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A review by caedocyon
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
3.0
I didn't mind that this was slow and domestic, but it's a drastic tone change from every other Vorkosigan book, which range from "energetic" to "madcap."
(mild spoilers from here on)
It's also more conventionally heterosexual than you would believe that a novel about two members of a poly triad reconnecting years after the death of the third person could be. I actually prefer Dira Sudis' (fanfic) version of how Aral and Jole got together; their story is almost completely omitted from Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, on the basis that Jole doesn't want to go into it with Cordelia and she respects that. Like, ok, fine, but it comes off as a cop-out instead of an exploration of boundaries within a poly relationship.
The only boundaries that actually get pushed are the futuristic possibilities (biological, social, and legal) for reproduction. I've long suspected that this is a special interest of Bujold's. Still... I would have liked to actually see some of the conflicts and awkward social situations play out, instead of having to be satisfied with Cordelia and Jole discussing how they might handle theoretical issues.
(mild spoilers from here on)
It's also more conventionally heterosexual than you would believe that a novel about two members of a poly triad reconnecting years after the death of the third person could be. I actually prefer Dira Sudis' (fanfic) version of how Aral and Jole got together; their story is almost completely omitted from Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, on the basis that Jole doesn't want to go into it with Cordelia and she respects that. Like, ok, fine, but it comes off as a cop-out instead of an exploration of boundaries within a poly relationship.
The only boundaries that actually get pushed are the futuristic possibilities (biological, social, and legal) for reproduction. I've long suspected that this is a special interest of Bujold's. Still... I would have liked to actually see some of the conflicts and awkward social situations play out, instead of having to be satisfied with Cordelia and Jole discussing how they might handle theoretical issues.