A review by jandi
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold

5.0

I would not recommend starting the Vorkosigan series in this book, as familiarity with the now extensive cast of characters will help a lot with enjoyment. And how much enjoyment it is! "A Civil Campaign" is a romantic comedy, that happens to be set in the half old fashioned, half galactic Barrayar. The emphasis is on the comedy here - there are some truly brilliant scenes, especially one involving a disastrous dinner party. The humor is very much along the line of Jane Austen. And some characters that had to sit in the background for quite a while finally get a bit of the spotlight - we finally get to hear Ivan's point of view! Cordelia also gets a more prominent role, which I loved because she is awesome. I also appreciated the depth on Ekaterin and Kareen, and their journeys of self discovery.

The one downside on this book was the plot line around Lord Dono.

Spoiler

While I don't come to the Vorkosigan saga for gritty reality, the whole affair was resolved too neatly to be believable for backwards Barrayar. Sadly, the attack Dono experienced would not have needed a politically motivated inciter in a society as rigidly conservative as described. I appreciated the presence of a transgender character, but the bigotry I would have expected was quite toned down.