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rainys's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
becasaur27's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-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
This book surprised me. We started off Not Friends. This was due to how it came upon my radar which was the Sword and Laser book club's annual March Madness voting contest. That was all well and good until I realized that whoever had nominated it had CHEATED! This wasn't just ONE BOOK but TWO BOOKS IN ONE! Which sounds like a great deal and all, but it is 80's sci-fi. Not the best era for that genre imo. So, it was with a deep sigh and great trepidation that I pulled this reluctantly from my shelf and began. The beginning was fine. About what I expected if I'm being honest. But the final third?! WOW! It got GOOD! It got relevant! It had a woman's insight! In the 80's/early 90's! Which you'd think "of course it has a woman's insight, it's by a woman!" BUT that has not been my experience with all books written by women in this genre in this period. Anyway, worth a read and definitely got me interested in a series that was not at all on my radar previously. Which, ya know, is kinda the point of the whole following a book club around and reading the stuff they pick. So, great job this time! :)
chigh's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
iceangel9's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A combination of two of Bujold's science fiction books into one volume. Cordelia is the captain of a survey ship from Beta colony. On a routine survey her team is attacked by soldiers from Barrayar, Cordelia orders her crew to leave her and escape; she then meets the Barrayaran leader and discovers the attack on her crew was really a mutiny to kill the leader of the Barrayarn's named Vorkosigan. Cordelia and Vorkosigan survive and she helps him kill the mutineers and he helps her get back to Beta. Once there she discovers a war has broken out and she leads a mission to defeat the Barrayan fleet, only to be captured. She is rescued by Vorkosigan and she helps him defeat a political rival. Upon her return to Beta she discovers she is considered a Barrayaran spy, so she flees to Barrayar and marries Vorkosigan, who she loves. When Vorkosigan is made regent at the death of the current Emperor, Cordelia finds herself in the middle of a civil war. I am not a huge fan of science fiction, except for anything by Martha Wells, but I really enjoyed these books. More action and political intrigue than heavy science fiction.
spaceman5000's review
3.0
Really two books in one. A neat start to a long series. I understand the appeal, but I am not really sure if it's for me or if I'll continue the series.
klmoran's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and didn't want their story to end.
wkrp's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
notthesandpaper's review
2.0
I picked this up because the series seems to be everyone's favourite and because I can never say no to scifi with a female protagonist, but unfortunately both Shards of Honor and Barrayar ended up being disappointing.
There was some intresting worldbuilding in the books, but as a whole the focus was too much on the romance and relationships between flat and one-dimensional characters with confusingly similar names. I had to periodically check Wikipedia to see which character Cordelia was currently talking to, because their personalities weren't distinct enough for me to tell thyem apart. And I say this as a big fan of Tolkien, the king of sprawling casts of secondary characters.
The biggest disappointment was Cordelia Naismith herself. She started off as an interesting character, but I found her romance with Aral unbelievable (when I wasn't creeped out by the Stockholm Syndrome aspects of it) and by the second book, she was mostly just being a victim of the events without a will of her own, her thoughts and actions all focused on the men in her life (Aral, Miles, Bothari, Gregor...). The one time in Barrayar where I could see the interesting character that she could have been was when she presented Aral her "Winterfair gift", but it was too little too late.
There was some intresting worldbuilding in the books, but as a whole the focus was too much on the romance and relationships between flat and one-dimensional characters with confusingly similar names. I had to periodically check Wikipedia to see which character Cordelia was currently talking to, because their personalities weren't distinct enough for me to tell thyem apart. And I say this as a big fan of Tolkien, the king of sprawling casts of secondary characters.
The biggest disappointment was Cordelia Naismith herself. She started off as an interesting character, but I found her romance with Aral unbelievable (when I wasn't creeped out by the Stockholm Syndrome aspects of it) and by the second book, she was mostly just being a victim of the events without a will of her own, her thoughts and actions all focused on the men in her life (Aral, Miles, Bothari, Gregor...). The one time in Barrayar where I could see the interesting character that she could have been was when she presented Aral her "Winterfair gift", but it was too little too late.
tani's review
5.0
When I was first preparing to start reading the Vorkosigan series, I found that several people advised that I start with [book:Young Miles] rather than this one, even though this is chronologically the earlier. So, I did that, and it's not a decision I regret. I'm a little more than halfway through the main series now ([book:Memory] is next on my list), and I found myself simultaneously needing a break and not wanting to leave the story that [author: Lois McMaster Bujold] has created here. Cordelia's Honor was my solution to that problem. It was a good one.
I absolutely loved reading about Cordelia and Aral. Discovering these characters who have always been in the background was really a treat for me. I got a lot of enjoyment from all those moments of realization: "Oh, that's who you are!" I also found it fascinating to see all the events that had gotten glossed over in the books I had already read suddenly appear before me in detail. It's really given me a whole new perspective on some of the characters, especially Bothari. It's also made me want to go back (or forward, rather) and read all the other books again and look at all these characters again with the improved understanding that I've gained.
I will admit that Shards of Honor is a little weak compared to Bujold's usual work, but I still found it highly enjoyable. As so many others have said before me, Bujold's weak is still better than many authors' strong. Highly recommended.
I absolutely loved reading about Cordelia and Aral. Discovering these characters who have always been in the background was really a treat for me. I got a lot of enjoyment from all those moments of realization: "Oh, that's who you are!" I also found it fascinating to see all the events that had gotten glossed over in the books I had already read suddenly appear before me in detail. It's really given me a whole new perspective on some of the characters, especially Bothari. It's also made me want to go back (or forward, rather) and read all the other books again and look at all these characters again with the improved understanding that I've gained.
I will admit that Shards of Honor is a little weak compared to Bujold's usual work, but I still found it highly enjoyable. As so many others have said before me, Bujold's weak is still better than many authors' strong. Highly recommended.