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A review by duffypratt
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Bujold is nothing if not audacious. In almost every Vorkosigan book to date, there has been a thread that involves something seriously implicating the fate of the galaxies. Even in the more seemingly low stakes books, this sort of threat comes through in the background. Not here.
Rather, this is a completely low stakes book about coming to terms. With grief, with old age, with family. The main plot basically involves a dilemma for the main character: Admiral Jole. He needs to decide between his career and his personal life. Beyond that, there's basically no action, no real tension. As A Civil Campaign was basically Bujold doing her take on Jane Austen, this feels like her doing a take on one of Anthony Trollope's thinner books, like Cousin Henry.
And my problems with it are basically the same that I have with the slender Trollope books. They are charming, but there just isn't a whole lot of meat there. A guy needs to make a decision, and then he does. "Cozy" has become sort of a big deal in the last year, at least in the fantasy fiction realm. This book is about as cozy as it gets. But there's a very thin line between cozy and dull, and this book is not always on the right side of the line.
Bujold's structure and writing of this are just fine. But it lacks the uproarious humor of A Civil Campaign, or the intensity of most of the Miles-centered books. It's good, but for me, a decided step down from the better books in the series. From what I've read, it appears that this may be the last Vorkosigan book, and that's kind of a shame. It's such a good series.
Rather, this is a completely low stakes book about coming to terms. With grief, with old age, with family. The main plot basically involves a dilemma for the main character: Admiral Jole. He needs to decide between his career and his personal life. Beyond that, there's basically no action, no real tension. As A Civil Campaign was basically Bujold doing her take on Jane Austen, this feels like her doing a take on one of Anthony Trollope's thinner books, like Cousin Henry.
And my problems with it are basically the same that I have with the slender Trollope books. They are charming, but there just isn't a whole lot of meat there. A guy needs to make a decision, and then he does. "Cozy" has become sort of a big deal in the last year, at least in the fantasy fiction realm. This book is about as cozy as it gets. But there's a very thin line between cozy and dull, and this book is not always on the right side of the line.
Bujold's structure and writing of this are just fine. But it lacks the uproarious humor of A Civil Campaign, or the intensity of most of the Miles-centered books. It's good, but for me, a decided step down from the better books in the series. From what I've read, it appears that this may be the last Vorkosigan book, and that's kind of a shame. It's such a good series.