, probably incurable, certainly terminal problem of not knowing when to stop—but now he has a sense of purpose. He knows why he schemes. And that’s what separates him from similarly clever, stunningly intelligent people like Cavilo—he can match her on her own playing field, but because he has a purpose, he has a sense of solidity that she can never have. Ultimately, that proves to be her undoing.
In addition to Miles’ creepy sexual tension with Cavilo, the second deeper, psychological aspect to The Vor Game is there in the title. Emperor Gregor turns up in an unexpected place, thinking suicidal thoughts. This catches Miles in a bind, because if he doesn’t somehow succeed—against all odds—in helping return Gregor to Barrayar, then there will be those who think he disposed of Gregor in order to place himself (or his father) on the throne. It’s so complicated! And meanwhile, we get to see how growing up as the emperor has affected Gregor, for better or worse.
I admire how Bujold manages to work these more serious themes into a novel that is, pacing- and plot-wise, a lighter and more fantastic work of fiction. That’s my bottom line: there was nothing boring about The Vor Game, no moment where I wanted to put the book down and do something else. I never had to push myself to keep reading. I never wanted to put it away! And I want more, more, more—oh look, another omnibus edition….
This is good stuff, people.
My reviews of the Vorkosigan saga:
← The Mountains of Mourning
EDIT Aug. 9, 2018: Still not one of my top-tier faves in the series, but it's definitely enjoyable for what it is. A lot of what I didn't enjoy about it this time around was probably also exacerbated by the fact that, as with three of the last four rereads I've done, I was listening to the audiobook and I'm not a huge fan of the narrator.
*
3.5 stars? Maybe. I didn't love this like GJRQ, or even really-really-like it like Shards of Honor, but it's looking so far like any Miles Vorkosigan book is guaranteed to be a hell of a lot of fun, if nothing else. Miles is a thoroughly improbable but just as thoroughly delightful hero.
*
3.5 stars? Maybe. I didn't love this like GJRQ, or even really-really-like it like Shards of Honor, but it's looking so far like any Miles Vorkosigan book is guaranteed to be a hell of a lot of fun, if nothing else. Miles is a thoroughly improbable but just as thoroughly delightful hero.
ALL HAIL EMPEROR GREGOR.
This author has a marvellous talent for completely selling me on characters in mere moments - first Bothari in the Cordelia's Honour books (Bothari!! BOTHARI!!!) and now Emperor Gregor, who was extremely unmemorable as a five year old but is an absolute delight as a constantly underestimated (thanks, Miles, of course the Emperor of your entire damn country is going to be seduced by the villain. Have a little faith, friend) and fairly miserable twenty-five year old.
I gave both this book and The Warrior's Apprentice three stars, not because I dislike them but merely because they don't hit quite to the heart of me as the Cordelia books did (enemies-become-lovers romance! Parenting! FANTASTIC FEMALE PROTAGONISTS!) and because I can't quite shake off the feeling that they're still more set-up than execution.
Drawing from my very limited Bujold experience thus far, she seems to have this fantastic way of writing set-up books that don't at all feel like set-up books until a bit further down the road - and suddenly, bam, all of the unfinished plots from earlier books come to life before your eyes. I absolutely adored Shards of Honour which is why I loved Barrayar with an all-consuming passion - it does nothing but build, build, build, execute, execute, execute, when you thought nothing was going to come from previous points. I don't see the same thing in these two Miles books but I'm hanging on because I'm almost certain that it'll hit eventually.
(Plus, the mere glimpses of Cordelia we get in these two are marvellous, and Aral, Aral, Aral, how can you be such a wonderful dedicated teary emotional affectionate desperate dad (don't talk to me I'm still stuck on the clay quote from Warrior's Apprentice) )
This author has a marvellous talent for completely selling me on characters in mere moments - first Bothari in the Cordelia's Honour books (Bothari!! BOTHARI!!!) and now Emperor Gregor, who was extremely unmemorable as a five year old but is an absolute delight as a constantly underestimated (thanks, Miles, of course the Emperor of your entire damn country is going to be seduced by the villain. Have a little faith, friend) and fairly miserable twenty-five year old.
I gave both this book and The Warrior's Apprentice three stars, not because I dislike them but merely because they don't hit quite to the heart of me as the Cordelia books did (enemies-become-lovers romance! Parenting! FANTASTIC FEMALE PROTAGONISTS!) and because I can't quite shake off the feeling that they're still more set-up than execution.
Drawing from my very limited Bujold experience thus far, she seems to have this fantastic way of writing set-up books that don't at all feel like set-up books until a bit further down the road - and suddenly, bam, all of the unfinished plots from earlier books come to life before your eyes. I absolutely adored Shards of Honour which is why I loved Barrayar with an all-consuming passion - it does nothing but build, build, build, execute, execute, execute, when you thought nothing was going to come from previous points. I don't see the same thing in these two Miles books but I'm hanging on because I'm almost certain that it'll hit eventually.
(Plus, the mere glimpses of Cordelia we get in these two are marvellous, and Aral, Aral, Aral, how can you be such a wonderful dedicated teary emotional affectionate desperate dad (don't talk to me I'm still stuck on the clay quote from Warrior's Apprentice) )
I love a good rogue - or I love reading about them, rather. I may have mentioned elsewhere that, prior to five or six years ago, I liked my protagonists to be heroic in the more traditional sense of the word: followers of order and justice, keepers of the peace - Lawful Good, to use the parlance of Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games. However, recently I've developed a marked preference for rogues: clever, street-smart, and whose loyalties and actions are defined not by the law or society or any kind of hierarchy, but their own selves and what they believe is right. I have grown very appreciative of characters who are capable of getting themselves out of any situation by talking themselves out of said situation, as well as the way they can treat the law and society in a very subjective manner while still having a personal code of honor.
There are quite a few rogues in literature, of course, and they seem to be quite frequent in genre fiction, especially. Fantasy is, naturally, populated by quite a few of them, but sci-fi has it's own fair share of rogues, too. One of my personal favorites has to be Miles Vorkosigan, from Lois McMaster Bujold's excellent Vorkosigan Saga, a series of military space opera that began with the novel Shards of Honor, and continued with the novels Barrayar and The Warrior's Apprentice. I'd read Shards of Honor and Barrayar long before I'd gotten the idea of starting a book-review site, but I already had the site in place when I picked up The Warrior's Apprentice and have a review for that book. This is fortunate, because the novel The Vor Game picks up where The Warrior's Apprentice left off.
The events of The Vor Game happen some time (a couple of years) after the end of The Warrior's Apprentice. Miles has graduated from officer school, and has been given the rank of ensign and an assignment to the remote, frozen outpost of Kyril Island - what is probably the most terrible assignment that could be given to anyone. However, Miles, being Miles, accepts it with minimal complaint - but Miles, being Miles, also gets himself entangled in a series of events that take him far from Kyril Island and Barrayar: events that lead him to a conspiracy that threatens his family, Barrayaran society, one of his closest friends, and which could potentially lead to a deadly, destructive war.
It must be said now that I have very strong feelings about this series, and about the characters in them. There is always a certain amount of investment involved when one reads a book, but the degree of investment can vary from absolutely none at all to extreme levels of investment. The latter is how I feel about Miles, and about the handful of supporting characters that surround him. Much of this devotion comes from the fact that Miles is precisely the kind of rogue I enjoy reading about, but severely hobbled by his own insecurities - insecurities he has had to deal with from birth, but which, paradoxically, have given him his roguish traits in the first place. This combination of wicked cleverness and vulnerability is a particularly enjoyable combination for me, which means Miles is right up my alley.
The Vor Game is, therefore, a great mountain of fuel for that particular fire, because it throws Miles several curve balls that challenge him both mentally and emotionally.These curve balls include the Dendarii Mercenaries, whom Miles brought together in The Warrior's Apprentice, and then abandoned to continue studying to be a Barrayaran military officer. Amongst the Dendarii Mercenaries is his old friend (and love) Elena, who married and fell in love with another one of the Dendarii Mercenaries at the end of the previous novel. Miles' reaction to her is interesting, both because he is still in love with her, and because Elena herself has changed from the way she was in The Warrior's Apprentice. In Miles' absence she has become (or perhaps has had to become) a strong, capable, and perhaps somewhat ruthless leader.
Miles, in his poor, broken heart, is uncertain as to how he should deal with this - or for that matter, how he should deal with being the leader of the Dendarii Mercenaries again, assuming his former identity of Miles Naismith. He brings it off with aplomb, of course, but it's interesting to see how he finds being in that particular identity's skin a bit uncomfortable because it doesn't square with how he thinks a Vor, especially one in the military, should act.
This novel also introduces Miles childhood friend and Emperor of Barrayar, Gregor Vorbarra, as an active supporting character. Mentioned frequently enough in the last books, this is the first time we see Gregor take an active part in anything to do with Miles - except it's quite obvious Miles would have preferred that Gregor stayed in the safety of Barrayar, but Gregor's very much tired of living in a gilded cage - tired enough that he's obviously depressive, and suicidal to boot. I find this portrayal of him to be interesting, and very much in keeping with the way he was raised, so I look forward to finding out what happens to him further down the line.
As for the antagonists, those are quite interesting too.There's General Metzov, whom Miles meets while at Kyril Island, and is a perfect case what happens when people let days of glories past get to their heads. But Metzov isn't the most interesting villain; that honor goes to a woman named Cavilo, who believes that there is no such thing as choosing between victory and defeat; instead, one must make choices so that, whatever the outcome, one always wins. Possessed of "a face like an angel, [and a] mind like a rabid mongoose", it's incredibly fascinating reading how Miles matches wits with her, and wins - but just barely. If I like my protagonists to be fantastically clever, I certainly like it when my antagonists are too, and Cavilo is one of the wiliest I've read about yet. I certainly hope she makes a further appearance down the line in the series, because it'd be incredibly fun to see how Miles deals with her .
Given these characters in play, plus events from previous novels, I think it's safe to say that the plot is an enormous amount of fun. There's an almost breathless quality to it, with very little time for Miles to think, and when he does it's usually filled with him simultaneously plotting his next move and doubting himself. And of course, given how clever the antagonist is in this one, there are quite a few twists and turns, some of which I didn't see coming - and I really like it when I can't see the plot twists coming.
Overall, The Vor Game is another great example of why Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga has the readership it does: great characters, thrilling plot, and the promise for even more further down the line. Given the events that have happened in this novel, I'm looking forward to finding out just what happens to Miles, his friends, and even his enemies in the succeeding novels, though whatever might happen to them, I'm sure it's going to be another excellent adventure.
There are quite a few rogues in literature, of course, and they seem to be quite frequent in genre fiction, especially. Fantasy is, naturally, populated by quite a few of them, but sci-fi has it's own fair share of rogues, too. One of my personal favorites has to be Miles Vorkosigan, from Lois McMaster Bujold's excellent Vorkosigan Saga, a series of military space opera that began with the novel Shards of Honor, and continued with the novels Barrayar and The Warrior's Apprentice. I'd read Shards of Honor and Barrayar long before I'd gotten the idea of starting a book-review site, but I already had the site in place when I picked up The Warrior's Apprentice and have a review for that book. This is fortunate, because the novel The Vor Game picks up where The Warrior's Apprentice left off.
The events of The Vor Game happen some time (a couple of years) after the end of The Warrior's Apprentice. Miles has graduated from officer school, and has been given the rank of ensign and an assignment to the remote, frozen outpost of Kyril Island - what is probably the most terrible assignment that could be given to anyone. However, Miles, being Miles, accepts it with minimal complaint - but Miles, being Miles, also gets himself entangled in a series of events that take him far from Kyril Island and Barrayar: events that lead him to a conspiracy that threatens his family, Barrayaran society, one of his closest friends, and which could potentially lead to a deadly, destructive war.
It must be said now that I have very strong feelings about this series, and about the characters in them. There is always a certain amount of investment involved when one reads a book, but the degree of investment can vary from absolutely none at all to extreme levels of investment. The latter is how I feel about Miles, and about the handful of supporting characters that surround him. Much of this devotion comes from the fact that Miles is precisely the kind of rogue I enjoy reading about, but severely hobbled by his own insecurities - insecurities he has had to deal with from birth, but which, paradoxically, have given him his roguish traits in the first place. This combination of wicked cleverness and vulnerability is a particularly enjoyable combination for me, which means Miles is right up my alley.
The Vor Game is, therefore, a great mountain of fuel for that particular fire, because it throws Miles several curve balls that challenge him both mentally and emotionally.
Miles, in his poor, broken heart, is uncertain as to how he should deal with this - or for that matter, how he should deal with being the leader of the Dendarii Mercenaries again, assuming his former identity of Miles Naismith. He brings it off with aplomb, of course, but it's interesting to see how he finds being in that particular identity's skin a bit uncomfortable because it doesn't square with how he thinks a Vor, especially one in the military, should act.
This novel also introduces Miles childhood friend and Emperor of Barrayar, Gregor Vorbarra, as an active supporting character. Mentioned frequently enough in the last books, this is the first time we see Gregor take an active part in anything to do with Miles - except it's quite obvious Miles would have preferred that Gregor stayed in the safety of Barrayar, but Gregor's very much tired of living in a gilded cage - tired enough that he's obviously depressive, and suicidal to boot. I find this portrayal of him to be interesting, and very much in keeping with the way he was raised, so I look forward to finding out what happens to him further down the line.
As for the antagonists, those are quite interesting too.
Given these characters in play, plus events from previous novels, I think it's safe to say that the plot is an enormous amount of fun. There's an almost breathless quality to it, with very little time for Miles to think, and when he does it's usually filled with him simultaneously plotting his next move and doubting himself. And of course, given how clever the antagonist is in this one, there are quite a few twists and turns, some of which I didn't see coming - and I really like it when I can't see the plot twists coming.
Overall, The Vor Game is another great example of why Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga has the readership it does: great characters, thrilling plot, and the promise for even more further down the line. Given the events that have happened in this novel, I'm looking forward to finding out just what happens to Miles, his friends, and even his enemies in the succeeding novels, though whatever might happen to them, I'm sure it's going to be another excellent adventure.
Como podéis ver se trata al mismo tiempo de un cuarto libro de la saga y el segundo en particular de Miles Vorkosigan. Sí, se trata de una de esas sagas tan divertidas que esparcen sus títulos en todas las direcciones y que aquí en España nos sirven con cuentagotas y con entregas separadas en el tiempo y desordenadas. Por suerte, parece que ahora Ediciones B está haciendo el esfuerzo de presentarnos cómodamente la saga para disfrute de cualquiera a quien le guste la space opera de calidad.
Sigue leyendo
Sigue leyendo
I love the Vorkosigan Saga. I'm reading them in chronological order, so this is my fourth one, with Shards of Honor, Barrayar, and The Warrior's Apprentice before this.
One of the things that I really love about the saga and The Vor Game in particular is that the plot, characters, and setting are all thought-out incredibly well. There's a lot of evidence that there is much more world-building behind the scenes that we haven't really been introduced to yet. For example, the mention of different languages like French and Greek causing class differences is new to this book, as far as I remember, and I'm curious as to how it affects their society and also about the history of Barrayar. But back to the point: the actions of Miles and the others make sense for their characters, and they're forced to deal with fears and inadequacies in ways that make sense, and they make sacrifices. They don't always get what they want, and when they do, it's not always in the way that they want it. It's very clear that Bujold thought through her characters and her plot and built them so that the novel proceeds naturally, and feels like it is populated by real people.
I would definitely recommend the Vorkosigan Saga, whether you start with publication order or chronological order (which has worked quite well for me). The novels are engaging and fun and thoughtful, and I can't wait to read more of Bujold.
One of the things that I really love about the saga and The Vor Game in particular is that the plot, characters, and setting are all thought-out incredibly well. There's a lot of evidence that there is much more world-building behind the scenes that we haven't really been introduced to yet. For example, the mention of different languages like French and Greek causing class differences is new to this book, as far as I remember, and I'm curious as to how it affects their society and also about the history of Barrayar. But back to the point: the actions of Miles and the others make sense for their characters, and they're forced to deal with fears and inadequacies in ways that make sense, and they make sacrifices. They don't always get what they want, and when they do, it's not always in the way that they want it. It's very clear that Bujold thought through her characters and her plot and built them so that the novel proceeds naturally, and feels like it is populated by real people.
I would definitely recommend the Vorkosigan Saga, whether you start with publication order or chronological order (which has worked quite well for me). The novels are engaging and fun and thoughtful, and I can't wait to read more of Bujold.